Winter

The subtitle to this blog is Life in the Sonoran Desert. This is an update.

We're not used to the cold. We were spoiled last winter because it froze only once, maybe twice, and that was in late November. This winter we've been covering sensitive plants with white sheets so often the garden looks like a Ku Klux Klan hang-out. We watch 10-day forecasts regularly, subtracting a few degrees from the predicted downtown lows to account for our elevation and location near a major wash. 

At least El Niño has brought lots of snow in the Catalinas and ground-soaking rain below. We got enough rain by the 7th to account for the January average and the Rillito River flowed for almost two weeks. We even have had several overcast days.

The blood thins as you get used to the Sonoran Desert. After weeks of monsoon heat and sleeping without covers, we now have a thick duvet on our bed, usually supplemented with a blanket. A space heater is on low in the bathroom to take the edge off the cold tiles. We wear fuzzy mukluk boots, hiking pullovers and throw blankets as we sip our morning coffee. Our closets are bulging with long sleeves, polypropylene, heavy pajamas, overcoats and wool.

I like to joke that if you don't like the weather here, wait a few hours. It also works for our five seasons. A few weeks, a couple of months, and it's a different climate. I'm ready for spring.