January in Cactus Gardens

It’s always fun to try to grow tomatoes in the winter.  We had a few from our plant, but these are much smaller than the photo implies…. look good for January, though, don’t they?

Interest remained high in the Y.E.S. (Yuma Encore Shuffleboard) Monday tournaments.  Here, Foothills Village played Cactus Gardens.

We have a Ladies Only Luncheon at the park annually.  The past few years, the organizers have tried to put fun twists on the event.  This year was no exception.  Mona McIlvenna put together a Mystery Luncheon.  Not only was it a mystery as to who “killed Sharon Activities”, but the menu itself contained mysterious items.

         

Pat Gisler was our “on the spot” reporter, and eventually reported that the murder wasn’t actually a murder at all, and that Sharon Activities had been revived by her fellow co-workers.

The waiters were several of our husbands, and as they brought our choices, it became apparent that the items on the menu were our eating utensils as well as our food.

    

 

For example “Lovers Cuddles” was a spoon.  Some were eating their soup with a knife!  My first course included my dessert “Layers of Heaven”.

    

 

Every season has to include a few visits to The Farm, a U-Pick-It citrus grove.  We go prepared with our ladder, and come home with grapefruit and oranges.

      

Did you know that Yuma has the reputation of having more sunny days than any city in the U.S.?  (See World Facts and Figures)  Along with the sunny days come some spectacular sunrises and sunsets, such as this sunrise.

We finished out the month by attending a Pajama Dance.  Steve and Patty Porter sponsored the square/round dance , encouraging the dancers to come in their pajamas.  It was a fun evening (I won a Teddy Bear door prize, even though we didn’t wear our pajamas.)  Ron’s foot allowed us to dance a couple of tips.

   

    

I also started two online challenges this month, one an embroidery, and the other a crazy quilt project.  I plan to combine the two.  This is my first month’s block, Starry, Starry Night:  You can read about the project on my new craft blog, Spare Moment Stitching.

 

Thanks to friend, Bernice Odom, for several of the photos in this post.  I don’t always have my camera with me, and she’s always ready to share her photos with me.