Blooming Arizona cactus

The Arizona desert shows its beauty in flowers that tolerate heat and dry conditions.  I enjoyed these  beautiful cactus blooms while we visited Tucson Arizona.  

As we returned home, we felt refreshed and rejuvenated from our spring break time with family in Arizona.

Boothill Cemetery grave marker

What can I say about this one???  Nothing

Boothill Cemetery

We visited Boothill Cemetery just outside town.  This cemetery was begun in 1879 and used for five years.  The local folks call this cemetery “The Old Cemetery.”   “Legend has it that Boothill was named for the fact that many residents there died violent or unexpected deaths and were buried with their boots on”.   

As we walked through this cemetery, we noticed several graves markers said “unknown”   Among the more descriptive grave markers, we found the OK Corral ‘bad guys’, Billy Clanton and the McLaurys, buried side by side.  http://www.tombstoneweb.com/history.html 

Tombstone, AZ #2

Tombstone conjures images of Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight at the OK Corral.  October 26, 1881, the good guys (Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan and Wyatt’s friend Doc Holliday) met the bad guys (Billy Clanton, and Tom and Frank McLaury)  and guns were drawn.  Before the gun smoke cleared, the bad guys were mortally wounded and all three died.  Their grave sites are included in Boothill Cemetery.   

Tombstone, AZ #1

During our Arizona spring break, we visited Tombstone, AZ.  Tombstone’s history began in 1877 when a prospector named Ed Schieffelin found silver in the Arizona desert.  Within a couple years, the news of silver enticed many people to the area and a town was born,  “Tombstone”.  During the 1880s, Tombstone’s population grew to 7500 white men over 21 years of age.  Add the women, children, Mexicans and Chinese and the population was estimated to be over 15,000 people.  During this time, Tombstone was the “fasting growing city between St Louis and San Francisco.”  The city of Tombstone boasted over 100 saloons, restaurants, churches, schools, and even “one of the first public swimming pools in Arizona”. 

Today Tombstone's population of 1500 people work to preserve the heritage of "The Wildest town in the West."  

More information about Tombstone tomorrow. 

Spring Break in Tucson

This past week Sister Peggy and I went on spring break.  No, we did not go to a beach party or attend any of the activities ‘spring break’ brings to mind.  Our spring break was a trip to Tucson, Arizona for family time.  We spent five days at Sister Dorothy and her husband’s home.  Niece Kim and her husband met us there.  We enjoyed the beautiful Arizona landscape and sunshine.  However, the lure to Tucson involved family.  

Most of you know that I consider myself lucky being born into my family.  (As someone said, you don’t get to pick your family.)  My family members are all hard working, caring people.  We like each other and enjoy spending time together.  So the trek to Tucson was worth the time and effort.  

What health benefits did we gain from our spring break?  We got away from the stresses of our jobs and responsibilities.  We enjoyed the time visiting, laughing and talking.  And don’t forget the hugs.  When we give and receive hugs from significant people who love us and care about us, researchers found that our blood pressure and heart rate lowers and stress melts away.  More information about research on hugs can be found at http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/24/3/8.full 

 

Family Treasure

Recently my sister sent me a text:  “I’m feeling poorly with allergies.  Do you have Mom’s cream of tomato soup recipe?”  Whenever we were sick as kids, Mom would make something special for us to eat.  We all loved her cream of tomato soup.  She made it from scratch and our childhood memories make it our ultimate ‘comfort food’. 

Since Mom died in 2005, we’ve been without her cream of tomato soup or the recipe.  That’s why sister texted the message—does anyone have Mom’s cream of tomato soup recipe?  No.  We all started digging around in our recipes and I found one recipe.  Was it?  Could it be Mom’s?  I quickly typed the ingredients and instructions with the question:  is this Mom’s recipe?  It was not designated as such in my family cookbook.  Peggy cooked it and sure enough, that simple, from-scratch-recipe is Mom’s original recipe.  She responded, “that’s it.  I feel very comfortable and loved.”  

We have found our family treasure.  Some treasures do not involve money or jewels.  Sometimes, our biggest treasures involve memories of our mother’s love and a bowl of soup.