It's spring somewhere

We are still in Arizona, enjoying the desert in full bloom. Our Prickly Pear cactus has the most beautiful yellow buds that flower during the day, then close at night to go to sleep.

The breezes are warm as the temperatures climb to the upper 80s. We enjoy our coffee on the deck in the morning and our evening strolls.

We are from Minnesota. We spend winters here and most years are packing to head home about now.

But not this year.

It has not been a kind Minnesota winter, and that's the kindest words you'll hear Minnesotans say. It's mid-April and they are fed up. As well they should be.

It's a cruel trick of Mother Nature this year, the winter with no end. I feel for my fellow Minnesotans and I'm not gloating, nor did I write the first paragraph in a mean spirit.

There is hope, Minnesota. Spring must come. And when it does, it will be even more special. Those sights and smells will be appreciated even more after suffering through a very long seven months.

We have not been gone so long that we've forgotten. Those days that drag on and on and on and you just long to see green grass, open windows, and commence with spring cleaning and washing up golf clubs, pumping air into those bike tires, sorting fishing tackle.

Ahhhh, spring. It will come to Minnesota.  And when Minnesotans are enjoying those fresh breezes, tulips popping out of the ground, picnics and outdoor baseball games, Arizonans will be suffocating in the heat, broiling under the hot, intense sun, and getting cabin fever from sitting inside their air-conditioned hot-boxes, paying obscene electric bills to stay cool.

So take comfort, Minnesota. Spring is coming. I promise. We'll be there to celebrate it with you.

Freezing in Arizona

Now I know I will not get any sympathy from my fellow Minnesotans; that is, unless you planned a winter get-away week in sunny Phoenix, paying a premium for your airline tickets.

But here I go anyway: It is freezing in Arizona.

No amount of whining can get an ounce of sympathy from my brother-in-law. But we are setting records here in Arizona, a state totally unprepared for freezing water pipes and outdoor pools, and homes lacking cold-weather insulation. People just don't have down jackets and ear muffs at the ready in their closets.

This is an area where over 2,000 jailed inmates are housed in a tent sans heat and air conditioning. It is literally, a tent. It's called Tent City, set up back in 1993 after Maricopa County's infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio refused to release any incarcerated inmates due to jail overcrowding. Tent City has stun fences around the perimeter, facial recognition computer software for inmate identification. K-9 units and patrol deputies.

Tent City


Sheriff Arpaio thinks if our troops in Afghanistan have rough and meager accommodations, well, then so should our law-breakers, by gosh. It was reported on last night's news broadcast that Sheriff Arpaio, a seemingly heartless guy, softened and ordered hot chicken soup for the fellows for dinner. He tried to arrange for hot cocoa as well but wasn't able to. Not sure I get that, but there you are.

So here on our block, plants and varieties of cacti are covered in blankets and sheets.

Our neighbor's cactus plants covered for protection.

On a morning drive, my husband and I saw huge bougainvillea trees covered as well. Their beautiful red blooms grace even our freeway landscape. The covered ones were, of course, at a private home, not the freeway.

This freeze has great cause for concern for local citrus groves and peach growers who are in danger of losing their entire harvest. They are busy around the clock trying to save the fruits (pun intended) of their labor by watering the ground around the trees first, some even resorting to spraying from a helicopter.

 

Well, the good news is, as my friend Evie in Minnesota pointed out, this abrupt climate change will last only several more days - not months, as Minnesota is accustomed to enduring.

 

But that is the whole point: Arizona is definitely NOT accustomed!

 

Bundle up

Listening to the weather report yesterday,
I heard the announcer report cool weather was coming to this area for a few days.

"And so," he said, "be sure to bundle up!"

Now bundle up in Mesa, Arizona, means something like, "Put on a sweater." It most definitely means something different than to us in Minnesota.

Bundle up in Minnesota means layers of clothing: sweatshirts, lined pants, Parka jackets with hoods, wool scarves and mittens. Oh yes, and boots. Preferably fur-lined.

I remember when "bundle up" didn't mean a thing, even in Minnesota. That's when a teenage girl's ears heard those words in the 60s.

