AND THE WINNER IS...

Should I watch...shouldn't I watch?  Should I?  Shouldn't I?  Pop Culture vs. PBS.  Where are my values?  I'm being typically wishy-washy.  Take a stand, girl.  Decide!!!  Grimace!  Ok, I'll...I'll watch!  It's three hours out of my increasingly diminished lifespan, but I'll watch.  I click the remote and know in my heart that I've just sold my soul to the 84th Annual Academy Awards.  But, it is relevant.  It will be talked about.  It will be written about.  My grandchildren like me because I'm fairly relevant.  I have both a Facebook and Twitter accounts. Take a hit for the grandkids.

OMG...what happened to Billy Crystal?  He's squishier and doughier than I remembered.  Is he related to Truman Capote?  He's just broken into song.  Maybe a touch of dance.  NO...Don't Do That!

Tom Hanks has been introduced.  A gray beard?  Tom Hanks has a gray beard?  Not to mention an incredibly high hairline.  Hair is dark, though.  And...he is Tom Hanks.  Still cute, sweet and vulnerable.  I like him.  

"Hugo" is off to a strong start--Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.  Of course, I haven't seen "Hugo," but I understand it's in 3-D.  I'm sorry, but 3-D just makes me slightly nauseous.

J. Lo and Cameron Diaz are strutting onto the stage.  Actually, J. Lo is strutting.  Cameron appears to be losing a last-minute wrestling match with her dress.  However, now that they are front and center with the camera, J. Lo appears to be a bit, ahem, exposed.  Actually, she must be glued or scotch-taped in...no malfunctions here.  Now, they're sexily smiling and slowly turning around...derrieres to the camera.  Oops, Cameron has lost this round also.  Panty lines.  Don't ever skimp on good underwear, Cameron.  And always remember, Spanx can be your best friend. 

"Hugo" has just walked away with two more Oscars.  Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.  How does a person grow up to be a sound mixer?  Can you  imagine the discussion his parents had with him?  You want to be a WHAT?  But, his Mom is at home right now, wiping tears of joy from her proud eyes--he can finally afford his own apartment.

Whew!  Time for a few commercials.  And, they're good!  I'm liking them better than the recent XLVII (or whatever) Super Bowl ads.  Hyundai and "jcp" have gone all out.  Now, Coke just appeared with hints of "Hooray for Hollywood" in the background.  Very thematically correct. 

Christopher Plummer has won the Supporting Actor Award.  Isn't that nice?  For 82, he's still pretty nice looking.  It's his first?  That's great.  Oh...he just opened his mouth for his acceptance speech and his ego fell out.  How disappointing.

Time for music.  I love the best song awards.  What do you mean there are only two songs this year?  That would certainly indicate a dearth of originality.  You're not performing them?  Cut your time someplace else, Academy.  The winner?  Man or Muppet, or Muppet or Man?  That was anti-climactic. 

Thank Heavens!  Ads again...I need a bit of a potty break.  Wait...that is one cool car.  And there's Ellen again with a Coke?  No...just more "jcp".  I tell you...these are good ads!

BC, hurry--Angelina Jolie's coming onstage.  She is sassy and sexy in that big full dress slit to her crotch...but something's not right.  Anglina looks thin...very thin, if not a bit drawn.  Angelina, Angelina.  There is a magic age and I think you might have just reached it, when weight loss equals a face that looks like hell.  You might think about stoking up on a few carbs when you get home tonight.  It's a fine line between gorgeous and hard, and you're crossing it.

And, Brad.  You're not off the hook.  Apparently your sweet domineering wife has cut off your feedbag also.  Remember, men can also look like hell.  You're not there yet, but it's close.  And, that hair!  You didn't have time to wash it?  Gross and Greasy, Brad.

Woody Allen has just won an Oscar and he's a no-show.  I'm not really surprised.  It's a bit like Jan Brewer standing up President Obama the other night.  A prior commitment?!?

