Outdoor Mom's Journal - July

During our outdoor time this week we went....during the earlier part of the month we went to Arizona and drove from Tucson to the Grand Canyon and back.

One of the highlights of the trip was walking around the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. We did this on the second day we were in Arizona, early in the morning. It started out at 82 degrees and ended up in the mid-90s by the time we were done.

Cactus at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

I spent a lot of time outdoors despite the high heat - which was record-breaking even for Arizona.

Zebra-tailed Lizard at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

The Museum had a wide variety of animals. What was interesting about the ones at the Museum was that they were all from the region. Living in Arizona and the desert is what they accustomed to. It's not like a typical zoo in the sense that there are exotic animals from other parts of the world on display.

Mountain lion at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

Check out the size of its paw.

I haven't spent as much time outside since I've come back home. Each day has been filled with appointments, activities, and getting ready for the county fair.

That being said, I did go on two walks with the dogs yesterday. Saw three monarch butterflies, heard mallards quacking, and saw a lot of birds.

When I stand on the deck when the little dogs are outside, I hear the wrens singing in the apple trees. It seems like if I say, "Pretty bird!" to them they sing even louder.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was...seeing the Grand Canyon. As much as I read about it and heard people talk about visiting it, it wasn't until I saw it that I fully comprehended the enormity of it.

Seeing the many layers of rocks in the canyon was also inspiring.

So much color and history in each of those layers.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)...the difference between dry and humid heat.

It's kind of hard to tell from the photo,

however Olivia is overheating in the high heat.

Her cheeks are reddish-pink and she is too hot to

find any enjoyment in being outdoors.

Went indoors to a café to get a cold drink, she drank a Gatorade,

and then we sat in our car with the air conditioning

on full blast. She felt much better after that.

Prior to going to Arizona, I had always heard, "Yes, it's over 110 degrees outside, but it's a dry heat." I thought, "I know what 100 degrees feels like in Minnesota and it's very uncomfortable."

Looked on the internet and found a good answer, "Perspiration evaporates in a dry heat and that results in more cooling (which is why you perspire). Perspiration doesn't evaporate in high humidity and that causes you to feel hotter + soaks your clothing."

No wonder temperatures in Arizona that were in the upper 70s, 80s, and even the low 90s (all of which I have difficulties with in Minnesota) felt pretty comfortable. I can see why people like the dry heat.

If only we could have dry heat in Minnesota in the 50s-60s year round. That would be my ideal climate.


In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting....not as much as I had anticipated. There are always high hopes at the beginning of the season. This year we've had so many rabbits and grackles visiting the gardens that it's gotten to a point where I it's just not worth the effort anymore.

We may get some tomatoes - they seem to have left those alone, but there's not much else. Some herbs here and there. Nothing of substance really.

The organic produce we get from the CSA is more than enough. We reduced the size of our weekly delivery in half and it is still plenty. Have enjoyed fresh salads almost daily since the CSA started last month.

I added nature journal pages about....nothing so far this month since I'm still trying to catch up with June entries. I have some things I would like to do for July in my nature journal. Am hoping to sit down and do some journaling after the county fair on Wednesday. Up until then it's hectic.

I am reading...past issues of Birds & Blooms. The photographs are so beautiful and each issue is packed with information.

I am dreaming about…cooler weather already. Not winter-cold weather...just less humid and with fewer mosquitoes and deerflies. The deerflies have been particularly prevalent this year.

A photo I would like to share...

Black raspberries that we harvested this week, nine years ago.

The berries are red this year and still need to ripen.


Thank you to Barb the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the idea of doing an Outdoor Mom's Journal.