So have you heard about our crazy weather? Monday the high was 110° (record for the date). Tuesday the high was 108° (another record for the date). Wednesday it was in the 90s. Thursday it was in the 70s and overcast and rainy. Yesterday the high was 65° (in our part of town, but it was officially 72°) and it rained off and on all day long. It was so cold in the morning that we had to dig out the sweaters, sweatshirts and long pants.

Crazy. And do the math. From Monday to Friday the difference in the high was 55 degrees! In fact, the low on Monday (76°) wasn’t as low as the high on Friday. I’ve never seen it do that much of a temperature swing in my whole life.

But I’m not complaining! It gave LG and I the chance to go to the zoo on Thursday, which I thought was going to have to wait until October. Here’s a slideshow of some of the pics I took at the zoo…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

And finally, my night-blooming cereus cactus bloomed Thursday night and even though I got up at 5:30 am to get some photos of it (shivering in the cold, wind and rain), the 18 blossoms stayed open longer than they usually do because of the overcast sky, so I got some more photos later in the morning.  (The first one is from 5:30 am, though!)

Monday the high was 110°, smashing the record high for the date. Yesterday the high was 108° (again breaking the record high). Today the high is forecast to be under 100, tomorrow it will be in the 80s and Friday in the 70s with rain in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. Crazy. A possible 40 degree turn around in five days. It’s very very windy right now as the high pressure blows out and the low pressure blows in. But I’m not complaining. The cool weather is welcome to stay as long as it likes. The summer is long and hot enough as it is.

Update on my MIL: She’s home now - and on the road to recovery. It definitely will be a road to recovery, because she’s weak and tired and not liking the fact that she has to be taken care of. I’ve known her for around 20 years, and she’s always been the caregiver. I’ve never known her to be down with much more than a cold or the flu, so this is tough for her. But I think she’s earned a little care getting. So we’ll all pitch in and do what we can.

We went over to see her yesterday, since Mike had to drop off a wedge that he made for the bottom of her bed and she specifically requested to see LG (who missed her Grandma terribly). I had to go grocery shopping, so I picked up some things for them and then dropped them off on the way back home. I hope she gets better as quickly as possible, because I can tell how frustrated she is already. Thanks so much for all the prayers and good thoughts. Please keep them coming for a speedy recovery!

So hi! Hey! Hello! I haven’t posted yet today!

I was going to post, but the site decided to take a server dump at that time, so no posting until now. Of course, I have no idea what I was going to post about, but oh well!

It’s been an interesting week so far. Yesterday was a good day for various and assorted reasons. It was a not so good day because Mike was sick, though. He was feeling better today (or at least not feverish) and went and did some work, then came home so we could go to rehearsal at the local high school. When we finished rehearsal (on the other side of town), it was raining buckets and it was coooollllld. And, of course, we hadn’t brought any umbrellas in with us, so we had to make the trek back to the car (with no shelter) in the cold rain - Mike carrying LG. I gave them the blanket out of the diaper bag to cover up with, and braved the elements on my own, but by the time Mike got to the car, he was shivering. I was not, and I didn’t have a warm child in my arms, so I figured that was a bad sign, and it was. He’s back on the sofa bundled up with a returned fever. And we have mass tomorrow morning at the local high school. So that should be interesting.

On a good note, though, Marlene got good news today, so that makes us all happy, sick or not!

…the party’s over. And that’s just exactly what I did…lol! LG is fast asleep in her bed getting a much-needed nap and I’m lounging in bed myself relaxing a bit. Tomorrow will be another long, busy day.

The party went well, though! Even three of her cousins came! So there were a total of 9 kids counting LG (if you count Marlene’s oldest daughter as a kid), and they were all amazingly well behaved. Seriously. Great kids! It might have made someone who was on the fence about having kids decide to have them!

