Two Days of the Tucson Mountains

Today, being Saturday, puts us at day five of the windy days.  Tuesday through Friday were of the sort that can make one take a step back.  Hope that today will be better is dimming as I watch the trees in the neighborhood behind us.  So far, the Tucson weather has been suboptimal.
Thursday we hiked from the Genser trailhead up to the ridge line.  We kept hearing machinery, and eventually were able to see this crane.  The reservoir is being expanded.  The green area to the right is the existing, the shiny part is new.  They've put up concrete walls, with roof supports in the water.  They're putting down what appear to be large sheets of aluminum. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Rocks in the distance.

Another shot of the reservoir. It's big.  Golf courses need a lot of water in the desert.

On the way back, Jim was attacked by a cholla.  As he passed by it, a gust of wind knocked it into his arm where it stuck.  My only tool for removing it was a tube of sun screen.  We eventually got if off.  So that day's key learning is to always hike with a pocket comb.  They are the best method to get those things off of your flesh.

We got home to discover one of these wretched birds had tried to use the hummingbird feeder.  I have the kind with perches because the hummers like to sit there.  Anyway, he dumped out all of the hummer juice, down the side of the bus where it hardened off and all over the table we keep by the door.
What do you notice about that palm tree he's on?  The grounds guys went through the park over the summer and peeled the bark off of some of the trees, including ours.  I'd really like to know the logic path behind that decision.
Also notice how is feathers are ruffled up from the wind.

 
Friday we went up the Cat Mountain trail.  It's a lovely hike with the exception of the long unpleasant walk to get there.  First there is a dirt road followed by a wash full of loose rocks and boulders.

 It gets better and then you see things like this.

It feels incredibly banal, expending the effort to document the unexceptional.  But what can you do?  America made the choice to elect a con man, and all that's left for us is to vote at the mid-terms.

More Election

I had, briefly, backed away from the edge of the Slough of Despond.  It lasted for a few hours.  Then I read this.  Although Trump originally nixed the idea of over hauling Medicare, it appears that he is now going to let Ryan go with it.  These two paragraphs are lifted from Washington Post article (with attribution).

The “Better Way” policy package that Ryan drafted earlier this year with the aid of his fellow House Republicans proposed a broad package of proposed Medicare reforms, ranging from the repeal of the IPAB to expanding the privately managed Medicare Advantage program to a full-blown overhaul of the Medicare system into a “premium support” model.
That would involve transforming Medicare from a largely single-payer federal program to a private model where seniors would be(sic) federal subsidies to buy private insurance — similar to the subsidies available to younger Americans who can now buy insurance on the ACA-mandated state marketplaces.

Medicare Advantage doesn't work for me because I'm a South Dakota resident and I never go there.   Those programs tend to be local and require you to use their network of doctors.  So that will be the end of traveling for us.

I don't know about you, but after two heart procedures, two ear drum rebuilds and three foot surgeries, I am not insurable.  Is Ryan's plan going to do what the ACA did and forbid the use of pre-existing conditions to deny coverage?  I'm pretty sure anyone who is 65 or older has something in their health history the the insurance companies won't like.  Insurance premiums for the elderly are going to be punishing.

I am just sick to my stomach.  The new EPA guy is a climate change denier.  A key member of Trump's team is Ken Blackwell, who thinks being gay is a lifestyle choice.  Trump has already said he's cutting spending for education in the first 100 days.  This will allow further dumbing down of the country.  Even I, a chronic pessimist, underestimated how bad this is going to be.  I know many people are relying on the checks and balances provided by the three branches of government to control the amount of mayhem done, but when all three branches are controlled by the Republicans, it's hard to see where there will be many checks.

If this comes to pass, I wonder how the pensioners in Florida will feel about their support for Trump.

Then, there is this.  Political correctness, aka good manners, dictated that while one could have such thoughts, one did not give voice to them.  So much for that.  The bullying of those who are not white males has already begun in schools and on the streets.

Even though it's not part of today's rant, I'm also concerned about the demise of the ACA, cuts in funding for the disabled and the hole being torn in the public safety net.

