William is an ALL-STAR Player

William was picked to play on his division's all-star team, so we will be headed to California the weekend of April 11th for him to play in the all-star games. League play is over for the year and William had a lot of fun. He loves playing basketball and this year he was finally in a league that allowed them to steal the ball and play a bit more defensively than he has in the past. The team he was on ended up with only six players, so he had a lot of time on the court each week, he loved it, even if it was a little tiring. It was a fun season and we are all excited and proud that he made the All-Star team.

The week is over

On Friday Margaret had tickets to the Sox game, Mike and I were not able to go but the rest of the gang headed out for a day at the ballpark. They had a great time enjoying the game, the weather and just relaxing at the ballfield. I think the Sox lost, and I think they were playing the As, but I could be wrong there. Before we knew it, it was Saturday and time to go. William had a basketball game in the morning and then it was off to the airport. I believe Margaret had a relaxing week, she spent a lot of time sitting outside reading with Max at her feet. He for sure was thrilled with all the attention given to him and will miss his afternoons laying in the sun.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

We were not about to be shortchanged on our wildflower search, since I had Wednesday off work, Margaret and I decided we would go to the Arboretum to walk around and enjoy the day. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining, it probably got into the 70s and there was a little breeze to keep us cool. We enjoyed walking around and seeing all the native plants in various stages of blooming. And yes we did spot the occasional wildflower, apparently it was just a week or so too early for the wildflowers. We ended our day with lunch at the Wildflower Bread Co., seemed appropriate, even though it was not intentional we can pretend it was.

Wildflower Drive

Sunday afternoon we decided to take a drive up US60 East to Globe, I had read in the paper that the wildflowers were abundant this year because of all the rain. It was reported and I quote here: "Look for photogenic goldpoppy patches at the stoplight intersection of highways 60 and 70". So to the intersection we headed, it was a good 30-45 minute drive and along the roadway were the occasional spottings of wildflowers. In my mind I am picturing the intersection to be something like the poppy field in the Wizard of Oz and we are going to get out and run in the fields full of goldpoppy. Well the words "goldpoppy patches" should have been enough of a clue that there wasn't going to be any Wizard of Oz thing going on. As you can see from the pictures above it was far from it. It was an interesection of two highways and we barely had the time to stop for me to snap a couple of quick photos. So much for my field of poppies.
The wildflowers might not have been in the abundance I was expecting, however, the cows standing on the hillside made the trip worth our time. This was a very bizarre sight to see as these cows are literally standing on a hill, they looked like they had to work hard to stay up, yet they were just there grazing away.

Grandma Arrives

Grandma Margaret arrived on March 2nd and we couldn't have been more excited. We hadn't seen her since her trip here last March and we were all thrilled to have her company if only for a week.

Hike No. 3

This was not a good hiking day for me. I believe that my hiking season is over unless I am done by 10 am. To start with we had to travel .6 of a mile on unmaintained road, well suffice it to say that their idea of a maintained road makes me car sick. We parked before the road ended and walked to the trail, the sun was blazing down on me and there was not a lick of shade in sight. The landscape was very green after having rained a lot the past few weekends, okay by a lot I mean 4 inches from October through January. If you are wondering where Pat and Mike are, they are always five hundred feet ahead of us, and then they stop and when we catch up they are ready to move on, so William and I never get to rest. I was sweaty and cranky and decided enough was enough. Pat and Mike continued on and William and I turned back. I found a nice little rock in the shade and when I went to sit down to rest, there was a plant nearby some kind of cactus tree that attacked me, literally jumped over and attacked me, first my pants and then when I jumped it grabbed my arm and stuck its prickly little things in me until I ripped it off and was left with blood and pain. So this is how William and I ended our hike:

That's right, lounging in the van, with a cool breeze blowing through the open doors and a hawk flying overhead.

PSA No. 9 - Get a Pedicure

If you live where sandals are worn 12 months a year it is your civic duty to keep your feet looking good. Believe me no one wants to see dirty crusty toenails popping out from your flip-flops. I take my duties very seriously and therefore I am obligated to get regular pedicures. This is my latest, with a lovely shade of dark pinkish red.