Thing of Purpose

The flowers and the horse dwell on the same property. They were photographed on Monday evening. The top of this fine tree, seen on Tuesday evening in its towering glory, is visible from our house. Two tall trees in one garden are a delight. The couple from this house do their gardening from wheelchairs. Last year we enjoyed a gift of nuts from this well maintained almond tree.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

Although not formally part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve —whose primary goal is recovery the threatened desert tortoise— Confluence Park is part of the Washington County HCP (Habitat Conservation Plan). A Google map , and the left and center  information panels for visitors at the park entrance should allow you to get your bearings. There is an additional online human history of the park. The area was tranquil on the day of our Sunday out in warm afternoon sunshine. Lots of old growth trees—many of them marked with blue paint daubs, which probably means they are to receive attention soon—with overwintering  Rabbitbrush , grasses, and canes glowing against the light. Devotees of the Cactaceae (aka Opuntiaceae, aka Leuchtenbergiaceae) family of plants should stay alert.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

New blossom arrived today. There were big skies for our late afternoon walk, which meant a good chance of a photogenic sunset later. The tree on the left side of the penultimate picture is the same tree pictured yesterday. I am not a member of the school that thinks photographs should not be altered. Quite the opposite: I think, except for documentary photographs presented with the intention of representing reality, that anything goes for pictorial purposes. There is no Homeric wine dark sea available, or indeed any sea within hundreds of miles, so after quaffing some mavrodaphne wine, I did milk & dark chocolate skies with white chocolate land for your delectation. It is a color inversion—the person responsible will know that she is to blame or to be thanked for her suggestion: which one depends on your subjective response.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

  --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

Growy—pronounced with a short 'O' like in 'now'—is what the country folk in my homeland say to indicate that conditions are favorable for agricultural production, particularly during warm, humid (aka 'heavy') weather. It was fresh rather than heavy last evening, with a hint of spring in the air that made shorts, shirt, and sandals the optimal clothing for a neighborhood walk. Those flowers are Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) according to my informant, so the owner of the flowers, the field, and the hens clearly has finer sensibilities. It is a joy to live in a place that is such a mix of urban and rural features, especially when the only other pavement pounders are equines. What is this green plant that has been growing all winter?   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

There was a cool breeze blowing, so no time to linger apart from rendering a few lines from the 'Mikado' with Ko-Ko's verse ending in "Oh, bother the flowers that bloom in the spring" providing a very satisfying ending. The little Dachshund was more than prepared to defend his territory in a neighbor's front yard. Most trees are still bare, but a few mild days and the tiny budettes will burst forth. I still remember the year there was a warm spell followed by a cold snap and all the fruit trees copped it. If in doubt, do nothing.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

We had our first 70°F (21°C) day last Sunday. On Monday, this almond tree blossomed. It is reputed to be the first tree in the valley to blossom every year. Who am I to argue with venerable tradition and tamper with hard won reputations? This was my first exercise walk for months, so my joints are creaking and I have tiny, niggling discomforts all over. On the way back, a pair of winter-bare trees embraced a sunpuppy that was struggling, and failing, to be more than it was capable of being. Oh well, we all know that feeling.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

The development at Cottontown Village in Washington, Utah, includes a theater and a dance hall. No alcohol, tobacco, or staple guns are allowed anywhere on the site, so despite the recreation of the Old Pioneer West their will be no shootouts at high noon. The first production at the theater will be 'Little Women' [ 1 ] [ 2 ] so everything is all in the best possible taste. On the opposite side of the road from Cottontown Village is the old Cotton Mill Factory, built as part of the LDS (Mormon) Cotton Mission , which now houses a modern nursery and garden center.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

Susan was her best friend and  Milly-Molly-Mandy always wore a striped dress. Tomorrow, her namesake will be released from protective custody so that she can join the neighborhood colony. We wish her good luck, because being a feral cat is not an easy life.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

  --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

Lots of interesting clouds around this weekend. Even when wearing his ThunderShirt , Sammy does not like the iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner. I leapt from my bed before the crack of noon to take this Monday cowboy-movie clouds picture.   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

The first picture does not show the sun behind the clouds: what you see is light from the sun being refracted through ice crystals high in the atmosphere. The effect is known as a sundog , but those you see—there are three; one in the first photograph; two in the second photograph—are less fully developed than some, so modesty calls for me to only claim them as sun puppies. If you read the linked Wikipedia article, which has some spectacular examples, please note that " …other substances that can produce halos with four or more sundogs " is a reference to noxious chemical clouds on other planets, not a serving suggestion. The second picture also serves to show that the setting sun is actually way to the left of the graceful cone known as Sullivan's Knoll, which appears centre and capped by refracted light in the first view, then to the right in the second, with a vestigial sun puppy still present. The images were recorded at 17:30 and 17:42 resepectively. Sunset was gaze

olé!   --------------------oOo-------------------- The blog author almost never checks emails or comments.

While I was taking these pictures, the sunshine would have been warm but there was a cold wind. Perhaps shirt and shorts worn with carpet slippers was not the optimal dress to which my former walking companion aspired on every occasion. He usually succeeded with remarkable poise, grace, and élan, which must have made the presence of a scruffian like me even harder to tolerate. I doubt if down in the valleys and on the benches hereabouts it ever really gets cold enough for his prized Aleutian fleece. Opportunities for wearing heavyweight, super-warm, polar-grade clothing may exist at over 10,000 feet of altitude high up on those snowclad, windswept ridges: however, in my sad state of ruinous neglect and disrepair it is highly unlikely that I will ever be able to investigate such a possibility. Oh well, I can still enjoy looking and reflecting on the heroic expeditions of another time and place. For those who enjoy  naming nuts  there are pecan trees in the pictures.   ------------