Out we would go to catch the bus several blocks away, or even walk to school, wearing a skirt and sweater, a fashionable jacket, and flat shoes with nylons. Never, ever would anything cover our legs or feet, and unless we were very desperate, we wouldn't be caught dead in boots.

When I was a little tot, I remember a red one-piece wool snowsuit my mother would dress me in...itchy, itchy, itchy...but very warm.

While most of the country is being clobbered with snow storms and ice, we are apparently setting records in Arizona as well. The cool weather here in Mesa this week is very unusual and we're told it's the coldest it has gotten in decades.

It is having the most peculiar results.

For instance, the Waste Management golf tournament was delayed for hours this morning as frost covered the greens. Unheard of.

I was shopping yesterday and stores were experiencing computer issues: cash registers not working, credit cards not being accepted, and so on. When I asked what the problem was, the clerk said, "Oh, it's this cold weather."

It affects electronic devices here as cables and wiring aren't prepared for the "cold." Our cable TV goes out at night and doesn't come back on until about noon (when it warms up!).

Strange, indeed.

Wherever you are, I hope you are staying safe, warm, drinking cocoa with a peppermint stick or candy cane in it, and eating hot oatmeal.

And bundling up!

Sitting by the fire

I have always longed for a fireplace.

It was on our list of "must haves" for several houses we looked at over the years, and bought. I have still never had one.

So I settle for a DVD of a burning camp fire, complete with crackling and popping. It's actually pretty good.

We found it when we visited Minnesota's North Shore last summer. Some guy actually filmed a camp fire out in the woods and made a DVD. It was playing in a gift shop and, of course, having been inspired by being in the north woods, we had to buy it.


Since I am unlikely to ever have a real fireplace, it's the next best thing.

While sitting next to my "fireplace" (such as it is), I'm knitting ear warmers. Not wanting to start a large project before our journey to Arizona, they go quickly and will surely be appreciated by my little 3 and 4 year old granddaughters the rest of the cold Minnesota winter.

For the little ones, I cast on about 12 stitches, using a small, size 6 needle, and am using a double strand of yarn.


I knit this in a strip to about 14 to 16 inches, then bind off and stitch together end-to-end. You want it a bit snug for the head measurement. It can then be slipped on over the ears.

For adults, use a thicker yarn and a slightly larger needle, but make it nice and snug and tightly knit.

It is below zero in our neck of the woods, so we'll take anything we can get to keep warm. Ear warmers and DVD camp fires help.

Happy Holidays!

Baby, it's cold outside

It's 5 below zero today. The wind blew all night and the snow drifts once again cancel-
ed our family Christmas dinner and gift exchange gathering.

Many church programs and holiday concerts have been canceled as freeway ramps are slippery, and driveways and parking lots have not yet been plowed.

I (regrettably) checked the weather for today in Mesa, Arizona. We'll be there in two weeks. 75 degrees and sunny.

I had to know that, didn't I?

Well, in the meantime, here we are. Bundled up, heat on, we've been snuggled in for the day. The sun was shining all day, deceiving us all. But I focused on its rays rather than the outdoor thermometer.

Even Catrina knows it's cold out there.
She prefers being on the inside looking out at the shivering, but most grateful, squirrel, digging for the seed buried deep under-
neath the snow on the patio.

We found all kinds of things to do to keep us warm inside. Those sugar cookies finally were baked and decorated, and we have a wonderful porketta roast slowly cooking in the oven now that the cookies are done.

I made a double recipe of cranberry-strawberry salad for our since-canceled family gathering. Combined with butternut squash, this will make a hearty dinner this evening.

The cranberry-strawberry salad is a very old recipe, and standard fare for all of our family's occasions. It is also perhaps the simplest recipe you'll ever have, but can be served both casually and elegantly.



Heat a can of Ocean Spray whole berry cranberry sauce until hot. Slowly stir in a package of red (any flavor) Jell-O. Let cool just a bit and add a thawed package of frozen strawberries in syrup.

For an optional topping, stir fresh lime juice into a carton of sour cream and garnish with a slice of lime.

Whatever you did to stay warm and cozy today, I hope your day has been filled with the good things this holiday season, and winter, offers.

Happy Holidays!