Enchanted Snowfall

I'm amused and a little bit confused that just because Santa Claus lives at the snowy North Pole, snow is a universal representation of Christmas. Did it snow on the First Christmas? I doubt it. It never snows here. I guess I should say it rarely snows here. But people put snowmen on their front yards and kids cut out paper snowflakes at school anyway, even though the Arizona winter wonderland is pretty much the same as the rest of the year, just a little cooler, with cloudy, rainy, misty, foggy days sprinkled in every once in a while just for variety and to remind us that it actually is winter.

The fancy pants shopping center, La Encantada, does a little thing twice a night on Fridays and Saturdays in December called "Enchanted Snowfall." The central plaza at the mall is festively lit and decorated, there is a live musical performance, and for 15 minutes, the sky is filled with a foamy cold something that looks and feels like snow. I told Papi and Mamie that I've never been to this little event, so I have no idea whether it is worth the bother or not. The parking lot was packed (an ominous sign for anti-social, claustrophobic me) and the mall was packed. Nicco was bored. Then, promptly at 6:00, the snow began to fall. The sparkle in my little boy's eyes was absolutely worth it.

I had to choke back tears (again...) watching Nicco jump and clap and laugh and squeal as he caught the falling snow. With wide eyes and a smile to match, he said to me "It's Christmas!"

I Spoke Too Soon

So, you know how I was kind of bragging about our "winter" weather the other day? I guess Ixchtel, the Mayan Moon Goddess the global warming summit morons were praying to wants to punish me for mocking global warming by mocking me with mock global warming.

Since about May, Patrice has been wearing shorts to work. He wore long pants once during our recent "cold spell," and this morning he asked me if he has any long pants clean and ironed. I said probably, and that a logical place to look would be the closet...then he told me to look out the window. I scoffed "Why, did it snow?" And immediately felt afraid that I would see frost dusting our cacti and citrus trees. I was actually relieved to see this instead:

The mountains obscured by low lying clouds, fog blurring our neighbors' roofs and trees, and mist swirling about the ground.

It will be back up to 75 by Sunday, in case anyone is wondering. Also, isn't that a nice place for the iron gate? It's like our own Secret Garden.

And, I saw a bobcat the other day.

The Boston Tea Party

"Victory in the French and Indian War was costly for the British. At the war's conclusion in 1763, King George III and his government looked to taxing the American colonies as a way of recouping their war costs. They were also looking for ways to reestablish control over the colonial governments that had become increasingly independent while the Crown was distracted by the war. Royal ineptitude compounded the problem. A series of actions including the Stamp Act (1765), the Townsend Acts (1767) and the Boston Massacre (1770) agitated the colonists, straining relations with the mother country. But it was the Crown's attempt to tax tea that spurred the colonists to action and laid the groundwork for the American Revolution."

I feel the wild spirit of our revolutionary forefathers rekindled in the current fight against tax and tyranny in Washington. The recent electoral purge, another anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Day That Will Live In Infamy, and this anniversary of the events that spurred our original revolution emphasize the waking of the sleeping giant, otherwise known as the silent majority, otherwise known as We The People, who are filled with a terrible resolve.

I urge you, Patriots, to read the Constitution. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html Familiarize yourselves with your rights as citizens of this great nation. Familiarize yourselves with the limits of the federal government (see the 10th amendment). Pay attention to the actions of the President, Congress, and the Courts. I feel like we are in the early stages of a second revolution. Dig in, arm yourselves with knowledge (and arms; see the 2nd amendment) and be ready to fight. Find your representatives' phone numbers and call them often. Remind them that we don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. Cut wasteful spending should be our mantra. Don't let them plunder and pillage anymore.

"Most colonists applauded the action (dumping the tea in the harbor) while the reaction in London was swift and vehement. In March 1774 Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts which among other measures closed the Port of Boston. The fuse that led directly to the explosion of American independence was lit."

I think that fuse is lit again, and it's time to "party like it's 1773"  Yes, dear morons in the lefty media,1773. The entire revolution did not actually take place on July 4th, 1776. It was a long fight, and like our feisty forefathers, we are in it for the long haul.

