We've had a lot of rain the last couple days but the sunshine and temps in the mid 60's to high 70's return starting tomorrow.With that we've taken a couple of road trips to get 'supplies'.Tuesday, while the pups were getting groomed, we drove up to Gilbert, suburb just S. of Phoenix, to get some things at Total Wine. There was an IKEA store close by and Betty did some shopping there.Wednesday we drove up to Queen Creek and the Olive Mill and found some olive oil bottle stoppers that we were looking for.3 miles down the road is The Pork Shop which we found last year. Great butcher shop and THE place to get meats. Only place outside of Wisconsin we've found to buy fresh side pork. Of course we got some other things too. Click here to see their menu.Betty gets another X-ray in 2 weeks and hopefully her broken hand is healed enough where she doesn't have get another cast.My shoulder, bursitis and some arthritis, feels much better after the meds and cortisone shot and we'll be back to the Pickleball courts as soon as this rain stops.More later.....
Little update on our injured reserve (IR) status.Betty had another x-ray Tuesday on her broken right hand and they put a new fiberglass cast on for another 4 weeks so she will still be limited. Thank goodness it has no effect on her shopping and crafting however.My cortisone shot in the right shoulder went fine, also Tuesday, and pain is subsiding. Bursitis with a little arthritis is the diagnosis...not a rotator. Doc wants me to start exercising, probably starting Saturday, and Pickleball will be OK (moderation) but warming up before most important...go back in 2 weeks.Cool here today...mid 60's...but warming up into the mid to high 70's starting Sunday for a good stretch.That's it for now....more later.
Last winter when we were in Casa Grande a place on our list to visit/tour in the area was already closed in late February. Why? It's mainly a cotton farm and all the cotton was already picked, off to market and all cotton stalks, according to Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council, must be shredded and destroyed by February 15th to curtail unwanted insects into the soil. Alfalfa and some barley are also grown but cotton is the main crop.Yesterday we finally made the visit.Caywood Farm is a fourth generation cotton farm in Casa Grande, AZ, and the owners are friendly, down to earth folks. The tour begins with a free bag of popcorn (made with cotton seed oil) which you enjoy while examining the cotton harvesting equipment and visiting with the resident horses and pig. After everyone is checked in, Nancy, an agricultural professor, uses samples of cotton, photographs, and other tools to teach you all about the cotton growing industry. This is followed by a tractor drawn hayride to a 4 acre cotton field, that is left to stand until the tour season is over, where you are allowed to pick your own cotton. The tour lasts 2/1/2 hours.Next planting will be in April provided there is enough water as the area is in a drought. Water comes gets to farms via canals from a dam/reservoir on the Colorado River that passes through the San Carlos Indian Reservation nearby. Locals here call the water 'gold' and pay dearly so much an acre to get it. However with the drought the reservoirs are showing the stress so allocations of water for farmers are less and less the last few years. At one time, there were about 400,000 acres of cotton in Arizona. Now it's about 200,000.Prices rise and fall, but cotton brings millions of dollars to the state's economy every year.As for where all those bales (about 500 pounds each) go, where do you think they go? Often to big warehouses operated by farmers cooperatives to help get the best prices, which bounce around from year to year.The buyers sell it to fabric manufacturers, among others. It is estimated that Arizona grows enough cotton to make a pair of jeans for every adult and child in the United States every year.Monsanto Company, a Fortune 500 company, thrives on the agricultural sector in Casa Grande. The company moved its Arizona Cotton Research Center to Casa Grande to occupy a 40,000-square-foot research and development facility in 2010. Nearly all cotton grown in the South originates from seeds grown and cotton strains developed in Casa Grande.Very educational tour. With temps in the low 70's it was a great day to visit Caywood Farm.
Betty Update:On our way here we stopped in Indio, CA for a few days and started learning how to play PickleBall."Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.
Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a wiffle ball, over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules similar to tennis, with a few modifications." Betty fell on the court and banged her head which resulted in a black eye and a sore right hand (luckily she is left hand dominant) she used in bracing the fall. Monday the pain didn't subside so we went to an Urgent Care here in Casa Grande and x-rays revealed a broken hand and will be in a cast for a couple of weeks.Tough getting old thinking you are still young and can doing things you use to. So we are taking things easy.More later.....
Jan. 22, 2015; New photos added.We had a relaxed Xmas and New Years with great food, good wine and watching football.
