Echoes of the Southwest

Yay, our house has arrived on our property. We ordered our 12x40 foot shed house in June of this year. The builder had trouble getting the metal roofing materials, so that is why the build took longer than usual. A couple of weeks ago we scheduled a delivery. My husband and friend went up there so they could be on the property for delivery.  As bad luck would have it, Mother Nature decided to let it snow on that day. The driver could not safely deliver the house, so we had to reschedule. We scheduled the delivery for December 2nd (yesterday), and the weather was on our side.  The only thing we stressed over was could that long truck get through the deep wash. The driver lifted his truck and drove right through it. After that, he drove down the street to the place where the house was to be set. Because they graded the property, the driver was able to get to the location we picked out for the house.  The house faces southeast. The southern view is beautiful, and you can see...

During this corona virus pandemic I am staying home with my hubby. This is the new normal for now, but I will probably do some things differently after this is over. One of the things I miss is visiting my 91 year old Mother. She is in a small group home and they locked it down over a month ago. She and all the ladies working and living there are all doing well. The virus has not gotten to them, thank goodness. I received a picture of her just recently, and I was thankful for that. I would rather stay away than be the one to get her sick. Mom Another thing I am doing different is shopping more online especially for food. I have always liked going inside the brick-and-mortar stores to do my shopping. I liked grabbing my cart and wandering around getting what was on my list and then some. I would rather pick out my own veggies and fruit, so letting someone else do that is different. We bought items online we probably would have went in the store for, but rather be safe than sorry. What a...

This sprawling structure was built in 1929 as an anniversary present from William Wrigley Jr. to his wife Ada as a winter residence. He called this place, which has 24 rooms, 12 bathrooms, and 16,000 square feet, a cottage. My idea of a cottage and his are vastly different. The mansion sits at the top of a huge mound and has picturesque views of downtown Phoenix as well as Camelback Mountain. The inside of the mansion is just a glorious as the outside. All the tiles were shipped to Phoenix from William’s factory in Catalina. It was transported first by ship, then train, and finally by mules to their final destination. Not one tile was broken in the move. Who is William Wrigley Jr. and how did he make his fortune? He was born on September 30, 1861 in Philadelphia. In 1891, with only $32 dollars in his pocket, he moved to Chicago. He wanted to start his own business selling Wrigley’s Scouring Soap. This shrewd business man offered free baking powder when they bought his s...