Strange Creatures Of The Desert

You've already seen some of the worst the desert has to show in the way of creatures ... the lovely wolf spider (according to the Pest guy) and the scorpions.  There are worse things out there that I hope I don't run into.

I always check before letting the puppies out on the patio in the morning where I sit for a few minutes enjoying the sunrise.  No worries, I check that chair out from top to bottom before sitting down.

Rain, thunder and lightning that passed by the front of the house brought out a few of the nicer critters.  It's so weird that the sun can be shining with blue skies, yet the clouds produce lightning and rain.

I was in and out of the rig three times opening and shutting the vent depending on the rain.  It gets so hot inside that I like to leave it open with the fan running.  It's how I get my exercise.  On one trip, I ran into this little guy.  Actually, he was so well camouflaged I almost stepped on him.  About five inches long, this is one of the good guys!!  Isn't he just the coolest??  A true dinosaur!

I got another good scare when I headed out the door after the puppies.  I was barefoot of course when I almost stepped on this guy.  Talk about some break dancing ... like I was standing on hot coals!  

On closer inspection, with shovel in hand, I determined he was of the good kind just before slamming the shovel to the concrete.  Saved by the bell little guy!!  Who knew there were praying mantis in the desert?

At long last the Post Office got their act together, found my errant watch band at their PHOENIX facility (instead of Tucson) and delivered it to my mailbox.  I know, I'm still wearing that huge thing on my wrist, but at least the band isn't red any more.  

The alternative to my best ever Garmin GPS running tell-you-everything-watch would be the Apple watch.  That was just too pricey compared to a new $15 band.  Besides, it's got really big numbers I can see without my glasses.

For dinner I opted to make a really big mess of my barbecue by cooking shrimp on it for the first time.  You are all right ... I should have used that fancy barbecue mat.  I just figured the shrimp were so huge I didn't need it and really, I DID spray it with non-stick spray.  Obviously that didn't work so well.

Still, they looked great by the time they were cooked.

And even better dressed up as shrimp tacos.  They went down okay, but didn't stay long.  Maybe they weren't as fresh as advertised, I've no idea.  They quickly became cemetery material.  I haven't had a good dinner in so long I'm going into withdrawal.

I know you are waiting to hear whether I got any sleep last night, and the answer would be NO.  Just as we were settling in, the lightning began, lighting up the sky like mid day, followed of course by thunderous applause.   Jessie freaked.  

I finally grabbed her, rolled her up in a quilt as best I could and squeezed her tight.  She wanted to go run around, but her heavy breathing was like living with a dragon.  At long last, when the worst part of the storm was past us, she relaxed and went to sleep.  I was awake for the next two hours trying to figure out how to make the couch wider.  Her leg is better, but she's still couch material.

Thank you all for the suggestions ... next time I'm wrapping her in a towel like a burrito.

Much of yesterday was spent napping, but I did watch the Diamondbacks win their game, happy that the announcers were nicer to the other team.

I'm hoping to get in a few winks this morning before hitting an antique store I discovered quite by accident while looking for my Harbor Freight package of solar flashing lights ... the perfect patio accessory.