Kim to say ‘thank you’ for sharing his love of the night sky with her. We took down a poster of the M109 galaxy that Kim had done on an earlier trip to hang her picture in the place of honor on the bulletin board…Kim gave her the poster. She left with a big smile on her face. Maya has shown a keen interest in all the space stuff. I hope she finds a way to pursue it, even if it’s only as a hobby.
In the meantime, Miley was hanging out near their picnic table, making bubbles. I called through the window for her to come in and she said with a sad face, “I’m not allowed.” Now I don’t know if that was the discussion that she and Maya had when they came out of the camper or if that was a mom decision, but Miley did what she was told even though she didn’t look happy about it.
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Every year before we leave, I get this urge to cram all my favorite Arizona things in again because I won’t be able to experience it again for a year. Doing laundry at the clubhouse certainly isn’t one of those things but we need the clothes basket to store shoes in on the ride home and clean clothes tucked away in the closet are much nicer than leaving a pile of dirty stuff to be done when we get home. So, the laundry was a priority today.
Kim also needed to break down his telescope paraphernalia and rearrange the truck bed to pack everything that doesn’t have a home in the camper. So, that was a priority today also.
Then it started raining, which didn’t impact the laundry so much, but Kim really didn’t want to get the scope electronics wet and then pack them up damp. Didn’t want mold to grow on anything. He was able to dismantle his set-up but needs to let things dry out. So, like the Falcon 9 launch last night in California, we delayed our ‘launch’ due to weather conditions. Going to leave on Tuesday instead of tomorrow; don’t know when the Falcon 9 will take off again.
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It rained most of the morning into the late afternoon. At times, the sky would lighten, the rain would briefly stop and as soon as we noticed and thought it was over, it would start raining again. It was a day of mild steady rain.
I was surprised to see that it didn’t deter the hummingbirds from feeding. They were busy at the feeders, rain or no rain. In fact, they seemed to be more active in the rain or maybe there were just more hummers. When it rains back home, the birds seem to disappear…I thought they were seeking shelter. We don’t have enough hummingbirds visiting our feeder at home to know their habits, so their apparent enjoyment of the rain was new to me. I’m putting up more feeders this summer.
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Not only is it Easter, it’s also my birthday…and it’s a big one as I am now officially Medicare eligible, which blows my mind. The first time my birthday fell on Easter was in 1991 when I was thirty-two. At some point I discovered there is a formula for determining the date of Easter and found a chart that showed the Easter date for the next hundred plus years. I don’t know what method I used to research this online back in the early 90’s but I know I didn’t ‘google it’ because Google wasn’t a thing until 1998. What Google tells me now, however, is that the simplest way to explain the date of Easter is that it falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox. “Really, somebody thinks that’s a simple explanation?” So, I was able to look at a chart giving Easter dates far into the future and noticed that my birthday fell on Easter not only in 1991, but in 2002, 2013 and again in 2024. Back in 1991, I remember thinking that 2024 was so far away, and yet here we are. Anyway, according to those who figure these things out, every 11 years I would celebrate my birthday on Easter until 2024, then it wouldn’t happen again until 2086. I think it’s safe to say I won’t be around for the next one.
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Because I didn’t want to sit in the camper all day staring at each other or watching TV, I suggested we go for a ride. In addition, I suggested that we should each take a set amount of money and go to the casino on the Tohono O’odham reservation…and all winnings should be given to me because it’s my birthday. That idea wasn’t met with as much enthusiasm as I thought it should have. In fact, I think my mom snorted. As expected, none of us came out with any winnings anyway.
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Picacho Peak is always visible from Eloy. As we made our way through Eloy, a partial rainbow with a full spectrum of colors appeared and the pot of gold seemed to be hiding behind Picacho Peak. Then a second faint rainbow appeared through the clouds. We’ve had several rainy days this year, but it’s also been a good year for rainbows.
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The number of hummers swarming the feeders when we pulled into camp was amazing. We’ve had maybe 10 in here at a time but there had to be twenty or more either on the feeders or flitting around. Three to six hummers on each feeder with more hovering, waiting for a chance. I tried to get a picture, but it was early evening, dusky and rainy. Not the best conditions for a good picture. All the feeders had a good dose of nectar today, but in the fading light, they appeared to be empty. I’ll put some in one last time tomorrow…then they’ll have to flock to the clubhouse feeders when we leave.
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