the birds and the bees

Have you ever noticed that size really isn't that important? A young shepherd boy named David killed Goliath, a giant, with a slingshot. The other morning I watched a skirmish between the hummingbirds that frequent our backyard feeders and a bumble bee... and was a little surprised at the outcome!

I have eight hummingbird feeders in our yard and the hummers are quite territorial about them. When a hummer from a different "neighborhood" comes by for a drink, the "regulars" let him know in no uncertain terms that he is intruding on their turf. They loudly vocalize their "concern" and buzz him until the unwelcome interloper swiftly flies away. I have seen two hummers aggressively get in each other's faces until one leaves.

The other day I noticed a bumblebee trying to drink out of the hummingbird feeder. The yellow mesh-like piece is a bee guard and keeps the bees from freely accessing the syrup. The hummers use their long tongues and have no problem but bees have to wait until some drips down onto the bottom of the bee guard before they can get anything. Its purpose is to create an obstacle for the bees so they will give up and leave the feeder alone.

It clearly was not working since the bumblebee "texted" his friends that there was free food at the feeder and several more arrived.

When the hummers came to get a drink and saw the bumblebees, they backed up about eight inches and "yelled" at them but to no avail. Then, to my surprise, instead of aggressively challenging the bumblebees like they did the other hummers, they flew off.

Returning to whichever tree they have claimed as their own, they perched on a branch and, I imagine, pouted. They kept an eagle eye on the feeders and as soon as the bumblebees vacated, the hummers swooped in for a l-o-n-g drink all the while keeping watch for the return of the bumblebees. As soon as a bumblebee approached the feeder, the hummer flew back to his branch.

As I watched this drama unfold, several thoughts came to mind. Sometimes we give up because things seem too difficult... and then miss out on the "sweet syrup." What are the "bee guards" in my/your life? And other times we give up when someone bigger (maybe physically or intellectually or in authority) challenges us... and again, we miss out on the "sweet syrup." Is there a situation in which I/you need to persevere or be more persuasive?

The bumblebee has a secret weapon- his stinger. And we have a secret weapon, too- God, who equips us to do the things He has called us to do... just like He equipped David when he slew Goliath.

"God uses it [Scripture] to prepare and equip His people to do every good work."

2 Timothy 3:17  NLT

29/100... queen creek olive mill

Queen Creek Olive Mill has the somewhat dubious honor of being the first thing on my "100 List" that we did. QC OliveMill offered a "Groupon" (for a tour and lunch for two)  several months ago which was a fantastic deal- I would recommend buying one if they offer it again. We had a wonderful time learning about, sampling and buying olive oil. Who knew there were so many different "flavors!"

The Queen Creek Olive Mill is located at 25062 S. Meridian Road in Queen Creek, Arizona. It is a fabulous place to have breakfast or lunch as you sit among an olive grove!

As we walked through one of the groves and learned about the process of making olive oil, I was reminded of how many times the Bible mentions olive trees or olive oil- over 175 times! Olive trees  represented new beginnings (the dove brought Moses an olive branch- Genesis 8:10-11) and prosperity (God said the Promised Land was "a land of ... olive oil and honey ... where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking..."- Deuteronomy 8:8-9). Olive oil is one of the ingredients of the "holy anointing oil" used to anoint the high priest as well as the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:23-28). It was used as fuel for the lamps (Matthew 25:3) and for cooking (1 Kings 17:16). I enjoyed really looking at these trees that had such importance in Biblical times and learning how much effort goes into maintaining a grove and extracting the oil.

"Its [Israel] branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon."

Hosea 14:6

Thumb Up or Down: UP!!!

Miles Round-Trip: 40.2

Miles to Date: 40.2

Date of This Trip: November 4, 2011

salsa... finally

Several months ago I blogged about the Salsa Festival in the town of Maricopa where we sampled some really good, really different salsas. I challenged myself to "invent" a salsa with a unique ingredient by the end of summer. I know it is technically "fall" but since it is 90 degrees as I write this, I think I made the deadline!

I asked a lot of people what they thought a unique salsa ingredient would be and I kept getting the same answers: grapes, mango, pineapple, orange juice. And I steered clear of them! My salsa has not one, but two unique ingredients: pumpkin and pears! Before you turn up your nose at it, just try it.  I have taste-tested it on two different groups of unsuspecting people and they all liked it.

You will need Ro-Tel tomatoes, canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling!), a pumpkin, a pear, lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, sugar, brown sugar, salt and cumin.

Cut the pumpkin in half, then cut each half in half. Scoop out seeds and membranes before carefully removing the outer skin (shell?). You will end up with a lot of pieces; what you don't use in this batch of salsa will keep in a baggy in the refrigerator for several weeks for the next batch... and the next batch!

