parley view parsnip, citrus trees, frozen fruit and some wild critters

Four years ago (in a month five years) the jet stream dropped down from Canada bringing freezing temperatures to Tucson.
Two nights in a row the nighttime temperature was 18, unheard of in Tucson.
The foothill area I live in was hit very hard. Trees, cactus and plants were destroyed.
My small citrus grove was hit very hard.


This is what my tangelo tree look like before the freeze.
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With a few wild and crazy Square Dogs running around.
In the background there is a tangelo, sweet orange. lemon
and one of the grapefruit trees.
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A family of javelinas running past the sweet orange and  lemon tree
towards the grapefruit trees.
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One of the ruby red  grapefruit trees that had to be cut down.
The branches had to be propped up because of all the fruit.
The limbs would touch the ground.
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This was the sweetest grapefruit I ever had.
I miss this tree and the fruit very much.
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Then the freeze hit.
When spring came instead of new growth and sweet smelling blossoms,
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this is what my citrus trees looked like.
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So vey sad.
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Tangelo, sweet orange and lemon.
In the first two years I lost the lemon, kumquat, grapefruit and half of the sweet orange.
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This is what the tangelo looks like four years later.
Most of the inside branches are gone.
 These branches protect the trunk and keep the tree strong.
The tree doctors/surgeons have been out several times.
I am thinking of weaving some sort of branches into the middle of the tree,
to help protect the main trunk.
I am not sure if that would help but I can only try.
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As thehamish would say oh woe is me.
Woe !
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This year was the best fruit production so far.
Up until this year each tree had little or no fruit.
I am trying to save as many of my citrus trees as I can because in the summer months
it is an osais for many birds and wild animals.
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Here is your pretty for the start of the week
As I have posted before Gud Dug Watson loves fourtune cookies.
We had some Chinese take out last week and I save the cookies for him.
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Gud old dug Watson I lurve him.
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hahahahahahahahahahahaha
guess who ?

tangelo. . . parsnip
music. . . Shattered,  O.A.R.

Square Dog Friday. . . protecting the chkikin'

WooHoo, it's the best day of the week again, especially if your a Little Black Square Dog.
Such excitement around our home this morning.

                           thehamish was very busy protecting the chkikin' strips.

                                                         see im' gud watchin' dug
                                              I found somethin' huge it was just there 

 what a gud dug goin' to do ?  iwas gurrrrrrin' and Watson was just watchn' me he is funny gug dug he always  thinkin' i'm strange

                                                                im' gud dugi gots it

                                                            see i gots' the huge snake

                                      the battle is over i won but im' tired now.

             so tired almost too tired to drink some the battle was so hard oh woe is me
                                                                 woe

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              Here is your pretty to start the weekend.  The tangelos on my tree. Trying to leave them on as long as possible to sun ripen.

    
snake. . . parsnip
music. . . Dancing In The Street,  Martha and The Vandellas

Wednesday in Japan. . . calenders

I love calenders. Either as a gift or looking for and buying one myself. So many great choices. The starting of a New Year with a brand new calender is wonderful. O f course my Birthday month is January, only makes it more special.  And yes I was the kid who loved buying new school supplies at the start of school.  I loved school.
The only draw back is for some reason many calenders the month of January is not always the best photo or artwork.

I adore Japanese calenders. If I didn't buy them, son would send some fantastic ones to us.

As I said in my last post one of Japanese son's photos was accepted for a favorite daily Train Calender.

                                                                        .

                             His photo was taken on and accepted for for my birthday.

Last years calendar was one of my favorite fish calenders
If you look to the right of the calender on my grid  board, your can see the January 4th Train A Day from 2008  that is above my computer desk.

I have read somewhere that certain years repeat . If you had a calendar from 1947 you could use it again this year.
I have several wonderful Studio Ghibli calenders that I have saved.  They are so beautiful that I couldn't toss them away. Now I will unpack them and see what years I have and what year I can repeat.

 But this year I did break down and order a new one. The art work is always fabulous.
Or course this one is Totoro, one of my favorite movies. And the month of January is wonderful. Yea Me !

  Charming !

 This is such a cheerful layout. It was one of the main reasons I ordered this calender.
I smile every time I look at it.

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Here is your pretty for the midweek. Son sent a great post card from his latest train trip.
A very happy Soba mascot. From Iwate Prefecture there are many Soba people.
 Kawaii !

Isn't she darling and so happy !

soba. . . parsnip
music. . . The Wind Forest,  OST My Neighbor Totoro

computer and comcast acting up again so I had to post from the web link.

parley view parsnip. . . my day

 Japanese son is a wonderful photographer and takes photos of his trips all over Japan. I have posted some of these trip photos on my Wednesday in Japan blog.
On one very snowy train trip last winter he took a photo on January 4th (my birthday) and sent it in to his favorite train calendar that he buys every year.
Guess what ? his photo was slected for that day, my birthday ! 

