Tag Archives: Phoenix weather

Thursday Thoughts

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Weather Woes
1610830_927480157300532_3800669740923036085_nWell, we survived the temperature drop here in the Land of the Sun. On my Facebook timeline the other day, I posted something from the Arizona Fox affiliate showing the 10-day forecast which indicated a drop of temperatures into the mid-60s, and their suggestion that we all dig out our gloves, scarves and boots. To be fair, the temperature dropped into the low- to mid-40s during the night, and while that wouldn’t necessarily require what my mother always called mukluks, one’s fingers might get chilly. I must also add something else about our weather. The other day when I blogged about the Arizona media talking about so-called “cold temperatures” that were actually mid-60s, I (and others) commented about Arizonans being weather wimps. This suggestion caused my always-practical brother to send me a text in which he invited anyone who thinks Phoecians are wimps to stand beside him in the bakery department of the various Basha’s grocery stores in which he works when the temperature outside is 115 degrees. Point taken.

If It’s Broke
I mentioned that upon our arrival here in Arizona, Bill has been at work fixing a washing machinevariety of household minor calamities. One toilet fixed – check. Bushes cut back – check. Fixed breaker switch that had tripped – check. Washed dirty window – check. Fixed washing machine – NOT CHECK. Of course, as you would imagine, the fact that the washing machine remains broken is not his fault. He spent several days taking the machine apart, no simple task since the large mineral content in Phoenix’s water results in metal parts being almost impossibly stuck together. Still, he was successful and has ordered the part that needs to be replaced. Currently, the washing machine is in the hallway leading to Jen’s bedroom – the Sanchez Wing is what we call it. Unfortunately, it leaves a space of about 6 inches in which to get by. It seemed workable since Jen is not here. Adults use the other bathroom. Jen’s grands can squeeze by and are happily able to reach their toys in her bedroom. How nice to be 5 and almost-2.

Hug a Vet

Bill enjoys his Italian beef sandwich -- free because he is a veteran.

Bill enjoys his Italian beef sandwich — free because he is a veteran.

We decided yesterday that since we were less likely to have walking weather when we go back to Denver next week, we would forgo our inside exercise and walk outdoors instead. Now, when it comes to walking for exercise, I like to go around in measurable circles. There is a park nearby with a lake that I know is eight-tenths of a mile around, and there is a sidewalk. So I’m prone to

walking three times around the lake and calling it my exercise. Bill, on the other hand, heartily dislikes walking in circles and is much more inclined to prefer a destination walk. What we chose to do, then, was to park our car in that very park and walk to a destination, namely the nearby Chicago hot dog joint. Back and forth added up to just over a couple of miles. The restaurant is owned by a young man from Chicago, and he is always there and knows regulars by name and by order. Also always there is his father, who cleans tables and chats up the regulars. Yesterday, when the Chicago dogyoung owner took our order, he asked if either of us was a veteran. Bill told him that he had served in the Army. “Well, then your lunch is on my dad,” the young man said. “He’s picking up the tab on all veterans’ meals today.” Son of a gun. Is that not the nicest thing you’ve ever heard?

Far from Madding Crowd
Now here’s a random thought to share today. Following Mass on Sunday, Bill and I took a walk around the huge flea market that is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the cooler winter months. We didn’t really have anything in mind to purchase, but it’s always fun to see what’s for sale. After we left, Bill said, “Wow, it’s nice to get far from the maddening crowd.” I agreed, and then asked him, “Did you know that the book title you are referencing does not actually use the word maddening? The title is actually Far From the Madding Crowd. Bill admitted he didn’t know that, and it got us both to wondering just what the word madding means. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, it means maddening. I wonder why Thomas Hardy didn’t just use the word maddening. Show off.

Ciao.

A-Yup, We’ve Got Some Weather Comin’ In

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The people here in the Valley of the Sun do love them some weather. I think it’s probably because they really have so little of it. Variation, that is.

Threat of what desert-dwellers excitedly refer to as a “weather event” (which can mean anything from a drizzle of rain, just enough breeze to make the topmost fronds of your palm tree barely sway, or a haboob strong enough to blow away a small javalina) will bring the most sensible people down to the edge of their driveway to take a gander at just what is comin’ in. “A-yup,” these otherwise normal-speaking folks will say to their neighbors who are all also at the edge of their driveway, “we’ve got some weather comin’ in.”

It’s like watching the townfolk in the movie The Music Man waiting to see what the Wells Fargo wagon was bringing to them.

As for the weather people, er, meteorologists, they practically quiver with excitement when they can report something besides temperatures. They are simply breathless at the prospect of a so-called incoming weather event. I must say that it drives me crazy that the women weather….er, meteorologists here wear cocktail dresses to report the weather; I think they just want to do something to spice up the forecast.

My brother has always claimed that they just insert the occasional cloud in the 7-day forecast picture to get people’s hopes up. My theory is that’s why someone inserted the ridiculously high temperatures on the Fox News weather forecast that I linked to in last Saturday’s blog. Let’s shake it up a bit, folks!

All this is to say that in the days immediately preceding the Super Bowl, the Phoenix metro area experienced a rare few days of gray skies and actual rain.

Now, when I say rain, I don’t mean downpours. Even what they call the Monsoon Season is what our friends in say, Seattle would call heavy rain showers. You know, something they might want to shove Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll out into about now.

But during the days just before the Super Bowl, Phoenix hosted a big golf tournament featuring Tiger Woods (who played the worst round of golf since he was wearing diapers). What a disappointment that the weather all three days was cloudy, and on the second day of the tournament it was, quite literally, rainy. It’s rarely rainy in Phoenix. As I said above, it might drizzle. The skies might be cloudy. But it rarely rains. Dang the luck.

But it’s rubbing off on Bill and I, because Sunday morning, there we were in our back yard in our pajamas taking pictures of the area behind our house that was draped in fog. It was mysterious and lovely.

misty back yard mesa

The perfect weather event.