Cold Spell!
The last few nights have been unusually cold.  The same is expected for tonight and hopefully a warm up by Thursday.  There has been a hard freeze and another expected for tonight.  This is not usual and daytime highs are not even going to 50 (F).
Today I started out my walk outside and then wimped out and did the last half on the treadmill.  The wind was cold and so were my ears.  We have not spent much time outside or really doing very much that is too exciting.  I helped a neighbor paint one day and we have done some reading and visiting which is fun too.  We took in the movie Lincoln and found it entertaining and informative.  Love it when you can learn history and be entertained at the same time.
Today when we were trying to go to a sports store to get a park pass we went in the wrong entry way and as we were turning around look what we saw!

Apparently there are large flocks of these peach-faced love birds in the Phoenix area.  I estimate there were 25 or 30 and they were right by this shopping area.  There were about 10 sitting on the side of a car pecking at the window which was pretty funny!  These birds are not native to Arizona but seem to be able to thrive here quite nicely.
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk/2009-february/peach-faced-lovebirds.aspx

It was hilarious, Don was driving around the parking lot trying to turn around (unsuccessfully I might add) when I screamed, stop the car - look over there.   We find the best stuff when we are not even trying to find the best stuff!  Yesterday we saw a cardinal and a road runner.
Oh yeah, and while we were getting the park passes we found the best deal on some runners.  All 3 pair were less than 60.00

I totally want this metal bird bath - isn't it the prettiest!

This is a field of cauliflower or broccoli (we think).  We have driven past this a few times since we got to Mesa.  It just peeks out from behind a huge cement fence. It has grown a lot since the first time we saw it so we drove closer to get a better look.  They had just watered it and it was very furrowed and wet so I did not get closer.  Actually, there was a house within viewing distance and I was more worried about trespassing than the mud so thought it was best to stay on the road.

We went to the farmers market right in Mesa and got some beautiful organic fresh picked lemons and this jar of Prickly Pear Cactus Butter - I know right?  No sugar added so double bonus.

This was my 4.00 lunch today.  Salad with low fat balsamic and chicken with a huge unsweetened ice tea.  Sometimes I wonder why we cook, a lot of the restaurants have really great prices.  The other night we went to a restaurant called Pigs at the Fair or Piggly something or other.  It was the funniest place, decorated like a fair, and the food was food that you would typically get at the fair.  They had deep fried everything including battered, deep fried bacon and "gator" and they were all served on a stick. There was even frog legs on the menu.  The staff was really great and Don said he had the best ribs ever.  I had a BBQ chicken quarter with baked potato and cole slaw for only 4.95.  Not likely a place I would specifically go back to but was fun to try.

Well, what else you gonna do when its brrrr cold outside?

I took these pictures in our park.  Seems like the cold has really brought out the hummingbirds.  There were even more than usual. If I would have had my camera instead of my phone I could have got a real good  close up of this one.  He sat there and drank from this feeder and did not seem to mind me sneaking up on him.  I find it hard to identify the hummingbirds, but I am guessing an Anna hummingbird.
Th bottom picture is a bouganvilla.  Two days ago it was a full, beautiful plant with green leaves and beautiful red flowers. These do not tolerate freezing at all and it is such a shame to see them all wilted.