I want some coffee!

We're witnessing summer fighting to the last gasp. We might see 100°F today here in Benson. But we won't be here to 'enjoy' it since I have some tests to complete before I see the ophthalmologist next week. Instead we'll get to enjoy upper-100s in Tucson. Oh joy. But I definitely had a nice morning walk this AM. This shot was taken looking East across San Pedro Valley toward the Dragoons... Post-sunrise as the sun paints a nice start to a Fall day.

I was afraid we were going to go thru all of September - the last month of monsoon season - without a drop of rain here in Benson, Arizona. Monsoon season most often brings us at least 1.5" of rain each month in July, August and September. But Mother Nature came thru for us... Proof-positive we had some rain in September! 0.19" of rain is not much but it beats zero !

... it's turning hot again! Well... maybe not so much 'hot' as dry! This was a typical September head-fake that summer is over. But instead of genuinely cooler weather from the approaching Fall season. the monsoons dry up which means no clouds. No clouds = hotter weather.  8 days out of 10 with no rain means no clouds to shade us from the sun. Ugh! I occasionally note the number of leaseholders returning to the park. We have 113 here compared to a mid-summer low of about 105. That's 113 leaseholders on-site compared to a maximum of about 300 leaseholders. There are also about 23 annual 'renters' plus another 27 six-month renters (renters don't get to vote at board meetings but are probably on the Hot List to get a lot when one becomes available). There are something like 400 leaseholders and renters combined, though not all return every year- travel plans and health issues make it variable. So the annual migration of snowbirds to Southeast Arizona hasn't...

It sounds like wishful thinking as I sit here typing away while pretending the blast from the mini-split AC above my head is 'normal'. Could we be feeling the effects of the annual weather transition from summer into fall? Seems too early as it's just the first week of September and Fall is still a couple weeks away. Yeah... it's actually Labor Day today. Broken clouds over the Dragoon Mountains of San Pedro Valley not long after dawn. And yes, Mrs. B's lazy husband really was out of bed before dawn.   The colors in the photo above make the morning look cooler than what we've been experiencing. A couple hours later the temps were back into the 90s. But the good news is it was the 90s and not the 100s! Life is good here in Southeast Arizona.

Straight out of my memory of a Western radio show episode of perhaps Red Ryder or the Lone Ranger or whatever. I was a big fan of anything with a Western theme which involved a 6-gun, galloping horses, cattle, stage coaches and talking like a cowboy.  Of course in 1959 I got a dose of reality. My paternal grandfather had lived in Buffalo, Wyoming around the time of the Johnson County Cattle Wars. He might have stayed and lived happily ever after except Margaret Lothian declined his proposal and instead married the guy with the ranch. Decades later when they both were widowed he asked again and this time she said yes.  That was in 1956. My recently widowed grandfather sold his property in Santa Cruz, California and moved lock, stock & barrel to Buffalo where he married Margaret and lived with her in the rear apartment of the Occidental Hotel. Margaret had owned and operated the hotel since her first husband won it in a high stakes poker game. It was a resurrection of sorts:...

 It's become a de facto tradition that we two retirees climb into the car about 1130 MST (almost) every Sunday and drive to Sierra Vista... Benson to Chipotle Mexican Grill in Sierra Vista- almost 40 miles. It's an easy drive from the SKP Park, over the now-3-years-and-counting project to build a bridge over the San Pedro River near St David, then on to Tombstone. At the North edge of Tombstone we turn off AZ-80 and take Charleston Rd 17 miles to Sierra Vista. Then we turn into the Charleston Crossing Shopping Center and park near Chipotle Mexican Grill We discovered the Chipotle chain years ago, probably when shopping in Tucson on a Sunday (Trader Joe's of course!). Chiptole serves a pick-and-choose meal-in-a-bowl which we both enjoy immensely. Beans, rice, grilled peppers, salsa, guacamole (avocado dip) and greens. The Admiral also gets a little sour cream and some shredded cheese cuz she's not a wimp and can digest dairy products just fine. Since it's pick-and-c...

... the two new replacement ACs (one on the trailer roof and one in the casita ) are both working pretty well. Both of these are heat pumps and have been putting out cold air for a few weeks now. Got my fingers crossed for how they work when the cold weather hits in a few weeks. Cold air aside, the most noticeable change is that I haven't been whining. Maybe it's time to crawl out from under my rock and greet the day! One seriously grumpy looking cat (photo by Melissa Hughes ) Or not! So the appliance issues have subsided for the moment. Now the attention is shifting to our Vegas RV. The not-starting issue wasn't the real issue. Apparently the issue is a relay that's stuck on/closed/activated causing the starter battery to discharge. That battery had a bulge (never a good sign!) and has been replaced. But the relay or the control to the relay still needs attention. Lightning Fast will look at the problem in a couple days.