Desert Heat

This week I am in 108 degree Phoenix, Arizona.  I know they say it is a "dry" heat versus the more muggy weather in other areas of the country but the fact is it is still very hot!!  My time outside has been limited in the heat of the day but I do enjoy seeing some of the desert landscape as the cactus plants are beautiful, and it is so different from what I am used to at home.

Pools are abundant and offer relief to warm and weary folks.  I have not been swimming yet but I have been using my sunblock and staying in every bit of shade I can find.



The challenge of putting on the sunblock for me though is always having streaks of it that I have missed and not rubbed in enough on my face.  I tend to realize it when a stranger gives me a second glance.  Thus it is helpful to have a small mirror in my bag to address the issue.  I have a few extras for others.

Outdoor Living

This time of year it is so lovely that the outdoors becomes an extension of the living room.  The flowers are in bloom with beautiful pops of color everywhere.  It is so easy to sit outside for hours and read, take photos, chat with friends, eat dinner, etc.

There are also the endless hours one can spend in a pool, lake or the ocean. The cool water creating relief from the warmth of the sun. Pick up a rock and you can search for snails, clams, and other water life.

When I finish swimming in my favorite lake there is nothing better than lounging around and drying in the sun before hanging my towel out in the sun so it is ready the next time I need it. 

Clothes seem to smell different and more fresh when they have dried off in the sun with the breeze blowing around them. I can understand why some people like to hang clothes out on a clothesline to dry. 

I have a few scent packets to be hung in a closet to make everything smell like fresh linen. Hope the finders enjoy!

No Showers but Spring Flowers

It is hard to believe after such a snowy winter that it has been extraordinarily dry this spring.  The weather forecasters are reporting on how little rain there has been and the impact the dry air has been having on those with allergies since the rain is not there to wash the pollen out of the air. 

It is pleasing though to see all the daffodils and tulips blooming in bright colors and ushering in the spring.  Flowers have a way of bringing a smile and improving a day. I have some flowers to leave for others to brighten their day.  

Balloon Animals in the Park

This winter has been soooo long and I have spent so evenings and weekend days inside out of the wind and the cold.  I have always been and remain a lover of the four seasons and a good snow storm in the winter, but this relentless winter tested that love.


On the bright side the weather provided me with many hours inside to craft, read, cook, and pursue other passions that fall to the wayside when the warmer weather beckons me outside.
I have completed several cross stitch projects and am currently working on finishing up a pile of circus animals.

Blue Apron boxes and the goodies inside teaching me to be a bettered than average home cook have become something I look forward to every Friday. Unpacking and seeing what I will cook, learning about interesting ingredients and time and again being amazed at the final product I produce. 

I must also admit that I am not always productive and can find myself binge watching House of Cards on Netflix.  

However the sun is out for longer periods now and just last week as I walked through a public garden I saw a street vendor making balloon animals for children which seemed a sure sign of spring. 

So I have some little kits to grow grass on a kitchen counter or office desk.  Soon the grass outside will be green and parks will be littered with families playing and couples enjoying a picnic.  A little plant can remind us that after a difficult winter summer is almost here.

Snow and Patience!

After a month of having trouble with the photo upload features of Blogger I am back!

Over the past three weeks my town has had more than 6 feet of snow accumulation.  With one storm after another it seems to just keep piling up.  The street signs now just stick out of the very top of high snow piles and just getting around is a challenge.

The streets are narrow with parking spaces fully covered leaving people parking in what are normally travel lanes and reducing the amount of actual space for travel.  People are trying to walk across streets and drivers have trouble seeing them as they pop out from behind snowbanks.  With schools out, travel impaired, work days missed, cold temperatures and sore muscles from shoveling much patience is needed.

This is the type of living conditions when just an extra smile or kindness can really lift the mood of another.  So with Valentine's Day just passed I have some smiling heart sticker sheets.  Maybe the finders will add them to a child's lunchbox, decorate a bulletin board at work, or stick them on by one on a newspaper or window to make someone smile!

Paramedics

My first real experience in following a blog started a few years ago when I became addicted to reading the postings of a Boston paramedic who wrote eloquent short stories about his twenty plus years of experience as an urban paramedic.  His writing not only interested me in blogs in general and the greater community they can connect you to, but also enlightened me to the dangers and experiences of being a paramedic. 

Sad to say he has now pulled down all his posts and indicated he will be publishing a book, but I have not yet seen it.  :(   

It takes a special kind of person to run toward danger and walk into unknown homes.  Since the Urban Paramedic's blog is no longer active, I now follow a couple other posting related to Boston paramedics. 

Today I saw a GoFundMe page for one such paramedic struggling to care for his terminally ill wife (also a paramedic).  I have never donated to such a cause but felt drawn to this one.  http://www.gofundme.com/k0me44.  The Undercover Ladybug wishes Kenny and Drew McCarron some peace and relief through this trying time.

Happy New Year

Another year of Undercover Ladybug kindness begins!  Welcome 2015.  I will be in 7 states in the next 5 days and plan to be leaving presents along the way.  I am going to try something new this time and post the items I leave after I leave them with photos of them where they were left for their finders. 

I have a full bag of gifts that I am taking with me for the travels through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas so stay tuned!