Hikes and cookies

I got in the second of my 70 hikes yesterday. Only 68 to go before next December! How do you like Barb's new pink sunglasses?

This time we hiked the Alamo Canyon Loop in Catalina State Park, which we've only done once before. It has quite a variety of scenery, from this lush grassy area down by the wash ...

... to saguaros and a dry rocky canyon.

It's a good thing I'm hiking, because I'm also baking and eating a LOT of Christmas cookies!

This is a new to me recipe from the New York Times for peppermint shard cookies that looks nice but I wasn't crazy about the taste.

The classic peanut butter blossoms. Can't go wrong here!

Mocha chocolate chip cookies with espresso powder that I've been making for about 20 years. They'll keep you awake if you eat too many at bedtime. I know this for a fact.

My favorite this year is a coconut macaroon dipped in melted chocolate and then in crushed peppermint. I also made some with nuts for a friend who doesn't like peppermint.

Cherry almond fudge, another staple for me.

Little Juniper also got her first taste of making Christmas cookies with her mom. I wish I could have been there!

Have a colorful day

70 hikes for 70 years

I turned 70 yesterday, and to mark this new decade I'm challenging myself to go on 70 hikes within the next year! I started yesterday with a hike on my favorite trail, Canyon Loop in Catalina State Park, where the giant ancient saguaros tower over me.

For the occasion I wore my "Hike More Worry Less" t-shirt.

I invited Barb to go on the inaugural hike, and here we are at the start yesterday morning. Barb and I met on a moonrise meetup.com hike the year I moved to Tucson and we've been hiking together ever since. Our other hiking buddy, Beth, is gone for the holidays.

 

Here I am, above, with Barb earlier this month on Canyon Loop in my "Life Is Better In the Desert" shirt.

Halfway through the loop is this bench where we always rest. We met a woman and her son there yesterday who were celebrating the mom's 85th birthday -- same day as mine. I aspire to be as spry as she is when I'm 85!

Here's another favorite spot on Canyon Loop -- the petroglyph rock by an inviting stream.

Every day I'm thankful to finally be living in the desert sun after moving all over the country! This is home.

And of course there will be food in this post. After our hike, we met up with some other friends for lunch and because it was my birthday we got a free plate of doughnut holes on a cream cheese base with Nutella and berries to share!

Have a colorful day

Show us your coffee!

A few days ago I was cozied up with my morning coffee in front of the Christmas tree (even though it was sunny and near 60 outside) and I suddenly wondered how my friends were having their morning brews. So I texted family and friends and asked them to be creative in taking a picture of them with their morning beverage, and 15 responded! It was a virtual coffee klatch.

Beth hoisted her mulled wine from Germany, where she was touring the Christmas markets.

In Michigan, my brother- and sister-in-law braved temps of four below zero for their photo.

My sister sipped her espresso at the San Diego Airport waiting to fly home from visiting our mom.

My other sister had her coffee in rainy Western Washington, which is floating away. Looks like she's working on a puzzle to pass the gloomy days.

Another friend in Western Washington had a cozy mug of tea on the same gloomy morning.

My daughter had her breakfast protein shake on the eastern side of Washington, where it was grey but not flooding.

Her husband did some light reading with his morning pour over.

 

My daughter-in-law used her Christmas mug while working from home in snowy Madison, Wisconsin.

Closer to home, Kathy took advantage of our beautiful morning to have her coffee outside in her Saguaro National Park mug.

And Barb had her coffee in front of her beautiful menorah -- with our Tucson sun streaming in the patio door.

There's no sun coming in Judy's windows in Flagstaff when she has her coffee, because she's up and creating art in her studio before the sun rises!

Meegan from book (eating) club shows our current book and her booted foot that's recovering from surgery.

Jasper, whose mom is also in book club, looks a little guilty. I told friends to be creative with their photos, but poor Jasper is probably dying to attack that mug.

My brother also got his pet into the action, with a can of coffee porter. (No, they don't really drink beer in the morning!)

Then Lynda joined from Indiana. Tea and a book for Lynda and a cozy lap for the cat.

And this person is known for repeatedly reheating his coffee in the microwave all day because he keeps forgetting  to take it out.

Now that I've shared coffee with friends even though I live alone, my next project is to bake more cookies to have with that coffee!

Have a colorful day

Sunny and warm here

When you live in Tucson, sun and warmth replace the snow and cold found in other parts of the country in December. This week, for example, I wrote out my Christmas cards on my sunny patio with the temps pushing 80. In shorts and a t-shirt! And I got a sunburn on my arm!

Nature here offers up winter gifts, like these lemons against an intense blue sky ...

... and oranges nestled in shiny green leaves and warmed by the sun.

Our palo verde trees are painted gold in the winter ...

... and pink bougainvillea and roses spill over stucco walls.

I don't know what kind of cactus this is, but it's full of red fruit bursting open to reveal its seeds.

We also differ from the north when it comes to our outdoor decorations. A lot of residents hang ornaments from their trees because we don't have to worry about howling snow storms knocking them down.

And these red ornaments will stay securely on the yucca leaves in my front yard. I also saw silver and gold ornaments on the tips of agave plants on today's walk.

Down the street, cheerful red bows stand out against our mountains and blue sky. I still can hardly believe I live in this winter paradise after spending most of my life up north! I mean -- that's a palm tree!

Have a colorful day