Friday, March 22, 2002
An Invitation to the Ruins
About a month or so ago, I decided to take a Sunday Drive. I was in no hurry, so I took the regular city streets, staying in the slow lane so as not to annoy the folks that weren’t on a Sunday Drive.
Taking a city road, Cave Creek, located in north Phoenix, I headed north thinking that it would be a great adventure to drive till there was no more city. I figured that eventually I would wind up in desert.
Driving, I passed the city limits, saw the outskirts of suburbs and continued through to a little old west town named Carefree.
You have to slow down when going through Carefree because the wide road gets smaller, people are crossing back and forth across the streets from shop to shop and the road gets windy. If you ever get a chance, go to this town. It will put a smile on your face that will just grow bigger and bigger. It’s like being in a wild west town – that has had a few renovations and a few new buildings. It is quaint with neat old west shops and a selection of restaurants.
I didn’t stop though as I was on a mission – how far out do I need to go to be out of civilization and find the desert. That question was answered right out of Carefree, I was just driving, taking in the sites, going around the curves in the road when I saw a large sign. The sign blended right in with the surroundings, natural desert colors, I almost missed it. Tonto National Park,( just a 40 minute leisurely drive north out of the city was the desert).
I went winding around curves and hills till I saw an even smaller sign for the “Sears-Kay Ruins”. “Oh boy”, thought I, “indian ruins”. So I turned off onto the little road to go in search of them.
The first thing I noted when taking in the place was that there were huge, curious rocks that were shaped unusually. Several rocks like this were scattered around the hills that lead up from where I stood. I perceived them as guardians.
After reading the legend for the Sears-Kay ruins, I couldn’t seem to find the path that lead to the ruins. Looking right and left, I finally saw that most folks in the area had headed off to the right. I thought it was odd that there wasn’t a beaten path and I had to climb through a gully to get to another path which led to yet another larger path, but climb I did.
Once onto the larger path, I headed in the general direction of the other hikers in the area. Admiring the new large rocks I saw – there was a group together that looked to me like a family, parents, a few children – large rocks and smaller ones but close knit.
At one point the climb was dangerous. As I was going uphill, the sandy ground was slipping away beneath my feet. Finally I got to the top – as other hikers were going down – thinking that I finally made it. Walking around between cactus and more rock clusters, there were NO RUINS. Looking around on all sides of the hilltop, for miles around, I could not find a single place that looked like ruins.
Perplexed I skidded my way down the hillside, back down through the gully (which seemed very dangerous and scary) to where I parked. I marched myself right back to the legend where a couple I passed on my way up were staring, too – very perplexed – trying to figure out where the ruins were. It was a mystery that we shared.
It was then that I realized what a hoax was being played on us by the “guardians” – those alive looking rocks that I saw. I realized that the spirits of indians were still in the area protecting their land from intruders – as they had done for ages past.
I acknowledged them. I looked right at those magnificent huge guardian rocks and said “well done” and looking back towards the legend, I saw clearly the path that led towards the ruins.
(all rights reserved)
About a month or so ago, I decided to take a Sunday Drive. I was in no hurry, so I took the regular city streets, staying in the slow lane so as not to annoy the folks that weren’t on a Sunday Drive.
Taking a city road, Cave Creek, located in north Phoenix, I headed north thinking that it would be a great adventure to drive till there was no more city. I figured that eventually I would wind up in desert.
Driving, I passed the city limits, saw the outskirts of suburbs and continued through to a little old west town named Carefree.
You have to slow down when going through Carefree because the wide road gets smaller, people are crossing back and forth across the streets from shop to shop and the road gets windy. If you ever get a chance, go to this town. It will put a smile on your face that will just grow bigger and bigger. It’s like being in a wild west town – that has had a few renovations and a few new buildings. It is quaint with neat old west shops and a selection of restaurants.
I didn’t stop though as I was on a mission – how far out do I need to go to be out of civilization and find the desert. That question was answered right out of Carefree, I was just driving, taking in the sites, going around the curves in the road when I saw a large sign. The sign blended right in with the surroundings, natural desert colors, I almost missed it. Tonto National Park,( just a 40 minute leisurely drive north out of the city was the desert).
I went winding around curves and hills till I saw an even smaller sign for the “Sears-Kay Ruins”. “Oh boy”, thought I, “indian ruins”. So I turned off onto the little road to go in search of them.
The first thing I noted when taking in the place was that there were huge, curious rocks that were shaped unusually. Several rocks like this were scattered around the hills that lead up from where I stood. I perceived them as guardians.
After reading the legend for the Sears-Kay ruins, I couldn’t seem to find the path that lead to the ruins. Looking right and left, I finally saw that most folks in the area had headed off to the right. I thought it was odd that there wasn’t a beaten path and I had to climb through a gully to get to another path which led to yet another larger path, but climb I did.
Once onto the larger path, I headed in the general direction of the other hikers in the area. Admiring the new large rocks I saw – there was a group together that looked to me like a family, parents, a few children – large rocks and smaller ones but close knit.
At one point the climb was dangerous. As I was going uphill, the sandy ground was slipping away beneath my feet. Finally I got to the top – as other hikers were going down – thinking that I finally made it. Walking around between cactus and more rock clusters, there were NO RUINS. Looking around on all sides of the hilltop, for miles around, I could not find a single place that looked like ruins.
Perplexed I skidded my way down the hillside, back down through the gully (which seemed very dangerous and scary) to where I parked. I marched myself right back to the legend where a couple I passed on my way up were staring, too – very perplexed – trying to figure out where the ruins were. It was a mystery that we shared.
It was then that I realized what a hoax was being played on us by the “guardians” – those alive looking rocks that I saw. I realized that the spirits of indians were still in the area protecting their land from intruders – as they had done for ages past.