We're moving toward the grand finale now.  Best Actress.  Meryl Streep has received seventeen Best Actress nominations but won only two awards.  Whereas, that's an enviable record, wouldn't it still make you feel kind of bad?  Why did she lose fifteen?  Has anyone else ever lost fifteen?  That's a big chunk of wasted time for her.  Oh, look...she just won.  I truly think she's surprised.  Her acceptance speech was quite nice (especially when she so sweetly thanked her husband who, in all honesty, should be kissing her feet for the millions she's brought in the front door), but I would have left out the part about half the country moaning because it was her again.  I hate to break it to her, but half the country isn't even watching her...or anyone else at these awards. 

It's a sober moment as the traditional "In Memoriam" plays out.  Frankly, the actors I grew up with are dropping like flies and I don't like it.  Farley Granger!  My sister was briefly in love with Farley Granger and had a genuine, autographed picture of him.  He was a handsome son of a gun.  Elizabeth Taylor!  Was she good looking!  The nuns at my conservative Catholic grade school were not fans of Elizabeth Taylor.  Actually, she may have been an example of someone we should NOT emulate.  Eight husbands was hard for the celibate to understand.

Oh my goodness, it's Tom Cruise.  He's still around!  Actually, I haven't liked Tom Cruise since he jumped on Oprah's couch...but, even I have to say "Tom is looking good!"  Maybe there is a benefit to Scientology.  Something's working.

During the closing moments, "The Artist" has grabbed up Best Actor and Best Movie.  I haven't seen it...nor, quite frankly have I seen any of the nominated films except "Moneyball".  It received mixed reviews at our Movie Night this past Friday which we just happened to host.  Our tally:  Two persons dead asleep as the movie ended.  One person dozing intermittently during the entire event.  Three of us still awake, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as the closing credits rolled.  I didn't hold out much hope for it.

PUTTING OFF TURBOTAX

BC is at a friend's house this morning with a bunch of his fishing buddies learning how to make a fishing net.  He will, at some future point in time, have a real fishing net on which he can woodburn his name, the name of his bestest sweetheart, or (I assume) some favorite saying.  This fishing net caper comes immediately on the heels of a weeks-long project that involved making your own fishing rod which, when pencilled out at the end, cost only a huge fraction more than purchasing the same rod.  However, the camaraderie and memories, much like the MasterCard that purchased them, are priceless.

With BC occupied elsewhere,  and since I have no meetings nor appointments this morning, the sudden freedom means I can sit uninterrupted in front of my laptop. I'm pushing my need and promise to attack the 2011 taxes to the back of my mind.   So...what to do?  I know, I can show you a photo of the newest addition to our family:

Isn't he a cute little fellow?  BC has been so taken with our recent hikes and travels around the state that he brought this little guy home from the Botanical Garden.  It's a young saguaro whose needles closely mimic my early morning hairstyles.  We think he's a boy, and he goes by JR.  BC is not always politically correct and so I can't spell out exactly what JR stands for.  He could be two or three years old based on his height, but we really don't know.  He stands up relatively straight but doesn't communicate well at all.  With that, I promise to give you a break from Arizona plant life for awhile. 

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, here's a peek at the newest item produced by the SCG craftswomen, of which I am not.  However, my friend Kathy makes beautiful things including, much to her sister-in-law's horror, purses made from bras...the bigger the better.  Actually, I think this one is kind of cute, but I've always been a sucker for preppy checks and plaids.  However--when you wake up feeling a bit slutty, this might be the perfect accessory:

I received a new camera for Christmas, but I'm afraid you may not be able to tell quite yet.  I'm attending classes at the SCG Photo Club, but it hasn't all taken.  In the meantime, I wander around the house taking photos of wherever I happen to be and then try my hand at creativity with Picasa. Actually, we purchased Elements 9 with my new laptop, but I'm still afraid of it.  I've been much less anxious since I tucked it away in a drawer.

I agree, it doesn't make sense but I didn't want to waste the sun and shadow.

I like this one, although it's a bit washed out, and I should have moved the TV.  Live and Learn.

