Dry Monsoon

Temperatures have been hovering around 110 degrees in the afternoons.  We are trying to have a monsoon but it has been a dry year.  The clouds rolled in this afternoon.  The sky got darker.  The wind kicked up and was gusting vigorously.  A few drops fell but the wind dried them quickly.  Then the rainbow formed.  For a while, there was a double rainbow, but the outer second rainbow was faint.  I stood out in the gusting wind, and the few sprinkles of rain the wind blew in, to watch the rainbow.  The sky turned red.  It was almost biblical.  The red sky was within the rainbow.  That passed.  The show went on for the better part of an hour. 

The dog was a bit nervous about the wind.  He couldn't understand why I was standing in the rain, what little there was of it.  Rain is so rare here we sometimes stand in the rain just to experience and enjoy it.  The box turtle came out for the rain, as she does.  The gusty wind blew away the monsoon insects.  It was a perfect time, although we could use some more rain.

Hope you see a rainbow.
Sincerely,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. c(2011)

Got Sleep?

Is anyone out there sleeping a solid 8 hours anymore?  Heck, I'd be happy if I could sleep a solid 7 hours.  Six is not enough and 4 or 5 leaves me especially drained.

There are the neighbor's wind chimes clanging at any ungodly time of night the wind chooses to gust.  What on earth possessed them to get those 6 foot long wind chimes that sound like Westminster Abby on a Royal Wedding day.  There are the neighbor's dogs barking, the coyotes hollering, some kid hot roding around.  When one dog starts barking, they all join in.  Some fool decided to have a loud party with high volume, bad music broadcasting for the displeasure of those of us trying to sleep.  If you manage to get some shut-eye in the early morning, the newspaper delivery vehicle that needs a muffler is making the rounds, and sometimes, on a Sunday morning, some one will run a power tool at the crack of dawn.

Let me tell you City Slickers, roosters do not only crow at the crack of dawn; they crow all night long.  And out here we have pecker birds pecking on metal in the early morning.  Those birds manage to find some metal near the bedroom so it is loud and irritating.  With all that racket, you might as well just get up, even if it is still dark.

The early morning hours, three, four, or five AM, are a nice time of day.  The air is clean and cool.  Open the patio doors and turn on the radio.  You can pick up radio broadcasts from distant cities.  Learn about the traffic in San Diego or the temperature in Albuquerque.  Hear shows about UFOs, Jesus, ghosts, politics, and news.  The far-away radio signals sometimes fade as if blowing away in the wind. Try dial switching and you may find that station again.  A pastor in another state is asking for money and reminding you the the Lord loves you.  O Lord, if you love me, grant me a solid 8 hours sleep.
Amen.
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011