Or Much, Much Later

Yeah, well, forget about catching up with the trip and all. We got here to Tucson, intact and without much (more) drama.

The house is great. Very open and light. We have purchased new living and dining room furniture (we sold ours back in MA) and settled ourselves in nicely.

The animals seem to be adjusting just fine. Pupper is behaving like a puppy (all those things you hear about the desert southwest being good for people with arthritis are true -- at least for cockapoos with arthritis). He is loving the warm and dry weather -- and is most especially loving the fact that our neighborhood is full of children who (get this) PLAY in the afternoons in the street outside our house.

It has been so long since I've seen or known children to simply play that I thought that was all a thing of the past. Alas, it is not -- these kids come home from school and shortly thereafter can be seen playing football, riding bikes, hanging out talking, or engaging in other non-adult-organized activities until it is time to go home for supper. Our house is in the middle of the street, so the kids usually wind up just in front of our house, much to the delight and amusement of both the K-Man and Pupper.

The kids are all very intrigued by the idea of a deaf dog, so Pupper's a hit when we head out for our evening walks, too.

The cats have found their spots and are enjoying the sunshine. In fact, K-man has found this spot (which we're not exactly thrilled with):



We are finding our way around and trying to forget for the time being that is it nearly Thanksgiving and the air conditioning is still on.

I think here in the Southwest, seasonal affective disorder works in reverse: in the north, people get depressed when it starts getting cold and dark; here in the southwest, people get depressed when it DOESN'T get cold and dark. Others who have moved here from the north tell us that Thanksgiving is the most homesick of holidays since it's so much about fall and harvest and seasons changing (none of which happens here in the desert).

We're learning how to cope and reminding ourselves daily of why we are here and how great this place and this church are.