Monsoon!

I'm about to fly to Atlanta to see my Tuba-playing son perform with the Blue Devils (am beyond proud of him, BD is the #1 team in the world), and then drive to Tennessee to work on a new set of desert florals with Daphne (www.hillandstump.com). So, I came back to 29 for a few days to water and make sure everything's ok. And because I miss it and love it here.
The weather had been nasty, but was supposed to cool down. First day was not good, over 110, although I saw two shooting stars. Next day was 107 by 2pm, and Ted was driving out, so we met at a friend's pool in Joshua Tree to cool down. By the time we got there it was only 92, and cloudy. Nice. That night, storms moved in, and at midnight a lightning strike knocked out the power. As rains moved in, we slept in the open doorway to get air (bedroom pretty much sealed up to keep in the AC, useless with no power). By 8am there was still no electricity, which for us also means no well pumping water. We hit McDonalds for coffee because our favorite shop (Jumbo Rock in the Mobil station) was closed, and it turns out McD's is super lux in 29, with a large dining room equipped for computer use.
The day continued in true monsoon fashion, with pouring rain followed by hot sun steaming the sand. It felt like Thailand. Sadly, the roof again has leaks, but our guy thinks he can seal them. Even though it was still a bit rainy, I took a shower outdoors under a spectacular sunset, and then sat in my eastward facing chair with my trusty dog on lap. Perfect.