Saguaro National Park East

This week we’ll revisit the east unit of Saguaro National Park (see here and here for previous posts with pictures of this lovely place). I have friends in town and joined them for a leisurely hike in the park last weekend. We’ll also have the usual meme-y silliness. But first:

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! This week’s post will be short, because a) I’ve spent most of the week working, and you probably don’t want to hear about all the exciting meetings I’ve attended, and b) I have to leave for another exciting meeting shortly.

Mica View picnic area hike

I took fewer pictures this time, mostly because I was busy chatting with my friends. Here’s the trail we hiked (complete with our shadows as we took pictures–because we’re goofs):

One of the tallest barrel cactuses I’ve ever seen. It looks like it’s trying to catch up to its saguaro buddy:

Young saguaros grow in nurse trees, often palo verdes or mesquites. The nurse tree provides shelter for the young cactus. And in gratitude for this loving care, and because nature is so peaceful and gentle and kind… the growing cactus sucks up all the water and nutrients and kills the nurse tree. Here are some pictures of the carnage-in-progress:

Growing saguaro sucking the life out of a selfless palo verde
Young saguaro under a staghorn cholla

Chollas are tough. Not sure who’s going to win that fight.

More young saguaros

And finally, because I’m such a romantic, here’s an early valentine for you:

I’d resist the urge to snuggle it.

The memery

If not caring about being cool makes you cool, then I’m cool as hell.

I’m also rapidly approaching geezer-dom.

Speaking of:

I learned that lesson in my 20s, when I was really broke. Welcome to adulthood.

Here’s another sign of aging. This one goes out to my dear friend Arlene:

We can send people into space. Why can’t we make a fitted sheet that actually fits? I mean, the word “fit” is right there in the name!

I like to imagine all my important documents and objects sitting on little clouds in the Heaven of Safe Things, communing with the divine.

Considering how many evenings Long-Suffering Husband and I spend watching shows about serial killers, that seems like rather appropriate bedroom décor:

My greyhounds used to sigh all the time, and they always sounded so put-upon when they did it. Like dude, you spend all day sleeping, food magically appears twice a day, and everyone in the house adores you like you’re a god. What the hell do you have to sigh about?

And finally:

And… I’m out. Gotta hide all the Sharpies before Long-Suffering Husband wakes up.

22 Comments

  • Joanne

    I didn’t know that saguaro’s used nurse trees to help them build.. what ungrateful little “kids”! LOL. I love that heart shaped cactus.

    • Janet Alcorn

      Thanks! And he can be Long-Suffering Husband too–I’m sure my Long-Suffering Husband won’t mind sharing the title.

  • Bobbiem91

    So adored the memes this time. I can related to the hiding things. I used to hide money in my books. The reason was that my husband at the time would never be caught with a book in his hands so I never had to worry about him finding it. When I was moving after getting rid of him, I had well over $3000 in my books that I had to use to get things for the house I bought.

  • Amila

    Saguaro National Park looks like a wonderful place. I didn’t know that young saguaros grow in nurse trees. It is interesting and thanks for such information.

  • trent

    Such nice little plants, those vampire cacti, I mean saguaro…. Hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t have said “little”.
    I don’t know about being cool, but as the years go by I look more and more like the rock stars I admired as a kid – we are all getting old and wrinkly, though most them still have (artificially) dark hair (well, those who have hair) while mine is greying.

    • Janet Alcorn

      I like the idea of looking like an old rock star (well, maybe not Keith Richards). I’ve definitely got the old and wrinkled part covered.

    • Janet Alcorn

      We should start a blog called The Cool Kids Table, because really, my writer friends are some of the coolest people I know.

  • Writing Sparkle

    I find cactuses interesting. The little ones that you can buy at the store and grow as a house plant always stump me. I kill them every time.

    Thanks for the virtual coffee, Janet.

    • Janet Alcorn

      I have a cactus as a houseplant. I pot it in cactus mix, put it in the sunniest window I have, and basically ignore it. I water it about once a month (once every 2 weeks or so in the summer), turn it a quarter turn when I water it so it grows evenly, and that’s it. Most people kill cactus by overwatering them.

  • Gary A Wilson

    It’s raining here today and a quick visit to examine those jerks of the cactus kingdom was so appropriate.
    The rain does make me feel old though. It’s officially too wet out there to walk and get my steps in.
    Wait – my STEPS !? Did I really say that?
    What happened to me and when did I start counting such stupid things. . . ?

    • Janet Alcorn

      I count steps too and also feel ridiculous about it. Part of getting older seems to involve becoming more conscious of mundane aspects of life, because they’re more important. Am I moving enough? Eating the right foods? Why am I having this weird pain? And this other weird pain?

      Sigh.