       How special is that ! his photo my day, Perfect !

                                                         And here it is ! 
His name and the information is on the left.
I remember several photo from this trip and one favorite had the train coming into the station with 2 feet of snow piled on top.

Lunch was at The Arizona Inn. A fabulous, historic resort hotel built in 1930. Spread over 14 acres of gardens, fountains, lawns and flowers the casita styled Hotel is in the heart of Tucson and you wouldn't know it.
The Arizona Inn,  has been continually own by the founder Isabella Greenway family since then.  This  hotel is a gem.
Unfortunately  the photos I took will not download. But I will try post them on another day.

Later in the day daughter made a lovely light dinner, so we could enjoy my birthday "cake" given to me by her partner. Wonderful sections of my favorite pastries. Coffee was a gift from my son bought at our favorite shop in Tucson.
Just a perfect ending to a fabulous day.

I did have a great photo of The Square Ones enjoying my birthday for your pretty to start the week but picasa, computer and comcast has deemed it unworthy to post ! So you will just have use your imagination.

happy. . . parsnip
music. . . Follow Bliss,  John Hackett/Moodi Drury

Square Dog Friday. . . it is so hard being thehamish

woof...


yes this is me thehamish i are very tired helpin' clean up after  fun gud time
some day comes and lots of stuff gets all over the house and a tree comes inside my home
lots of tall people havin fun playin with us thehamish  Watson cousin waldie and truffs
we got cookies food CHKIKIN' food and treats its all gud but i tired gud dug
all this helping and bein' gud is makin' me tired
and now it is gud dug square dug friday
oh no is my work never done
bein' cute is hard work
woe is me
woe
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we gots cookiesfrom other gud dug cousins
one for gud dug Watson and me thehamish
guess the one that is mineminemine mine
mine
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gud dug Watson lookin at cookie i thehamish is there too
 i lookin' for cookie but not findin' it
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all this fun makin' gud old dug Watson tired
has to rest 'cause he tired  thehamish found Watson sleepin' on
nice tall person who feeds us  bed it was quiet gud nappin'
he gots under the blanket and fixin' the pillows lots
he is really gud at that
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cousin truffs wore this gud shirt
i snorted it is gudgud gud  its' sayin'
will trade my brother for presents
hahahhahahahah snort ha ha
yesh
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waldie is brother he is so sad he sleepin' with his head on rocks
he is funny gud dug but sorta' strange
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but he lives with badcat bowie so maybe thats why he is strange
everytime he be sleepin' cat comes and has to be sleepin' too
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poor waldie he is trying to sleep
and badcat havin' to sleep same place too
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now you see why im' tired so much gud dug stuff to do
thehamish is needin sleepin'
helpin' is so hard
oh woe is me
woe
yert !
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Here is your pretty for the weekend

At the start of December we had a big storm zoom in
that snowed in the mountains with rain in the valley.
View from my back yard with the dusting of snow on the mountains.
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Sunset later in the month.
If you can believe it the clouds look even brighter with the sun glowing
like gold. Tucson has the best sunsets.

gud. . . parsnip
music. . . Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,  The Blues Brothers
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Wednesday In Japan... 2014 Year of the Horse !

This years Christmas Card from Japan.
Wonderful pop-up of a Christmas tree with lots of busy Santas.
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Kawaii !
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Newest additions to my Japanese Zodoic collection.
They are bells.
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I have written about this before but in Japan, New Year is the important holiday.
Celebrations, parties, dinners and most of all family and friends.

Everyone sends out postcards for the New Year and the mail delivers
 huge stacks of them !
Check out Sons card on my sidebar, sleepytako.
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My New Years Day card is going our rather late this year.
It is the Year of the Horse and I just couldn't think of anything I wanted to draw.
 So I am using a photo taken at the
Tohono Chul Park In Tucson.

 

What ever your Zodiac symbol,
The Square Dogs and I  wish you a very Happy New Year !
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and...
Here is your pretty (hahahahaha) for mid-week.
This is especially for my friend Norma, who is crazy for Minions
and has a huge collection of them.
I collect Totoros and I have finlly crossed the line and have become a Totoro !
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Totoro hoodie.
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I even have dust sprites slippers
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hahahahahahah
At lest I haven't quite turned into the krazy cat lady down the street.
but...
I have said I wanted to have a herd of Scotties running wild on my land !
It still could happen.

Last night,
Watson was seen walking off with one of my slippers.
Hey, they look like a Gud Dug toy to me too!
yert !
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totoro. . .  parsnip
music. . .  OST Totoro, Joe Hisaishi