Dafs

I went to Trader Joe's today and couldn't resist picking up a few bunches of daffodil buds. I stuck them in warm water this morning, and by tonight, three had blossomed. I've always thought tulips were my favorite flower, but these cheerful yellow guys have won my admiration.

Gotcha!

Not the most exciting shots, but I finally got mama dove in her nest! I also found a quail's nest after poking around for a bit - unfortunately, not a great shot. The quail weren't cooperating and left their eggs in an awkward spot between the wall of the house and some bricks. They're strange like that. Hopefully I'll be taking pictures of some babies soon.

I also took a picture of some hairy cactus. Cactus fasciate me! There are so many different types of cactus out here and they're so pretty this time of year.

Bees

I was trying to take a picture of mama dove in her nest, but she's not cooperating. Luckily, the bees were. They love the orange tree blossoms as much as I do, apparently!

Spring!

Oscar the pooch and I were surprised this morning by a dove bursting out of an orange tree. Mama dove did the wounded bird act and while Oscar chased after her, I went looking for the nest.

A morning walk, a surprise find, and the smell of orange blossoms - a pretty good way to start my morning!

Neighborhood Walk

My mom had her hip replaced and I've been playing nurse while she recovers. It's been fun! I love cooking and caring for her while she needs me, we get some bonding time, and I've got down time to focus on eating healthier and exercising. She's starting to feel better, so today, I grabbed my camera, my son, and Oscar the pooch and took a walk around her neighborhood.

My mom lives in a beautiful neighborhood, and I've always wanted to take some pictures. In the ten years she's lived here, I've never bothered. It was nice to take a slow stroll (which is required with a dog that has to stop and smell and then pee on everything!) and appreciate the beginning of spring here in the Phoenix desert.

Lines

Rats With Wings

Birds freak me out a little bit. I'm not scared of them, just somewhat suspicious and distrustful. I still try to capture good shots of them when I can, and although this isn't a fantastic picture, I still love it. It's a little Hitchcockian, I think.

This one was taken in December 2012, at a park in Phoenix.

Day One - 176 Day Real Food Challenge

"176 days? Well, that's certainly an odd number. Why'd you choose that?"

Good question! I'm glad you asked! In 176 days, I'll be having a milestone birthday. I've been trying to eat healthier lately, and I've been reading a lot of 30 day, 100 day, or (insert any month)-long healthy eating challenges. I wanted to do something more substantial in honor of this milestone.

Since I haven't really done an introduction blog, I'll give you some important details about me to put it all in perspective. One, I like to plan, but I don't really like to implement. Two, I get excited about stuff and then I lose interest. Three, eating healthy has always been a challenge for me, and so has losing weight.

I'm hoping this blog will keep me focused for the next seven months. And by then, eating healthier should be a habit, so help me Pete!

Here are the rules:

1. Any whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, beans or legumes are okay; highly processed foods are out.
2. I'm going to make my own whole wheat bread each week - I have a bread machine, so this is easy. I'm not quite ready to make my own pasta or tortillas, so they'll be store bought, whole wheat, and eaten infrequently.
3. Almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, etc. will replace cow milk. (Unless I can find it raw for less than $10 a gallon, anyway.)
4. I'll plan ahead and cook my own meals as much as possible, plan and make my own snacks, and eliminate fast foods. When I do eat out, I'll choose the best options.
5. Nut butters will just be nuts, no added sugar or oil.
6. Oils will be limited to olive, coconut, or sesame.
7. I'm looking at eggs, cheese, dairy, and meat/fish as an every now and then thing, so no official rule for them, other than to minimize usage and to eat them in the spirit of what I'm trying to do. To me, that means hot dogs and veggie sausage are out, but the occasional piece of fish or egg dish is in.

My goal here is to get in the habit of choosing real food, so it becomes second nature. I have a couple of big things coming up that I would typically throw all dietary considerations to the wind during. I'll focus on not doing this, which means that I need to keep my food choices simple, easy, and yummy. With a little planning and commitment, and using this blog to keep me honest, I can do this.

I'm not going to bore you with every detail of my menu. You're welcome! I will post the occasional update, pictures, and some recipes, perhaps. I promise to keep the posts short and sweet.

And with that, my bowl of applesauce, peanut butter and I bid you farewell. (This is what happens for dinner around here the day before grocery shopping.)

Lovecat

Landscapes

This view is from a scenic overlook coming out of the mountains somewhere in New Mexico. It may have been near Cloudcroft, but I can't be certain - our GPS took us on some funky route and I didn't expect to be where I was. Tip: nothing beats a paper map. I love the satellite function of the GPS, but I'd don't entirely trust it.

In these shots, you can see White Sands way off in the distance, towards the left side of the frame. I love the mountains in the distance, and the contrast of the sky and the sand against the mountain and valley in the foreground. In the second shot, I particularly love the trail of trees down the center bottom of the little valley. It looks like there must have been some water down there, but we sure couldn't see any.

Landscape photos are something I really want to work on. I have a hard time framing them - I have this gorgeous view, but somehow I don't manage to capture what I'm seeing and the picture never quite turns out. This time, the mountain and highway on the left and the drop-off and mountains to the right helped frame my shot.

Nature

A southern Arizona sunrise, a northern Arizona sunset, and a strawberry pot after a snow storm.