Coarsely chop (I used a hand chopper) several pieces. Now the pumpkin is ready to use- although you can leave it out if pumpkins aren't in season or you don't want to spend the time prepping it. The pumpkin flavor comes from the canned pumpkin; the fresh pumpkin gives a bit of color and CRUNCH!

Kristin's Pumpkin & Pear Salsa

2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes & green chilis, one mild and one original, not drained

½ cup canned pumpkin

1 TBSP chopped onion

½ tsp jarred minced garlic

½ tsp lime juice

1 ripe Bartlett pear- cored, peeled and cut into 1-in pieces

⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves (more if you like cilantro-y salsa!)

⅓ cup chopped fresh pumpkin

⅓ tsp sugar

1½ TBSP brown sugar

⅛ tsp salt

⅛ tsp ground cumin

Put all ingredients in blender. Set on puree and pulse 4 or 5 times, or until desired consistency. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips. Makes about a quart of salsa.  © 2011

Let me know if you make this salsa- and how you like it. Suggestions are always welcome! 

"Salsa has now passed ketchup as America's favorite condiment. Isn't that amazing? You know it's bad when even our vegetables  are starting to lose their jobs to Mexico."

~ Jay Leno on the Tonight Show

Amazing Arizona... 100 things

I am, unashamedly, a desert rat. While I greatly enjoy visiting other places, Arizona is home. There are many things I've grown to appreciate about Arizona...

... the beauty of the desert...

... surreal sunsets.

I have spent many happy hours traveling around Arizona as a child and as an adult. I am convinced one could spent a lifetime exploring the state and never see everything it has to offer. 

Several weeks ago the Arizona Republic ran an article titled "100 Best Things About Arizona." They tied it to Arizona's statehood centennial in 2012, compiling a random list of "the top 100 places to see and things to do around the state." The list includes natural wonders, man-made wonders, restaurants, hotels and museums. Most of the ten items that Clay Thompson (perhaps my favorite columnist since Erma Bombeck died) contributed to the list are more experiences than actual places- "a well-stocked, regularly maintained hummingbird feeder" and "sitting under a bush beside a small trout stream about an hour north of Payson, wearing a floppy hot to fend off a light monsoon shower" for example.

While I disagree with some of their picks- for example, the Arizona Biltmore Resort is not uniquely Arizona; it's just a nice resort like dozens of others- most of them are ones I would have picked. In fact, I've already been to or done more than a third of them.

The article got me to think about what I would put on that list... things I have not yet seen or done. As my list began to take shape, I wondered if I could see/do everything on it by the end of 2012- my own personal tribute to Arizona's Centennial celebration. Realizing there are roughly 60 weeks until the end of 2012, a list of 100 seems a bit daunting, but I'm willing to give it a try. And realistically, I'll consider this challenge a success if I see/do 56 (my age in 2012!) of them.

But I don't want to have all the fun by myself.  I am challenging YOU to make your own list and start touring Arizona. Maybe I'll see you around the state! In the meantime, here, in no particular order, is my list- items with an * are ones that were in the article I haven't seen/done and would like to; the rest are uniquely mine:

1.      Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West  (Scottsdale) *

