Day 1 Back on the Road

Larry and I bid farewell to Tucson today around 11:00, which was later than we planned. Neighbor Helen reminded me that we'll get an hour back, so the later time didn't sound so bad. We had more packing and arranging to do than we figured. We had to have everything in order for the renters, who are coming on Monday and staying for two months. We didn't do so well about traveling lightly. We ended up packing up our pantry leftovers since we had room in our car. I forgot to chant, "Less is More." Maybe we can leave some of it with Cliff in San Francisco.

We had beautiful weather for the drive today. The traffic was a little heavy in places, especially on the road to Phoenix. We were relieved not to get stuck in traffic for very long driving through LA. We made it to Santa Clarita 7-1/2 hours after leaving Tucson. We amused ourselves during the drive by listening to an audio book, then listening to Garrison Keillor who was broadcasting from Tucson this week. It was fun to hear his impressions and jokes about the place. Tomorrow, SF or bust!

We spent the night at the Hampton Inn at Santa Clarita. I like the place. The room was clean and quiet, they include a cooked breakfast (which doesn't matter to me since those are never vegan), and they allow for cancellation up to 6:00 pm without penalty. This was the only hotel in its class that seem to do that. I'm including this review so we'll be able to remember it for the future.

Almost Ready

I have been busy packing today, as you may imagine. I've tried to work on it room by room. Larry had to work late today, so we didn't go out to do anything special on our last night. I did get out to see a presentation on vintage fashion at the Art Institute. It was fun. The presenter was Paula Taylor of Tucson, who has gotten much of her wardrobe from David Sheflin of Vintage Fashion, Inc. in Phoenix. Some day I think it would be fun to go to Phoenix to visit his shop. Her talk focused on using vintage as fashion, not costume, and combining contemporary pieces with vintage. I kept thinking back to Jacque Goldsmith's talk on vintage patterns and fashion at the ASG convention last summer. She would have enjoyed this talk.

I have to go back to work now, so I'm signing off.

What I Have Learned This Trip Part 1

One of my goals for blogging during our journey to Tucson was to write about what I am learning about myself during this experience. Here are some of my thoughts. I'm calling this Part 1 because I'm likely to think of more things to report later.

1. Home is where WE are. That is a quote from the movie Julie and Julia. Paul Child says that to Julia when they are stressing about where to live after having to leave France. Larry and I have been getting along well and have been supportive of each other in this three month endeavor. That is nice to know.

2. I am happy in a smaller space. I think Larry is, too. Although I treasure the memories of our house in Bellevue, I don't need upscale surroundings and lots of space to be happy. I like having less to take care of. Staying here for a longer period has helped make it easier to leave our house in Bellevue, if it sells! We have all the stuff we need here, so it may make it even easier to downsize more when we move to a smaller place in Bellevue.

3. I figured out what activities in Bellevue I want to prune out and what I want to keep. ASG and sewing are still important to me, yoga is less important as are piano lessons. I found that I have had the discipline to practice both yoga and piano about every day. I just don't feel the need at this time for yoga classes and piano lessons. I'll resume involvement with ASG in Bellevue. I want to keep up with my volunteer work at PCC Cooks. I didn't find anything comparable in Tucson and miss that.

4. At first when we were here, I really enjoyed not having commitments and thinking about time. I gradually developed a routine and scheduled myself with some activities such as guided hikes and tours. It was good for me to have a break, but it also is nice to have connections and interactions with people in the community. When we come back again for a prolonged stay, I will contact the volunteer bureau and look for opportunities to help. I also want to join a hiking club and go on hikes around the area. Larry wants to get involved with a bridge group. There are many opportunities for fun and involvement here.

Random Thoughts About Tucson

I'm busy making lists of what we need to do to leave in just a couple of days. I also am making lists about Tucson.

What I'll Miss:
-the sunshine
-going for long walks around the neighborhood
-walking to the grocery store as well as other stores
-how easy it is to take out the garbage and recycling
-my neighbor friends
-the faster internet connection
-the quieter neighborhood
-picking oranges and lemons from our trees
-no stairs
-my digital harpsichord and organ
-reading a book outside in the sun
-dollar day at the movies
-seeing more of Larry
-did I say the sunshine?

