Hike Through Juniper Pines

Cindy and I took a day trip up to the mountains to enjoy some time away from home.  Being at home all the time is challenging, even for introverts!  We were both sort of irritable on the drive up, and we did some ranting, by the time we were headed home, we were both relaxed and happy.

Sunset Point was our bathroom stop on the way up, as usual.

"Poisonous snakes and insects inhabit the area." - !!!

When I parked, I noticed there was a sandwich under the car - free of charge!

Cindy wasn't interested.

Also there was FREE pudding!

Wildfires have been burning a lot of acres around Arizona this summer.  The area to the east of Sunset Point was all burned, black, and sad.

The area on the other side was still okay.  Dry (desert), but not burned.

There are the red hills of Sedona!

We decided to try finding available parking near the river, but all the hiking spots and riverside areas were full, so we kept driving up to Flagstaff, where the temperature is usually a further 10 degrees cooler than in Sedona (Sedona is usually 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix in the summer, and Flagstaff is usually about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix).

We looked on the AllTrails app to find a reasonable hike and found this one through the juniper pines.  It smelled delicious.  

First we had a picnic, since we'd been driving a while.

I took a stuffed pepper with brown rice and baked sweet potato wedges.

Clarabelle (my Nissan Kicks) was happy to be adventuring out in nature!

The trees and the breeze both smelled fresh and clean and wonderful.

Here's our trail.  It was hot in the direct sun, almost chilly in the shade.

There were lots of pinecones:

We walked the path for about an hour.

It was pretty.  We read in the hiking app to start at the end of the hike instead of starting at the beginning, but we didn't know how to do that.  We plan to try again and research a little more beforehand so we can FIND the end of the trail first!

Can you see Clarabelle in the background?

She is happy in the forest.

Here are my footprints in the dirt going both ways!

We stopped in McGuireville on the way back for a potty break.

It was a pretty rest stop.  We were able to see the red hills of Sedona from the rest stop.

And *someone* fell asleep on the way home . . . 

I'm looking forward to another adventure soon!

Claude & Hot Weather

I haven't been feeling very motivated lately.  This staying at home all the time thing leaves me feeling sort of useless and boring.  I'm still doing most of the things I normally did other than church stuff and meeting with friends, but it all feels emptier.  I am pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Even though hot weather has definitely arrived (high of 110 degrees today, expected to be even hotter later in the week.  This is the time of year we wonder why we live in the desert!

But in just a few months, it will cool down again and we'll remember.

I get happy every single day looking out at our shady backyard that looks cool even when it certainly isn't.  I like how our fountain is full of birds when the weather heats up!

I'm happy we can contribute to the comfort of cute little creatures.

I haven't been doing much outside of the house, but I have gone to Sprout's and Target.  They both have some great palm trees I admire on each visit.

Here is the sky from the corner of our backyard.

These are our Chinese elm trees.

The other night I needed some alone time, and even though it was still hot out, I went out for a walk.  It was a short walk.  But I did get to see the sun set.

A couple of weeks ago, Claude decided not to eat or drink very much.  We decided to take her to the vet.  The regular vet couldn't get her in for an appointment, so we took her to the emergency vet.  It was well organized.  I pulled into a parking spot and called the number on the sign.  They sent out a vet tech to take info (we were masked up) and then they took Claude back with them.  I came home to wait, and it took most of the day.  I didn't pick her up until after 6 pm (took her in around 10 am).  

They told us that she had early-stage kidney disease.  The treatment (it slows down the progression of the disease but doesn't stop it) is special low-protein food and subcutaneous fluids every other day.  It's not as scary as it sounds.  We did it before with Niobe and Baltazar, but they refused to put up with it after a while.  Claude seems to handle it better.  She's a good girl!

We took her to the regular vet the next week.  That vet told us that the bloodwork wasn't for sure positive for kidney disease.  Many of the measures that would normally show up abnormal in cats with kidney disease were normal for Claudie.  She said if it is kidney disease, it's extremely early in the process and we wouldn't necessarily have to do anything.  We have discovered that she eats much better and seems to feel much better with the every-other-day fluids, so we've been continuing to do that.  She also likes the special kidney food better.  But it's good news that she's healthier than we first suspected!

And she's back feeling perky and full of personality!

Allistair enjoys stretching out when he's warm.

Allistair always enjoys dropping off on the exercise bicycle desk.

Stephen loves being in a tent.

At least masks are now required in public places in Chandler.

And I got a haircut. I have some thoughts that maybe there will be some more stay-at-home orders here in Arizona, so it's good to have reasonable hair.  Now if I don't have access to another hairdresser for a six months or a year, I will be fine.  

Hope you are safe and healthy and content.

xo