Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary is a place that receives wounded animals and animals that have been illegally raised by humans.  Once a year, they open up their facilities to the public.  This event took place last weekend.  I usually go to these things because wildlife interests me and it’s a way of seeing these animals up close as well as learning about them.  They had a really good turnout this year, it was very interesting, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for it next year.

They are located in north Phoenix and you can learn more about the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary by visiting their website.

Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary 

I took a lot of pictures, but most of them did not turn out very well due to the lighting, the animals moving a lot (there were a lot of birds) and, in the case of the reptiles, the glare of the glass from the cages they were in. 

 

The small animals and reptiles were the first little creatures I saw.  I saw a Pallid Bat, White-throated Woodrat, Common Kingsnake (I saw one of these in the wild when hiking once), Speckled Rattlesnake (I’ve seen – and heard – rattlesnakes while hiking a number of times), Gopher Snake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (most popular snake in Arizona), a Desert Rosy Boa, a Mohave Rattlesnake, and two Gila Monsters (I’ve seen these twice while hiking – they are the only venemous lizard in the United States and spend nearly all their time underground so it’s rare to see one in the wild). 

Gila Monster

It's tough to see because he's in the corner of the cage, but this is a baby Gila Monster. 

Desert Rosy Boa

Common Kingsnake.  It's too bad his face is so blurry, or this would have been a good picture.

Next came the eagles, where I learned some really interesting information from the handler.

This is a Bald Eagle.  The reason his head isn’t white is due to his age.  He is only two years old.  The handler told me that it takes approximately four to five molting cycles before the feathers on their head turn white.  I hadn’t known that. 

This is a Golden Eagle.  This little guy was hit by a car and, as a result, will never be able to be returned to the wild.  Most of the animals I saw today will not be able to be returned to the wild so they now act as ambassadors to educate the public.  The Golden Eagle can be found all over the world.

This is a Turkey Vulture.  They get a little bit of a bad rap because a lot of people think they’re ugly but they help keep the desert clean because, well, they are vultures.  And I think they are just as beautiful as any other bird!

 

 This is the back of the Turkey Vulture.

There were a number of turtles out there.

It’s a little tough to see, but this is a raccoon hanging upside down.  lol!

  

Here's the same picture zoomed in a bit.  You can see him a little bit better here.

A Hawk.

This little guy was just kind of hanging out. 

I believe the handler said this bobcat is approximately five years old. 

 

Another little guy just hanging out and taking it all in.

 

This is a Great-horned Owl.  Those eyes are just beautiful!

 

This is a Barn Owl.  

Here you can see his beautiful eyes.  There's also something amusing about this picture.

I'm not sure what kind of owl this is, but he sure is a cutie!

This is a Black-Crowned Night Heron. 

This is a Black-tailed Prairie Dog.  He was chewing on the handler's shoe.

  

This is an American Kestral Falcon.

Another American Kestral Falcon.  He's got a really cute look on his face in this photo.

This is a Common Raven.  This particular bird is actually very intelligent.

This is a picture of the hospital, where surgeries are performed, among other things, while rehabilitating and caring for the animals.  

 

DIY Gingerbread House Christmas Advent Calendar

When it comes to creating handmade Christmas Advent calendars, one really is limited only by their imagination.  A quick search will bring up countless ideas if you want to create your own.  I've had a knick knack shelf in my craft stash for quite some time now and so decided to turn it into a gingerbread house Advent calendar.  Because the openings are only 2 inches by 2 inches, I was a little bit limited when it came to choosing what to fill it with, but sometimes the challenge is part of the fun.  Here's a picture of the finished product. 

For the main part of the house I used Folk Art paint in the color Coffee Bean, for the roof of the house I used Folk Art paint in the color Real Brown, and for the roof trim I used Folk Art paint in the color Linen.

This is the knick knack shelf I had in my craft stash.  It has twenty-four openings, so it would be perfect for this project. 

Here's a picture of the Advent calendar with the doors open.

As I mentioned above, I was a bit limited by the size of the openings when it came time to filling the calendar, but I was happy with what I came up with.  There are fourteen wrapped gifts in the calendar and are mostly beauty related.  They range from EOS lip balms to high end skin care samples from Benefit and Kate Sommerville to hair care samples such as macadamia oil to single eye shadows.  I also included three coffees in the flavors Donut Shop Blend, Pumpkin Spice, and Breakfast Blend as well as five teas in the flavors Chamomile herbal tea, Peppermint herbal tea, Chai Spice black tea, Lemon Ginger herbal tea, and Orange Spice black tea.  Finally, I inluded some Lindor chocolate, Hershey Kisses, and those yummy Peppermint Nougats by Brachs that come out around Christmas every year.