Looking over my list, I see that (except for the sunshine and citrus fruit) most of the things I'll miss we could have in Bellevue once we sell our house and rent an apartment or condo.

Pleasant Little Surprises about Tucson:
-there is quite a cultural life here. In addition to opera, there are touring companies for chamber music, dance, and Broadway shows, just like in Seattle. Seattle has more going on and nicer venues, but Tucson is not a cultural wasteland.
-it is an island of blue in an otherwise red ocean politically unless the recession causes changes.
-lots of things cost less here. Gas prices are often the lowest in the country due to its proximity to a pipeline. It doesn't have to travel far from the source! Movies and food seem to cost a little
less also.
-except for some drivers, people don't seem to be in as much of a hurry. It has been easy to slow down and de-stress.
-Larry and I, for the most part, haven't gotten sick of each other while being under the same roof most of the time. That bodes well for his retirement.

Dryness and Sunshine

This week, our last one in Tucson, I'm trying to summarize some impressions. Dryness is a huge one. It is dry here. I have heard that it may start raining up in the clouds and it is so dry here that the rain evaporates before it hits ground. What does dryness mean to me? When we first arrive here, I notice that my eyes feel less moist and my skin is extra dry. I have learned to do what the natives do--I take a "second shower" every day. After I shower, I put on skin lotion. At night I use vaseline on my hands and feet and wear socks. I also use artificial tears in my eyes and hot wet compresses. These remedies really work. We also added a water softener which aids in skin comfort. I especially like the foot treatment with vaseline. My feet feel softer than they have in years. I'll continue that in Bellevue.

Dishes in the dish drainer dry remarkably fast. Floors that I mop dry within 5 minutes. Mildew doesn't have a chance to form in our shower enclosure. Wood isn't used in siding for houses because it dries out too much. There are very few lawns around here, although there are golf courses. The golf courses are irrigated with grey water. There have been drought conditions, but water isn't rationed. This year is turning out better than it looked for awhile because of the snow pack in the mountains.

Lastly, we keep water and canteens handy so that when we head out the door, we will have water with us.

Re sunshine: It is wonderful! I love the quality of light here in the winter. The nearby mountains have beautiful pink tones both at sunrise and at sunset. Even if the days are fairly short, I still feel that my solar batteries are getting charged during the day. I wear sunglasses and sunblock much of the time. I go without sunblock for outings less than 45 minutes. I've been reading that I can absorb more vitamin D that way. The sunshine does have it's drawbacks. I think that AZ has the highest rate of skin cancer in the nation. Sun bleaches furniture and wood. I have to pay attention to what furniture might be in the sun. Our original patio chair cushions disintegrated due to heat and sun exposure and needed to be replaced. Like all powerful things, it is a blessing and a curse. I will miss the sunshine!

What Concerns Me About Tucson

I have been pretty positive about Tucson in my blog. I'm sure that Tucson is a good match for us in many ways. I also think we've been in a honeymoon period and once we're here longer, we may find more to object to. Considering my goal to be balanced, I decided it would be helpful to write about the negatives about Tucson. First, the most obvious, it is miserably hot here in the summer. It even gets humid, according to some people I've met. There are four months of uncomfortable weather outside. Of those four months, two are really miserable outside. This time would be the monsoon season, in July and August when it rains really hard for brief periods. As snowbirds, Larry and I won't be around for that. The second negative I've already hinted at--driving here takes some getting used to. We live near a busy road and we often have to wait to turn onto it. We walk to Safeway whenever possible because it is tricky to make the u-turn needed to get home. It has taken me time to learn the best routes to get to certain locations. It seems like I always have to cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get to a left turn lane in order to make a u-turn. The locals complain about the busy traffic and say it's worse when the snowbirds land. Larry points out that the traffic in Bellevue and on our freeways is worse. I guess it's what you are used to. The third obvious negative thing about Tucson is that we miss our friends and family back in WA. However, we do have nephew David and Katherine here and my friend Cherie, which is nice. Our neighbors are great, as are the ASG'ers I've met. A fourth thing is that more people carry guns than in WA. I've read about more shootings in the south part of town than in the Seattle area. The citizens, though, do not walk around with six-shooters in holsters.

