Really "This and That!!

We are now in the peak of summer and a somnolence settles down on the southern part of Arizona. People still have to work a full day, yard work, believe it or not, is still necessary, and of course pools have to be meticulously maintained to make sure you do not get that green "stuff" greeting you first thing in the morning!

Where work is concerned, one has to slog on and be grateful that one still has a job, in this shaky economy. The desert gardens of houses in semi rural areas are usually home to mesquite trees and palo verdes. Lovely desert trees which require little or no maintenance and both drop seeds which soon sprout into new saplings after the first rains.
BUT! The palo verde, while beautifu in spring and early summer with its profusion of little yellow flowers, soon sheds them, all in one go, it seems. At some point, the ground beneath them seems to be carpeted in yellow, a lovely sight, yet it has to be raked up.
The mesquite does not really flower but grows thousands and thousands of pods which are the exact shape and length of green beans! Thousands of years ago, these beans were food to the indigenous people and when the beans dried they were ground and pounded into a flour like consistency and used to make a type of flat bread. At the moment the beans are all down and I am hoping some poor soul will offer to rake them up! But I think I shall just have to pay someone to do it for me as a bad back just does not let me do it myself.
As for the pool, that is my chore and my pleasure. At 6am. in the morning I skim the surface, check the Ph. backwash if necessary and then, all hot and bothered, I jump in even at that early time, since the water is at its "coolest" at 88F or 32C !!! after a swim, I remain in my swim suit and as soon as I dry up just a little, go in, have breakfast and do my home chores. This is the best way to keep cool while doing the housework. Later, at sunset, it is time to jump in again to cool down, sort of, as by now the pool is close to 92F or 35C ! then check the Ph. again and put in the necessary chemicals so that they work on the pool at night.

That is a day in the desert! Some time in between, shopping has to be done and of course, cooking. Summer menus are light and fresh and quickly put together. While the rest of the Country enjoys barbequeing on the week ends, it is just too hot for my taste, at least to cook outside. So I invent as many different cold meals as I can.

The big news is when the monsoon rains finally hit. It has already rained pretty heavily in several parts of the State but the area I live in has only got a sprinkling and done nothing to alleviate the situation!

I am still hoping and waiting!