Backyard

As the weather is warming up (today it's supposed to hit 85 degrees!), I want to be comfier outside.  I have the compulsion twice per year to retidy the outside (I'm not a gardener - yard work usually isn't my thing, which means it's convenient that I live in the desert, because there's only so much that a person needs to do to raise cacti!)  Yesterday I had that compulsion, so I went to Home Depot and bought some beautiful new succulents and desert plants.  Our cactus garden has a drip line and the plants get some water a few times per week - succulents can't handle the full heat of this area with only natural water in the deep summer.  We try to keep it minimal.  But we water our Chinese Elm trees more.  They shade our house from the evil afternoon sun in the summer with their lovely umbrella-like expanse of beautiful little green fluttering leaves.  We love them.  (Thanks, Dad & Mom, for the idea to plant them - they must save us a ton on a/c bills, too!)

First purchase: a lovely collection of succulents for the patio table!

Second purchase, Kangaroo/Joey Paws.  I haven't heard of these before, but I saw them at the store and fell in love with their soft pink little buds.  They are a perfect blend of spiky desert and pretty girliness.

 I bought two Kangaroo Paw plants and two African Iris plants (right now they just look like tallish wide marsh grass) to add some height to the perimeter around the cactus garden like a border.

My Partridge Breast succulent has grown its spring stalk!

The  base of the Partridge Breast - I think its name comes from the speckling on the leaves

Greg and I are passing on some of the stuff we've had on the patio to make it more pleasant to enjoy our backyard.  Here in Arizona, most houses don't have basements or attics, so garages and patios often get used for storage.  We are slowly working to sort through stuff and keep only what we need, but it's a terrible process!  Anyway, I'm thinking of moving the eating table & chairs to the left (looking from the house to the yard) and putting some more comfy lounge-y seating on the right.  Maybe this?  With a little table for drinks? 

(click here for link)

On Friday, we had a THUNDERSTORM!  With lightning and rumbles (Allistair was freaked out and ran away to hide at the first big one!) and everything!  Quite a bit of rain, too.  We've had a lot of rain this winter, which makes all my plants very happy.   

The storm rolling in

When I was driving home from Target that afternoon, one lane of our main road was closed because a big branch had broken off a Palo Verde tree along the road due to a gust of ferocious wind and the workmen were there safely removing it and grinding it up.  

Later, I discovered that a bird nest had blown out of one of our Chinese Elm trees in the backyard.  But the babies are all grown up, so it's okay!

Bjarne let Allistair cuddle up to him!  Typically Bjarne only lets Stephen cuddle him.

Allistair all upside-down in the cat basket.  Love that widdle tummy!

Stephen with his favorite toy (he does NOT love to be tangled up in it, as you can see!)

Mesquite tree in our front yard is budding!

New front door mat for spring

If you haven't tried this jam yet, you MUST!  I love the raspberry and cranberry together.
I have almost eaten the whole jar up already.  Yum!

I have some fun videos for you!
While I was editing the videos of the fish stick toy, Stephen AND Allistair both got up on the desk to look for the toy because they heard the bell ringing in the videos!

Amazing Motocross-style kittens!

They make me laugh a LOT when they go flying across the screen with the greatest of ease!

Greg likes to play, too!

And Allistair has taken to drinking from the bathroom sink!

I think his little pink tongue is adorable.

Have you ever tried to put clean sheets on a bed when there are two kittens longing to play?
Well, here is what it's like!

And sometimes I just play along - is it more important to get the sheets on the bed, or play with these sweet little kittens?  I think you know the answer!

Stephen coughed up his first hairball the other day, and he found it quite surprising!

Allistiar hasn't coughed one up, but he does the coughing part.  It's really cute, unlike the typical hacking, juicy hairball thing.  I captured a little of it.  And then he got embarrassed and laid down on Stephen.

Happy Tuesday!