OK. Time for the less obvious. The recession is going strong here. AZ appears to be in about as bad shape financially as CA. The governor has proposed many budget cuts to try to balance the budget. We are worried about what the effects of budget cuts will be. Government workers who are lucky enough to hold on to their jobs have to take furloughs now and then. Social services and health care for poor people are being slashed. The schools are underfunded and even their great all-day Kindergarten program is likely to be cut. Some state parks are being closed (probably temporarily) and roads are not going to be repaired as much. I'm not sure, but I think AZ is worse off than WA in most ways financially. The home construction industry certainly has tanked big time. Tourism is down. What will this mean for us? We'll have to wait and see.

Cindy, Quilts, and Katherine

I headed off to the quilt show at the convention center (TCC to locals). I had been planning to go with some women who attend ASG meetings. I didn't go with them on Friday because of the stormy weather. I thought I would look at the show by myself and was feeling a little bad because I didn't go with the others. I was pleasantly surprised by what happened. I parked the car on the street and was reading the parking meter notice to see if I had to pay on Sunday. A woman across the street saw me and told me that I didn't have to pay. I thanked her, then asked if she were going to the quilt show. She said she was, then asked me if I'd like some company. Ordinarily her daughter went with her, but couldn't make it this year. Cindy and I spent the next few hour together looking at some amazing quilts and talking about our lives to each other. We spoke a common language, not only about quilts and sewing, but about our families, children, and retirement. When we parted, I felt like I had made a new friend. It always seems remarkably easy to connect with and talk to women who sew. This is true both in WA and here in AZ. The quilt show itself had some phenomenal quilts. I took lots of pictures, but narrow them down for this blog. Although I don't quilt much myself, I appreciate all of the workmanship. One thing I noticed is that hand-quilting is not as popular as in the past. Only a few quilts had the layers stitched together by hand. Long-arm sewing machines are quite popular now. I didn't see any quilting frames for hand quilting on display. Times have changed! The machine quilting was beautiful in most cases. Many women piece their quilts, then turn them over to someone else for quilting (stitching the 3 layers of the quilt together).





Tonight we had Katherine over for dinner and games. Katherine is Larry's nephew David's fiance. They just got engaged over the holidays, right before David flew off to Paris to study math for a few months. Katherine is here working in Tucson. We talked wedding a little and had a nice time getting to know each other better. I was happy to learn that she likes opera, especially Wagner. She and David have tickets to the opera here in Tucson, which means we are likely to go with them sometimes. That could be fun. She also plays the harp. She and David seem very happy together and skype together twice a day.

A Last Saturday for Sight Seeing

Yesterday the Catalina Mountains were hidden by fog. This morning I woke up to find the fog gone and snow in its place.



We decided to go for a drive today and went to see a show of Western memorabilia at the fair grounds. We looked at beautiful scenery on the way. Tucson is surrounded by mountains and most of the mountains had snow. The actual Western show was interesting, but didn't really wow us. There were vintage posters and art, beaded rodeo gloves, hand tooled cowboy boots, Indian blankets, and vintage aprons, which I enjoyed looking at. However, there were guns, spurs, branding irons, ropes, etc. which I wasn't so keen on. Most of the participants were serious collectors and/or aging cowboys/cowgirls. If I want to see the younger cowboys and cowgirls in the area, I'll have to go back to the Rodeo which is in February.

Larry and I decided to go to Mission San Xavier to see how the renovation is coming along. The mission is quite a lovely building. We enjoyed browsing around. I was interested to see that the statues of saints in the sanctuary wore textiles. Here are some photos.

