For Dog's Sake--And the Yard as Wildlife Preserve

This last weekend was full of yard work cleanup and much of the yard was off limits due to the grackle getting water from the pool, the rabbit who needed a snack, the lizard/iguana that looks like it was someone's lost pet, and the dear, new quail family staking out the land under the mesquite. There were seven to eight little cheepers in the covey and dad quail had to fight twice with another male to protect the brood. Way too much excitement for me. As a result, I've been keeping our dogs inside unless carefully supervised! Now, our Loki isn't as cute as Bonnie Luria's, Cloud, but he does have a look about him and I'm so glad he is my friend.

He is a big baby, but he looks bad, doesn't he? In his mind, he's a teacup chihuahua. Really. I've got another closeup of the Grand Canyon painting because I made myself sit in front of it, giving it some attention. I'm feeling that this painting is in real need of finishing. Yet, like so many artists, I'm wanting to work on everything at once--isn't it hard sometimes not to have ADHD?! I'm still developing the mailart thing, so that'll be awhile longer. Spring is so great in Tucson. As I look at the veggie garden and the new desert finch bites on the leaves of the plants, I do have to wonder about these urban creatures and how successful they are.