This Is Why We Live Here

Last night I went to sleep with the window open listening to the sounds of thunder and rain. Ahhhhhhhhh. I guess only people who live in Phoenix would understand what a luxury that is! We've had four evenings in a row of lightning, wind, and smaller rain amounts. The temps yesterday evening on our 6 p.m. Saby walk had fallen to a chilly 79 degrees! I think I can safely say now that a corner has been turned. Daytime highs are still predicted to be in the mid to high 90's, but really, that's sissy stuff once a person's done battle with 110 plus temps for several months. Yesterday morning on our 7 a.m. bike ride, I actually had a sweater draped around my neck! Love it, love it, love it!

We have friends who recently moved back to Washington State after 7 or 8 years in the desert. In the fall every year once weather back home had declined into a normal pattern of 50 degrees and raining and we were all dining outdoors on the patio in short sleeves and sandals, he'd seize the moment to gloat. And this is why we live here!

I guess he's mostly right. We stick around for the enjoyable fall, winter, and spring. I'll take three months of the oven anytime in exchange for not being caught in a cold winter up north. Summer's something we suffer through here, much like people up north put up with bone-chilling winter. Personally, I'd rather strip off and turn down the A/C rather than bundle up in layers. Then when I finally feel a little bit of 70-something degree chill in the morning air, it's SO wonderful!

Now all of the above being said, if I had my druthers, I'd rather live S.O.B. (that translates to living south of the border, not with an S.O.B.) and gaze at a view like one of these! For now, I can dream.