2.      Boyce Thompson Arboretum  (near Superior) *

3.      Musical Instrument Museum  (Phoenix)

4.      Roy Purcell Murals  (Chloride)

5.      Flintstone's Bedrock City  (Williams)

6.      Hobo Joe Statue  (Buckeye) 

7.      Frog Rock  (Congress)

8.      Over Easy  (Scottsdale- one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)

9.      Oatman  (Town near Kingman) *

10.    Mount Lemmon Ski Lift  (near Tucson) 

11.    Standin' on the Corner Statue  (Winslow)

12.    Biff's Bagels (Flagstaff) *

13.    Balloon Ride over Arizona (anywhere)

14.    Arcosanti  (Mayer) *

15.    Saguaro National Park  (near Tucson) *

16.    Tovrea Castle  (Phoenix)

17.    Interstate-15 Virgin River Gorge Scenic Drive  (NW part of state)

18.    Antelope Canyon (Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park) *

19.    Wings Over Wilcox  (Wilcox)

20.    Mystery Christmas Tree  (I-17 near Cordes Jct)  (revisited)

21.    Shoshone Point  (hike at South Rim of the Grand Canyon) *
22.    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge- Palm Canyon (north of Yuma)
23.    Recycled Gas Tank Sculptures  (Black Canyon City)
24.    Kartchner Caverns  (Benson) *
25.    Arizona Folklore Preserve  (Ramsey Canyon)
26.    Yuma Territorial Prison  (Yuma)
27.    Walking Bridge over Tempe Town Lake  (Tempe)
28.    El Tovar Hotel  (Grand Canyon) *
29.    Queen Creek Olive Mill  (Queen Creek)
30.    Salsa Brava  (Flagstaff- another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
31.    Clifton's Cliff Jail  (Clifton)
32.    Fina's Tree  (Tucson)
33.    Organ Pipe National Monument  (south part of state) *
34.    Junk Art of Chloride  (Chloride)
35.    Wrigley Mansion  (Phoenix)
36.    Velvet Elvis (pizza place in Patagonia) *
37.    SeaLife Arizona Aquarium  (Phoenix)
38.    Matt's Big Breakfast  (Phoenix- another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
39.    Copper Queen Hotel  (Bisbee) *
40.    Canyon de Chelly  (NE part of state) *
41.    Tumacácori National Historic Park  (south of Tubac)
42.    Vertuccio Farms Corn Maze (Mesa)
43.    Queen Mine Tour  (Bisbee) *
44.    Tombstone  (Tombstone) *
45.    Mystery Castle  (Phoenix) *
46.    Pima Air and Space Museum  (Tucson)
47.    The "Boneyard"  (Davis-Monthan AFB)
48.    Bisbee  (Bisbee) *
49.    Garden of Gethsemane  (Tucson)
50.    Phoenix Police Museum  (Phoenix)
51.    World's Largest Rose Bush  (Tombstone)
52.    Bola Tie Exhibit at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum  (Wickenburg)
53.    Horseshoe Bend Lookout  (near Page)
54.    Apple Annie's Orchard  (Wilcox)
55.    Phoenix International Raceway  (Phoenix)
56.    The Thing  (between Benson and Wilcox)
57.    Tubac  (Tubac) *
58.    Haus Murphy's  (Glendale- another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
59.    Arrow Tree  (Alpine)
60.    Lee's Ferry and Navajo Bridge  (near Page)
61.    Holiday Light Parade  (Prescott)
62.    Riordan Mansion State Historic Park  (Flagstaff) *
63.    "Taj Mahal" in the Desert  (Dome) (revisited)
64.    Butterfly Garden  (Patagonia)
65.    Niels Petersen House  (Tempe)
66.    Picacho Peak Civil War Battle Re-enactment  (Picacho Peak State Park)
67.    Luhr's Building and Luhr's Tower  (Phoenix) *
68.    Chino Bandido  (Phoenix- another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
69.    Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge  (Hoover Dam)
70.    Hadji Ali's Tombstone  (Quartzsite)
71.    La Posada Hotel  (Winslow) *
72.    Commemorative Air Force Museum  (Falcon Field in Mesa)
73.    Rosson House Museum  (Phoenix)
74.    US-89A Arizona Strip/Vermillion Cliffs  (northern part of state) *
75.    Kitt Peak National Observatory  (Tohono O'odham Reservation)
76.    Quartzsite Yacht Club  (Quartzsite)
77.    Verde Canyon Railroad  (Cottonwood) *
78.    Arizona Balloon Classic  (Wild Horse Pass)
79.    San Pedro House  (near Sierra Vista) *
80.    Thee Pitts Again  (Glendale- yet another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
81.    Ride a Glider over the desert (Peoria)
82.    Glendale Chocolate Affaire  (Glendale)
83.    Apache Trail Scenic Drive  (Tortilla Flat and beyond) *
84.    Shrine of St. Joseph  (Yarnell)
85.    Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch
86.    Barrett's Village  (Quartzsite)
87.    Humphreys Peak  (Flagstaff) *
88.    Mary Coyle Ol' Fashioned Ice Cream  (Phoenix)
89.    Hall of Flame Museum  (Phoenix)
90.    Wigwam Motel  (Holbrook) *
91.    Giuseppe's on 28th  (Phoenix- yes, another one of Guy Fieri's DDD places)
92.    Running of the Bulls  (Cavecreek)
93.    Release the Fear Melted Weapons Sculpture  (Phoenix)
94.    Petrified Forest  (near Holbrook) *
95.    Duppa  House  (Phoenix)
96.    London Bridge  (Lake Havasu) *
97.    Cerreta Fine Chocolate Factory Tour (Glendale)
98.    Arizona Lavender Festival  (Concho)
99.    Strawberry School  (Strawberry)
100.  Greer  (Greer) *

** Links will take you to my blog post for that item**
*** You can see my Amazing Arizona... 100 things wrap-up here. ***

the happiest place on earth

We are Disney enthusiasts. You know, those people who absolutely love everything about Disneyland... the lines, the people, the parking, running to get a fast pass, the churro carts (yep, we know the location and hours of every one!), the rides (over and over and over again!) and, of course, THE Mouse!