 

I put a different Christmas saying on the inside of every door.

I debated whether to include this picture because I don't think the photo does the colors justice as they look much nicer than they are actually appearing, but I decided to anyway so that I could better explain how I made the doors to the openings.  I checked a few craft stores because I had wanted to use 2 inch by 2 inch wood pieces to create the doors and I didn't have any in my stash.  I don't have the time these days to run all over town looking for them and I didn't want to cut twenty-four pieces out of a large piece of wood so, after checking a few stores I decided to consider another way of making them.  What I ended up doing was taking a smaller size wood piece, painting it (using Folk Art in the color Linen), and then attaching it to a piece of card stock.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I really look the way they turned out.  I then printed out a gingerbread man template from the internet, numbered it, and pasted it onto the wood piece.  I found the small hinges at Home Depot.  Again, the colors really do look much nicer in person.

 

This is a closeup of the roof portion of the calendar and I just love the way it turned out.  I had the candy cane and snowflake ornaments in my stash and I included them just for fun and to add a little color.  I also had the snowflakes in my stash and they were included as a nod to my upbringing in North Dakota/Minnesota.

 

More snowflakes on the roof. 

So there you have it.  This is my first attempt at an Advent calendar.  It was a lot of fun to make and I'll likely try another one next year.  Below are some ideas for items to use when filling your own calendar.  The things I've included are for smaller advent calendars but, depending on the size of the openings (the bigger your openings the more flexibility you will have), the possibilities are endless.

 

For the coffee and/or tea drinker:

• Sample sizes and single use coffees and teas in assorted flavors.  I used both of these for the Advent calendar I just created.
• For a person who owns a Keurig machine, you could provide a different flavor K-cup for each day.
• Coffee beans in assorted flavors. 
• Candied sugar and crystal sugar sticks.
• I don't use flavored powdered creamers but they are probably available.  It might be fun to pair them up with different flavored coffees.  

For the crafter:

• Rubber stamps
• Ribbon
• Embossing powder
• Beads and crystal gems for jewelry making
• Small bunches of flowers and greenery
• Embellishments for mini scrapbooks
• Paint in small containers

Beauty items: 

• Deluxe samples from Sephora and high end samples from places like Benefit and Kate Sommerville
• EOS lip balms
• Small specialty soaps
• Mini bottles of nail polish
• Small pots of lip gloss
• Hair accessories
• Single eye shadows

 Food Items: 

• Different types of nuts such as cashews, pistachios, and walnuts wrapped in air tight packaging and tied with a ribbon
• Small packages of spices for someone who likes to cook a lot
• Raisins and dried fruits
• Different types of chocolates such as truffles, assorted chocolates, chocolate covered raisins, homemade fudge, Lindor chocolates
• Peanut brittle
• Almond bark
• Hot chocolate in assorted flavors

Candles and Home Fragrance

• Tealights in a variety of scents
• Small vials of scented oil
• Wax tarts in assorted scents.  For someone who typically uses wax tarts on a daily basis, you could include a different scent for each day of the calendar.  

Miscellaneous Items

• Poems and sayings
• Bible verses
• Scratch off lottery tickets
• New recipes to try
• Seeds for flowers and herbs
• Quotes from the Bible
• Jewelry

For Men:  (This is a little tougher, especially when you are limited to smaller items, so if you are making an Advent calendar for a man, I recommend making one with larger openings.  That said, here are some ideas for a smaller Advent calendar.)

• Fishing lures
• Single use coffees
• Mini candy bars and other sweets
• BBQ spice blends - you could include a number of different blends for different days
• Smoke chips for the BBQ - you could include just a few from a large bag to put in the calendar
• Gift certificates 
• Hair care, cologne, and aftershave samples

So there are some ideas for your own Advent calendar.  Use your imagination and have fun!!
 

 

 

 

    

Hello Fall 2014

"What dreadful hot weather we have!  It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." - Jane Austen

Yep, that about sums up the summer months here in Arizona.  The triple digits have now disappeared from the forecast, but that may not be saying much as it reached 99 degrees yesterday, and 96 degrees today.  But I have to say, one of the nice things about this time of the year is that it begins to cool down overnight into the 60s.  Below are pictures of some of the fall decorations I have up in my home.

