"Cold Temperatures and Snow welcome the Tucson New Year"

The 2011 New Year was welcomed in Tucson with snow in the mountains and freezing temperatures on the valley floor.

Few people think of snow and skiing when they think of Tucson. The Santa Catalina Mountains, however, is home to the southernmost ski area in the United States. The ski slopes are located just an hour's drive from the sun-drenched resorts of Tucson, where area visitors can go golfing, swimming and downhill skiing in the same day.

Attached are some of the photos that were taken of the mountains yesterday evening.

"Baby Iris Helps Mom and awaits Baby Sister"

Today, I spent some time with Baby Iris, who was helping her mom with cleaning and vacuuming around the house. While there, Baby Iris noticed the new baby crib that was assembled in the Master bedroom yesterday. Of course, she needed to try it out! After awhile, she returned to her special vacuum cleaner, which simulates a vacuuming noise while playing the alphabet or musical songs.

"Bringing back the Good Times"

One of my favorite magazines is called Reminisce, which is published six times a year. Captions like "Welcome to the Good Old Days!", "Does anyone Remember?" to "Embarrassing Moments" are a few of the features. Captured in my photos, are a few of the more recent Christmas publications.

"Ready for Christmas"

Well today, I barely escaped the throngs of shoppers in the local grocery store, and when I finally finished my purchases, my ear caught the singing and playing of Christmas songs by Salvation Army members. They are such a wonderful organization and do so much for people in the community.

Tomorrow, I am hosting a Christmas brunch. Much of yesterday was spent planning, preparing and organizing the final menu. Besides quiche, fruits, breads, bacon and sausages, a shrimp tray, I created a new dish, which I'm calling "Stebbino ginger and lime marmalade meatballs," which I would like to judge as very tasty, but on that note, my family members will need to decide tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone!

"Ringside Seat for Lunar Eclipse early Tuesday Morning!

At about 12:31 AM Tuesday morning, December 21st, we will all be treated to spectacular lunar eclipse here in Tucson and across Arizona. While lunar eclipses are not uncommon, it is uncommon to have an eclipse at the same time as the Winter Solstice, actually the first time in 372 years.

So stay up a little later this evening and then look skyward in the early morning hours at about 12:30 AM and you should have a view of one of nature's most beautiful spectacles: a total eclipse of the moon.

The Winter Solstice is Upon Us!

My good friend Jim in his TENNIS TOUSAN blog reminded me the other day that Winter had definitely arrived in Minnesota. Here in Arizona, the changes in season are not as apparent or dramatic; no snow, no ice, or below zero temperatures. While there is frost on some evenings, the only real change is the need for one to prune back summer plants, which I was doing this week on the flower beds that dot the rock retaining rock wall that surrounds. Nevertheless, Winter will arrive officially on Tuesday, December 21st at 4:31 Mountain time here in Arizona.

"Grandpa and Baby Iris hold down the kitchen while Mom and Dad attend Christmas Party"

Had great fun with Baby Iris this evening as my daughter and husband attended their former neighborhood Christmas party. Time was spent decorating the tree, eating clementines, singing songs and reading nursery stories in front of a beautiful fire in the fireplace. It wasn't long before Baby Iris was sleepy and had visions of sugar plums dancing in her head. I guess Baby Iris is one person who enjoys Grandpa's singing and I know she is looking forward to having a new baby sister in late January.

"Early morning surprise."

When I woke up this morning, I heard some noises outside the bedroom window. When I went to investigate, I saw about 7 or 8 Javelinas eating the pods from underneath one of my mesquite trees. The Javelinas are actually collared peccaries. While pig like, they are not, nor are they ferral hog or wild boar.

While true pigs originated in the Eastern Hemisphere, the collared peccary is native to the Western Hemisphere and ranges from Argentina to the southern and western parts of the United States. The peccary, is by genus an even toed Ungulate and if we go way back is a distant relative of the hippo.

Peccaries in many ways are like having wild pigs in the desert, but unlike pigs they are quite gregarious and travel in herds of 10-20 and are very interesting. Their main source of food is the prickly pear cactus and the roots of other plants, plus grubs. As a group they mark their territory by way of their sweat glands.

"Winter Travel Adventure!"

Perhaps my blog absence has been noticed, perhaps not, but for the past two weeks, I have felt like "hammered dog meat", almost literally. It all started when I boarded an early morning flight from Tucson to the Twin Cities of Minnesota on Thursday, December 2nd. From almost the moment I arrived, I had the worst cold, fever and sore throat that I could ever remember. Doing anything was out of the question, and hot chicken soup, plenty of fluids and tea were the order of the day. By the following Wednesday, after a visit to Urgent Care, I was back in the air, ending a trip that was really cut short by illness. Little did I know, however, that I left "Dodge", just in time, because what followed was one heck of a blizzard and snowstorm in the Twin Cities. In fact, the snowfall was the 5th largest on record. Since returning, my life is quietly returning to normal. My congestion and cough are gone, and I am blissfully enjoying temperatures almost 80 degrees warmer. In fact, Tucson had a record temperature of 84 degrees today. It was with this nice weather, that I did take some time to hike and climb in Saquaro National Park which is near my home.