Hot down here!

Actually, it's not really too bad here, but it is getting up into the mid-90s during the day. Fortunately, it cools down 20-30 degrees at night. And it's not Phoenix or Tucson! I went to a relative's memorial service that was held in Tucson Friday morning. It was 108 there when I left midday Friday, 104 in Lordsburg mid-afternoon and 95 when I got home. So, I'm pretty happy to be living in the town of "four gentle seasons," as they say in promotions. We are starting to get some afternoon clouds, which help cool temperatures down. Waiting/praying for the monsoons to arrive!

We've done our first two weekends of tending the gallery at Piños Altos, which tends to be five degrees cooler because it's seven miles north, up over the Continental Divide at 7,000 feet. Not much action yet, but it's nice to be sitting the gallery and seeing a few shoppers. We've even sold a few cards.

Otherwise, we've been watching the house crocs, watching Congressman Steve Pearce in a public meeting and being watched by the curve-billed thrasher sitting the nest in the cholla behind the house. Every time I go out there, s/he is on the nest, giving me the evil eye. I'm expecting to see a new clutch of eggs, since I think they lost all of the first three.

Sandy found a bird-seed dispenser, which I've hung right outside the dining nook window. We get to watch black-chinned hummingbirds at their feeder and grosbeaks, jays and finches at their feeder ... and occasionally the yard-crew deer or a jackrabbit.

As you may know, we're on edge about actual and possible fires ... it's a tinderbox. It was nice, therefore, to see that citizens spontaneously picketed two big fireworks tents at Walmart and Food Basket. It apparently grew out of Facebook discussions, got attention from the media (and law enforcement) and quite a bit of support in the community. Albertson's was contemplating a similar outlet, decided against it. And, we hear this afternoon, the vendors being protested have decided that this is probably not the year to be peddling sparks in this community. Of course, there's many other sources of fireworks and it will still be a law enforcement challenge to suppress fireworks activity and a fire protection challenge to suppress any small fires that get started over the holiday weekend. tv