Back home in Iowa everyone is looking forward to those fall days, when the air turns cool and crisp, and it's time to get out those fuzzy sweaters and favorite boots. I remember! It's always something to look forward to, especially after a particularly hot and humid summer. It won't be long and the days will be getting shorter and the nights longer. Trees and bushes will be turning vivid colors of red, orange, and yellow, and filling everyone's senses with the sights and smells of the season. When the wind blows and the leaves rustle in the trees before falling to the ground, and when the leaves brush across the street and pile up in the lawns, those wonderful aromas of autumn fill the air. What does it smell like? How do you describe it? To me it's almost like dried flowers, a burnt smell, rippened apples on the ground, wet dirt mixed with cold fresh air, I don't know...it's hard to describe. I love the fall in the midwest. (Although raking semi-truck loads of leaves had a lot to be desired, I won't complain about that!) I just don't like what comes AFTER that. Well, I take that back. The first snowfall is always exciting, and wearing my new boots and winter clothes is fun at first. Not having to mow the grass anymore is nice. Of course, a white Christmas is what we all dream of, and then after that, I want to be some place warm.
And that brings me to my point. I had had enough of the cold, dreary winters, of sliding on the icy roads, below zero temperatures, scraping an inch of ice off my windshield, brushing 16 inches of snow off my vehicle, always having salt from the street covering my car, shoveling snow, shoveling snow again, gray skies, turning up the heat in the house and piling on the clothes and never being warm enough, feeling that bite in your face from the bitter cold wind, and freezing and shivering every time I went somewhere, that I decided I didn't want to live in that climate any longer. So, I moved to the southwest, the desert, to be exact. I have to admit, the main reason isn't because of the weather, although that had a big impact on my decision. The main reason was to be closer to my grandchildren. Having sunny blue skies and dry heat vs. humidity was a big bonus, too. My hair is thanking me for it, as it looks so much better without the unruly curls and frizz caused by the humidity.
Hard to believe, but I've been in Phoenix for almost a year and a half now! That's two summers worth, two springs, and one winter. I am looking forward to another winter here. While everyone back home will be complaining of the bitter cold, I will be in glorious sunshine and warm weather. I have to admit, it's been so hot and dry here this summer, where normally Phoenix gets some rain during the monsoon season from mid June to the end of August, we didn't see much at all. This summer, instead of rain, we got dust storms. The dust, or sand storms, are called haboobs. A funny name but not a funny sight! They say we had three, but I counted more than that. Some of the valley area got lucky and got more rain than we did...and some areas got terrible wind and rain storms. We also had 32 days in a row with over 110 degree temperatures. Yesterday it was 101 degrees, but today it's back up there in the 110 range again. Yes, it gets hot here in the summer, but to me it is the lesser of two evils....if you want to think of it that way. I'd rather have hot than cold, ANY day. I love wearing flip flops and tank tops and never needing a sweater at night. For the record, I do miss my hometown and the people in it, and I do miss the changing seasons, but I'm adjusting to life out here in the valley of the sun. Fall in Phoenix doesn't have the aromas of back home, but that's what Yankee candles are for!
The past is a celebration, the future is a promise!
