what's cooking?

It rained over the past week, several times.

Funny because monsoon season is officially over and we shouldn't have any.  Living on the face of the sun shouldn't have so many "caveats".

Here we are almost in mid-October and Lucky and I are doing our best to enjoy the fall weather.  My favorite time of year in Orange County, CA was mid-Spring through mid-Autumn.  It was warm, easy to walk any time of the day and we only had maybe one uncomfortably hot week in August to endure.

In Arizona it's almost the "flip" situation.  Lucky and I are avid walkers.  As soon as these rather compromised joints can move I get dressed, hook her up and we get outside and enjoy the solitude of the Sonoran desert that surrounds us.  This is our life from (usually) mid-September through mid-May.

Now while all the local weather people around here were saying that this year was our "coolest" since 1999, I must say-it's been the hottest for dogs and people.  Smart cat parents do NOT let their felines outdoors any time of the year!

Starting in January this year, we had about 2 weeks of 32 degree mornings.  But the days pretty much evened out at about 80 and then dropped down once sunset hit the area.  Our nights in December and January can be very "brisk".  But the days are gorgeous!

Lucky loves to wear one of her sweatshirts or her fleece jacket during those few weeks.  She'll even wear it inside, even though our home never seems to drop below 78. 

Back to the subject.  This year Lucky and I adjusting our walking schedule to meet up with the comfort zone of daily temperatures day by day.  But we walked no matter what.  Until monsoon season hit.  Oh my.  By mid-May the temps were firmly in the 100-115 range.

This means it's too hot for Lucky's feet, even at night.  Let's face it-just because the sun goes down, the heat in the cement or asphalt doesn't drop AT ALL.  Plus, evenings are still over 100 degrees.  Our overnight "lows"?  At least 100.

So poor Lucky doesn't get her daily exercise all summer.  Yes, even when a monsoon hits (or a micro burst), the temps don't lessen, just all high humidity to the misery and you've got our lives.

I wind up using the treadmill in my office-but even that is rather uncomfortable in those high heat/humidity days.

Then comes the end of the 'season'.  This year we celebrated by having a 3 day event marked with flash flood warnings, lighting and thunder.  Obviously the monsoons didn't get the memo that they were supposed to be gone until next June!

Yet, our temps have dropped into the 80's during the mornings making it perfect for my tiny walkmate and I to get outside and once again enjoy the solitude of the desert while getting our needed exercising done.

Yesterday we say a bunny family.  Today, some chipmunks, a roadrunner (beep, beep) and a couple of hawks.  Lots of burro leftovers too.

I'll take it.  I think, I wonder, I sometimes take a few photos but whatever happens, I'm just so happy to be able to get outdoors!

This lady just wanted to have an evening out with her mom that was fun and entertaining-here's what she came up with!


http://www.sunset-publishing.com/issues/oct2015-jeff-bridges.pdf