parley view parsnip. . . three thoughts for monday

Monday in Tucson...

# 1

Tomorrow it will be official but the monsoons are over.

This morning the temperature was 60 and today the high will be about 87.  

The dew point is dropping and with  that drier days and temps below 100 !

Some what below our normal highs the last few day but later this week 

we will be back to the middle 90's.

Perfect.

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 Fall is arriving ! 

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When you live in the desert one learns to read the signs or one should.

The horrific hot day with dry golden looking clouds that mean the monsoons are starting to build. 

How the sky looks in the morning, if the day is hot what kinds of clouds are building. 

The evening storms blowing over the valley.  the smell of ozone, dust and sage

in the air. Which way the winds are blowing.

We need to look for the signs.

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I will miss this year's monsoon.

Unlike the last few years, when we had little rain. 

But this summer was wonderful. 

The not so good, hot hot hot and humid but the rain that came with, was fabulous.

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# 2

Next up my love of real correspondences.

A blog friend has been playing with her Tablet and posting  her darling "postcards" 

on her blog.

I mentioned my idea of printing them out and mailing the postcards. 

After all a postcard is to be "posted".

I understand our love of computers. 

News, bill pay, ordering, and the best... fast e-mails and skype to friends and family.

But as a card artist, I have worked for almost every card company around. 

But I love sending and getting real mail. Hold in your hand, reread or save letters 

cards and postcards.  I have only a few letters from my Mum saved.  The wildfire burned my home and her treasured letters. The handwriting the little drawings the special stamps she found. The tactile proof of her thoughts.

Yes, I need and use e-mail, skype and blogs to reach out and "talk" to friends and family 

but goodness I love real mail.

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 Here is a wall that I have in my home, filled with postcards from friends and family.

I look them everyday and enjoy the memories.

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 Postcards from Montana, Los Angles, Spain, Japan, England, Korea, Canada, and Germany.

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Oakland, Tucson and Japan.

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# 3

With fall come gearing up for Christmas.

Cards and gifts to make.

Last year's handmade haiku books.

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And last but not lest,  here is your pretty to start the week.

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 Some summer photos 

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 Prickly Pear cactus pads and fruit.

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 Prickly Pear bloom

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 Young Quail rest in the cool shade of the citrus trees.

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 Quail leader keeping guard.

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 Bunnies resting in the shade.

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 Saguaro blooms.

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 Bunny and Quail resting.

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And best of all.. .

Two Square Dogs napping in the sun on the cool ties floor.

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fall. . . parsnip

music. . .  Mama Said,  The Shirelles

Square Dog Friday. . . oh the life of an artist

Yes !

Thank Goodness Friday is here !

The best day of the week if your a Little Black Square Dog.

And I have two.

So we all know what to do
 so lets woof it.

yert !

......................

 Besides having several water dishes (filled with the filtered frig water) they love crushed ice.
When they were pups I always gave them ice while teething.

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 So I think they just love ice.

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 We use to just put it on the floor (heavens, what barbarians we are) but now they have a dish for just ice.

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 yesh i thehamish is thinkin' it is just abouth time
i thehamish is no barbarian whats' ever that is
i thehamish knowin' that not gud
oh woe oh woe is me
woe
i thehamish is watchin' you

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 Sometimes I will put a toy in the Square Ones window.

But then the next day a toy will magically appear next to it 

?

 i thehamish is working on art
rememberin' thehamish is a peformance artist medium is fud

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today work is

 clouds rainin' over mountains #1
art ismy life
...

So true Watson so true !

.........

And just because I can here is  your pretty to start the weekend.
A few shadows photos from my garden.
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Have a lovely weekend.

art. . . parsnip
music. . .  The Best Is Yet To Come,  Frank Sinatra with Count Basie

Wednesday in Japan... Gorogaro and Nikoniko

The blogs I follow are ones that mean something to me.

Places I have been or want to visit. Blogs filled with daily life by talented writers.

Or blogs filled with all sorts of wonderful animals from dogs, chickens, sheep, turkeys, ducks and cats !

Which leads me to a fun blog.

Gorogaro and Nikoniko

They are two kitties that have the best names.
If Watson and thehamish were kitties they would be this pair.

Their  Mum nice person who cooks for them, must be an artist

her blog is so wonderful.

