Home from Arizona

We went to see the husband's folks for a week in Phoenix.  I pretty much won the In-Laws Lottery when it comes to these people, and our visit was a blessing to me.

 It is so strange how Schultz seems to know--after two days of driving--that we have made it to Phoenix.  He stands up in the car, smelling the air from the a/c vents, and begins to look around expectantly.  I made the mistake of asking, "Do you want to go see Grandma and Grandpa?" about a mile from their house, and he howled and barked and trembled the rest of the way!  Sadly, they lost their sweet Boston Terrier Annie this year, so Schultz had to make do with his sister Willie for company, and they provided evening entertainment, play wrestling on the living room floor.

We saw the brother-in-law and one niece with her husband, went to the Desert Botanical Gardens (hadn't been in a while, won't go again for a long while, but it was good to visit), and then had a day trip to Prescott and surrounding area.  The husband and his folks played poker a few of the afternoons--I don't play poker, but the sound of their game is one of my favorite background noises.  I planted some irises, cannas, and Martha Gonzales roses in their back yard, and enjoyed feeding the great flock of quail and dove that stop by every morning.

Arriving home Sunday, we unloaded and spent the next day "recuperating" from vacation--never sure why we are so worn out from such a relaxing time, but we always benefit from a Down Day of being very quiet and still before heading back into the routines of normal life.

This weekend we have the city wide garage sale, and are working hard to clear out accumulations that have gathered up.  Our last long distance move from Las Cruces, NM, in '08 helped cull the "stuff" from our life.  But the move in '13 was only across town, and I have all this Doll Business with its attendant mess of supplies and materials. Time to get ruthless with the clearing out!