I promise I'm not going to make this a political blog.  However, it's a journal of where I've been, and right now I am back on the edge.

So, I will leave you with this lovely image from today's hike in the Tucson Mountains.

The Election and Saguaro East

Well.  It feels like all of the air has been sucked out of the room.  I can not believe that man won.  I can't believe America hates women so much that they chose him over her.
Even if he's only a one term president, he's going to do some damage.  Ryan is already working on defunding the ACA.  The war on women is about to heat up again.  It will not surprise me if some forms of birth control are outlawed on his watch.
I am very, very angry at my fellow Americans who chose him.  It seemed like we were a better nation than this, but I was wrong. 

Jim and I are both in mourning.  I really wanted to hear someone call Hillary "Madame President."

We went out to Saguaro East this afternoon and walked around in the desert for awhile.  It's nice out there.

Rain, Hummingbirds, Detailing

Thursday (11/3) our friends Kim and Jim stopped in for two days on their way back to Texas.  We had a very impressive storm with thunder and lightning.  Then there was a double rainbow.  Kim took this, my camera did not see it as well as hers did. 

We took the pickup truck into the Chevrolet dealer for detailing.  After towing it through the agricultural regions of California it was dirt encrusted.  They do such a good job.  They steam cleaned the wheel wells and the engine.  Look at that, it's a five year old engine and it still can be pretty.

 This is the aggressive male hummingbird who chases all of the other hummers away from the feeder.  They're really fun to watch, he sits in the palm tree and waits.  When another bird comes to the feeder he drops down chirping and drives them away.

This female has managed to get something to eat.  I wonder what she will have to say to the male when breeding season starts.

Marco and his crew came today and washed and waxed the RV.  It, too, is now all loveliness and shininess. I am very grateful for the fact that I did not have to participate.

Tomorrow is a bike day. Tuesday and Wednesday are supposed to have very high winds, so we'll probably be hiking.  We're thinking we may join a gym again so we have stuff to do in the afternoon.  As soon as this infernal election is over, I will regain control over my thought processes once again, and the internet will be less interesting.  Having the gym in the afternoon will be good.

No, Jim is not voting for The Donald.

Hiking in the Tucson Mountains

Oddly enough, it rained last night, quite a bit.  There was also thunder and lightning off and on all night.  This morning it was very windy.  The hummingbirds are having trouble landing on the feeder.  We decided to do the hike up Hidden Trail and back via Bowen's trail.  Hidden was ok, Bowen's has too many round rocks that make your feet slide.  That one may have deteriorated too much to be fun.
It was, however, a beautiful day for it.

There is a lot of poop on the trail, and the poopers have eaten a lot of something that has a lot of seeds in it.  I need a wild life expert to identify who left this on the sidewalk, and what kind of seeds those are.

So that's it - trail conditions and poop.

Javalinas, Horses and Bicycles

Greetings Earthlings!  We are settled in to Tucson.  The heat has abated somewhat, and happy we are about that.  We purchased the fake grass rug and installed it and the rope lights and the palm tree lights.  While we were doing those chores we spotted a javalina in the park.  This is a bad thing.  They like to burrow through the skirting on park models so they can find a cool place to sleep.  This is the last of the group that was trapped inside the fence after it was completed.  I feel bad for him/her.  They live in family groups with defined territories.  His group is gone, and now he'll be on his own, alone.  The park people came out in a golf cart and tried to herd him out, but they failed.  It's amazing how fast they can run.

These are the palm tree lights.  This year I had access to the eight foot ladder, and was able to put them up higher than last year.  They look good - very cheerful.

There have been two consecutive days of riding the bike trail.  We've seen three horses so far, with no humans in evidence.  This one was in a field along the path, and we saw two in the Santa Cruz River.

This is the bed of the Rillito River.  Look at all the vegetation.  We've never seen it this green.  I think Tucson had a good monsoon this year.

Here is Jim wearing his new bike helmet.  It's very visible.  He also has shoes that color.

We've put the hummingbird feeder back up.  We're watching two hummers chasing each other away through the window.  They need to cooperate so that they can both eat.

Other than this, I have very little to report.