The cacti have awoken and put forth the start of their magnificent blooms lately. It’s a relish now on my morning walks since they prove so fleeting; some bloom for only one day. The Palo Verde trees are also awash in color as the bees and hummingbirds swarm to their sweet smell. The neighborhood is nearly empty now, with only an occasional couple still left to wander the streets during early morning and take it all in.
Marc has become quite the bread maker on his days off. Mom taught him this winter—unfortunately a skill not passed along in the genes to me. These loaves are a fairly heavily textured mixture of white and wheat flour flavored with a little butter, onions and just a hint of garlic, fully risen and ready for the oven. It made for a terrific combination. He has stopped buying any bread for himself but since he hasn’t gotten the hang of the California sourdough yet, I still buy most of mine. With really good bread (the only kind we’ll eat—forget the damn “air” bread that mostly passes for bread these days) costing upwards of $3-4/loaf we’re saving a ton of money since Marc makes his for about 35 cents/loaf and just a little of his time. Besides, beating down the bread in between rise cycles reduces his stress!
I ended up volunteering quite a bit this past week; with many of the volunteers gone north but no drop in business of the seniors who need help (since for the most part they stay all year round), the ones of us left are shouldering many more requests. It’s all good though since I received three referrals for my new business and had my first income! There will still be much to be done to build a business and have it become as active as I want it to be, but this gives me hope. Even the temperatures haven’t been too bad, staying in the 90’s and of course, under constant Yuma blue skies.
Happy Easter everyone!
