September back East is crisp and clean–the humidity drops and nights are brisk. Early September means there is lots of summer left here in Phoenix:
- The water comes out of the tap at about 110–that’s the cold water tap. It will be mid-September till it drops to 100, and it may be October till you need to add cold water to your shower or laundry.
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Yes, your cactus can get sunburned.
- The pool is still very warm, even in the morning–about 95-99 degrees. Still worth jumping in, but you run the pool spray all night because it lowers the temperature a degree or two.
- You protect your feet with flipflops or sandeals. The street is still hot enough to burn your feet–badly. And so is the patio and your sidewalks.
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Toasted blue agave. May have to save for tequila making.
- The cacti in the garden need a break from the sun. You buy screening and build a frame–sun screens for cacti. Hard to believe.
- Only the brave cat will go out. The other two stick their heads out, pull back in to the cool and use the litter box.
- You think the high of 105 degrees means “it’s finally cooling down.”
- You need to water your cactus and yard plants in the evening because the monsoon rains skipped you and the drip irrigation dries before it soaks in. While you are out, you water your roof. The eevaporation cools the attic just a little.
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You water the roots, the leaves still burn off.
- Your electric bill is $475, and you say, “Not as bad as last month!”
- You wonder if you can make it through the rest of the summer with the tattered and worn accordion-fold sun blocker for your car windshield. Maybe you can find a cheap one in the back-to-school sales.
- You are so very happy that the sun is setting earlier. You can’t remember ever feeling this way before.
–Quinn McDonald is waiting for the days that the hair at the back of her neck isn’t wet all the time. Even indoors.
QuinnCreative 