Tucson winter is not like winter in the north, not like
Chicago or Kansas City, where I have lived, by any means. A good reason to live
here. But in the desert the temperatures each day and night have a wider range
than they do in coastal areas, say San Diego. And it can get cold; even when it
gets to the 70s in the daytime, there are always several nights where the
temperature goes down to 32 or less, and the plants need to be covered. So, as
one goes out about one’s business (especially walking the dog), different times
of day require different outerwear.
During the long first-light (roughly 7am) walk, with the
temperature in the low 40s or high 30s, a down jacket is in order (at least for
me and many others; some folks seem to be able to wear hoodies!). Then, toward
late morning/noon, mid 50s to 60s, light windbreaker type jacket is enough, and
by mid-afternoon, high 60s or even 70s, shirtsleeves (usually, though, long
sleeves). Then the evening walk after dark, 8:30 or so, we’re back to yet
another jacket, flannel-lined denim, a bit warmer than the windbreaker but
certainly not the down. The morning cold is exacerbated recently by high
early-morning humidity (80-90%, with heavy dew); we’ve even had a couple of
days of rain. The other day, the mountains rose above a layer of clouds (see
picture) which someone referred to as the “marine layer”. I don’t think we get
a marine layer 400 miles from the ocean, but it was very pretty.
Soon, though, it will be spring, and then summer, and
probably by April, it is t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops 24/7!
Speaking of walking dogs, about two months ago, I wrote of
the death of Maggie, our older dog, and that we had just adopted Molly, 5 years
old, 3 days earlier. Now Molly has been with us for two months, and she is a
good dog, energetic and eager to please. She is very affectionate, likes to
greet other dogs, and especially people. She knows that people are much more
likely than dogs to pet her (and offer her treats). She knows some commands,
like sit, and is working on “come”.
Then a couple of weeks ago, I noticed spots of blood on the
floor. Coming from her vulva. It can’t be estrus, right, because she is spayed
– so it says on the certificate of sterilization from the Humane Society. So I
bring her to our vet. She is, he says, in heat. She has no surgical scar. Her
genital area is swollen. I say we have a certificate of sterilization! He says
that he knows; we had given him the paperwork when we first brought her to him
for a checkup a week after adoption. So I brought her back to the Humane
Society.
Whoops. They insisted on a hormone test (LH) to ensure she
was in heat. Yup. OK, they apologize, and will do it for free. Of course.
Meanwhile she walks in the park and recently I’ve been letting her off the
leash to run around with other dogs. They’re all female or neutered. Until
today. A young (15 mo) poodle could not take his attention away from her nether
regions; luckily didn’t try to mount her. OK, waiting until there are two of us
here to help her with her surgical recovery and a couple of weeks of the “cone
of shame”. Just have to be careful for a bit.
And I thought I’d add a couple more pix of sunsets and such.