Onward.

Global Warming

There's a "blizzard" coming to North Carolina today, my sister says. The temperatures are in the 20s and 30s for my other sisters. Paris was shut down by a blizzard recently and the news this morning says they are expecting more snow. It was -7 C at my in-laws' house yesterday. Snow collapsed the roof of the Superdome, even Cancun had the coldest temperatures on record for this time of year at the recent Global Warming Conference, and I even had to turn on the heat for a few nights. Patrice and I wondered if it is actually colder here this year or if we are just bigger wimps. Pretty much as soon as those words were spoken, the weather turned around here in Tucson. Instead of cuddling up with blankies and hot cocoa,

We are napping on the hammock by the pool,

eating on the patio,

and driving around to see the neighborhood lights with the windows down.

If all the world were Tucson, I might actually be convinced that the Global Warming Boogey Man is real.

Santa's Little Helper

So, I went on a little errand for Santa this morning while Nicco was at school...

Orange kitties have never been my favorites, but Frodo and Pippin here were just too darn cute! There was another older kitten called Mingus, but they don't have a picture of him up on the humane society website. All three of them were so sweet and loving and purring and softie soft!

In case you wonder, I'm off the fence. You know, the "do you want a cat or not" fence. Total 180. I may even be as excited about Christmas as Nicco!

Now I just have to make sure he doesn't see these pictures before Christmas. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise...

P.S. Nobody furry came home with me today. It was a pretty close call, but there are too many days until Christmas for me to keep a living critter a secret. I will just have to keep checking in to make sure there is someone available for me to adopt.

Mighty Hunters; Alternately Titled: Boys and Their Toys; Alternately Titled: Second Amendment Task Force

On Saturday morning, we met Patrice's friends of the Jeep adventure at the house of their artist friend, where she held an open house/art show. She had some interesting things, and as we wandered about her house and yard checking out her art, the men got to talking about....guns. Suddenly, our artsy morning was cut off and the men went their separate ways to collect their arms, acquire additional ammo, wolf down a sandwich, and meet in the canyon to fire off a few rounds.

Having stayed home to "help" Mamie prepare the feast for dinner, (and by help, I mostly mean watch) I can't accurately report the details of either the weapons or the adventure. Messieurs Boudou may have to add editorial comments later. What I do know is that the photo above is Papi shooting a handgun of some kind. I'm thinking a 7mm something or other, for which he would be promptly tossed in jail if he were in France. Long live the right to keep and bear arms! Or, "...Out of my cold, dead hands..."

Hubby with a shotgun of some sort.

Papi and his Rambo impression.

Shawn's collection of arms and artillery.

Papi and another gun. Boy, I really need an expert editor for this content!

Patrice with the same gun.

Miscellaneous guns & ammo

More guns & ammo

Some kind of crazy weapon. I'm not even going to bother trying until a guy gets back to fill in the details for me.

Patrice is on the phone...probably with me, telling me how to use one of his kitchen tools, with choruses of "is that the old woman again? Tell her we're lost!" and other amusing "ball & chain" comments in the background.

The guys dropped Patrice and Papi off at our house to take care of some final details on the meal we would promptly transport over to Murray's house. Nicco was riding his bike in the garage and everyone except for Shawn came inside. I invited Shawn in, because I didn't want him to think that I expected him to stay out there watching Nicco. He said he meant no offense, but he preferred to maintain a vigilant watch over the $5000 worth of guns in his truck. Aha, I said. I get it. We gathered ourselves and the fixins and had another enjoyable evening at the house with the two fires, four dogs, and three cats that Nicco so enjoys.

O Christmas Tree

Last night was the Oro Valley Tree Lighting festival. Patrice had to work a little late because of a dinner party, so Nicco and I took Papi and Mamie to the Oro Valley Marketplace for some small town Christmas fun. We have four Santa hats, and Nicco said it was a good thing Daddy wasn't with us, because he makes five people and we only have four hats. He made sure everyone put on their bonnet, but Papi held off until we arrived at the town square because the hat bothered him touching the roof of the car. It bothered Nicco that Papi wasn't wearing his hat. On the way, Mamie said we were the four "Peres Noel" and Nicco said, in a very exasperated tone, "Except one, Papi!"

