"April showers bring May flowers...." Well I sure hope so at any rate!  We are four inches under our normal rainfall for the year and haven't had any significant rain this year at all.  Feed prices are going up which is bad news for farmers here.  We can't grow our own like farmers in other greener states can.  We have to have everything shipped from afar.  I know they grow alfalfa and other hay in Safford which isn't to far away, but I think most of our hay comes from California.  There are no weeds popping up all over the yard as is normal for this time of year.  No cactus are blooming.  The grass is still brown and trees are just barely starting to sprout little green buds.  I started watering my pots and trees again but nothing much is happening there either.  My gladiolas bulbs are coming up in my raised bed and a few onions.  One good thing though, our swallows have started to come back.  I've seen two so far.  They are so fast and sleek it is hard to tell at first that they are really swallows.  I watched one yesterday.  He was checking out the old nests on the front porch.  Must be one of last year's hatchlings.  


Our big saguaro cactus out front is alive with birds again.  I call it the Saguaro Hotel!  Poor thing!  So many holes!  There is a new one right at the tip top that makes the top sort of bend now instead of standing straight up like before.  I took some pictures and caught one of the inhabitants sticking her nose out.  With beaks like hers, no wonder the saguaro is so full of holes!


I started painting again.  I'm painting the bedroom this time.  I removed wallpaper again yesterday and also got some painting in.  I am changing the color from a dark yukky blue to a light soft blue, lighter than the bathroom.  I love the new color.  I took down the dark thermal curtains to wash while I was painting.  The washer proceeded to chew up the backing on one of the panels and tear holes in one of the lace panels.  So now I have to buy new curtains too.  Not such a hardship, as I was thinking of getting new ones anyway.  I may go with a light blue or even white this time.  I still need to get the black-out thermal drapes because of our big security light outside and to keep the heat out in the summer.


The nights are getting warmer and the cats want to stay out all night.  That makes me a little nervous because then I leave the barn door cracked open for them.  I'm afraid a skunk or something worse will get in after the chickens.  Also, coyotes come closer at night and they love to eat unwary felines.  Loki and Mikie seem to stay pretty close to the house and to Buddy so hopefully they will be OK.  I hate to confine them when they would rather be out.  Loki is always in a big hurry to get back in the house in the morning where he spends the day sleeping in my room.


I am making a big pot roast for our family Sunday dinner today.  I put it in the slow cooker this morning so it can cook all day with no effort on my part.  I'll peel potatoes and figure out a vegetable to have later.  I will have to be careful not to overindulge if I do not want to forfeit all the weight loss I have managed over the last 3 weeks.  I am right on schedule so far, having lost 6 pounds since I started.  I have also managed to stick with my workout schedule.  I could only do about 5 minutes on my new Mobia tread-climber machine when I started.  Now I can do 15 and it is much easier.  I'll try to up the time to 20 minutes this week and keep doing weight training on Tuesday and Thursday.  I feel stronger and have more energy so I am encouraged to keep it up. And I am thankful every day!  I mean since I am working to lose weight, doesn't that mean I have plenty of food and all the necessities of life?  What's not to be thankful for?