I had an older friend who once told me that you should always look (or actually be) busy when your husband walks in the door.  As I glance at my watch, I realize I'd better ensconce myself at the utility room desk, fire up the TurboTax and set about recreating our 2011 financial lives.  Not a job I enjoy, but always a great accomplishment when I finish.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

I think I mentioned in the heading of this blog that I might, from time to time, venture beyond my comfort zone.    I had intended that my "forays" would have a certain levity, but I just can't muster that this morning.

It's a beautiful Saturday, and we have time to sit at the breakfast table with cinnamon rolls (Thank you, Pillsbury Doughboy)  and our two newspapers:  The Arizona Republic and The Wall Street Journal.  The sun is shining, the tiny hummingbirds are bathing and splashing vigorously in the courtyard fountain, and all is right with the world.  After reading the "Home" section, my favorite Saturday starter, I turn to the "Valley and State" pages of the Arizona Republic. 

It reads normally:  News first, then Opinions, Editorials, Letters to the Editor and, finally, Clay Thompson venting  about crazy drivers.  However, as I look toward the bottom of the last page, I suddenly realize what's been nagging at me the last 20 or so minutes:

Page 1:  "Prosecuters in Loughner trial can access notes on his mental health."  Despite the fact that 50 years ago, our high school journalism teacher required all words in a headline to be capitalized, the bigger fact is that thirteen months ago Jared Loughner was accused of shooting 19 people...killing six and wounding thirteen including Representative Gabby Giffords and one of my favorite bloggers, Suzi Hileman.  He used a Glock handgun.

Page 2:  "City sees protest vs. police officer."  This story involves a Scottsdale police officer who, since 2002, has been involved in seven shootings, six of them fatal.  The most recent incident took place this past Tuesday when the officer, on a 911 call, shot and killed a man who had allegadly been threatening neighbors with a gun.  The shooting victim was holding his grandson at the time he was killed (he was babysitting).  A search of his home after the shooting yielded a variety of weapons (some loaded) plus an improvised explosive device.

              "Suspect arrested in shooting."  Tempe police arrested a California man suspected of shooting and killing a man in a Tempe apartment last month.  A second person was wounded during that incident.

              "Benefit to aid deputy's family."  A raffle and barbecue will be held this afternoon to benefit the family of Bill Coleman, a sheriff's deputy killed last month while responding to a call regarding a burglar alarm in Anthem.  He was fatally shot by a man wielding a semiautomatic rifle.  That same man is accused of shooting and killing a couple parked in their car near Sedona.

Page 3:  "Phoenix police plan to replace faulty vests."  Phoenix police, following the shooting of an officer while on a trespassing call, will replace faulty ballistic vests worn by the many of its men.  This officer, wearing one of the vests in question, was wounded in the abdomen and continues on medical leave.

Page 8:  "Police inquiry clears officer in dog's fatal shooting."  An Akita was shot and killed by a Peoria police officer when he felt threatened by the large dog whose owner was nearby.

I put away the paper.
  

ARIZONA FLORA, Continued

There's nothing like a few hours at the Botanical Garden to regain an appreciation for the various plants that eke out their rather tentative existence in the desert southwest.

For me, this is alternately fascinating, spooky, and only too reminiscent of a photo I once saw of a snake clan totally entertwined in a winter den.  YUCK!  I would plant one in my yard, but I'm afraid each time I looked out, it would scare the bejesus out of me, so, NO!

Here's another cactus of the mamillaria family, or genus, or species, or whatever it's called.  These crack me up as my mind immediately equates mamillaria with mammary and I think I'm looking at a big pile of prickly green b.....  mammary things.  Is no one but me wondering what everyone else is thinking as they walk past this exhibit?

Now, this is cool.  This is a living saguaro with a portion of its outside skin damaged and gone, so we get a great close-up view of the inner skeleton. 

These trees run a close second to my personal favorite, the Soaptree Yucca.  However, I've rejected them for the yard because they seem just a bit stiff and conservative, with very little humor.  Kind of like Mitt Romney...nope, sorry, not a good fit.

