Fire, flowers, desert dishes, and a new quilt

Smoke over the Santa Catalina Mountains
during my morning walk today.

I owe you an update on the fire, since when I last wrote my bags were packed for possible evacuation. It's grown to more than 31,000 acres in the 13 days that it's been burning, fueled by hot, dry air and high winds. I'm on the western edge, which is now relatively safe because I'm buffered by a highway. The main fire has blown east, threatening the popular Sabino Canyon hiking area. Mt. Lemmon was evacuated yesterday -- the red area in the map surrounded by white dotted lines.

I live on the western side just across the orange highway from the green area. Green means to be on alert. Yellow means have those bags packed and consider voluntary evacuation. And red means go now! It's called "Ready, Set, Go!" I still have my hand stitching and a pillow in the car, but my suitcase has moved back inside so I can use what's in it.

Photos taken at night are more dramatic, and here's one from a Facebook Tucson group:

The firefighters -- more than 700 -- are doing a terrific job of keeping structures and people safe as they battle the flames in temperatures that have soared above 100 nearly every day. It's hard enough to stand in the shade for 30 seconds in those temps, let alone be right by the flames wearing full protective gear and carrying heavy packs.

In other news, I've added some color to my yard with flowering plants. When I moved in, this stone planter in my backyard was empty except for dirt. I added the bottlebrush tree (which lost its red blooms after it was planted) and red, orange and purple lantana. Here's a closeup of the lantana, which loves the desert sun.

Here's a bottlebrush bush (not the tree), which is right outside my bedroom window and is always buzzing with bees and hummingbirds.

AND I ADDED HOT PINK

BOUGAINVILLEA! 

I've always wanted bougainvillea, but I never lived where it would grow before. I can't wait until it bushes out and fills the view from my living room window.

I replaced my melamine beach dishes with a set of desert ones that I found online -- on sale! -- at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I left the beach ones with the Feet & Forks.

And I finally sat down at the sewing machine to start piecing the "Letters From Home" quilt. The colors are basically the same as the dishes.

So that's it for now. Today I'm hunkering down in the AC with my sewing machine and watermelon. Hope all of you have had a good week. 

 Have a colorful day

Wildfire evacuations ordered

My woe-is-me post from Wednesday about being lonely and not having anyone to hang out with suddenly changed to a freakout over the wildfire that has exploded in the past week practically in my backyard. 

When I woke up yesterday, I had a phone alert about neighborhoods ordered to evacuate. I thought I was in the evacuation zone and I totally panicked, then I realized that there are two First streets/avenues in Tucson and that the one bordering the evacuation zone was not the one near me.

But still ... it's pretty close.

The area just across the highway from me is in the area that has been placed on alert for potential evacuation. I think the highway will keep me safe, but I packed a bag and filled the car with gas just in case.

On my way back from the gas station, this is what I saw -- massive piles of smoke from the fires north of Ina Road. Today the wind shifted and brought the fire and smoke back to my part of town in Oro Valley. All day long the helicopters and firefighting planes have been buzzing past my back windows. 

More than 7,000 acres have been burned, and the fire is only 10 percent contained. Hot Shot crews from around the country are helping fight the fire, along with air brigades.

I can't imagine how the firefighters must feel wearing full fire gear in temperatures over 100 degrees. My hat is off to them, and to the Red Cross which set up an evacuation center in a nearby high school.

By the way, thank you to everyone who wrote to me after my last post. It was so good to hear how others are handling the coronavirus shutdowns. I made a list of all the advice and I'm going to use it! Namaste.

Have a colorful day

Too much time alone

I'm starting to get really bummed out about being alone in a new city where I can't meet anyone because meetings and activities are canceled and my old friends can't visit because of the virus. 

I try to stay connected with phone calls, texts, emails and FaceTime, but I'm craving hugs! I want someone to share meals with, to sit next to me when I watch the evening news, to walk with in the morning. I'm sure most of you who live alone are having the same feelings. How do you cope?

My daughter in law posted this photo of her with my son the other day and I burst into tears because I haven't seen them since last fall and they don't think they'll be flying down here to visit me until the coronavirus scare is over. They live in Madison, WI, not exactly a hop, skip and jump away. 

