As of 52 days ago, I arrived in Tucson, Arizona. There were a multitude of reasons why I moved here, but the biggest and most important is that my parents are here. (And my grandparents are not far away either).
I had lived in Wisconsin for most of my life, the only exceptions being when I was in Illinois for college, and a semester during which I studied film in (where else?) Los Angeles.
So there are a lot of things to get used to. Some things I expected, some I didn't.
I expected that the desert would be dry and colorless, but, since we're in the middle of monsoon season (another new thing for me), it rains almost every day, and the wild plants and cacti are blooming like crazy. There's even some wild grass popping up along the sides of the roads. I'm told that once I've been here awhile, I'll appreciate this time of year, but I had just left a state that had 20 days of rain in a 23 day period, so I'm not loving it yet.
I know that cycling and hiking are big down here, and I can't wait to try them out. But right now, it's only cool (aka 90 degrees or less) around 5:30 in the morning...and I just can't seem to get up that early. Plus, I sold my bike when I moved.
Other little things are different. Where I came from, when you are at a stop-and-go light, the left turn lane arrow is before the green light, here it is after. Here, it rains 5 minutes and it starts to flood. And I've just been warned about scorpions, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, black widow spiders, and....well, I forget the others. In my mind, it's still better than tornadoes. I'm terrified of tornadoes.
It took me a few weeks to actually meet anyone who was born here. I went to get my drivers license and the woman behind me was from Wisconsin. I went to the grocery store and was surrounded by people from Hawaii and Oklahoma. Some church friends are from Oregon. (Or Washington?) The neighbors across the street are from the midwest.
I carry a water bottle every where (my favorite is the Camelbak insulated stainless steel - the ice doesn't melt for hours!) I'm confused when I see marinas with boats for sale. They sell minnows too...where is there to go fishing that you need live bait?
I've seen two coyotes, a bunch of geckos, and lots of hummingbirds. I think I saw a roadrunner once.
My parents and I travelled up Mount Lemmon one Saturday. It was 30 degrees cooler, and smelled of pine trees. It was marvelous. I also learned it's the most southern point in the U.S. where you can downhill ski! Wouldn't it be ironic if I learned to downhill ski in Arizona?
I think one of the strangest things for me is that nothing is going on right now. Well, that's not entirely correct. I'm sure if I looked, I could find events. But in Milwaukee, summer is when the whole city comes out of hibernation and celebrates. In the beginning of spring you start to see people outside of their houses again - walking a dog, riding a bike. Downtown, by the lakefront, explodes with people. Then the festivals start up - German Fest, Polish Fest, Summerfest, Festa Italiana, Bastille Days....and the countless church festivals. There are dozens of options for enjoying the outdoors. Here, well...it's too hot!
I'm told that things will change in the fall in winter. I never thought I'd be looking forward to those seasons! Spring was always my favorite, because it held the promise of things to come. Now perhaps fall will take it's place. And, for once, I might be able to do something outside on my birthday in January! Now that's exciting.
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