End of an era

Last night I slept in my house near the oasis for the very last time. I've moved into the guesthouse. For several reasons. My son and his wife need the space and I don't. The house is too big for me to keep clean and maintain. The stairs kill my knees. It's time to downsize. I got to enjoy the house for over 40 years and I'd like my son to get as many more years enjoyment from it as possible. I'm to the point that I can't maintain the oasis alone. I'm just so grateful he's passionate about the place.

Even though there is scarcely anything blooming, this male Black-chinned Hummingbird's bill is totally covered in pollen. I can't imagine where he got it.

Because of the record drought followed by record cold I haven't seen many butterflies. Finally today a few started showing up.

Marine Blue

Red Admiral

Moving was exhausting. I'm sure I'll do more tweaking in the coming days. Discarding stuff I saved and retrieving stuff I'll decide I need. Seems I'm always a work in progress. But a person has to change with the times and aging.

Moving was more of a relief than a trauma, although it'll take me some time to get totally comfortable. It's going to cost a lot to get Wi-Fi boosted to the guesthouse from the house, but not optional.