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A Forest of Saguaro
Taken at Saguaro National Park February 1—Wow, January is gone already! Time is flying by. I'm an old hand at doing taxes, now. I only make three or four mistakes a day!! We are not very busy, right now. I take a book to read or a crossword puzzle to do when we don't have clients. I am also working on 20 tax problems that cover the gamut of what I might encounter. Some are very hard!! Two co-workers have had a bad cold with a horrible sounding cough and I am afraid I am getting it too. I am getting a sore throat. The weather has been very changeable, warm one day and cold the next, so no wonder we are getting colds! I has been raining a lot, too. Yes, raining in the desert! The usually dry “washes” have water in them. Some days the desert area behind us almost looks like a lake. I am surprised that the water tends to stay on the ground, rather than be soaked up.
February 2—Today we drove down to Tucson to Saguaro National Park and Forest. It is indeed, a forest. Mile after mile of the saguaro cactus. They only grow at certain altitudes as
Saguaro Against the Sky
One of the many views in Saguaro National Park well as a certain climate. They certainly are at home in Arizona, in which they are primarily found. Some are in the Joshua Tree National Park just ove arr the boundary in California. They are located only in the Sonoran Desert. While many cactus are slow growing, the saguaro is one of the slowest. I've heard and read different things but most say they add about one inch every five years. One book says they can live 200 years, others say longer. They do not get their first arms until around 60 years. They can get up to 40-50 feet tall and are the largest cactus in the U.S. They can also weigh more than a ton, because they hold so much water. They have white flowers which bloom in May and fruit which matures in July. They provide homes to many birds and other desert critters and food and water for just about everybody. The Native Americans harvest their fruit with long poles. I wish we would be here in May when they bloom, but I don't think I could take the heat!
I slept all the way home, feeling pretty bad, and then went straight to bed
Basket Weaver
One of the Indian artists at the arts fair. and stayed there.
February 3—I went to an urgent care today. As I suspected, I have bronchitis. Armed with a heavy-duty antibiotic, I called the office and was told not to come back to work until I was well! That turned out to be until the 8th!
February 12—This weekend is the Tohono O'odham Indian Festival. (That is the name of one of the local Indian tribes.) They bring in their arts, crafts, foods, etc, and put on a rodeo. Unfortunately, they will be doing their dances while I am working tomorrow. I could cry!!! Joy and I walked around the booths and displays while Dan patiently waited. (I think he also went shopping.) We were disappointed in the size of the celebration. It appears to be dwindling, getting smaller each year. The Indian art that we did see, however, was absolutely breathtaking, especially the jewelry. Working with silver and area gemstones, these natives are wonderful artists. We learned a lot about various kinds of turquoise found across the Southwest, as well as around the world. I didn't know there are so many different kinds. Joyce bought a gorgeous necklace of local turquoise and “apple” coral.
We
Indian Beadwork and Jewelry
I was awed by the creativity of these artists. Such beautiful designs and a lot of work!!! Expensive stuff, but they earn the price of their work. also watched people making tortillas, similar to what I have seen on TV of making pizza dough. There were also basket-weavers, pottery makers and painters. I enjoyed the festival, even though it was small.
February 13—The Tohono O'odham parade is this morning. Marylynn had warned us the main street would be blocked off and to drive around to come in the back way. Dan had to drop me off about two blocks from the office, but I didn't mind walking because I got to see some of the parade lining up. Needless to say, it was a pretty dead day at work today.
February 23—We visited the local casino today, run by the Ah-chin Indians. It is one of the Harrah's chain. We went there to sign up for the player's card which gave us a free buffet and $20 worth of vouchers to gamble with. We all played the slots. I won $150 with my vouchers and one of Joyce's that she gave me. Boy was I thrilled! It made a great birthday present! The casino is nice and has beautiful sculptures of Indians all around it. I thought the exterior looked more middle-eastern than Indian, though.
Joyce Shopping
My sister looking at some of the jewelry on display at the arts show. Some time in February—I don't remember the date, but we had more rain. This time, however, it rained off and on during the day while the sun was shining. We had three different rainbows, which were gorgeous. That and another spectacular sunset. Also, Cali learned a new trick. She locked me out of the RV! I was over at Joy and Dan's, having supper—a nightly routine. When I went home, the door was locked. I had to crawl in through a window. Little stinker! The lock latch on the door flips down, just like the one to open the screen door does. I think she must have decided to try and open the regular door the same way she does the screen door. I will carry my key with me from now on!
Cali—I didn't mean to lock Mommy out, but I wanted out, too. She won't let me go outside, 'cause I won't stay on the leash and she says it's against the rules for me to run around without it. Besides, she says there are coyotes that like to eat cats. Humph! Doesn't scare me! ….What are coyotes?
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Glenda
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Do the Indians make anything from the Saguaro fruit or just eat it. I loved the pictures of The Showoff and the Eagle Dancer. All of your pictures are great. Now I'm wanting to go to the Indian Festival. After a particularly wet season, the desert is breathtakingly beautiful. Sounds like this could have been the year! Tell Joyce to hide her new jewelry when I see her cause I love turquoise and it is my birthstone. Gotta go so I can read your next chapter! Love, Glenda