No Farmers' Market Today

More rain and wind swept through Tucson today. Last night there were even tornado warnings in the western part of Pima County. It wasn't rainy the whole day, but when it came down, it came hard. During a break in the rain, Larry and I walked over to Udall Park, where they are trying to start up a farmers' market on Fridays. It was cancelled due to rain. I'm guessing the farmers could not harvest in their fields yesterday. The weather today has been iffy also for setting up tables. Usually it is bright and sunny here and weather doesn't get in the way of outdoor plans. It reminds me of Bellevue, where we have to have contingency plans in case we are rained or snowed out.

Instead of being distracted from my sewing projects by the sunshine, I have been distracted by planning some details for our drive back to WA. I should just set a schedule for myself. I could sew from 2-4 in the afternoon and then do other things. I want to finish my 4 sided placemat before we go.

Waiting for the Storm to Hit

We've been staying inside most of today. There are serious storms going on around AZ. Our particular area of Tucson hasn't been hit hard yet. Garbage cans were blown around, but I didn't see any damage here. There has been rain off and on and wind. I'll have leaves from the lemon tree out back to clean up. Tonight might be worse than during the day. There actually are blizzard conditions on Mt. Lemmon, which is near here. I doubt the ski resort there is open with the high winds going on. Flagstaff is snowed in. There are tornado warnings for the western part of our county. Even the Phoenix airport has been closed most of the day. We have it easy compared to many places in the state.

Without the sun to distract me, I've gotten around to some of the chores I lined up for myself. I have inventoried my sewing room. I wrote down all of my sewing notions and patterns, photographed my fabric stash, and stored most of it away in plastic boxes under a bed. I will inventory or at least take pictures of the other things we'll leave. I want to have clothes here so that if we fly back, we'll be able to travel light and not pay for luggage.

Rain and Caulking

Early this morning, before I got up, it rained very hard here. It stopped when the sun came up and we had blue skies again. I discovered that water came in through cracks in the caulk around our front bedroom windows. Since more rain is expected this week, I decided to take action. I called our faithful handyman for advice. He explained what kind of caulk to get and how to apply it. He said in the desert it isn't necessary to wait for things to dry out before applying it. I was ambitious and ended up applying caulk to most of our windows. I hope that does the trick. The only trouble with caulking was that it took me away from my sewing plans. After two days of ASG meetings, I have the urge to sew. I've got two little projects to finish up. Then I really should start making an inventory of what I have before packing up.

Rain and Sew

Today we woke up to rain! It didn't come down as hard as I thought it might. In the summer monsoon season the rain can be so heavy that it's hard to drive in and roads get flooded. Rivers, in fact, flow. The sun came out by noon and the sky was all blue. I was inspired to walk to a fabulous quilt shop. OK, it's not like Quilt Works NW in Bellevue. It is about 1/4 the size, but has nice things and friendly staff. I looked around to get warmed up for the quilt show I'm going to on Friday. By the time I left the shop, dark clouds rolled in and covered the sky. I was worriedthat I would be unable to make it home before rain came. I made it, though. It didn't rain around our house again. More rain is expected this week. I'm hoping it will be a gentle rain.

Tonight I went to an ASG NG meeting at the Art Institute. An instructor in the clothing design program talked to us. She explained the curriculum, took us on a tour of the facility, and invited us to some up coming events. She also asked if any of us would like to be a sewing mentor for a young student who needed some help with sewing basics. Students come into the program not knowing anything about sewing. They just want to design clothes and have other people make them. The instructor insists that they learn to sew in order to make sure their designs are carried out correctly. At this meeting I saw some people I met before at other meetings. It feels good to start making new friends. The hardest part of being in Tucson is missing my friends back in WA.

Pinnacle Peak

Today I had two different kinds of fun. First, I went to an ASG neighborhood group meeting. The program was for the members to share a book that they especially found helpful. I enjoyed hearing what other people were doing and to find some new resources. I connected with another woman there who used the pattern drafting software, Pattern Master Boutique. There is a separate users' group for PMB in the area. She invited me to attend. I also was invited to attend a quilt show at the Convention Center this Friday with a group. It's too bad that I am making so many connections just as we are getting ready to leave. I let everybody know that I'll be gone at least two months and will come again as soon as I can. Here is a photo of me wearing my latest creation. This evening I went to see friend Cherie's son's farewell performance at the Pinnacle Peak stunt show. He's been a cast member for almost 4 years. He's leaving because he has a full-time job as a banker and no longer has the time.