It’s true that two little 3 year old/almost 3 year old girls were having a shrieking contest after most everyone had left, but they were just having fun, being little girls, so I can’t fault them for that. ;)

It started pouring rain and thundering during the party (after raining all day long yesterday) and poor Melody (who was banished to the laundry room/backyard during the party was sitting by the French doors shaking looking pretty pitiful, so we did take pity and let her in. She could have come in her doggy door but it was raining so hard that the whole back porch was wet except right up again the doors, and water was pouring off the roof in front of her doggy door. She was so excited to come in the house and see all the people that she peed on the floor. *sigh* Way to impress the guests Melody! lol!

Anyway, this was just going to be a quick post to tell you I survived, but I got a little longwinded. If I can keep my eyes open long enough to edit the pictures, I’ll try and get another post up tonight with pics from the party.

Fall in the desert doesn’t exactly come gradually, but winter usually comes suddenly. Yesterday was the first day in months that I didn’t have the AC on for at least a few minutes while I had the oven on. Yesterday, we didn’t even have the windows open or the fans on and it was still cool, almost cold.

But this morning, I knew winter had finally made its sudden arrival in the desert. I walked out to open the gate while Mike was buckling LG into her car seat, and the biting wind whipped around me. Fall brings soft, cool breezes that promise relief from the oppressive heat of summer. But winter winds bring a chill to your bones.

I’d barely gotten used to it being fall, and now it’s winter. Time for sweaters and coats and socks and no more flip-flops. Now it’s really starting to feel a lot like Christmas. Just in time.

I looked out the window this morning and I saw beautiful puffy clouds, and I knew. I knew deep in my bones that it was finally here. Fall. Here the temperature decreases slowly from the 100s to the 90s to the 80s and then it takes a steep dip and you wake up one day to feel a nip in the air.

There are no beautifully colored leaves to herald the arrival of autumn. Here, you notice a change in the clouds - from the dark threatening monsoon clouds to the gentle puffy clouds I saw this morning. Here, you notice a change in the wind - from the hot summer winds blowing in the monsoon storms in the evening to the gentle rustling breezes of fall which make you want to stay outside all day and enjoy the coolness on your skin.

It’s different than what most of you are used to, but it’s no less thrilling to feel the change of seasons. And the end of the oppressive heat of summer is very welcome. I couldn’t resist going outside to take some pictures today.

Clouds…

Melody trying to flush the cottontails out of their hiding places…

More clouds…

Yardwork…

Even more clouds…

A Little Girl zooming past…

And yet more clouds…

People who do not live in a desert in the Northern Hemisphere might not understand why I hate September. But I do. The only good thing about September is the birthstone and some really cool people that were born in September. Other than that, I would just skip it if I had a choice.

Why? Because it’s hot. Yes, it’s usually hotter during June. And July. And August. But I expect it to be hot during June, July and August. And I honestly rarely complain about the heat during the summer months, because it’s summer. It’s supposed to be hot. But by September? I’m sick of it. And I complain. A lot. Because it’s too darn hot.

I’m sick of the heat. I’m sick of sweating. I’m sick of not being able to go outdoors during the daylight hours without feeling like I’m going to pass out. I’m sooooo over it. Ready to move on! To Fall! Where the weather is nice! And you can hang out outside and enjoy yourself during the DAY.

That is why I love October. Because in October, the temperatures finally start to drop. And also I was born in October.

Anyway, sick of the heat. Ready for it to end. GO AWAY ALREADY.

It’s so rare in June in Phoenix to have nice weather after the temperature has gone over 105. But, the weather today is gorgeous. This must be what it’s like for the rest of you who actually ENJOY summer weather. It was about 76 or so when I checked this morning, it’s 81ish now with a nice breeze and it’s only supposed to get up to 93 today (which is downright frigid for June). I actually turned off the A/C, opened the windows, and I’m letting some fresh air in the house for awhile. Might not happen again until monsoon season, but I’m going to enjoy it while I can.

I can hear LG calling to Melody through the doggy door and since the window above the kitchen sink is right next to where the doggy door is, it sounds like she’s outside, which is slightly disconcerting, but oh well. I think we might go and sit out on the back porch and read or surf from there for a bit and let Melody roam the yard.

