Early Sunday morning on the rooftop terrace…
Night blooming cereus against the blue wall. By 9:00 AM, its twelve hours of beauty was gone.
Archive for the ‘Casita Colibrí’ Category
Cereusly azul
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged blue wall, Flower of the Day Challenge (FOTD), flowers, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden on May 29, 2023| 3 Comments »
What’s the story, morning glory?
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged Bye Bye Birdie, Cee's Flower of the Day (FOTD) challenge, flowers, Mexico, Morning glory flowers, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden, The Telephone Hour (song) on May 16, 2023| 8 Comments »
What can I say? The last few mornings, as I checked on my rooftop garden, I started singing, The Telephone Hour song from 1960s musical, Bye Bye Birdie.
What’s the story, morning glory?
What’s the word, hummingbird?
Yes, I’m that old!
Spring flowers
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged bougainvillea, Cee's Flower of the Day (FOTD) challenge, Epiphyllum Argus, Epiphyllum hookeri, flowers, frangipani, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pachypodium lamerei, photos, popular travel destinations, rooftop garden, spring flowers on April 26, 2023| 2 Comments »
And now the April “showers” have brought spring flowers to Casita Colibrí.
April “showers”
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, flooding, freak hailstorm, hail, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain, thunderstorms, video on April 21, 2023| 8 Comments »
With thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and a massive hail storm, April “showers” heralded the end of the dry season — in a most spectacular way!
The evening of April 14 the city of Oaxaca and surrounding villages were hit with a freak hailstorm. Needless to say, I closed my doors and windows, unplugged critical electronics, and hunkered down inside until the storm had passed — which seemed like at least two hours. When I eventually ventured out, I found the apartment complex patio five inches deep in water, hail piled outside my rooftop laundry room door, and a garden of plants with shredded leaves.
Then two nights ago another massive thunderstorm hovered over us for hours, turning streets into rivers and sending trees toppling all over the city.
Will these April showers bring May flowers?
Getting reacquainted
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged cactus flowers, caterpillars, garden surprises, lizards, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations on January 19, 2023| 10 Comments »
While I was in el norte, I had no worries about my plants, as I knew my neighbors A&P would take good care of them. It has taken me a week to unpack, put things away, clean (oh, the dust!), and get reacquainted with my garden’s flora and fauna.
I was surprised and delighted this tiny cactus welcomed me with one of its flowers.
Another delight was the presence of Eddie Lizard still hanging out on the outer side of the screen between the atrium and my office. He’s been here a month and a half!
A less welcome sight were these small caterpillars. Thankfully, P took on the task of picking them off with my garden tweezers. They have been munching on my Passion Flower leaves for months and I can’t figure out how to eradicate them. Any suggestions?
After being gone for a month, it’s good to be back home, be warm and dry, and enjoying my garden!
Nothing but blue skies
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Music, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Blue Skies (song), blue sky, chain link fence, Mexico, Moon, Oaxaca, papel picado, photos, popular travel destinations, roof dogs, winter weather on January 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
After two weeks of San Francisco Bay Area grey skies and cold atmospheric river weather, I’m dreaming Oaxaca winter blue sky dreams.
Singing Blue Skies along with Ella Fitzgerald.
Goodbye 2022 / Hello 2023
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Año Nuevo, calenda, Casita Colibrí, Chiles en Nogada, Chinas Oaxaqueñas, Efedefroy, grasshoppers, I Hope You Dance lyrics, Mexico, murals, New Year's Eve, Oaxaca, photos, quiote, rainbows, rooftop garden, salads, stencils, street food stall on December 31, 2022| 17 Comments »
2022 began with rainbows and ended with fab food, friends, and family — a good way to say hello and goodbye to a year that continued to bring serious challenges to this planet we call home. In my little Oaxaca corner of the world, the year had its circumstantial complexities but also was filled with visits from old friends, becoming more familiar with my Jalatlaco neighborhood, “any excuse gatherings” with my most excellent neighbors, and several adventures with BFFs in and out of the city.
Words can’t begin to express how grateful I am to you all for reading, commenting, and following my blog. You kept me going during the worst days of the pandemic and continue to inspire me. Thus, my 2023 wish for you is…
I Hope You Dance
Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
Shadows on blue wall
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged blue wall, cacti & succulents, light and shadows, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden on November 28, 2022| 3 Comments »
Autumn light catches plant shadow play against my garden’s new blue wall.
Blue makes for a far more dramatic scene than the former lifeless cream color.
Autumn shadow play
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, bird, light and shadows, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, shadows, spiral staircase, Stephen Fry quote, Teotitlán del Valle, White-winged dove, woman with basket on head on October 11, 2022| 4 Comments »
As the days become shorter and the sun appears lower in the sky, in Oaxaca the shadows play.
Between funny and witty
Falls the shadow
-Stephen Fry, The Fry Chronicles
Ready for their close-ups
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged Flower of the Day Challenge (FOTD), flowers, garden color, hibiscus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden on September 28, 2022| 8 Comments »
Several weeks ago, at the weekly Friday market on Calle del Refugio, I bought a hibiscus plant in a 6 inch pot. It had a single brilliant yellow with red highlights flower, but was filled with promise from multiple buds. I immediately transplanted it into a larger pot and it has proceeded to put on quite a show. As one flower folds up and falls off, another opens to take its place.