And I miss my daughter, who I haven't seen since Christmas. We had planned to visit in the spring before I moved, but then everything shut down. She lives in Spokane, WA, way too far away.

I'm trying to cope by building routine into my new life. I get out early in the morning for a walk before the heat sets in. Yesterday I took this photo on my walk. It's a Mexican Bird of Paradise in front of smoke from the forest fire. The fire has now burned more than 3,200 acres and is only 10 percent controlled. I'm safe where I am, even though it's so close.

After the walk I have coffee on my front patio and listen to the birds. I bought this mug the other day when I went to my first quilt store since the virus hit. They only allow six customers in at a time.

I'm reading up on my new city. I just got this order of books from Amazon. Hiking, birding, exploring the city and eating.

I'm trying to get into a routine of sewing, but it's been slow. Last week I cut out fabric for this pattern, "Letters From Home," but I haven't started sewing it. I'm not settled enough yet to create an original quilt, so I'm following a pattern.

I bought some cactus fabric ...

... and took this photo of similar blooming cactuses on one of my walks.

I spent a lot of time organizing my treasures just so, but now everything is in place so I'm done with that routine.

This is a collection of molinillos, which are used in Mexico to whip hot chocolate. My daughter sent me the sun hanger, so it reminds me of her. And the Hand of Fatima on the drum from the Middle East is for protection. Every item in the photo below also has special memories.

My mother gave me this "Bloom Where You're Planted" hat many years ago when the kids were little and our family had made our umpteenth military move. I put it in my front hallway to remind me of her and to remind myself to bloom.

I'd love to hear how all of you are getting through these days and weeks and months.

Have a colorful day

Wildfire near my house!

That's my house on the left, and that's the Bighorn Fire on the ridge across the highway from my neighborhood. The fire was sparked Friday night by lightning. 

It's too close for comfort, although right now the wind is blowing it (and the smoke) away from me and into the Catalina Mountains and Coronado National Forest north and east of me. As of Sunday afternoon, it had covered 1,000 acres and was zero percent contained.

Yesterday around sunset I walked a few blocks from the house and took these photos. So far there have been no evacuation orders, but the city did ask residents to sign up for Code Red alerts, which I did.

Last night I could see both the fire and the moon at the same time from my backyard.

All weekend there have been planes and helicopters circling the area dropping fire retardant and water because the terrain is too steep to fight the fire on foot. Here are some news photos that were taken later at night when the fire was more visible:

My new house is in Oro Valley and that mountain behind my house is Pusch Ridge. I was so happy when I bought the house that I could see the wilderness ridge from my yard, but I never imagined that it would be engulfed in flames within weeks of my moving in.

Have a safe day

Soft Sonoran sunsets

Arizona sunsets are both fiery and soft, and today I'm showing the soft side. I took this first batch in Catalina State Park, just a few miles up the road from my house north of Tucson. Those are giant saguaro cactuses, which are only found in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona and the adjacent area of Mexico. Saguaro is pronounced "suh-wah-roe."

The cactus below is a prickly pear, much more widespread than the saguaro.

Shortly after I posed for this photo I almost stepped on a rattlesnake in the middle of the trail! I couldn't wait to get back to the car as night closed in.

While the sun was setting in the west, the moon was rising in the east, with this saguaro seeming to reach its arms out to greet it.

The next night, I photographed the sunset from in front of my house. It's a spectacular show that goes on every night. There are always fiery colors near the sun, but off to the left and right the colors are soft apricot, lemon, pink, lavender and blue-grey.

Last night we had some big, heavy clouds illuminated by the sun. A few hours later, they burst and rain pounded down, accompanied by thunder and lightning. It was a preview of the monsoon season, which goes from mid-June through September in Arizona.

When I went for my walk this morning, I saw smoke rising from the mountains behind my house where lightning had set off fires overnight. I watched a helicopter dump water on the fires, but the news station said no buildings were in danger. Never a dull moment!

Have a colorful day

Getting through the darkness