At the grocery store this morning, they had cartons of the freshest, juiciest, sweetest, yummiest strawberries on sale for only 97 cents. I only bought one, and I’m kind of kicking myself because LG and I have almost finished the whole thing already…lol! I might have to go back tomorrow or the next day and get some more. Yum.

I haven’t appreciated summer as much since I quit my teaching job (three years ago!!!) because really for me summer is now no different than the rest of the year (until LG starts school of course). But today, I’m appreciating summer, because I’m getting a taste of what the rest of you must feel.

Like I said, it won’t last long - the 100s are supposed to be back by the weekend, but considering June is the month when we once hit 122, I’ll take it!

Edited to add: We are on the back porch…LG is running around being 2, Melody is chasing the wildlife all over the back yard, and I’m catching up on my internetting. But as soon as I’m done, I’m going to close the laptop and just sit here and breathe it in for a little while.

The weather today was absolutely magnificent. A little rain in the morning and then cool and breezy the rest of the day. We turned off the a/c, opened all the windows and enjoyed the fresh, clean air.

We cleaned and cleaned this morning and still didn’t get everything done, so we’ll probably be doing more cleaning tomorrow. This afternoon we had a rehearsal for the church festival next weekend - our band will be performing on Saturday afternoon. I don’t actually mind rehearsing with our group because we all get along well and like each other, but when you have to rehearse a lot of songs, it gets a little mind-numbing after awhile. But it’s got to be done!

After the rehearsal was over, Mike ran out for a few minutes, then brought back dinner, because I didn’t feel like standing on my feet to cook after I’d been on them all day…lol! After dinner was over, it was still light outside, so we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and went outside for awhile. Melody chased rabbits, LG played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, Mike followed her around, and of course I had my camera! Click for pictures :) (Read on …)

The temps in March are supposed to be in the beautiful 70s, very springlike. But today? In some parts of the Valley, it hit TRIPLE DIGITS. Ugh. We have enough summer around here - we don’t need to skip Spring to have more. *sigh*

Poor Mike was up on a roof today. LG and I were out running errands. And poor Marlene was at Field Day with her daughter. Field Day in March is usually a good idea, because 70s! But no! 90s! BAD!

Come back, Spring! We hardly knew ye!

There’s not a lot going on around here right now. But that’s bound to change soon. Tomorrow I’m watching one of LG’s friends for a few hours in the morning. I’m planning to get some sewing done while she’s here. Yeah right.

Saturday is my aunt and uncle’s 60th wedding anniversary party, and since I maybe get to see my family once a year if I’m lucky, I’m looking forward to that. In fact, I haven’t seen my family since some time in 2005. And a great many of them live here, so go figure. Anyway, my father is driving down with us to the far southeast Valley. She who shall not be named opted not to go. Surprise surprise. Not.

Sunday we might have a get together at Mike’s parents’ house for his grandfather’s 90th birthday, but I’m not sure of that yet.

And the next week is sure to be jam-packed with all sorts of things that I do not even want to think about at the moment.

But, LG is still as charming as always. I’ve been posting about American Idol on the other blog, but I have to share what happened last night and this afternoon.

One of the contestants - Jordin Sparks - is from right here in the Valley and of course we have been rooting her on. American Idol is one of the few television shows that I actually let LG watch, and she apparently has her first case of hero worship when it comes to Jordin. Last night, when Ryan Seacrest announced that Jordin would be coming up after the break, LG yelled, “I see JORDIN???????” and came running to the sofa to watch. Then when Jordin was singing, she yelled “JORDIN! JORDIN! JORDIN! JORDIN!” and I could barely hear her performance.

This afternoon, I was rewatching her performance on the dvr to see if I could catch the part I missed and LG said “I love Jordin!” “Hug Jordin!” and cried because she couldn’t hug her. Yep. Definitely some hero worship going on. But it’s so cute, and Jordin seems to be a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders and a lot of talent, so I can’t blame her.

So LG now has two favorite tv shows: “Mercan Lidle” and “No Deal!” “Open da case!” “NO DEAL!” Gotta love it. ;)

Oh and did I mention that’s it’s been in the 90s this week? Yuck. But the extended forecast says it will be back to normal (70s) by the middle of next week. My fingers are crossed.

