Well, that was certainly an unpleasant shock!! One day last week we drove to Florence to meet Rose and John for a tour of the Pinal County Historical Society Museum (one of our favorites); the weather was perfectly horrible for the trip, cold and damp with a pretty steady rain which left the desert a sheet of standing water. It always surprises me to see saguaros sticking up out of a shallow lake. If you’re used to the sort of soil which welcomes moisture and absorbs it instantly, the desert’s reaction is puzzling. And by the time we walked into the museum, it was snowing. Yes, snowing, and not just in the higher elevations. By lunchtime the Superstition Mountains off in the distance were wearing a thick coating of snow and the drive home was a nasty reminder why we no longer spend winters in the snow belt. I-10 was a slow-moving parking lot all the way across the greater Phoenix metro area thanks to a steady bombardment of snow, rain, hail, sleet – enough to cause accumulation on the pavement to the depth of several inches. Shocked Phoenicians, even those in off-the-road vehicles, dropped their speed down to a stately 8 mph. The lightening off to the west kept the radio crackling. By the time we reached Glendale, the skies were clear, the sun was shining and a lovely rainbow arced across the sky over University of Phoenix Stadium.
Earlier in the winter we had several nights of freezing temperatures which caused a flurry of citrus picking. The garage smells like the produce department at Safeway but we’ve been amazed at the shelf life of oranges and grapefruit. Several of the oleanders suffered mightily from the frost and have been pruned back to mere nubbins in order to encourage new growth but the citrus trees seem to have come through the cold without major harm. We discovered that the smallest of the orange trees is a Mineola, a tasty cross between a specific kind of grapefruit and a tangerine. As tasty as fresh orange juice may be, Howie has discovered it a tiresome messy task to squeeze enough for the week.
We’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed plenty of company during the past two months. Pat paid a return visit and was able to spend a couple of nights with us thanks to a neighbor who tends her two kitties while she’s away. Art and Jo came up from Casa Grande while Pat was here and we had a mini Full Timers reunion over lunch. Rose and John paid another quick visit before heading back to Louisiana to recharge their batteries for what promises to be a very busy summer for them. David and Shirley are planning to venture over to the west side this weekend and we’re looking forward to seeing them again. Now if we could only convince some of our other friends from the East Valley that they can come here without a visa or tetanus shots.
Russ and Rochelle found a lovely house about two miles away and so we’ve swapped dinners and rousing games of Aggravation back and forth. Russ has promised to help Howie build some bookcases for my collection of cookbooks. Material has been chosen and as soon as a mutually satisfying date can be selected, work can begin. Russ is eager to get his hands on the wonderful array of woodworking equipment in the shops at the rec center. There will be photos of the project’s progress in future updates to this blog.
Howie involved himself in several lawn bowling tournaments. If he cared to, he could bowl all day every day; there’s even an indoor area if the weather is inclement. I had hoped to be likewise involved in that much beading but discovered that I enjoy the book discussion groups even more and so spend much of my time reading. I’ve also joined something called the Lifelong Learning Group which presents classes and lectures on a wide variety of topics. So far I’ve learned about the birds which congregate at the Hassayampa Wildlife Preserve, exercise as a means of warding off old age, the lifestyles and art of the Four Corners tribes with more topics to be addressed in the near future. Oh, and there’s tai chi one day a week! Doctor and dentist appointments have been woven in…they certainly can cut down on a person’s play time!
There’s plenty of entertainment right here so we don’t need to venture far. This past Sunday was the 21st annual Sousa Concert given by the Sun City Concert Band, a hour of rompin’ stompin’ music and all for a free-will contribution. The band has 100 members (give or take) with an average age of 77+ years. They enjoy making music and there are plenty of us who enjoy listening to them make music so a good time is had by all. We are also looking forward to the resumption of Sun Bowl concerts in mid-March.
You’ll notice a shortage of photos in this posting. We wanted to post the movie of Rochelle lying on her back, feet placed firmly on a very large television set as the guys held it steady. By pushing with one leg and then the other she maneuvered it out of the guest bedroom, down the hall and into the living room. I wanted to include some photos, but for some reason she was unwilling to share…and the movie is on her camera so she gets to choose. Take my word for it, it was pretty funny.
February ended with enough belly laughs to last us until at least until the middle of May. We attended a program at one of the rec centers which featured a ventriloquist named Patrick Murray and his flamboyant Jamaican sidekick, Matilda. The show is called “Jamaican Me Laugh” and they really delivered the goods. Our sides ached by the end of the performance. Matilda is quite the diva and we hope you’ll have the opportunity to catch this act somewhere along the line. In addition to cruises, they have appeared at many of the RV resorts in the Phoenix area so perhaps they’ll be coming to a venue near you soon. Don’t miss the chance to see them.