The above link is to the post about the shelves that were installed in 

the kitties room for their jumping, running and napping pleasure.
They also have a fabulous screened in porch for when they wish to go outside.
.
opps, just saw that it linked to another post but you will get the idea !

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hahahahahahaha and you though The Square Ones were spoiled.

She cooks for her kitties and builds them fun spaces.

The blog is on vacation ? but check it out if you have a second.

....................

 This is a Kumamon ramen cup.
I have written before of how Kumamon is one of my favorite Japanese mascots.
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 Here it is ready for the hot water.
This made the best miso soup ramen and was super fun to eat all the Kumamon faces.
This is not just for children because he is popular all over Japan.
And it was so good !
..................
Here is your midweek pretty.
Driving home from yet another eye doctor visit for thehamish,
this is what I saw.

Wonderful flat bottom thunderhead clouds forming all over Tucson.
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 I just want to reach up and touch one.
They are hanging so low over the foothills, that I could almost could pull one down.
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Just beautiful.
The monsoons have been very good to us desert dwellers this summer,
after several years of awful.
We have gotten rain, wonderful rain.
Unlike were I use to live in California.
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The whole state is on fire with no relief in site.
My home was burned down in 1993. That was the year most of Southern California
was on fire with an earthquake tossed in.
I know what lies ahead for all the families.
While you are relived you got your family out,
what comes next will be a long, hard and tiring road ahead.
That never has an end.


When I watch all the places I have lived and visited up in flames
there is nothing but heartbreak.
I am very happy I am away from all of this.  Once was enough.
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lucky. . . parsnip
music. . . Breathe,  Alexi Murdoch

Square Dog Friday. . . artist

Yes !

Here it is, the best day of the week.

It is Square Dog Friday !

We all know what that means, so lets woof it !

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 yesh here i am thehamish

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mum nice tall person who feed us is tellin' me i thehamish is  artist

mum nice tall person is sayin' i thehamish is a performist artist

i  usin' fud as my medium

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 i callin  this

 "tree #1"

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yesterday i am dreamin of fud

and trees

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"only #3"

 this morning i thinkin' of 

the one fud that ran away

so i ate it

i thehamish wanting you to know only i is the artist

and i have only worked on this art

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 What can I say ?

thehamish is very motivated by food.

99% of his brain is food based thought,

I am not sure what the 1% that is left is filled with.

.......................

And just because I can here is your pretty for the weekend.

Water drops on prickly pear pad.

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Thank you all for the kinds words about Odeil.

I had a feeling it would not hit Tucson as bad as the weatherman thought.

Sure enough the storm stayed south so we did not catch the worst of it.

I think it was because we were so ready for the storm. 

The storm that hit last week had two unnecessary deaths by people crossing flash flooded

roads that dip into washes. 

Before every monsoon we have announcements about what to do about flash floods.

So this week, every second of everyday on the news, between TV shows there were 

public service announcements about what to do when the storm hit.

Some schools even closed in the outlaying districts.

Everyone was on alert. 

We were lucky, just nice rains in the Tucson area.

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artist. . . parsnip

music. . . Breathe,  Telepopmusik

Wednesday in Japan. . . Scotland and Tucson oh my !

Goodness what a day already filled with lots of news so lets woof it.

..................

When your a fabulous granddaughter from Japan 

what else would you wear on your feet ?

Watermelons !

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With the vote in Scotland happening The Two Square Dogs 

thought you might like to hear what they have to say.

..........

Be sure to vote and vote as many times as you can for chkikin' strips !

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And last but not lest it seems Tucson is in the path of the worst part of the 

Tropical Storm, Odeil.

It has been drizzling off and on since yesterday.

The eye of the storm will arrive in Tucson this afternoon.

............

 and here it comes....

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 See the N in Tucson and the three little white dots ? the last one is me !

The red storm is heading my way.

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 I live in the foothills up on a small hill. 

I have a small water way that drains the water away from my home.

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 It drains down into a dry riverbed ( now has water flowing in it) that I have named the Javelina Wash. You can hear them walking up and down it like a tiny highway. 

This drains into the much bigger Pantano Wash, really a huge dry river, that flows into more washes and eventually meets the Santa Cruz River father south.

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 My hill from the back yard, looking west

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and looking north east.

So no flooding for me.

Hopefully.

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Here is your mid week pretty

Let the rains begin !

A massive storm that circled the city the first year I move back to Tucson.

raining. . . parsnip

music. . . Heavy Cloud No Rain,  Sting