Topic: People/Family stories
It has been perfect weather in Phoenix lately folks. Sitting in my screened in porch in the mornings with a cup of strong coffee in a long sleeved, cotton shirt over my jammies is perfection. I read my Bible and I try to listen. I have to try hard, because I find the mockingbirds howling at the mourning doves (who are making a spectacle of themselves with the male doing the hoochy coochie dance of love while the female totally ignores him and walks along under the mockingbird's nest pecking at invisible specks) and woodpeckers tapping on the palm trees and pigeons eating my dog's dry food very distracting. I am reading in Psalms and have gotten to the Psalms of Ascent. It makes me long for the New Jerusalem and makes me wonder about future things. (I heard that Beth Moore is preparing a new Bible study on these Psalms and I can't wait!)
By mid-morning it is warm enough outside that you want to be in the shade. That is, unless you are a senseless teen who wants a tan. Last week being Spring Break, 2 of my girls went out to broil themselves several times. Hannah went home with at least 3 different tan lines on her back...actually burn lines. This is somehow supposed to make her look better in a halter style bridesmaid dress in May. (remember Hannah, lighten up lol) I had a dream last night that she was walking down the aisle at the wedding with a perfect tan, except for one streak of white, the size of a bathing suit tie. I woke up half alarmed for her and half cracking up.
The evenings are perfectly cool, just right for eating outside and lighting the fire in the chiminea. It's also perfect for inspiring this blog post as I sit by the pool with my laptop. (It's kind of dangerous too. A HUGE, orange blossom glutting, black bumble bee just flew by, wondering if I was an orange tree and swooped in front of me. My first reaction was to swing my open laptop around at him, because he scared the bejeebers out of me! But I came to my senses and just tossed my hair around wildly....pretty stupid-looking, but it worked!)The scent of orange blossoms is so strong this time of year that you literally smell it ALL the time, except when you are in a building with no windows open. There are so many orange trees in Phoenix that it wafts in and out of every neighborhood, in your windows on the highway and even in parking lots when you get out of your car. I love that smell...no artificial 'orange blossom' scent has ever come close to the actual smell I think. I am so glad I never developed an allergy to it, because believe me, if you have allergies to orange blossoms, you are in deep, deep misery for several weeks every March!
Then all night long, weve been sleeping with a fan in the window, bringing in the scent of orange blossoms and fresh rain. Three days of wonderful rain this week! My chamomile plants are very happy and ready to be plucked.
Well, the sun is gone from the sky, the dusk is settling in and I need to go throw some frozen pizzas in the oven for my kids who keep peeking out here and asking if I'm going to make dinner tonight. =)