A number of his friends and family were there to watch his last show. I took pictures of Cherie, her niece Megan, and sister Candy.

Here are some more photos of Wyatt.

Titan Missle Base Museum

Today unfolded in a good way. We started the day off planning to buy some special tequila in South Tucson by the airport. We then thought of other things to do in that part of town and remembered that the Titan Missle Museum was a little bit to the south of town. We decided to go for it! It's just off I-17 in Sahuarita. This is a historical museum dedicated to preserving the technology of the Cold War era. The Titan II missle bases with nuclear warheads were built in 1963 as retalitory strike weapons to be used only if we were attacked first. In other words, it was to insure mutual distruction. Until 1987,when the last Titan II was deactivated, 54 Titan II missile complexes across the United States stood “on alert” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The construction was phenomenal. The Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) was the first liquid propellant missile that could be launched from underground. Equipped with a nine-megaton thermonuclear warhead, the
Titan II was capable of reaching its target—more than half a world away—in less than thirty minutes. The missle itself was 103 feet tall and the silo walls were 8 feet thick. I'm glad that they kept this one, minus the warhead of course, because the museum is an impressive reminder of the way things were. Here are some photos.

Perm Day

Today I went back to Great Clips for another perm and cut. I like it there. The staff are all very friendly and do a nice job. How lucky I was to find it! Tucson in general has lots of friendly people in stores and around town. I've had many pleasant conversations here and ther. It doesn't seem like they are in as much of a hurry as people in the Seattle area. It's a good place to get off the fast track. I won't go so far as to say the drivers aren't in a hurry. I still am extra cautious driving around here. Garrison Keillor just wrote about the contrast in behavior between people when face to face with someone vs. annonymous in a car. Wonderful, kind people often display a different side to their personalities when driving. I try not to get upset about things I can't change and try not to take driving behavior of others too personally.

Freezer Paper Has No Grainlines

Today was UFO day for the ASG Neighborhood Group I've been attending. About 10 of us worked together on our unfinished sewing projects. It was lots of fun. It reminds me of the sew lab I go to at Lake WA Tech, except we didn't have a teacher. I worked on a top that I cut out last night. I used Pattern Master Boutique to draft the pattern and chose a cotton knit fabric that I got from the close-out sale at Buttons and Bolts. I sewed it up, then had some of the women help pin out the extra fabric to improve the fit. I didn't use too much ease when drafting, it was just the nature of the knit I used. I need to finish the neckline, then will have Larry take a picture of me wearing it. The slopes are good. In other words, the shoulder seams are exactly where they should be.

Part of the fun was seeing what other people were making. Some of the ladies worked on bags. One repurposes fabric samples by sewing them into bags for children removed from their homes by protective services. She says it's much more humane for a child to pack up using an attractive bag than using just a plastic bag. Others there also were sewing for charity. One lady was working on a Christmas tree wallhanging, saying she might finish it in time for Christmas in 11 months. A few were trying out instructions for placemats that have 4 sides. It's a really cleaver design. I have the written instructions and will probably try it. I wanted to trace the template for the 4 sided placemats on freezer paper. I laid out the paper and arranged the template on it, only to find out that it didn't fit. I asked if anyone had tape to add an extension. No one did. Finally, Millie came up and turned the template on the diagonal of the paper, saying, "Freezer paper has no grainlines!" We all had a good laugh.

Busy Doing Nothing Much

As you readers might recall from earlier posts, I like having to-do lists. Everyday I work out, write in my blog, and play the piano. Other things are my optional to-do's. Today I wanted to start a sewing project for the sit-and-sew tomorrow, but got distracted by lots of little things. Well, actually, looking at pictures of the disaster in Haiti is not a little thing. It is mind-boggling to imagine the devastation there. We will send a donation once it's clear who to send it to. My day began early making sure Larry made it up for a 6:30 meeting. Then I had to call sister Suzy re shoe purchases, then I took a walk to the mailboxes and discovered the crew was pruning trees. I walked back and talked to neighbor Helen about it and other things and decided to call in a question about our tree pruning. I had a massage in the afternoon, then went shopping for a few things on the way back. Then it was so pretty outside around sunset that I had to go for a walk. I haven't started sewing yet, so I better stop blogging and get with it!

