It`s not summer till next week. Yeah right! Phoenix will be 120 this weekend. In this part of Northwestern Arizona it should be somewhere around 110. I`m watering trees and plants more often this past month. What hasn`t turned brown the rabbits have eaten. The baby quail have arrived. They look like peanuts now. No pictures because I don`t want to frighten them. I killed my first rattlesnake this season two months ago. There are lots of snakes this year..
The picture above is beautiful Indian Paintbrush.
My eye surgeries are complete. Long distance vision is great. I need glasses for close up work, but that may change in the next month. It`s nice to blog again, drive and sew.
The picture below is my friend from Iowa setting up his trommel so he can run the dirt he brought home from the desert. The gold and small gravels drop thru the mesh into the sluice underneath. The water running through the sluice washes the lighter gravels into a tub you can`t see and the gold being heavier than the dirt stays in the sluice box. This is a simplistic explanation.
My husband and I recirculated water in our clean up systems. If there`s clay in the soil your water gets slick and slimy real fast and the clay dries your hands. After your clean-up (the equipment), you need a really good hand moisturizer so your fingers don`t crack. Corn Huskers Lotion works real well. Make sure your hands are free of potions and lotions before you pan or whatever method you chose to use to clean up. Oils, as on greasy hands will float the gold out of your pan. We dredged in Colorado, metal detected in Utah and here in Arizona. No matter how you find your gold it is hard work. I loved it! I got used to scorpions dropping into my lap while sitting in holes. Sitting was more comfortable than standing. I was never stung.
This wide bush is Mormon Tea or Ephedra. The small bush to the left is Sticky Buckwheat .
Last but not least. I `ve had 20 star blocks sitting in my room for two years. My favorite is the butterfly block below. All the blocks are sewn with different scrap fabrics. Hopefully this is a quilt I will finish this summer!
A few more blocks.
Thank you for visiting! Sam the dog, Mr Cat (the cat of course) and I are happy. I wake up everyday to fresh air, a sleepy cat on my pillow, beautiful views and the sounds of cactus wrens and quail.
Cathy
