Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel

10 Aug., 2019; Vail AZ.

At least for the inside of the house . . .

It's been too hot (for me) to work outside for more than an hour or so in the early mornings.  So, I've been concentrating on what I want to get done inside before I move in my stuff.  

I wanted to replace all the carpets (extremely pee-stained by P.O. pets) with tile (because of my little dog).  So, while I was waiting for the tile work to get scheduled and completed, I had time to paint a couple bedrooms and remove all the baseboards (for painting as well as prep for the tile work).

The painting was a necessity!

While I'm sure the little girls loved the color schemes and doo-dads (little flowers on the ends of the curtain rods; unicorns on the ceiling fan pull-strings), a more mature look was needed for me.

So, first, the baseboards had to come off.  Not only in these 2 bedrooms, but also in the 2 bedrooms I'm hoping not to paint this year.

Here I am gettng started

All the baseboards in the garage, ready for refurbishing or replacement

Taking off the baseboards disclosed more termite damage which meant another trip out to the house for the termite company!

Yikes!!

The bedrooms required primer and 2 additional coats of paint - I listened to several audiobooks to keep me sane throughout the tedious work.

But, finally, the painting was done!!  The walls are now a lovely cream color with a different accent wall in each room.  I really like the green and the dark brown; not so fond of the dusty rose - I thought it would be more muted.  But, after running back and forth to Home Depot and trying over a half dozen tester paints, I was just too worn out to continue looking at different colors

Previously pink and lavendar

Previously, yellow and lavendar

Just the accent wall in this smaller bedroom

On to the Tile Project . . .

My tile finally came in and the job got scheduled - really only about a week after what was initially proposed.  

I was so glad to see the last of the icky carpet!  This is only some of the carpet; the guys used huge segments of the rugs to protect the tile coming in to the house and under all their tools in the garage and front porch where they set up their saws and prep work stations.

I was quoted 5 days for the job - and I thought that was tight.  But, the team of guys (3, then 4) were extremely fast - 3 bedrooms were largely tiled by the end of the first day (well, they did show up before 7 am!!).  They finished up those rooms and then completed the master bedroom and walk-in closet the second day!!  I was amazed!

Lots of cleaning after the carpet came out to prep the floors for the tile.

In progress

My existing tile isn't made anymore; but, I like the new tile and I think it looks pretty good with the old tile.

One last chore for me was to replace the closet door guides.  The old ones were too short with the carpet gone.  I didn't want to (and my drill is in storage in Oregon anyway) drill into the new tile, so we'll see how the epoxy glue holds.

All the outlet covers and HVAC covers are back on.  Now, I just have to fix up the baseboards, and then put them back on.  I think I'll be renting a nail gun to help with that chore - I've never used one before, so that should be interesting.  Hope I don't nail my foot to the floor.

I'm not the only one renovating!

My resident tarantula is excavating her den - or maybe just cleaning out after the last big rain.  The pile of fresh dirt in the middle of the photo is what she's dragged out of her burrow.  The burrow is just below the pile of dirt - a quarter-sized, perfectly round hole that goes down about 6 inches before angling off to a horizontal layer.

More Wildlife: big and small

4 Aug, 2019; Vail AZ

Monsoons bring migrations for some; end-of-life for others.

The Giant Mesquite Bug is nearing the end of it's lifespan after laying eggs in the mesquite's for next year.  I'm finding them more frequently these days.  They are so spectacular - hope to see one alive someday!!

I love the deep blue beneath those shiny gold-leafed wings!

Male tarantulas are migrating through the area.  I've seen two - but, haven't seen them hanging around the female tarantula who lives in a burrow in my back yard.  Is she not desirable? a different kind of tarantula? chasing them away?  who knows . . . 

Big male, rested briefly on my front porch one recent evening, and then wandered off.

If only he'd gone into the backyard, maybe he could have hooked up with this female hanging out by her burrow.

Everyone takes a siesta down here

Even when the monsoons cool down the temps a bit - it's hot.  The bunnies, and even Phoebe, dig shallow wallows in the dirt and rest for a bit in the hottest part of the day (well, usually Phoebe is inside in the AC, but if I'm in the pool, she digs a cool spot).

I looked out my kitchen window a couple of days ago and spied this tiny little baby Spiny Lizard.  The Spiny Lizard is the biggest lizard I've seen in my neighborhood; so, it was a lot of fun to see this miniature version!

The rock is only a couple inches across - just a baby lizard!!

I want to take out most of the boring yucca and prickly pear in my front yard and replace it with interesting, more colorful native cacti.  But, I keep finding reasons to not disturb the current landscape.  One of the big mounds of yucca hides the home of a couple big Spiny Lizards; I already took away the pile of mesquite branches that one of them was living in - and, I haven't seen him since (he had been a regular visitor, sunning on my back fence). 

This ground squirrel has a hole at the base of one of my boring prickly pears; I'm afraid that if I take the cactus out, I'll lose the squirrel.

And, finally, I see some Javelina!!

I've been wanting to see some bigger mammals (I've only seen a couple coyotes; no bobcats yet), and yesterday, I got my wish.  

I was sitting outside in the early morning having coffee when Phoebe suddenly alerted to something outside my back fence.  I grabbed my camera and tore over to take a look.  6 Javelina (including 2 babies) were slowly making their way around the fence line.  They didn't panic as I followed them around and tried to get some pics - but, they kept up a pace, so I had to be satisfied with some fuzzy shots and some butt shots.  But, happy I am to have seen them; Hopefully, they'll be by here again.

Phoebe was beside herself excited; I didn't know she could jump so high as she leaped into the air trying to catch sight of them.

They don't call this a Mesquite Bosque for nothing!

