Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Week 11: Beauteous Plague

Everything, and I mean everything is blooming. I took a walk around the neighborhood and was amazed at all the different flowers I was able to find. Trees, succulents, wildflowers, you name it--all the plants are covered in flowers, and both perfume and pollen lie heavy on the air. Hello seasonal allergies!

These little guys are not the culprits.



These (non-native) orange blossoms are.



As are these (native) mesquites. My auto zoom punked out at this point and refused to focus, but mesquites aren't particularly pretty trees, so don't be too disappointed by the low quality. Just know that those little yellow puffballs are tufts of pollen and every other house and strip mall has at least one of those trees.



I was surprised to find one of my friends from the mountain--brittlebush--in someone's yard:



And these little guys in the bare gravel along the side of one of one of our neighbor's fences:



Seeing the desert decked out in its best is so much fun, it almost makes up for the itchy eyes and random sneezes.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Week 10: Break/Broken



Last week was spring break. Although I value the restorative powers of a break and feel that at least one is essential in every semester, I take exception to the fact that over the course of a break, all the routine, momentum, and discipline that have taken eight weeks to get in place are irrevocably broken. Not unlike a size 2 needle that has been stuffed in a backpack that is then stuffed in a locker.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Week 7: Leaves

Saturday, I went for a hike with Hermanita. The day was damp and overcast--we got rain the next day--so all the leaves were at their best. Everything was so fresh and alive that I went a little crazy with the macro setting on my camera.

We caught the little green fuzzies--I don't know what they are, but they have carpeted the mountain--in the act of blooming:



There was the obligatory creosote...



And brittlebush, soft and sage-colored:


The ocotillos, which are usually only spiky stems, had gorgeous, emerald green leaves...



Even the leaves on the bursage, which are normally sad, crumply little things, looked quite vivacious.



And let's not forget the lace leaves! The body has been worked up to the armholes, and is now waiting patiently as I figure out how many stitches I need for the cuffs of the sleeves.