It has begun

Monsoon season is finally here.

I woke up last night to flashes of light in my room. Now this is usually due to airplanes, but then I heard something. Thunder.

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!

Open the blinds. "Oh my gosh, dog, it's raining." We both stood in the window and watched it rain, lightening, and thunder with a fury that no one has seen in 81 days.

That's right! 81 DAYS SINCE IT'S RAINED.

The last day it rained was Saturday, April 9th. It was a very cold day - only 45 degrees outside.
And while yesterday was in no way cold, it was so beautiful to just sit there and listen to the rain and thunder, and watch the lightening through the curtains.

Did you wake up at 4:30 AM and hear the storms?
If not, here's a video I shot in the dark. You can hear the rain as constant fuzz in the background, sometimes hearing the gusts, and then comes the lightening and thunder.

I also tried to take some photos but my camera wasn't really cooperating...

Post lightening

And here's my room being lit up by the lightening

And then from our walk this morning to survey...

Meet Darcy

You may have met her under a different name (Genevieve, Emma, Emmylou, Indiana)...yes, I'm indecisive with names.

I prayed - A LOT - about getting a dog. And God has answered my prayers and unexpectedly given me a lovely creature to live life with :)

It is the dog Susan Park's work found. She's chill (except when you first come to the door because she's only 6 months old), sleeps a lot, and doesn't like to run or walk too much :) Heck yes! Were working on training her right now, which is not my forte, but she's doing alright with it.

As far as the name, there were several constraints. I really wanted to settle on something either Jane Austen, winter, or astronomy related, but it needed to be something pronounceable in both English and Spanish. And after calling her the prior names for a while, I settled on Darcy because of how her appearance reminds me of the outfits he wears. Also, I have a boy's name, so she might as well too :)

very typical of her

She loves her toys

the UK, I mean Great Britain, errr...England!

Another video by the same guy - and yes, he still talks fast. But I found this FASCINATING. And, it's a hint/teaser to the other new addition to my house...

On coffee

Careful - he talks kinda fast

New additions to the house

New additions to the house this summer...

So the mail/bills/papers can be "out" and visible, but not everywhere

In the bathroom I used growing up, we had a medicine cabinet behind you, in addition to the mirror above the sink. It was very convenient for see what the back of your hair looked like, so I put a hinge on this mirror so it can help me with such items.

Some herbs! Mint, Cinnamon basil, and Lemon thyme (with the little statue my great-aunt Joan gave me-cute!)

And Rosemary - in it's own pot so it doesn't take over

And one more new addition coming soon...

Happy Summer

In all of my not-craziness of laying around watching Jane Austen movies, I forget to wish everyone an official "Happy Summer!" Yesterday was June 21st, the official summer solstice.

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still". As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky. As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

In the spirit of things, here's a picture from Stonehenge which was designed to align with the sun on the summer solstice.

Here's what's happening from space:

Those in the Northern Hemisphere, who are tilted toward the sun during the day, are experiencing their summer solstice. Those in the Southern Hemisphere are experiencing their winter solstice.

We are in the position of the first Earth from the left.

HAPPY SUMMER! In case you doubt it, go outside. It's a whopping 107 today here in Tucson :/

Cafe Aqui - Closest coffee shop to the south side

In fact, it actually is closer to "South Tucson" than I am. South Tucson is actually a small little village inside of Tucson - like the Vatican is a separate city inside of Rome. I, in fact, do not live in South Tucson, though people always think I do. I am much farther south than South Tucson.

...just to clarify that...

I've been thinking about coffee shops, because it's not exactly a part of south side culture, and I found this coffee shop that's much closer to here near of 6th Ave and 22nd.

It was a very random experience...

They put on a record when I got there

Met this random, awesome lady who wanted to trade clothes with me

Dang good espresso