Mom and one of the babies

I love my little acre in the desert

Time for an 'adult-beverage' and another sunset!

And to think, I used to run from bugs . . .

26 July, 2019; Vail AZ

Black light really does show the scorpions

The desert is an entirely different world at night; usually, it's so thick with bugs slapping into my face or landing on my arms, that I stay inside.  But, Phoebe needs company when she goes outside at night (the coyote howls are close, and the neighbors occasionally see bobcats) - so, I'm becoming familiar with some of my nocturnal neighbors.

This scorpion really stood out on the paver.  After taking the photo, I used the cup and some cardboard (my invasive species relocation kit) to move this guy out of the yard.  Phoebe was being a bit too curious to leave it in my yard.

Not very big - maybe 2"

More spiders . . . 

In addition to my resident Wolf Spider, I also have a smallish grey tarantula (at least I think that's what it is).  This one is very shy and as soon as the light hits it, he runs for his burrow.

All fuzzy and grey; maybe 3" including his legs

This guy was just passing through one night

Phoebe found this guy and was very interested.  Fortunately, she left it when I yelled at her and I got her into the house before taking a couple pics.  This tarantula was one of the bigger ones I've seen in Arizona - about the size of a saucer.  When I got too close, it would hop around - so after a couple of pics, I left it alone.  It was crossing my back yard like it was on a mission.

At night, there are hundreds (and more hundreds) of bugs attracted to the lights in the house

I find this understandable but kind of gross.  I feel a bit like I'm under siege.  I usually put on a porch light and then sneak Phoebe out a side door to keep too many bugs from flying into the house when I open a door.  Fortunately, they're gone in the morning.  Well, the alive ones are gone.  Every morning I use a leaf blower to clear the front and back porches from the many (this morning I counted over 100 of just one species) bug corpses.  I'm surprised that the local birds don't come and eat more of them. A yucky part of being in the desert.

I'm seeing a lot of these huge (3") crickets?, cicadas?

These big mantis's are really bright green (2") - kind of pretty

You could kiss this guy if you're looking for a very angry prince, or to get high or maybe die

Like almost everything around here, this Sonoran Desert Toad is poisonous.  According to my amphibians and reptiles book: "the largest toad in the United States, this toad secretes toxins that can cause hallucinations, paralysis, or death in dogs and other vertebrates" (I'm a vertebrate).

This young one was on my front porch when I went outside to try to get a better pic of the green mantis.  Needless to say, I was startled!!  You can see the orange bumps typical of young ones and the telltale big glands on legs and neck which distinguish it from a bullfrog.  This one was around 4-5".

The Monsoons are coming

16 July, 2019;  Vail, AZ

First, the dew point goes up

Traditionally, we need 3 days with the dew point over 50 to officially start the monsoon season.  

The day might start out sunny and clear, but then the clouds start forming up.

Then thunder and lightening; possibly rain

For several days, I had been hearing the afternoon thunder and lightening, rain all around me with maybe only a sprinkle at my house.  Then, I finally get a good little downpour.  I was so excited to see where the water would go around my new house.  So, like a good Oregonian, I was running around outside in the rain taking pictures.

The rain flows from one of my roof scuppers - I may try capturing some run-off for gardening water

  

Across the driveway

A plugged up drain - I'll deal with that soon!

And, before long, the rain passes leaving only a pretty sunset

The sunsets are always spectacular when there are clouds.  

Kissing Bug?

15 July, 2019; Vail AZ

Big Dead Bug

Sometimes, even a 1-1.5" dead bug can be of interest to me.  This one looks like it was decorated in gold leaf.  The gold just shimmers in the light.  Unfortunately, I read that Kissing Bugs can carry Chagas disease (very bad).  Then again, it could be some different bug - my wildlife identification skills are rudimentary, at best.

For the non-bug folks

I also have a couple of Cardinals who live nearby - I hear them every morning and often see them in my back yard.

The front yard is full of ground squirrels of some kind.  They are pretty shy - but this one peaked out to see how long I was going to stand around in the heat waiting to take his picture.

The prickly pear 'tuna's look just about ready to harvest for jams and jelly - I'm tempted to try but hear that it's really a lot of work to get rid of the small hairlike spines on the outside.

I'll probably just leave the tuna's to the birds and bees.  Like whoever lives in the nest in this Palo Verde!

Update: the first picture of the big bug has been identified!

And, it's not a kissing bug.  It was a Giant Mesquite Bug.  Very pretty in all it's stages of life.

Here's another picture of one.

The body, once the wings are spread, are a shiny deep blue.  Spectacular!!

Resident Varmints

12 July, 2019; Vail AZ

Seen once: Wildlife; Seen repeatedly: Individuals

The first time I saw a wolf spider in my back yard, I squealed and barely resisted the temptation to squash it.  But, every evening, I see it out hunting near it's burrow in my back yard.  We commune while Phoebe takes her last little walk before bed time.  This particular spider is now an individual; I look for it and am disappointed if I don't see it (what's next - a name?); and I worry about whether it will survive the landscaping work in the yard.

The size of a small tarantula - but I think it's a wolf spider

I have several big spiny lizards that visit my back wall during the day.  They live in the woodpiles outside my fence.  They're very shy - won't let me get very close before darting away - but, they too, have become individuals.

This spiny lizard has a blue neck and black belly; lives near the north fence

This spiny lizard lives near the west side of the fence and is more gold - no blue.

I saw this horned toad for the first time today.  It was crossing my driveway - maybe just passing through.  Very shy - it's coloring blending in so very well I almost couldn't find it again when I came back with my camera.

Only the 2nd horned toad I've seen in Arizona