HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

 BOOM ... BANG ... YAY!!!!!  The Fourth rings a little differently in Arizona.  It's probably the only time of year people get outside and practice with their firearms.  You don't need fireworks here, just big guns.  I have no problem with that, but I AM laying pretty low in the house so I don't get hit with stray bullets.  To be honest, I'm too cheap to throw away that much money on ammunition.  

Yessirree ... these aren't your normal little neighborhood street fireworks, these are the big guys coming from back yards down in the valley.  They even blotted out the train horns.

Tonight I'll go for some outside pictures from the patio.  I doubt there will be the big show from the golf course across the valley, but I'm going to be looking just in case.  So Happy Fourth of July!!!  I'm glad to still be here to celebrate it.  We can use a little more PATRIOTISM in this country.

I tried the salt in the water route yesterday as recommended by Bob.  He was right.  I felt SO much better, more like myself.  The sting is back down to normal 1" size and isn't itching NEAR as bad.  I think I'll live another day and not turn into Wasp Woman after all.  That might have been fun!

The previous sunset left a nice afterglow, but it was still too hot to go outside.  At 108 degrees most the day, it's good to just watch rodeo and force yourself to drink water.  

The almost full moon came up quite nicely .....

But I didn't have the gumption to stand outside and take pictures, so here's a cheater from the last full moon.  I'm surprised as I look back at all of these images over the years, that they look exactly the same.  The moon doesn't change its features at all.

This mornings sunrise was slightly better, with a few clouds beginning to come around.  It's monsoon season in about two weeks.  My To-Do list is long.  First up, I put in a call to a roofer who is going to show up on Wednesday to check my garage facia board and give me a price on gutters.  It seems gutters aren't popular in Arizona, but they sure would help keep things from rotting.  

I have to admit, Mother Nature's critters are pretty smart too.  They only come out in the cool morning air.  Cool as in 79 degrees!!  There was a huge lizard ... about 12 inches long on the other wall, but as soon as I walked by the window, he was gone.  This guy is about 6 inches long.  

I was outside long enough to fill in the hole by the sprinkler and find yet another drip line that is leaking.  That will be dug up this morning.  I even counted SEVEN blades of grass that have turned GREEN!  Woohoo!!  Green grass is cooler and a little easier on Coopers feet.

I'm not the only hot one around here.  By noon my patio was the location of a flash mob.  There were seven baby thrashers (least I think that's what they are) hanging out in the shade, panting with their beaks open, trying to keep cool.  They dug in the dirt at the edge of the concrete, then parked up close to the house.  They are barely five inches from beak to tail.  Cute little poop machines.

I am celebrating today over at the Chance house, after which I'll be on the patio with my camera to see if I can catch any fireworks.  In the meantime, Cooper and I had a ten minute game of retrieve the ball.  He seems to be doing very well and Momma is a happy camper!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!