Another two weeks of stay at home with Covid-19, Nov. 6 - 21, 2020

The first weekend in November, snow was forecast, as much as six inches - but it turned out to be nothing more than a dusting of snow and gray skies.

A week later, we did get some snow, but again, not as much as forecast - barely a couple of inches of snow.

That snow fall was enough to plow, so on the shady side of the street, there was still snow banks three days later - but on the sunny side of the street, you would never know it had snowed.

We got a permit to cut a Christmas tree in the Coconino National Forest, but first we had to figure out where to put it.  This is what the living room and dining room looked like before starting.

Here is how we rearranged the rooms.  The Christmas tree will go in the corner where the fake tree is now

Our next door neighbors have put up outside Christmas decorations ten days before Thanksgiving.

We purchased a half share of the winter CSA and here is the second batch we received.

The weather systems have been creating some amazing sunrises.

We bought a small table top heater to extend the time we can spend on the patio.

The election has come and gone.  Trump still has not conceded and has not let Biden's team start the official transition.  Covid numbers are way up all across the USA, setting records for the number of people infected and now more than a quarter million dead.  I stopped volunteering at Walnut Canyon because of my concern about exposure to all these people visiting from all over the country.  We are planning a virtual Thanksgiving with Megan in Phoenix, Ben and Martha in Portland, and us in Flagstaff.  We are still healthy and but for the lack of contact with people, all is okay.  This, too, shall pass.  

Pocket Gopher at Walnut Canyon National Monument, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020

Thursdays I now volunteer at Walnut Canyon National Monument.  The staff and volunteers are great, and I enjoy my time outside meeting and talking with visitors - always wearing a mask, keeping outside and always keeping as much distance as possible.

When I volunteered for Flashlight Tours at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, one of my favorite stations was the Palo Verde Tree where we talked about pocket mice, who used their pockets (actually their cheeks) to gather the bean pods from the tree.

While in front of the Visitor Center Thursday, we saw a pocket gopher.  Here is some info about them from the National Wildlife Federation:

Pocket gophers are fossorial rodents named for their fur-lined cheek pouches. Their cheek pouches, or pockets, are used for transporting bits of plant food that they gather while foraging underground. They have special adaptations for their burrowing lifestyle, including clawed front paws for digging, small eyes and ears, and sensitive whiskers and tails. They’re also able to close their lips behind their long incisors so they can use their teeth to loosen soil without getting any dirt in their mouths. Pocket gophers are medium-sized rodents that range in length from 5 to 14 inches.

This one had at least six connected entrances to the underground home and s/he was busy gathering juniper berries.  Here are a couple of still photos.

This video shows some reticence on her/his part, probably because two of us were there with cameras.
 

This one was when I was there alone and I simply zoomed in from a greater distance, so I got to record more action.

Another Ten Days of Covid, Halloween and an Election, Oct. 26 - Nov. 5, 2020

The forecast for the weekend of Oct. 26 - 27 was for cold weather and up to six inches of snow.  But the forecast constantly changed and we only got a dusting of snow and some interesting cloud scenes.

We were able to wash all windows that opened inside and out both downstairs and upstairs.  But, in our stairwell, the windows are on the same level as the second floor, so it takes ladders to clean them inside and outside.  Our second floor bedroom has some windows that do not open.  And their are rain gutters needing to be cleaned.  So I sent these photos to a company I had seen working in our HOA and we have a contract with them to do all the windows we could not do and the rain gutters, so I will not be climbing the ladder to reach those heights.

We have been getting Paulie to climb the six stairs from the living room up to our front door, and sometimes even part way up to the second floor.

On Halloween, I sat outside and put candy for kids on the small table in front of me.  I only saw the four kids from next door (with their parents and grandmother) and two kids brought by car.

Patty found out where to get a permit to cut a Christmas tree in Coconino National Forest.  So some time after Nov. 15, we will go into the woods, search for a tree and hopefully find one that fits our home.

Patty gave me a shopping list that included pureed pumpkin for some squash soup - I could not find anything that said that on the label, so I took pictures of this variety, texted them to Patty and she accepted this.  The soup was excellent.

And so another ten days have passed.  The election was held on Nov. 3 - no final decision even as I write this on the 6th. Covid-19 numbers are continuing to set record highs here in Flagstaff (below is from the local paper) and throughout the country (now over 100,000 new cases per day) - predictions are that it will get even worse.

 

Thorpe Park and Frances Short Pond, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020

Sunday morning, Megan and I were both up early and chatted both before and during my usual morning walk with Paulie.  I shared some photos of the sky and we discussed the impending stormy weather.  While temps in Flagstaff were in the 60s and low 70s on Saturday, the forecast was for freezing temps and snow on Sunday evening  (and comparable cold for Phoenix).  I sent her some photos of the stormy sky here in Flagstaff.

After lunch, Patty and I decided to take a leisurely exploration of Thorpe Park and Frances Short Pond - I had read about them in the local paper and we enjoyed our three plus mile walk in the park and surrounding neighborhood. 

We saw this scarecrow that looked like an old woman who needed a better bra.

The pond is a man made pond and is part of the local flood control system, and it is stocked by the Arizona Fish and Game people, so people can fish there.

After passing the pond, we took the FUTS north and as we crossed the street, we saw lots of tiled artwork on the bridge over Rio de Flag.

Patty found another Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

After a bit, we left the FUTS and headed back south on the street parallel to the trail.  And we saw some delightful yard signs and bumper stickers.

This refers to a twenty kilometer run, not to driving and drinking.

After our hike, we drove up to the entrance of Lowell Observatory, but it is only open by appointment.  There is an overlook there and we stopped to enjoy the view and get a different perspective on the parts of Flagstaff where we regularly travel to hike and to run errands.

That white circle in the middle is the large domed sports stadium at NAU where Patty volunteered during the Presidential Primary in August.  Our home is about 3/4 of a mile to the left of that.

 

 

And then it was a latte at Matador's drive through coffee shop which we enjoyed at home with some ice cream.  A very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.