Remember when I said I would update you on what is going on around here? And then I think I never do? Well. Here is my March update so I can show you all the excitement going on around here.
Okay. Not really all that exciting. But we have been enjoying ourselves. Which is what this is really about, right?
Hiking
You might think this is a hiking blog with all the hikes I’ve been posting. I know. But I love it and Barb and I have been partnering up and seem to be hiking each week. Last week I told you about the fantastic Sonoran Preserve trail and the fantastic day we had.
This week we hit Wild Burro trail at Lake Pleasant. And then we had lunch at the marina. I love finishing a hike with a relaxing lunch. And maybe a little chardonnay.
A crystal clear day with perfect temps.
Puzzle
I cannot claim putting one piece of this 3,000 piece beauty in place. But hub did it! It was in our dining room (on two tables for quite a while) for months and he finished! Oh. Except for the one piece that is missing.
Here is what my dining room looks like now. Dressed up for spring. With the morning sun pouring in. Ahhhh.
Jill sent me a pic of the puzzle they are working on and they ended up with pieces that didn’t fit in the remaining holes. Now you know that is the puzzle manufacturer’s fault, correct? At least she swears it is.
Hey, we put that exact puzzle together last year!
Strawberry and Pine
Two small neighboring mountain towns about an hour from our house, Strawberry and Pine are so quaint. Denisse and I took a little drive and visit after a hike and picnic at Montezuma’s Well.
Supposedly the Strawberry Schoolhouse is the oldest in Arizona. It wasn’t open for tours, but we walked around and peeked through the windows.
We visited several shops in Pine and I might have bought quite a lot of gee gaws. I mean adorable décor items for my house.
Tootsie
With Cindy and Kevin we caught Tootsie at Gammage Theater and had Mexican dinner at Macayo’s afterwards. It wasn’t the best production I’ve caught, but we really enjoyed our day.
Spring Planting
Another trip to our local nursery and I brought home a trunkful of gorgeous cooler weather plants for my patio pots. The lady at the nursery swore that if I keep all of them out of the afternoon sun, I should be able to keep them alive throughout the summer.
Summer Winds Nursery sells plants that are started in Arizona so they are not trucked in from California, with its milder weather. Therefore the plants don’t need to adapt to the harsh conditions here and have a better chance.
We’ll see.
The yellow petunias with purple veins inspired me to go with yellow and purple on my patio.
What I’m Eating
Another successful recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen’s site. Since this post is getting long, I’ll share the pics and recipe on Monday’s blog. But here’s a hint: It starts with Chicken Parmesan.
What I’m Reading
I finished up Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Ann Porter. This collection of short stories was very good, and I’m not generally a fan of short stories, but there you go.
Porter is so lyrical and her work seems so fresh even though it was written long ago.
After rating four stars on Goodreads, I went back and changed it to five. It’s one of those things that the more I think about it, the better I like it. It is worthy of that rating and a recommend!
On audio I finished up Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo. I really loved this book, but only rated four stars because the narrator was an odd choice. The book takes place from the viewpoint of a man, but the narrator was female with a monotone voice. I had a really hard time figuring out who was talking most of the time.
Wrap Up
St. Paddy’s at the club was a great chance to catch up with old friends and enjoy an evening out. As always, I am so blessed by the dear people in my life.
Do you have big plans for the weekend? Please let me know how you’re doing. XO