Desert Magnolia

I grew up in a house with cats. We had boy cats and girl cats, silly cats, funny cats, serious cats, shy cats, and occasionally the mentally challenged cat because let's face it, all cats aren't Mensa level. Ahem. Anyway, their dynamics were always fun to watch, and their companionship was always just part of life. Our new kitties, Miss Liza and Mr. Jarvis, are the coolest pair of cats I've ever encountered, and they bring us great joy and many chuckles because their antics are endless and their personalities continue to develop in cool ways as they mature. Liza is the instigator of the two, the brains of the operation. She likes to shred things with her little teeth. She shreds the newspaper, anything paper that's left out and she happens to notice, small rubber soccer balls, wadded up notebook paper (that I throw for her while I'm studying), you name it..she loves shredding stuff. Her killer instinct is well-honed, and it never ceases to amaze me when I fin...

Two weeks ago I was wearing sweats around the house, which averaged 62 degrees, because my husband had turned on the air conditioner (which means no more heat for the summer, which usually works out just fine) so I would be comfortable while he was away on his annual backpacking trip. It had been in the 80s and edging its way up, so I completely supported his efforts to provide coolness in our casa. But then it did what it can do in this odd place, and a cold front blew in, dropping tons of snow on the Colorado mountains and dustings in our city as well. No kidding. But, as fronts do, it passed, wending its way across the midwest and wreaking havoc in the form of thunderstorms with hail, which is always ridiculous. And now we're in the high 90s and edging up. No, we don't have humidity to speak of, which is a plus. I think we were at 6% yesterday. But hot is hot, and we are now in that place where frying an egg on the top of a car (though why anyone would DO that is ...