My drive and sense of urgency is not as strong as it used to be. That probably is a good thing. I may not accomplish as much, but I do enjoy the moment much more.

Tuesday, Another Movie Day

We kept our routine going this week. We went to Dollar Day today and saw The Men Who Stare at Goats. It was fun and entertaining. Well worth the money.

I continue to start thinking about what we need to do to get ready to leave here. We have to arrange our mail forwarding. I have to stop buying things over the internet in case they wouldn't arrive in time. I also want to catalog what we leave here so I won't forget what is where. My plan is to create an Excel document of all of our DVD's both here in AZ and in WA. That is what would cause us the most confusion. I will also list what sheet music I have here. I will take pictures of our tools and Corelle dishes. That should do it.

I keep getting distracted from my tasks at hand by the lovely sunshine. It calls me out to go on hikes while I am still here to enjoy it.

Stimulating Monday

Today I had two special experiences. I went on a guided walking tour at Sabino Canyon and heard Temple Grandin speak. The tour was led by a retired fellow who has lived in Tucson most of his adult life. He shared much about the history of the area along with the expected observations on cacti and wildlife. We walked in a group of about 30, mostly active adults eager to learn. He shared interesting tidbits about Tucson, such as that real cowboys actually hung out at Pinnacle Peak Restaurant just down the road from us. Also, there used to be an exclusive boarding school for boys near Sabino Canyon. He also talked about how much the climate has changed since he moved to town in the 50's. It has become much hotter and drier. There used to be rivers that ran year round. Now they are dry. In addition to the fun facts I learned, I also appreciated that the tour went on the road less traveled at Sabino and it was fun. The guide said that in the 50 or so years he's been hiking ini the area, he's only seen mountain lions twice. He also said that rattlesnakes aren't out this time of year. I'm going to get Larry to return with me for some hikes away from the tram road on the road less traveled there.

The other highlight of the day was a talk by Temple Grandin at Barnes and Noble. She is a professor of animal behavior who has autism. She studied animals in her youth and learned some valuable insights into human behavior. Her area of expertise is cattle, but she also is well known for her insights into horse and dog behavior. I never made the connection between how certain animals relate to events with the way that children with autism do. It's all how they are wired up neurologically and process information. A point she emphasized was the value of keeping pets and caring for them. She signed copies of her latest book "Animals Make Us Human."

Tohono Chul Park

Today Larry said, "Let's go someplace we haven't been before!" So I said, "Sure." We combed the paper for current happenings and looked through our Tucson Passport book of 2'fers. We finally came up with the highly recommended park in Oro Valley called Tohono Chul. We had a little trouble getting out the door. A football game was on and I noticed that the realtor next door was holding an open house. I went over to check it out. The realtor is a cousin of a neighbor I know and was very friendly. The house is in good shape if any of my readers want to buy close to Moss Lady. A remodeling specialist came by to give the realtor an idea about one improvement she was thinking of. I beat him to it and suggested a no cost way to solve the problem. I did get him to give me an estimate on what it would cost to convert our tub into a walk-in shower. It seemed reasonable. We may do that next year. Larry says no more projects this year. That's fine with me. We had a pleasant drive over to the park. I was surprised at how beautiful the landscape was. You have heard me talk about Sabino Canyon and Saguaro East. This park had more varieties of cacti planted more densely. Either things were planted that way or this park land has more natural water coming through it. At any rate, we enjoyed walking along the paths, then looking at the art gallery there. We plan to return in the spring when more cacti are blooming. The park is across the road from Whole Foods, so we went there afterward to get things for dinner. The afternoon turned out well and we did do something new for a change.