How’s the weather where you are?

And really, for all intents and purposes, even though the “official” first day of spring is not for a couple of weeks, it is spring here in the desert. The weekend was still chilly, but by last night, we didn’t even need sweaters to sit outside, and we’re expected to hit 90 degrees by Sunday. And, I just had to open the window and turn on the fan because it was a bit stuffy in the house. Therefore, I unofficially declare that spring has sprung here in the desert!

This month is going to be insane.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the stuff that will happening in the month of March:

• Generations #1 (done this past weekend)
• Mass at the high school (done today)
• hair cut
• Reconciliation at church
• Mike’s birthday
• Reconciliation at the high school
• trip to the Botanical garden to see the butterflies
• 60th anniversary party for my aunt and uncle
• our niece’s birthday party
• Mike’s grandpa’s 90th birthday
• Mike’s cousin’s wedding reception (they were married in Hawaii)
• Generations #2

Of course, Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter will follow quickly thereafter.

And in amongst all that craziness, Mike is working on the flip house.

Little Girl stays at her grandparents house when we have mass at the high school, and today Mike’s two sisters and their three kids (3, 7 months and 5 months) came over to visit and have lunch, so I stuck around for awhile when I went to pick up LG. It’s always nice to see my sisters-in-law and the munchkins and compare notes on their development. So even though I stopped home after the mass to change into my jeans, I was still basically gone from 7:45 am until 3 pm - which is a pretty long stretch.

Anyway, even though we don’t really hibernate so much in the desert, it still seems that as soon as spring arrives, life gets crazy busy. And now you know why I might not be able to post as often as usual…lol!

So much to talk about…where do I begin?

Well, I guess the biggest news here in the Sonoran desert is the weather. It is first of all very very very VERY cold. As in it snowed in some parts of the Valley today. Yes. You read that right. SNOW. Of course not at my house, but a mere 7 miles away (4 miles west and 3 miles north).

Very very cold. And wet. And rainy. And even snowy. I keep hoping it will get snowy here, but not quite yet. El Nino has finally arrived with a vengeance. Two weekends in a row of cold wet rainy weather. This just in: My friend informs me it is snowing in Tucson and that his brother reports 3 inches of snow on his car. Crazy weather.

In the midst of all the craziness, I had to go to Mike’s cousin’s bridal shower today. They are getting married in Hawaii, so it had a Hawaiian theme. Which really made sense since it was cold and rainy, but whatever…it was fun! We got to decorate flipflops, which may have literally been the most girly girly craft I’ve ever done and I might be addicted or something. We got to have hula lessons. I suck at it, by the way. And we played this really crazy fun game during the gift opening. While the bride to be was opening gifts, two sets of dice were making their way around the circle. There were four party gifts in the middle of the circle and if you rolled a double, you got to take one of the gifts. After all the gifts were taken, you got to steal someone’s gift, and this went on until all the real gifts were opened and whoever had a gift at that point got to keep it. It makes the whole gift opening process a lot less tedious and boring and really keeps the energy up. Great game for a shower if you ever need one.

Hope you all had a great weekend. We sure did! :)

Well, obviously it was a good day to begin with since it was our anniversary. But, the day started off good and just kept getting better. (Read on …)

First we had the coldest temperatures since 1991. Then we had the coldest two days in a row since 1978. So basically, it’s cold. Colder than it’s been in quite awhile. I even had to wear my jacket which I haven’t done all winter. Okay, to be fair, if I was going to work at 6:30 in the morning, I’d be wearing a jacket, but since I’m not, no jacket until this weekend.

I’m not really complaining about the cold per se. It’s nice to know it can still get that cold here. But we kinda forgot what it was like, so it’s a little bit of a shock to the system.

Now if we could just get some moisture at the right time along with these freezing temps, maybe we could have some of that “once in a blue moon” snow. That would be really cool. So to speak.

Stay warm wherever you are!