I acknowledged them. I looked right at those magnificent huge guardian rocks and said “well done” and looking back towards the legend, I saw clearly the path that led towards the ruins.
(all rights reserved)
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Grow a Thriving Garden
With the simple instructions that follow, you can have a beautiful thriving garden, even if you have a “brown” thumb.
Check your soil first – if it is compacted, sandy or clay soil, you will have to add to it in order to help the plants grow. Go to your local nursery to pick up some perlite, earthworm casings, good outdoor potting soil and Miracle-gro. Even if you have great soil, check to see if you have beetles, ladybugs and earthworms in abundance. You can buy earthworms and ladybugs at your nursery, beetles may be available – but if not, it’s okay because the better the soil gets, the more you will attrack the beetles.
Here’s a quick explanation of why you need the above items: the perlite is from volcanos, it puffs up and absorbs water, aerate your soil; earthworm casing are very high in nutrients; the potting soil is needed for the areas where you are going to plant; finally, Miracle-gro is wonderful when planting new plants and fertilizing existing ones. Beetles and earthworms aerate the soil working it so that it becomes rich. Ladybugs are vital to getting rid of the bitsy bugs that will kill your plants, especially aphids!
Now that you have to right supplies, pick out some plants that you would like to enjoy in your garden. Read instructions! Some plants want full sun while others want full shade and still yet, others want part sun and part shade. Ensure that you are not getting a sun shade only plant to put in your sun only area!
Find the perfect area and place your plant just right! Stand back and take a look. You will need to dig a hole three times the size of the pot the plant is in. If your soil is rich, just use that. But if it isn’t, take the dirt out and mix it with 2 handfuls of perlite, 3 handfuls of earthworm casings and make the mixture half and half with outdoor potting soil. Three times bigger than the original pot will give the roots lots of room to grow with the proper nutrients – you don’t have to replace the entire garden space with rich soil! Just put a layer of the soil mixture into the hole, then take the plant out of the pot carefully, gently loosen the roots and place it in. Pour and pack in the remaining soil mixture around the plant. Follow the instructions for daily feeding on the Miracle-Gro package, make the mixture and water the plant. Water the plant daily and watch excitedly for new growth – when you see the new growth, you will know that the plant has taken!
Adding the earthworms and the ladybugs is rather fun although it may be slightly slimey and fluttery! Just let the earthworms out in the area where you are planting the earthworms will burrow into the ground within a few minutes. The ladybugs usually come in a package with straw. You need to take a bit of the straw, put it in a shadey spot under a plant and let some of the ladybugs out of the package. Repeat this in several areas.
Watch your garden start to thrive! Once you have plants established, keep a watch for new critters. The more butterflies, birds, hummingbirds, bees and bugs that show up in your garden, the better your garden will do. You can literally take a barren plot and create a magic wonderland of flourishing plants! Have a great time!
With the simple instructions that follow, you can have a beautiful thriving garden, even if you have a “brown” thumb.
Check your soil first – if it is compacted, sandy or clay soil, you will have to add to it in order to help the plants grow. Go to your local nursery to pick up some perlite, earthworm casings, good outdoor potting soil and Miracle-gro. Even if you have great soil, check to see if you have beetles, ladybugs and earthworms in abundance. You can buy earthworms and ladybugs at your nursery, beetles may be available – but if not, it’s okay because the better the soil gets, the more you will attrack the beetles.
Here’s a quick explanation of why you need the above items: the perlite is from volcanos, it puffs up and absorbs water, aerate your soil; earthworm casing are very high in nutrients; the potting soil is needed for the areas where you are going to plant; finally, Miracle-gro is wonderful when planting new plants and fertilizing existing ones. Beetles and earthworms aerate the soil working it so that it becomes rich. Ladybugs are vital to getting rid of the bitsy bugs that will kill your plants, especially aphids!
Now that you have to right supplies, pick out some plants that you would like to enjoy in your garden. Read instructions! Some plants want full sun while others want full shade and still yet, others want part sun and part shade. Ensure that you are not getting a sun shade only plant to put in your sun only area!
Find the perfect area and place your plant just right! Stand back and take a look. You will need to dig a hole three times the size of the pot the plant is in. If your soil is rich, just use that. But if it isn’t, take the dirt out and mix it with 2 handfuls of perlite, 3 handfuls of earthworm casings and make the mixture half and half with outdoor potting soil. Three times bigger than the original pot will give the roots lots of room to grow with the proper nutrients – you don’t have to replace the entire garden space with rich soil! Just put a layer of the soil mixture into the hole, then take the plant out of the pot carefully, gently loosen the roots and place it in. Pour and pack in the remaining soil mixture around the plant. Follow the instructions for daily feeding on the Miracle-Gro package, make the mixture and water the plant. Water the plant daily and watch excitedly for new growth – when you see the new growth, you will know that the plant has taken!
Adding the earthworms and the ladybugs is rather fun although it may be slightly slimey and fluttery! Just let the earthworms out in the area where you are planting the earthworms will burrow into the ground within a few minutes. The ladybugs usually come in a package with straw. You need to take a bit of the straw, put it in a shadey spot under a plant and let some of the ladybugs out of the package. Repeat this in several areas.
Watch your garden start to thrive! Once you have plants established, keep a watch for new critters. The more butterflies, birds, hummingbirds, bees and bugs that show up in your garden, the better your garden will do. You can literally take a barren plot and create a magic wonderland of flourishing plants! Have a great time!
Hi! I'm definitely new at Blogging, so if you have some tips and tricks, I'd sure like to hear from you! email: artistinparadise@yahoo.com