I Touched the Moon

Today I touched the Moon! Larry and I went to the Pima Air and Space Museum. They were having a special 3-day event. A moon rock was loaned to them and on display. It is one of only a few that are available for people to touch. I thought for sure there would be long lines of people waiting to touch it. There wasn't a crowd at all to see the rock. It still seems special to me to think that I personally touched something from so far away. As a sign of the times, there was a hand sanitizer dispenser a couple of feet away. After all, there is a flu epidemic going on.

In addition to the Moon rock, we heard an astronaut,Mark Kelly, speak about his flights to the space station. That was fascinating. He showed a video made of his adventure and talked about what it was like in space. He also talked about the plans for space travel in the near future. He allowed time for a question and answer period, which was lively. It was great hearing him talk.

As if the Moon and charming astronaut weren't enough, we also had an outstanding personal tour of one of the hangers. A docent volunteer was standing around, we asked him a few questions, then he started showing us around. He knew a lot about the aircraft and enjoyed our interest. I especially liked learning about the SR 71 supersonic stealth spy plane that was on display. We also saw the evolution of some helicopters and float planes. We walked out on the field to look at the many aircraft on display there. I read that there are 300 planes on display at the museum. What makes it fun to visit is talking to the docents who know the history of the aircraft. There are some great people who work there. It's all staffed by volunteers who care alot about the museum and it shows. I'm sure we'll be back.

Routine

I don't have much to report today, except that I got done what I wanted to do. I have slipped into habit here. Every day I ride the recumbent cycle fast and furiously, practice yoga, and play the piano. I try to get a walk in also to take advantage of the sunshine and try to do a little sewing. Today I added a trip to Trader Joes and housecleaning. I don't think it's a bad thing to have a routine going. I don't feel bound by it, but know if I keep to it, I'll see some growth.

Hike at Sabino

I know that it's not polite to rub it in, but while most of the country is shivering from cold weather, we've had sunshine and above average temperatures here. After Larry talked to a co-worker in St. Louis who was snowed in, we decided to go for a hike at Sabino Canyon this afternoon. Fortunately, Larry gets to flex his time a little so we can do things like that. The weather was perfect for hiking. This time water was in the creek beds, but not rushing over the many bridges there. I feel spoiled.

To balance things, I'll share something I don't like about Tucson. Today on our way home I saw a car stopped at a red light at a major intersection along with several other cars. This driver did not wait for the light to turn green and ran the light. The light wasn't even close to turning red (10 seconds passed before the light turned green). I was surprised. I understand how cars rush through intersections as a yellow light is turning red and look out for that. But a driver just starting through the intersection without the light changing worries me. Why did this happen? Was it someone texting? Was it a senior who got his/her wires crossed? Another evening Larry and I were stopped at a light with several other cars. A car came from behind us in another lane and went zipping through the intersection (another major one). This time there was a collision, but not serious. I think it was someone using a cell phone. In all fairness to Tucson, cell phones/texting and driving are dangerous driving habits everywhere. On the other hand, I have heard some residents say that they have to look out for senior drivers a little more and these were seniors who said it!

Balance

I'm working on balance in my life. When practicing yoga, I include a pose requiring balance. I try to eat well balanced meals. I like to balance my mind also. Today I spent a couple of hours listening to a course on Buddhism and one on great books in history. I also got ambitious, read the manual for my digital piano, played some Bach tuned to the Werckmeister tuning system to see how different another scale would sound. It was hard to get used to. My piano gives me 7 different tuning scales to choose from, which is fun when going for historical accuracy. I probably won't change very often from the "equal temperament" tuning used now, because it does sound so different. Later, for balance, I read some of Michael Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes" for something less intellectual. I ended the day by watching "Big Mama 2" on TV to give my brain a rest. It was cute and wholesome. Not a bad day!