This is a little arrangement I have on the table by the front window.

I've had this little ceramic scarecrow for years.  It actually lights up which is why you see the yellow glow coming from the pumpkin head.

I have these little scarecrows in a number of plants around my home.

This little ceramic owl is a tealight holder.  I use the battery operated tealights because the space is really small and I don't want it getting sooty.  Also, it doesn't pose a fire hazard if I forget about it.

By the time fall rolls around here in Arizona, people are ready for it.  The heat really does become oppressive and when the monsoon arrives bringing with it much needed rain, the humidity can at times be unbearable.  Toward the end of August/beginning of September, I begin to feel what amounts to cabin fever.  The windows have been closed for what seems like forever, and engaging in many outdoor activities for any length of time can sometimes prove difficult due to the extreme heat.    

With the arrival of fall in North Dakota/Minnesota, where I grew up, came the need to switch out my summer clothing for warm, cozy sweaters, and begin turning my thoughts to making sure my car was properly “winterized” for the frigid temperatures that were sure to come.  Fireplaces would soon be roaring, filling the air with the undeniable scent of wood smoke, and all around one could see the leaves changing color.  It wasn’t long after I moved to Arizona that I realized these yearly rituals were no longer necessary.  There is no need for sweaters in September, or even October for that matter, unless one is sitting in an overly air-conditioned coffee house or movie theater, and it isn’t until late October that most people turn to their fireplaces for warmth.

But I’ve learned to appreciate the fall season in Arizona for what it is.  After months of oppressive heat, there’s nothing like walking outside in the mornings to the cool air, and the lower temperatures at night provide perfect sleeping weather.  Everything is lush and green from the rain we receive during the monsoon, and the house has a freshness about it due to the windows being once again open.  The steady hum of air conditioning units so prevalent in the neighborhood in the past few months will soon be silenced, and dinners on the porch will once again be a common occurrence.

Another thing I like about fall in Arizona is that I get to bring out my home fragrance again.  Candles, room sprays, and tarts once again fill my home with fragrance.  Although I use these things on occasion during the summer months, due to the windows being closed and the oppressive heat, home fragrance seems almost cloying at times, and I just don’t enjoy it as much.  It seems I’ve always burned candles in my home, but I only discovered wax tarts about ten years ago when I found some in a little candle and gift shop in Sedona when we went into town after a hike to grab some lunch.  

 

 Events, Festivals, and Where to See Fall Colors

There are a number of festivals taking place in the Southeast Valley including the Gilbert Constitution Fair, Tukee Fest Rockin' In the Park, Schneph Farms Pumpking and Chili Party, Macfest, Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake, Taste, Dia De Los Muertos Festival, Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, Chuck Wagon Cook-Off, Woofstock, Gilbert Days, and Tempe Festival of the Arts.  For more information on the festivals, see the following link.   

12 Fall Festivals in the Southeast Valley

AZCentral has listed on their website seventy-one fall festivals in the metro Phoenix area.  For more information on the festivals, see the following link.

71 Fall Festivals in Metro Phoenix

Arizona is not the sandbox many people think it is, and there are a number of places in the state where one can see beautiful fall foliage.  Below are some beautiful pictures along with descriptions courtesy of AZCentral.  You can see more by visiting the following link.

Where to See Arizona's Fall Colors

Colorful leaves on the West Fork Trail of Oak Creek in northern Arizona.

The beauty of the San Francisco Peaks (Snow Bowl) with a dusting of snow and the color of fall leaves.

Fall foliage west of Kendrick peak in northern Arizona.

Fall foliage framing Sedona's Cathedral Rock.

A full spectrum of colors on display in the Oak Creek area.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior has brilliant displays of fall color.

Fall foliage in Oak Creek Canyon, south of Flagstaff in northern Arizona.

Leaves starting to change into glorious colors on a group of trees near Flagstaff.

Time exposure of one hour catches star trails from Earth's rotation and 50 independent "pops" from a strobe light illuminate fall leaves near Hart Prairie north of Flagstaff.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior has brilliant displays of fall color.

Colorful maple leaves contrast with cactus in the Pinal mountains just south of Globe.

Fall leaves floating down Haigler Creek, Tonto National Forest, southeast of Payson, Arizona.

The sun shines through sherbet-colored leaves in a grove at the Mogollon Rim in the Coconino National Forest.

Leaves changing color for the fall season.

Aspens in full fall colors at Arizona Snow Bowl in Flagstaff.