76 F

It's another bright,
blue-sky day for errands and
for indulgences

~carliewired

I was out the gate just after 9 and heading for the store where I bought my paint yesterday. I was going to look for some 'organic' weed killer and a tarp.

I walked in at the garden shop section. I am always so interested to see what Arizonans buy for their gardens here. If you can't afford those metal sculptures, you could have a plastic eagle or a ceramic  bunny.

I found the one and only spray bottle marked 'organic weed killer' and a 10 ml small tarp. I'm now understanding that the weed killer my neighbour uses in his yard has been sprayed on the Bermuda grass between my lemon tree and my desert willow tree. Neither tree looks very healthy at the moment. I'm afraid that my neighbour's willingness to be helpful in my absence has not really been helpful to these trees. I have been given advice to cover the Bermuda grass with a tarp to see if that will keep it down/under control. I'll also try this spray on a few weeds along the walkway, far from my trees. 

Personally, I'm not all that fussed about weeds in general. I prefer not to use chemicals and I don't want them walking into my house on my shoes contaminating my home. I will try to placate the neighbour. 

I stopped to get a photo of what's left of a large orange grove along 32nd. In the past few years the trees haven't looked their best. They seemed tangled with some kind of invasive plant. I suspect the land is worth far more as a commercial property than an agricultural property. I will be interested to see what takes its place. 

On the way home I treated myself to breakfast at the Arizona Market Place. I got a made-to-order breakfast burrito by a young man with shamrocks painted on his face. It was so generous that I had to bring half of it home with me. 

The outdoor market was rather quiet this morning. I almost had the place to myself. 

On the way out, I picked up a small bag of kettle corn. The aroma of it in production was just too tantalizing. 

My catch for the day is the Northern mockingbird. It is a frequent visitor to my yard during the winter season. They never seem interested in the bird feeders. One will perch in a palm or, like today, in my orange tree. Each has an amazing musical repertoire. You can hear some samples here. 

I'm in for the day with some jobs to do.