Wild Life

Today was Dollar Day! Larry and I went to see "The Amazing Mr. Fox". It was very well done and fun, the way movies should be. I also did a little clean-up job in our back patio and thought of other forms of wildlife. It's really a pleasant place to sit in the sun under the citrus trees. I noticed that there were many feathers under the orange tree, but no soft tissue from a bird. That must mean that some sort of predator got the bird. I'd like to think it was a sweet little pussy cat, but I'm thinking that hardly any owners let cats go outside here. There are too many coyotes, bobcats, and lions around, though I have yet to see one face to face. I have heard from several neighbors, though, that those critters are around. I'm wondering what got the bird! As a side note, in some of the outlying areas around town, many rabid animals have been found. That's made the news big time. A rabid javelina attacked a lady outside by her home. A man walking his dog was attacked by a rabid bobcat. Ugh! When we go hiking around here, we tend to take the roads most traveled, so I'm guessing we probably won't encounter any wild animal with rabies. I'm going to always hike with my walking poles to have something to defend Larry with.

We also are aware that we need to do a few things here to get ready to drive back to Bellevue. We are contacting the Post Office, making arrangements to stay in San Francisco for a few nights, and are organizing our personal possessions a little more. We need to decide what to leave and what to pack to take with us. What we leave has to be out of the way of our renters. What I really need to do is catalog our growing collection of DVD's here and our growing collection of Corelle dinnerware, so we won't wonder what is in Bellevue and what is here. I've heard other people with 2 homes say that it can be a challenge to remember what is where. Digital photography should help me a little.

New Rug

Today unfolded a little differently than I expected. We had to make an emergency trip to Costco in the morning. Yesterday Larry walked there for exercise and samples. That evening he told me about the avocado hummus he sampled and my face lit up. Last May I had a sample of it and it was my very favorite hummus. We needed to get some before the "special event" ended. It was hummus heaven there with 6 different varieties to sample. Naturally I stocked up and got a few other things.

Larry has been feeling cold. We actually both have colds. This virus doesn't seem too bad though. We both have runny noses and sneezes, but aren't hit hard. At any rate, he figures that our tile floor makes the house cooler than with carpeting. We discussed getting a rug for the great room. Since we have a SW theme going, I figured it might be challenging to find something that would work. I checked the internet and there were hundreds of choices, but it is hard to buy a rug on-line. We remembered seeing some SW rugs at Home on the Range, a furniture and accessories store near us. I called the store, they had a special sale going on (aren't rugs always on sale!), and we rushed over. We found a rug that seems to go just right with our room. Tomorrow I'll find some rug tape to keep it from sliding on the tile. I thought our search for a rug was going to be more challenging and costly. Sometimes things work out easily.

Since we solved our rug problem in record time, we had energy to spare. I read about an antiques fair down the road from us and proposed that we check it out. It was fun. They had tools like my grandfather had as a machinist. (I gave my grandfather's tool like them to cousin Nikki.) It's great that some people still value them. I also saw a Brownie camera like I used to have, a formica dinette set that was like my grandmother's, and sets of dishes from the same era. Seeing all of those things took me back to my childhood. We weren't tempted to buy anything, though. I want to slowly upgrade our art and always have my eyes open. Next year we'll get more serious about it.

Since the antiques fair was so close to the park, we went on to Saguaro National Park East for a hike. The weather was just right for hiking. I keep hoping to see a tarantula on a trail like Joanne and I saw a few years ago. No luck today.

Dog Park

Larry and I had a glorius day. The sun was out and the temperatures were well into the 60's. So what did we do to take advantage of the sunshine, we went to another movie matinee, Sherlock Holmes. It was kind of fun but not great. The special effects were fun, though. Tomorrow we really might go for a hike. There are no more movies that we're dying to see. We'll Netflix the ones that we are mildly interested in.

I did get out for a walk at sunset. I went around our development looking at the beautiful colors reflected by the mountains to the north of us (the Catalinas) and east of us (the Rincons). I happened to go by the dog park in our development--it's just a patch of green near the 3rd swimming pool. Dog owners tend to congregate there everyday. Tonight Norma Jean and Deborah were there with their dogs. We introduced ourseleves and had a nice time visiting. Norma Jean is 85 and has been in the development since it opened. She loves it here. Deborah is in her late 20's I estimate and also like Tucson. She is studying health and fitness promotion. I continue to be impressed by the friendliness of the people in our neighborhood. It feels more and more like home here. I'm likely to go to the dog park at sunset whenever I feel like talking to a neighbor.