Rain

It stormed last night beautifully, with lightning coming in from Douglas. The rain wasn't substantial, but it left the ground moist and this morning it was a mild 71F at 7am.

An hour later I took the dogs out for a walk, taking them toward the highway. Sadie got tired after the first mile and plopped down in a shady spot, so I gave them all ten minutes to recoup. By the time we walked back the sky was blue and clear and the heat was back.

Sadie still tries to be accepted by the big dogs. Sara still snaps at Sadie when Sadie gets too close to her. Sammy seems to be more accepting of the pup; today he was play-chasing her around the back yard. Those two dogs also sleep close to each other.

I was busy in the back yard, planting more seeds. I even struck a conversation with the young neighbors who are moving out at the end of the month. It turns out the three renters have been throwing their trash behind their shed, against our chainlink fence that hides the piles of trash by the tall shrubs along the fence. I hope thoe people clean all that trash up; it's as if they haven't been using the dumpsters and have been stashing all their beer bottles and cans and general trash behind the shed.

I was kind enough to take their aluminum cans off their hands. The two large bags of Bud cans will go to the shelter this week.

Kevin came home at noon, stating he was too nervous to work longer with his flight to North carolina tomorrow at 5:30am. He came home to pack and rest. I hadn't even showered yet when he got back (I was getting too dirty in the garden). By 6pm he was in bed because of his midnight wake-up.

I am nervous for him, too. He hates flying now that TSA and the airlines are so flyer unfriendly. (At least he doesn't have to get man-handled by the 300-pounders working at the Philadelphia International airport!)

He will only be gone a few days, enjoying his time off with his kids at his niece's wedding. I had originally wanted to drive out there a week in advance, but nixxed that plan when the gasoline prices rose too much (The national average today is now $4.08). I'll probably stay here and garden some more, clean up the office and put things away...or perhaps drive up to Prescott to explore some trails, although Sadie is too young to go on hikes longer than three miles.

It rained again this afternoon, but nothing too hard. The rains have been "insignificant" so far, doing more damage with the lightning that any good. Another wildfire broke out this afternoon east of Phoenix, which was started by lightning. So far just 100 acres have burned and firefighters can't get to it due to its remote area and lack of personnel. The White Tanks fire started out as a small fire (don't they all start out small?!) but has now grown to 9000 acres.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/06/25/20080625abrk-brushfire0625-ON.html