Heat . . . Rain . . . Monsoons!

One thing I have really learned to love about Arizona is the Monsoon season. It is beastly hot, usually always in the 'teens - like today the expected high is 112. But then we have a storm, like last night. We watched it roll in on the news. It was a HUGE dust cloud that was moving nearly 45 miles per hour from Gilbert to the south of us. The rain also comes. We went outside to see if we could spot the dust storm heading our way. I was barefoot (dogfoot!) and the driveway and sidewalk were unbearably hot. I was hopping around to keep from burning the bottom of my feet. The clouds were rolling in from three different directions and the lightening was already flashing. I ran back in the house for about half an hour and watched more about the storm on the news. Next weather check outside, I wore my shoes. The sky was much darker, and the sunset was amazing as the clouds were everywhere but in the west. The wind had really picked up and it was hot, hot, HOT! Went back in for a while and when I heard the first drops on the roof went outside again. The smell of rain is one of my favorite things, and the air was still agitated with the dust storm. As the rain fell and hit the sidewalk with quarter sized drops, it evaporated almost instantly because of the heat absorbed from the day. Then it really came in full force, and the ground actually started looking wet. The steam rises and the heat starts to diminish. The temperature falls more than 20 degrees as the rains take over for a while. We (Rod, Becca, and I) opened up the garage and sat out in our camping chairs. The mist from the rain was cooling - and we really enjoyed the electrical show put on by the lightening. The hot air from the garage rushed out at us against our backs as we sat facing the rains, but finally depleted as the storm won out. As the last drops splashed down, we went back into the house. Early this morning as I walked the dog, it was so muggy I could hardly breathe and I could still smell the rain - that's the monsoon for you! I love it! We will have many more storms like this through August and September. Give me hot over cold any day! However, the dry heat is easier to stand than the humidity. Thank goodness for air conditioning! Another interesting thing about this season is the house water. Our pipes are in the attic and not buried very deep in the ground. As I showered this AM after the muggy walk (I was totally covered in sweat) (I know..GROSS!), I only used the cold water, and wished I could have had it just a tad cooler. Can you imagine not being able to have the water as cold as you want it? For the next few weeks, I will not have to add any hot water to the shower at all and it will still be plenty warm. And just try getting a cold water temp in the washing machine - oh well... Most people have the same experience when they move here: you turn on the kitchen tap and wait for the water to get cold so you can have a drink . . . you wait, and wait and wait..... and it never happens! It is a little wierd, but then you finally know why you have an ice dispenser in the refrigerator door!