Even though we labeled this "Arizona Flora", let's inject a bit of Arizona Fauna into the mix:

Isn't he great?  He was living at the Desert Botanical Garden until just a few weeks ago.  Artist, David Rogers built him out of reclaimed wood and other natural materials.  I would definitely like to have him in our yard but, I'm sure, our HOA would be here with a letter demanding his removal before he was fully erected.  Too Bad!

Spidey was also a real attention getter, but even I would have to draw the line at his "spidering" and "webbing" in our personal space. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

If you were visiting Arizona and read glowing reviews of a site called Montezuma's Castle, would you be excited?  Well, in all honesty, maybe yes and maybe no. While our recent visitors were a definite "YES", I was a tepid "OK" figuring it was on the way to Sedona, wouldn't be far off the highway, and we could see it and do it within minutes. So, after eleven years of speeding past numerous signs on I-17 pointing toward Montezuma's Castle, we tapped the brakes and turned in.

And here it is...Montezuma's Castle.  Whereas it may seem a little anti-climactic if you're expecting Windsor or Balmoral, once you begin thinking about it, it's a pretty amazing place. 

First of all, this five story, twenty room high-rise was carved out of this sheer limestone cliff.  The Sinagua wandered into this area near today's Camp Verde about 700 CE, and probably built their cliff dwelling about 1100 CE.  Since they placed it high on the cliff wall, it was accessible only by a series of ladders precariously balanced on various outcroppings.  Everything necessary for its construction and maintenance was hauled first into the area and then carried up those flights of ladders. 

As we wandered the trail near the base of the cliff, we learned that the limestone overhang kept the fifty or so inhabitants shaded from the sun and protected from the infrequent rains. The fact that the dwelling was nestled deep in the rock cliff also kept them a cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  Early environmentalists.

Beaver Creeek runs nearby, and provided water for the crops the Sinagua nurtured in the slightly forbidding landscape surrounding their home...not to mention the gallons of water that would have been carried from the creek each day to the cliff dwelling for cooking, washing, cleaning, and etc.  If memory serves me right, a gallon of water weighs about eight pounds.  Actually, after double checking, 8.345 pounds. 

Montezuma's Castle was not an isolated dwelling.  There was a larger community on the same cliff wall, but it has been completely destroyed and, unless you're clutching a guide book, you wouldn't notice it at all.  Maps in the museum show cliff dwellings and pueblos scattered up and down this area of Arizona. I had no idea.  But, somewhere around 1425 those dwellings began to be abandoned as the families moved on.  No one knows why, but some assume that droughts and wars with other groups led to their disappearance. 

And, bummer...Montezuma's Castle bears absolutely no relationship to the real Montezuma who died 100 years before the castle was discovered.  It was named sometime in the 1860's by a soldier sent here to maintain the peace who apparently had just a touch of romance in his soul.

And, who can we thank for the preservation of Montezuma's Castle?  Why, good old Teddy Roosevelt who was a real National Parks kind of guy.  Thank you, Teddy.  Despite my reservations, this was a really cool place to visit!  And, we still made Sedona in time for a late lunch.  It was a good day! 

 

BEAUTY AND THE DESERT DWELLER

Sometimes, it occurs to me that we've adapted a little too well to our desert surroundings.  After a recent day at the Desert Botanical Garden, we decided--with no small amount of enthusiasm--the kind of tree we'd like to plant in a bare spot of our back yard. 

Yes, it's a Soaptree Yucca/Palma or, if you're fluent in Latin, it is indeed a Yucca elata.  It belongs to the Century Plant Family which, I suppose, means that just when it's at the peak of it's beauty, it will begin to throw a central shoot skyward at the rate of a foot or so per day and then drop over dead.  It happens with some frequency in our part of the world...not only to plants.

You northerners will just have to watch and envy as it only grows in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. 

So, excuse me...we're off to the Soaptree Store!