The Good, the Bad, and the Still Somewhat Damp

Sometimes I can't believe I own a house. And other days (like today), I find it hard to believe I wanted to.

The good news is, after more than a week of torrential rainstorms, we can say with COMPLETE CONFIDENCE that our roof does NOT LEAK. We can't, however, say the same for the kitchen faucet, the swamp cooler, or the washing machine.

We can also boast, once again thanks to the best (worst?) monsoon season since, apparently, something like 1995, what is undoubtedly the lushest, greenest, juiciest yard on the block. Unfortunately, what we WANT, like any good Tucsonans, is a yard full of clean, wholesome gravel. What we HAVE is 100 percent weeds, most of which are more than three feet tall and probably rabid.

And finally, I'm pleased to report that both our back door and front door are at long last totally secure against outside threats (eg. drug dealers breaking in at night or bums seeking shelter in what appears to be an abandoned house). In fact, since the rain began, I can NO LONGER open the back door. Period. And opening the front door within only...oh, say two or three minutes of shutting it requires a full body slam - sometimes three. So I feel pretty safe these days-- even taking into account the knife I found on the ground outside the back door this morning.

Here's a picture of a cactus.