Wildlife in the city

One of the benefits of working night shift here in the desert is that the native wildlife comes out in the morning, before many day workers are out and about. I get to hear the multitude of birds, watch the rabbits munch on the native plants in my workplace yard, and occaisionally get to see wonders like this pair of Harris Hawks right here in an established city neighborhood.

I unfortunately don't have a night vision camera, because from time to time we have a bobcat that hangs out in the flowerbed right outside the living room picture window! We regularly see coyotes and javelinas, also nocturnal for the most part, crossing the yard and even going right past our cars, parked next to the house.

This is a regular house in a regular Tucson neighborhood, not on the outskirts, that has been here since the 1970s, which only goes to show that we indeed live right next to wildlife, even in the city.

Seeing the unusual

So many times we all fail to see the things in nature that are really quite remarkable, especially if they are only visible at certain times of day. One thing it took my several years to notice is that the top of the mountain closest to my home smiles every morning shortly after dawn. It is only when the angle of the sun is just right, for about a half hour, but I now look at it as a really wonderful example of joy in our world.

What is a Life Lived Otherwise?

Well, I remember hearing the phrase from a college professor of literature that teachers of English are those who teach otherwise, and I now paraphrase him to describe much of the way my life has gone. How else can you refer to a Baby Boomer female who has spent most of her life doing things that most women don't even consider, but now finds herself working as a nurse (lpn) and also selling needlecrafts online? Of course, I was the one who did needlework while watching sports with Dad, and also gave my commanding officer a handmade Christmas ornament, so I guess I've always been a bit conflicted. I've also recently discovered that part of what makes me so different is that I very likely have Asperger's Syndrome, mildly so, thus I never quite fit in, but manage to function just fine most of the time. In this blog, do expect examples of my crafted items as well as those of my fellow Artfire artisans, and, of course, my thoughts on various subjects.