Monsoon at the Monsons

When we first moved here, I admit that I scoffed a little bit at the mention of a "monsoon" season in Arizona. So dramatic these Arizonans are, I thought to myself...There is no way that there are tropical storms that pass through the desert.

Well, tropical or not, I have come to learn that we do have some pretty gnarly storms here in the summertime, sometimes with enough rain to fill our parks and green belts with so much water that people feel the need to swim and boogie board in these murky, temporary neighborhood reservoirs. And, of course, now that we finally have a tree to speak of on our property, (our 4-year-old front yard tree never growing much past a stick in the ground) that tree has become the unwitting victim of ridiculous gale-force winds that broke the poor thing right in half.

Stinky Monsoon season.