Arizona Skies by Jim Beckwith

I just got a Google Alert this morning for Arizona Skies and got these lyrics to a song written and sung by Reggae singer Jim Beckwith in Tampa, Florida. Here is his website so that you can listen to this song. I just love it!

http://www.reverbnation.com/jimbeckwith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona Skies - Lyrics by Jim Beckwith

Desert Life is precious, a place of all extremes
Sun’s too hot to handle, it’s brighter than it seems
Nights are cold and lonely, Days hot as hell
You might survive living here, it’s just too soon to tell.

Look in all directions, there’s a billion stars tonight -
the suguaro cactus stands like a sentry, looking for a fight.
couples may be broken, river rocks may fly;
but the clouds are always beautiful - in the Arizona skies

We are the stones - smoothed by the river
Rough is the sand, and the water makes you shiver

Living here in desolation you expect some things to die
it’s strange, but true - no on even cries
Celebrate for the living, remembrance for the dead
We light a candle - at one end

Put the candle in the river - watch it float away
remember back in time to another day
life was good - we liked it then
but we must go on and on
till the candles come floating back again

Rarely in the desert comes a pouring rain
but it’s joyful when it happens, you can feel alive again
Standing in the shower it feels like rain
there’s nothing like the feeling of the absence of pain

We are the stones - smoothed by the river
Rough is the sand, and the water makes you shiver

I said look out across, send word down
to reach the boss on the way to town,
`if your going in the right direction...
Here, then we’re gone, but a little part lives on,
living life, dying death,
and the earth just took one breath

My own backyard Tangerine

This is my Kinnow Mandarin in my back yard. The plant is three years old and this is the first time it has had an actual harvest. Before this it was just a few fragrant flowers and nubs of fruits that soon shriveled and died. I'm wondering if I am not giving it enough water, I have never fertilized it. Next year I will look into this and try to do the right thing.

I just ate my first the other day and it's nothing like you buy at the store. This is not bland but a very strong taste, a little sour but I like that. The only thing I don't like is that it has some big seeds. All in all I'm happy with it.

Turning a lemon into lemonade

I just came across an article by Cathie Gandel in an AARP publication.

Teanne Harris was supposed to be married in a late October Halloween themed bash when six days before the wedding her fiance got cold feet. She then found out it was too late to get a refund for the reception. Rather than having all that money and hard work expended go to waste, she decided to turn her wedding celebration into a holiday party for the 340 residents of Ashbury Court Retirement Community in Des Plaines, Illinois.

She didn't know anyone there but moved everything - food, flowers, table decorations and even the DJ - to the community. Harris, 34, said, "I worked really hard on planning for the perfect party, and it would have broken my heart even more to have it go to waste". Instead she received joy watching the residents enjoy the holiday.

This was a perfect example of the adage, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". And what a wonderful gesture to be able to remember that bitter day as a joyful time for many strangers. Great karma to you, Teanne Harris!

Chocaholic in Heaven

"And now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
I pray they bury me beneath showers
Of heavenly scented Chocolate Flowers"
by PVC (me)

The Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera Lyrata)is also known as Chocolate Daisy, Greeneyes, Lyre-leaf Greeneyes, Brooch Flower. It has a strong chocolate fragrance in the morning when it's yellow daisy flowers are open. It closes them in the afternoon. The plant is drought tolerant when established and reseeds itself. It is native from Kansas and Colorado south to Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and northern Mexico to San Luis Potosi. It attracts butterflies and bees and other beneficial insects. The dried seed heads are attractive in dried arrangements. I have it growing in my fig tree area so that it will get some shade from the harsh Arizona sun when the fig tree matures.

"How time flies" is an understatement in this case!

WOW, it's been SIX long months since my last entry!

I have only excuses, not reasons. The only reason is plain laziness. The excuses are many. The two main ones are:

1. This summer here in Tucson was a real pain. Very hot and a long one. It was in the high 90's just a couple of days ago. I had shut off the central AC for the winter in the latter days of September and was not about to turn it on again. I can be stubborn that way, even if inside the house it was about 92 degrees. I just turned on a fan and opened the window in whichever room I was in.

2. Excuse number two is that since August I've been moving all my jewelry from Earthly Creations into my craft shop Arizona Skies. I see no reason having two shops in Etsy.com since jewelry and crafts are fairly similar. This started out as a hobby, turned into an obsession, and now I've relegated it back into a hobby status. After the holidays I will also close my shops at Dawanda and 1000Markets and then keep Arizona Skies as my official "outlet of creativity".

So, hopefully, now that my favorite season is here at last, Autumn/Winter, I will be more inclined to write in this blog. Perhaps twice a week? We'll see.

My newest creation, a pair of earrings that remind me of a frozen winter.

The time flies

Wow, how time flies! I had no idea it's been 12 days since my last post.

I can truly say I've been working, though. Last year it rained so much in the spring that my backyard was overrun with weeds. I was overwhelmed and did what ostriches are supposed to do, I buried my head in the sand of denial and refused to do anything about it. This year I resolved that I wanted to reclaim my pretty and tidy back yard, tend to my neglected plants, and sit again in my back porch to eat a lunch or sip coffee and watch the wildlife (mostly birds) enjoy my little spot of earth.

It's all done and mentally I feel proud of myself. Physically, every muscle of my body aches. But, it's a good ache, like when you've just worked out at the gym. Sore, but proud of yourself for taking control of your body and your life.

Here are before and after photos of a portion of the backyard =

Recipe

Did I say in my last post that I was feeling lazy today? I changed my mind. Make it LAZY LAZY LAZY!!!

So here's a recipe for you to assuage my feelings of unworthiness. Heh heh!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM BREAD

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup dairy sour cream, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts, if desired (I use untoasted)

Grease an 8x4 loaf pan; set aside. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In small bowl of electric mixer, cream butter. Gradually add sugar, beat one minute or until light and airy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in sour crean and vanilla. Stir onto flour mixture only until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in strawberries and nuts. Turn into prepared pan, smooth top. Bake 60-65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in pan 10 minutes, tun out onto a rack to cool. Makes one loaf.

** Although the title says "bread", I treat it like a dessert and have a slice with my coffee. Yummy!