We Continue to Stay at Home due to Covid-19, June 4 - 10, 2020

We joined the local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) by purchasing a half share for the summer.  We have since learned that they were successful in selling all shares this year.  We received our first share Thursday.

I continue to see more and more wildflowers on my walks around the neighborhood, these on a hillside at Arroyo Park.

Besides putting organic cedar bark mulch around the plants on our front yard, we also have put out hanging planters of colorful flowers.

We repaired the crumbling stone wall that separates our property from the middle unit; they have beautiful yellow flowers that go over the wall.

We ordered two new chairs for the patio.  Amazon first said they would arrive June 22, then between June 12 and 22 - they arrived on June 4.

After putting them together, Patty tried one - we like them.

They go well with the other two chairs we have.

We shopped for a rug and pillows for the patio, but have not decided which ones to buy.

As advertised, the "strawberry" moon was amazing.

I have read that the spring winds are intense but that is normal - several times the wind has been strong enough to move the carpets we have place over the rocks (the rocks bother our dog's feet).

Much as with the Carlyle in Phoenix, I have been attending HOA board meetings and bringing issues to them.

Stone wall that needs repair.

Stone wall that needs repair.

Snowplow moved rock from where it had been

Snow plow moved ground cover and needs to replace it

Dangerous limbs need to be removed from tree #99

And we continue to not visit restaurants or bars, nor go to any gatherings nor have any guests visit.  We keep masks and hand sanitizer in the car so that we are prepared if we go to a store.  And all the news is bad; this is from the headlines on June10:

Maricopa County public health officials urged individuals to take more vigilant action against the rising tide of COVID-19 by avoiding groups, wearing masks, washing hands and heeding other precautions. 

The county, like the rest of Arizona, has seen significant jumps in case numbers in the past two weeks, causing concern among some experts that the state is headed in the wrong direction.  

County public health officials on Wednesday discussed the significant case increases, warning individuals of rising community spread and recommending they take precautions to slow COVID-19.  

We Continue to Stay at Home due to Covid-19, May 28 - June 3, 2020

We have beautiful sunsets here in Flagstaff.

One of the projects we did was spread ten bags of organic cedar bark mulch in our front yard, around the plants we have.

Of course, we need to have cut flowers to make our dining room table complete.

One day, we visited Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, about 15 miles north of Flagstaff.  Only four trails were open, so we hiked three of them.

Lots of downed trees with fascinating shapes.

An interesting spatter cone.

We even came across a small cactus in bloom.

We learned about a squeeze up.

While it has been about a 1,000 years since the last eruption, in places plants still struggle to gain a foot hold.

After hiking the Lava Flow Trail and the Bonita Vista Trail, we hiked the A'a trail - it reminded us of our hikes in Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

On one of my hikes past the duck pond, I heard some peeps and sure enough, in the middle of the pond was momma and her babies.

On another hike, we came across more wild flowers.

 Megan made new masks for us - she sent several of each design, and they can be washed as needed.

 

And it was only a year ago that Ben and Martha left me speechless when they surprised me by meeting up with us in Amboise, France, for my 70th birthday - will we ever be able to travel like that again?