Each flower is unique and ready for its close-up!
Rain on the rooftop
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, rain storms, rainy season, rooftop garden, video on August 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
At long last, thunder is rumbling and rain is pouring down on the highways, byways, and rooftops of Oaxaca. If you look closely, you can see the buckets collecting the runoff from the new pergola.
Oaxaca, a largely agricultural state, desperately needs the rain. Let’s hope it lasts!
Project pergola perfection
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, gazebo, Mexico, Oaxaca, Omar Rito (Civil Engineeer), photos, rooftop garden, rooftop pergola, shade structure on August 6, 2022| 14 Comments »
After four seasons of living with the blazing sun on the rooftop of the new Casita Colibrí, I decided the lone, albeit large, umbrella over the table was completely inadequate in making the terrace compatible with human occupation. Thus, a pergola project was begun. Much web surfing and consultation with friends with engineering and construction experience ensued — including Tom H. (thank you!) who designed and supervised the shade structure at the old Casita Colibrí.
A huge “muchisimas gracias” to Civil Engineer, Omar Rito and his crew of five for their wonderful work constructing a perfect rooftop pergola in two days!
Hurricane Agatha Hits Oaxaca
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Hurricane Agatha, Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain storms, rooftop garden, video on May 31, 2022| 2 Comments »
According to reports, Hurricane Agatha is the strongest to make landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast in May since record keeping began in 1949. As of tonight, Oaxaca’s governor said there have been ten deaths and twenty are missing, mostly due to flooding on the coast and mudslides in the mountains. Fortunately, friends living on the coast have marked themselves safe on social media. However, given the images and video I’ve seen posted on Facebook, Twitter, and news websites, the devastation is great and much help will be needed to clean up and rebuild.
Here in the capital city of Oaxaca, up and over the mountains from where the hurricane made landfall, we had steady rain yesterday and today we had a couple of episodes of torrential downpours. In Barrio de Jalatlaco we haven’t been hit with gale force winds, our cobblestone streets haven’t become rushing rivers, and we’ve only experienced intermittent power outages. And, as I write, the Guerreros de Oaxaca baseball game is being played at Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos — I can hear the chants and cheers from the above rooftop.
Home is where the hummingbirds hover
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged colibrí, Colibríes de México y Norteamérica/ Hummingbirds of México and North America (book), hummingbirds, metal art, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, street art, textile arts, urban art, wall art, watercolor on March 23, 2022| 2 Comments »
Spring has sprung in the valley of Oaxaca and that means the hottest and driest months are upon us. Despite conventional wisdom, the temperatures actually cool down a little in the summer, when the afternoon/evening rains come. I confess, this time of year, when the thermometer hovers around 90º (Fahrenheit), by early afternoon my energy is sapped and motivation melts away. Hence, blog posts are few and far between. However, today is a little cooler and my blog’s namesake inspired me to let my fingers not just hover over keyboard, but actually type!
Colibríes in murals seen on walls around the city…
A few of the colibríes seen in the art and artesanía in my Casita Colibrí home…
Speaking of hovering, a little information from the book, Colibríes de México y Norteamérica/ Hummingbirds of México and North America to go along with the pretty pictures:
Hummingbirds are noted for their incredible ability to fly. They can hover suspended in the air and can fly in any direction, even sideways and backwards, allowing them to reach their food anywhere. Their powerful chest muscles are extremely developed (they can account for around 30% of their body mass) and this allows them to beat their wings very rapidly, from an incredible 80 wing beats per second, up to a staggering 200 wing beats per second when performing certain maneuvers during courtship. Their muscles also allow them to reach amazing speeds, ranging from 50 to 95 km/hr when diving in flight during courtship.
A .pdf of the book is free to download from the above link.
Sometimes in winter
Posted in Casita Colibrí, People, Weather, tagged clouds, dry season rain, Mexico, Moon, music, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain, rainbows, rooftop garden, Sometimes in Winter (song), Steve Katz (singer/songwriter) on March 17, 2022| 4 Comments »
Late yesterday afternoon… What was that smell? What was that sound? I climbed the spiral staircase up to the rooftop terrace and what did I see?
The little dark dots on the terrace floor confirmed my suspicion. The smell was rain, the sound was rain, those spots on the terrace floor were rain drops, and there was even a hint of a rainbow!
I stood watching and listening and savoring this infrequent, but much welcome, dry season development, when the clouds moved to reveal the rising moon.
The old Blood, Sweat & Tears tune began playing in my head, Sometimes in Winter. Thank you Steve Katz for your beautiful and evocative song.
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- Hail, yes!
- Cereusly azul
- Peaceable kingdom calls for help
- What’s the story, morning glory?
- Honoring the mothers
- Honoring and including the children
- Spring flowers
- April “showers”
- Ch-ch-ch-Chia
- Jalatlaco prepares…
- Palms for Palm Sunday
- From an artisan’s hands
- Water, water everywhere…
- Friday morning in the park
- The women devils of San Martín Tilcajete
- The devils prepare
- Faces of Carnaval 2023
- Day for lovers and friends
- Saturday is wedding day in Oaxaca
- Strolling along Xicoténcatl
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