Merry Christmas everyone!
Ensconced in the warmth of Scottsdale, AZ where today it will be 71 degrees. That's happy making. Quite awhile ago a learned colleague's son developed an Xmas card for this area. On the cover it showed a line drawing of a pool with folk gathered around having drinks. The caption read: "It's Christmas time in Tucson. Folks are sitting around their pools drinking margaritas." When you opened up the card, the interior said, "How is it where you are?" I was told he sold about 10,000 of them. While the message was a little snarky, it certainly confirms our experience here so far. It has, and continues to be, beautiful.
We escaped No, Utah in the nick of time. Cache Valley had a foot of snow a couple days after we left and the winter temperature inversions were firmly in place along with high concentrations of PM 2.5. (These are microscopic particles that get into your lungs.) We don't miss that.
We have been joined for the season by our daughter who will be here until the New Year. We are all having a fine time, capped today by a great meal at the Royal Palms resort. When I was a high school sprat, we lived near that resort and we used to be able to rent their horses in the off season for $2 an hour. You could ride right out of there into desert. No longer. It is all housing now. ("They paved Paradise, and put up a parking lot." Thanks, Joanie.)
Still carrying chronic upper respiratory crap that produces hacking and expectorating. But it feels less intense. Don't know, at this point, whether I am beating it or not. We'll see. Otherwise health seems fine. Sleeping well, eating too well, walking okay. I'm happy.
Hope you all are the same and are having a fine holiday.
