Spring!!!!

Spring seems to have sprung! Walking through the desert I've been astounded to see leaves bursting out on the trees, all the Ocotillo's in full leaf...this is after examining them for the past month or so for buds. That is not what happens here--instead of bursting buds the trees go from looking completely dead to leaves within a day or two. Wildflowers, in various colors and sizes, dot the landscape like bright gems. The angle of the sun has changed--I can see the goddess in the mountain once again.

We've had the same old javelina several nights in a row and sometimes he's still here in the early morning. He finished off the block of seeds I put out for the quail and doves--I could hear him gnawing on it. Of course with the full moon other animals have been coming around as well--this morning I heard a gunshot from our neighbor who called a few minutes later to tell me it was a warning shot to scare off a scruffy mountain lion. I wondered why our cat and dog were so subdued this morning and no birds at the feeders! He said that right after the lion he saw a beautiful coyote coming across our land to the north...I've seen this male before and he's truly a magnificent specimen.

The way our house is situated we have missed the bobcat and mountain lion sightings and because of the wall around our back yard we don't always see the roadrunners. But the cat and dog are safe there and they know it. A few nights ago a pack of coyotes were very close to the house and Buddha managed to howl, which they answered. I couldn't see them, which was frustrating. It sounded like an enormous group but from what I've read they throw their voices. During these past few months their calls have changed, turning into more haunting high-pitched cries mixed in with the normal yipping that goes on. I have  deduced that the babies from last year are now traveling in the pack and making these different sounds. It's really funny how they all shut up at once, as though the leader holds up a paw signaling quiet.

Along with the Costas, Annas and Black-chinned, we've had several new species of hummingbirds coming to the feeders--don't know if they're traveling through or summer residents. They've been hard to identify. Quail are pairing up. But unfortunately they won't be able to nest in our yard again since we've redone it, taking out the planter boxes AND we now have a cat that hunts.

We will enjoy the gorgeous weather until it grows too hot and then I plan to take a trip up to the Pacific northwest, getting out of here for the month of June which is purported to be the hottest one!

thunder, lightning!

The last couple of days have been humid--heating up to thunderstorms in the afternoon. Yesterday our storm fizzled, but the day before we had a doozy! I wanted to sit outside and watch the clouds build, listen to the thunder rolling across the valley but after the first lightning strike and a CLAP of thunder right above us, I scurried into the house. The temperature went from 90 to 60 in the blink of an eye.

The Catalinas completely disappeared during the storm. The hill behind our house was lit up in an eerie yellow light coming from the west and beyond that a wall of dark gray. Truly spectacular! And at the end of it all we had a double rainbow! I'm beginning to really appreciate monsoon season. The moist air, the call of doves, the fluting voices of finches make me think of  Hawaii--the difference being no lush plants, just desert cactus, Saguaros, and now Ocotillo completely covered in tiny leaves! Maybe the novelty will wear off but the speed with which things change after a rain is mind-boggling!

Because of the cooler temps, I've been able to open my windows again to the night sounds. I've been wondering where the coyotes have been and last night my question was answered--they've been raising their young. I heard the baby yips and barks mixed in with the older voices around 9 o'clock. At 1:30 I

woke to deeper yips very close to our house--I think the babies had been taken home by that point.

Maybe it was their first hunting expedition. 

I love living amongst the wild things--they make me smile despite the loss of our cat two months ago. 

I have yet to see the Javalina but I know they're around. I've seen some strange deer-like hoof-like prints in the sand of our road that may or may not be theirs. We did lose several small succulent cactus while we were out of town--were they the culprits? I can't imagine a rabbit eating something so spiny.

Every day my dog gives chase to one of the myriad bunnies hanging out under the bushes surrounding our house...yesterday the bunny took off with Buddha close behind and a minute or so later the bunny had circled back to end up under the very same bush. Buddha looked perplexed, his head cocked to one side in confusion as he arrived panting and exhausted.