July and the things one can do in the Sonoran Desert

I just learned last month, the week before monsoons begin in Tucson, beans will fall from Mesquite trees. Sure enough, my honey mesquite tree proved the adage true. I have been harvesting my beans over the last three weeks, roasted them and will make flour with them by grinding them up in my blender. This year is the third year I've done so, with more knowledge under my belt each year. A good tip, is to grind the flour outside, the find powder that grinding beans in a blender produces, gets on everything in the area. The flour has natural sucrose and so, it's slightly sticky and gummy when trying to wipe up. I looked flour mills, to make the task simpler and with flour mills I have some choice in the coarseness of my flour.

http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Whisper-worlds-grain-machine/dp/B000CPJKWC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1247675048&sr=8-1

However what has great appeal to me and takes up less space in my kitchen, is a local group who has a portable industrial grinder that will make flour in moments for $1 a pound. Seems like a deal to me!

http://www.desertharvesters.org/calendar/

Last year I really wanted to attend, and bring my beans for professional grinding, since usually I just use my blender with good results. Last year I saved 1/3 of my harvest just to take to the Tucson Meet Yourself event....however I was in school and my priorities resulted in my missing the event. However, this year things are looking really good!

The thing to do in Tucson Arizona

Yesterday was a day of service. I along with several nursing students went to The 35th National Spina Bifida Association Conference will be held in Tucson, Arizona. We got clinical experience with some of the children who needed reminders to go potty, and help them via catheters to empty their bladders.

http://conference.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.pkI1L7MLJrE/b.3674515/

As a nursing students, pretty much we were the nurses station. Our office, the restroom. I guess you gotta start some where. I had a great time with Kim, Kim Medina, Jennifer, Carmen and Jackie; even better was the high energy dance from 7:30-10:00pm. I like to see people enjoying themselves and there was a lot of fun to be had.

What was really neat, I think was the community volunteers that were with the kids, helping them enjoy the Lazy River, Yoga, Service Animal Demo, Bocce Ball, arts and crafts, etc.

http://www.volunteersolutions.org/vctucson/org/opp/10283593392-detailed.html

With all the reading and school stuff, I lose sight of the world around me sometimes.

Grandma McClenon

I have this picture of my grandma Helen Marie. I loved her and she loved me. I wonder what she was like at 16, as she is in this picture. The inscription on the back reads, "Do I look any different?" I bet she's in heaven with Grandpa Donald McClenon ( d. 1992). She passed away a few days after my father's birthday in March of 2005. I think of her and the life she lived, and wish I could talk with her like I did when I was younger.

For the joy of friendship

When I saw this picture, it made me think of two friends who are former neighbors. When I see the Can-Can girls I also think of us as those three dancers: Jane, Mary and Me. Enjoying life and the fellowship of sisterhood.

In memorium to Dotty: May 2005-June 2008

This is a picture of Dotty. My little boy cat. He has gone away and likely was eaten. I miss you and hope all your days with us were happy. Dotty was 3 and lived his whole life with us. We took in his momma, and found her to be pregnant. After six weeks, we ended up with 5 kittens; three of which we kept. Since we didn't intend on keeping so many we didn't name you, we called you Dotty since you had dots and your twin sister had stripes. I am sure you knew you were my most favorite. Dotty was the only one who let me hold him like a baby. He guarded our home from the roof. He could get through closing doors with skills only found in the Matrix. He generally came running right to my arms at night when I called for him, but no more.

Just Study Study Study

How nice to take a break and hang out with Kelly and Liam. Starting tomorrow I'll have to go to school for my pediatric clinical orientation at Tucson Medical Center. Lucky for me I'll get to meet with a fellow nursing student, Kim, for lunch at Maria Bonita's before me orientation. I have work to get my psychology studies up to date, read, two quizzes and handouts to fill out. How on earth do hundreds of nursing students across this nation get all this done?

Sisters