First Haboob Storm of the Season

We had a very unexpected haboob type storm last night with plenty of gray blowing dust followed by a brief strong RAIN.  Haven't seen rain in months so it was rather a treat except today we now suffer in 23% humidity.  We are NOT used to that.  This morning at 9:30 it is already 95.  We're still under the excessive heat warning so are expecting another 110+ day.  It seems kind of early for this weather!

I didn't take a photo during the storm but it did have some brief strong wind as evidenced by the street corner light pole that blew down.  Although when you take a close look at the rusted base, I can understand why it went over so easy.

This was at the corner of Mulligan and Cole Circle by the dog run and tennis courts.

It broke off right at ground level.  I'm glad APS was able to replace the one on our corner a few weeks ago.

It has been so nice to have Tom and Bev Gottfried still here for the summer as Tom keeps experimenting with the big macro lens for his camera.  He recently sent me these two flower photos:

The amazing part of the story is that these are close ups of THIS flower!

As you look at the tip of the stalk, you can see how TINY these flowers are.  That camera lens is quite impressive!! I laughed at Tom's story as he said he tried to get the original photo using his tripod out in the rock garden but had such a hard time getting the camera set up and leaning over to get to the lens.  Finally he just cut off the stem and took it inside for a better close up.  

This proves that the tiny insects and bees get quite a different view of a flower than we do.

The HEAT is the main topic for us this week.  We feel sorry for our little hummingbirds as they sit with their beaks wide open to pant and breath in this hot weather.  This little guy sits on my plant right outside the living room window so we watch him all day as he comes and goes to chase the other birds away.  It certainly provides entertainment for the cats!

When Mouse wants peace and quiet, he curls up in Don's closet.  Sleep tight little one.

Turning the page to June & open mailboxes

Ah yes...........we soon turn the calendar page to June.  The heat looks like it's starting a week earlier than usual.  Average June temps in Arizona range from 102 to 106 and here it comes.

Heat exhaustion sneaks up on us really fast so here is a note to those readers who are still here.  Carry water with you at all times.  We even keep two bottles in the car just in case.

I saw this post on Nextdoor this morning.  Thanks for posting, Peggy.  I haven't spotted the feathery critters for the last several days so its good to know they're still around.

I like to keep in touch with our mailroom and inquire about the number of open mailboxes here.  That's a quick way to get a feel for how many people are still here in the summer.

Mailroom news from Donna Cox:

We currently have about 450 open mailboxes but anticipate it dropping to 425 after this week.  More people are finally feeling safe enough to travel back home.  The weather forecast is probably helping them make that decision too.  😎

This 425 is at least 100 more now than last year at this time.

We are also seeing an increase in short term residents who are working on different building construction around our area....like Lucid Motors for one.  According to the article in the Dispatch, Lucid wants to be producing cars by the end of this year.  They will need 2000 workers and their plant in Coolidge with employ another 2000 later on.  

We watch the progress of the palm blossoms.  The branches will be swarming with bees as they gather the nectar.  Once all the blooms are open, they fall like snow.  When life is this quiet, this is how we pass the time.  😁

Mouse dislikes having the blinds drawn but it helps when I'm working at the computer.  I get the message.

Meanwhile, Kat is in my bedroom emptying the drawer so he can crawl in for a nap.

Get a cat they said.  It will be fun they said.  

If at first you don't succeed, try a different drawer.

and then move over because Mouse is waiting to join in.

Golf Tournament plus more

I realize I haven't posted for quite a while and folks are asking me for news..........but there isn't much to report.  I guess that's a good thing in this troubled virus ridden world.  All is calm, quiet, and uneventful here.  

We did come across a happy group of golfers this morning.  Mona tells us that today is the first annual memorial day best ball tournament.  Sixteen golfers participating.  They certainly picked beautiful weather unlike the tournament on TV yesterday with Phil and Tiger when they played in heavy rain.

We've been enjoying some absolutely gorgeous mornings for the past few weeks as you can see by the "low" temperatures on this chart.  We turn the page to June now though so you see our high temps surging forward.  Historically average temps for June at 102 to 106.  

Speaking of high temperatures, we've already come across three examples this season of what happens when the batteries in your thermostat die while you are away.  Typically when the batteries die, the thermostat drops back to a factory reset level which is as low as it goes.  The AC unit keeps running at that new setting.  This one dropped down to 65.  We definitely noticed how cool it felt when we entered the house.  The AC unit was cooling to 65 and it has been in triple digits in the afternoon which means a lot of electricity!

We changed the batteries and reset it to 88 or 90 at the owner's request.  It pays to keep an eye on your APS bill and watch if you see any unusual usage activity.  APS has an excellent website to monitor your activity while you are away.  

The palm trees are just starting to burst their seams and break into blossom.  

There are MANY varieties of palms in this resort so it's always interesting to see how they bloom.

Here's just a lovely view from one of our stops.

Wildlife continues to blossom too.  This mama dove is on her second nest among the spikes.

An irrigation problem has come to the attention of the ducks.

Meanwhile, Mouse finds time to relax.

I play video games during the heat of the day so Mouse keeps me company.

Wouldn't we all love to be able to sleep that soundly.  

And that's all the "news" I have from the past week.

To all our readers:  STAY SAFE!

Weeds, Flowers, and tid bits

Our weed-be-gone contractor is busy and has lots of equipment around the resort as they spray the pre-emergent over ALL the sites.

Saguaros are definitely in bloom right now.  You see them in blossom all over in the desert and here in the park.

These barrel cactus have small flowers but they're fun to admire also.

Our landscape crews are busy cleaning out the flower beds for summer.  Certainly enjoyed all those petunias this year.  They were beautiful and smelled heavenly.

Just a few quick camera shots around the course this morning.

Love our Arizona sky and sunshine.

Had to run some errands yesterday and saw a sign at Wild Wings.

Great time for a tailgate party!

Pool Opening!!

Just received the official word from both the Governor of Arizona and now Sun Communities:

Our first heat wave has finally passed and we're back down into some friendly weather.  The 90s are just fine with us as it means our mornings are very pleasant.

We're watching the blossoms on the palm trees.  I'll keep posting this one until the white flowers burst forth.

The third story is starting on the Best Western hotel at the corner of Henness & Florence.  Certainly is a slow build.

The cats eagerly await mornings so they can go outside.

They're content to be out in their cage for at least an hour every morning while Don and I have our morning coffee.  (Thank you again Ron!)

Can't resist throwing a handful of bird seed to lure in the entertainment.

We rode past Kay and Ken's place this morning.  

They said to say howdy to our blog readers!