Richard and I were recently at Disneyland... all alone... without children... or grandchildren. And contrary to what our children told us before we left, we had a fabulous time! Besides riding rides and running for fast passes, we took time to stroll through ALL the shops, sit on a bench and people-watch and really enjoy the sights and sounds in "the Happiest Place on Earth." Throughout this trip, I learned some Disney truths:

1. No matter how old you are, there is nothing like the thrill of going through the turnstile at the front of Disneyland on the first day of your Disney vacation and seeing the back of the train station and the flower beds shaped like Mickey.

"It [Disneyland] has that thing- the imagination and the feeling of happy excitement- 

that I knew when I was a kid."

~ Walt Disney

2. It's okay to act nutty wacky silly child-like.

"Laughter is America's most important export."

~ Walt Disney

3. Even if it is scorching hot (and it was!) in October, a little pixie dust will make it "fall!"

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

~ Walt Disney

4. Dreams really do come true! (Notice the scores!!!)

"All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." 

~ Walt Disney

5. Without a doubt, it's all about the mouse!

"I only hope we don't lose sight f one thing- that it was all started by a mouse."

~ Walt Disney

6. Disneyland fireworks are the BEST anywhere. Period.

"Disneyland is a show."

~ Walt Disney

7. Even when you don't go with other people, you will see friends at Disneyland. (This time we were able to meet up with Janne's friend who I only knew through Facebook. We enjoyed spending some time with her and her sweet family!)

"We believed in our idea- a family park where parents and children [and friends!] 

could have fun together."

~ Walt Disney

blessings

We've all  heard stories about communities coming together helping others when something catastrophic happens. They are heart-warming and encouraging... but not really unexpected. It's not difficult to give your time or money or resources to those who have lost everything in a hurricane or fire. But this past week I witnessed a community helping people who are not in the midst of a catastrophic "act of nature," who have clean water, adequate food and are not injured or sick. While I expected there would be "some" help, I was astonished at the over-the-top generosity.

We belong to a smallish church with about 90 regular attenders each week. Many of these people are personally struggling with joblessness and under-employment or cancer and other horrific medical conditions. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to meet the needs of their families.

The church recently had a birthday celebration and as a "birthday gift,"collected non-perishable food and hygiene items to send to deployed soldiers through the Any Soldier program, an organization that connects a group of soldiers with willing supporters. I was in charge of coordinating the Any Soldier boxes and had a goal of sending four or maybe five boxes to a unit of eight men stationed in Afghanistan.

We collected items for just two weeks. This table is 43 inches wide and 72 inches long. Over 115 pounds of food and hygiene items are stacked as high as they will go without toppling over. Instead of four or five boxes, I packed eleven boxes! We sent boxes to our original unit as well as a unit of 30 men also serving in Afghanistan. 

While I was thinking small, God was thinking big. 

Several people told me it was good to focus on the needs of others rather than their own problems. One older gentleman, stooped from age, made several trips to his car to bring his goodies into the church before telling me about his military service decades ago and how much he appreciated the opportunity now to "do something for the boys!" 

The soldiers will be blessed with some comfort foods from home, new toothbrushes (apparently highly coveted items!) and a letter from grateful strangers new friends. But I think we were blessed even more. Our God is so good!!

what's next??

I enjoy reading books on my Kindle. The only down side so far is that you have to turn it off  on planes during take-off and landing. It's during that time that I peruse the SkyMall Magazine to see what outrageous, often humorous items retailers think we cannot live without. This quest not only distracts me during the most vulnerable times of a flight, it also allows me to contemplate the state of our society.

On a recent flight I was... intrigued... bewildered ... aghast... and appalled by a very aptly-named clothing item - a pillow tie! 

For only $19.95 plus $7.25 for shipping/handling, you can order an inflatable tie made of microfiber/silk in your choice of black, maroon or blue as the dominant color (patterns vary). And what, you ask, does one need an inflatable tie for?

I'm curious about the "most functions that require a necktie deserve to be slept through" part of their advertising. Would that be meetings with your boss and/or customers? Or perhaps that very special, romantic birthday dinner with your wife? A wedding? A funeral? Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize? The only tie-requiring events I could come up with that a guy might want to sleep through were the opera and a ballet- but that hardly qualifies as "most." 

Ahhh... I get it! It's a gag gift! Well, not really, according to the reviews posted online. "This is a great buy ... stylish ... I've had several compliments from friends and family... stain-resistant fabric is awesome... attractive ... extremely comfortable ... looks good" and the accolades go on and on. 

I'm not sure which bothers me most- that people buy it or that guys actually wear (and use!!) it.