Tucson Winter Weather: a tale of coats And a new dog!

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.

 

December at the Lake

Early winter. Only early December, so officially still fall. Cold, but not bitter, mid-winter cold, about 30 this morning. A rime of frost on the railings of the deck, and on the grass out front, and on the chewed up dirt where they dug the sewer line where there used to be grass. A bit late for the main migrations but there is a bunch of ducks paddling across the lake – I can’t tell what kind – and later another flock honking (if ducks honk; I don’t think they are geese) across the sky. Later, I saw a kingfisher in a tree, and a great blue heron wheeling around the lake. The bird feeder Herbie bought, which I cleaned out of its clumped husks a few weeks ago, is doing a good business, mainly goldfinches and nuthatches. And we saw a strange (to us) nest hanging on a tree in the woods, apparently belonging to a Baltimore oriole.

I sit in the cold with a thick fleece, and wool gloves, and a towel spread on the metal chair, with a cup of coffee and a book I need to finish. It is already light out, and the sun is rising above the trees across the lake. The lake is not completely calm, but certainly not too rough to go out on. It is just still a bit cold. Maybe later, if the temperature gets to 40 or more, after eating. The dogs, especially Fry, are jumping around, wanting to go for a walk. Even though they are not on a leash, running around near the house isn’t enough, but they won’t go for a long walk without one of us.

Yesterday morning, in the West, in time zones where it was still dark when it occurred, Nancy and Amy saw the lunar eclipse in the morning. Amy, farther west in Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills, says it was very impressive. In Kansas City the sun was already up, so the eclipse was not visible, but last night there was a huge yellow full moon hanging in the sky, reflecting on the lake. It was very beautiful here.

The trees are bare, the air is cold, and the coots that spend the winter here are not yet in evidence, nor the otters. But it is very peaceful, and very pretty. I think that you would have liked it, Matt.