When we arrived, we checked out the big and huge tree.

Nicco was impressed with the big and huge ornaments.

Three of our four Peres Noel

Sipping hot cocoa. It's comforting, even if it is 70 degrees outside.

On Papi's shoulders, watching and waiting for Santa Claus to arrive

Nicco reassured the Big Man that he is indeed on the Nice List this year.

Mrs. Claus was keeping the list this year. Nicco asked for a cat. She looked at me and smiled and said (without a hint of sarcasm or surprise, for the little one's sake)  "good luck with that wish!" Then wrote in her little book "Nicco in Oro Valley - cat."

I really enjoyed our evening. Miss Pima County MC-ed the event, the local color guard presented the flag,  a 12 year old girl sang the National Anthem to open the festival, the Mayor made some remarks, the elementary school kids sang some songs, there were little crafts for the kids to make, and lots of people smiling and chatting and milling about. I felt all nostalgic and sentimental again. (What is happening to me? It's nothing new for me to be bit emotional, but holy cow. This year it's a whole new level.)

The Butterfly Gardens

We are happy and lucky that Patrice will be able to take a lot of days off to spend with his parents on their visit, but sometimes we are just stuck at home to fend for ourselves without him. Most days, between school and swim, enjoying the "beau soleil," and playing games, we manage to keep busy enough, but sometimes, we just need to get out of the house. Not to mention, I want to share Tucson with our visitors. I let Nicco choose between the wildlife museum and the butterfly gardens for our outing of the day. He chose the gardens.

The butterflies mostly just flit about from plant to plant, but one big blue morpho landed on Papi's hand and stayed there for a while. It was a little surprising!

The garden people supply magnifying glasses and a list with pictures of the butterflies you can find in the greenhouse. Nicco gave each of us a magnifying glass and called "Papi, Mamie! Regarde!" whenever he saw a butterfly he wanted us to see too. If anyone put their magnifying glass away, he promptly retrieved it and handed it back to whoever had set it down.

Nicco also had the good fortune of having a big butterfly land on him. This butterfly attached himself to Nicco's belly and didn't want to leave. Nicco enjoyed it for a while, but tired of his little friend's presence after some time. He tried twisting and shaking to encourage it to fly away, but with no luck.

He even tried blowing on it, but it didn't leave until I nudged it away with my fingers.

These flamboyant old ladies were out on a group excursion. Their shirts said something about dragons and "here comes trouble." They were as colorful as the butterflies in the greenhouse, both in dress and demeanor. I was amused.

Nicco and Mamie writing names in the sand at the Zen garden.

Walking on the path with Papi

Investigating the Indian garden shelter. "It's just like a tent," said Nicco. A new obsession appears to be emerging.

Digging for worms.

On the way out, we saw this little Christmas tree, adorned with fruit, fruit loops, and birdseed on bagels. I was a little disappointed that the Christmas luminarias weren't set up along the paths already. Oh well. We wouldn't have seen them glow in the day anyway, so I guess it's okay.

It was another enjoyable day out and about. I think tomorrow night we may attend our local tree lighting festival.

Winter Hits Arizona

Old Man Winter has descended upon southern Arizona. It's cold, I tell ya! The other morning I was working in the office with my fuzzy pants, fuzzy socks, fuzzy sweatshirt, my fuzzy robe draped across my lap, and I just couldn't break the chill I caught overnight. My people mocked me into submission after I turned on the heat to get the house up to 68 degrees. I caved, but have since put extra blankets on the bed and have taken to wearing socks and long sleeve shirts. Since I was so harshly criticized for turning on the heat, I stubbornly refused to do it again until one of them suggested it. When Patrice scurried into bed shivering, I asked him if he wanted me to warm the house during the night. He added another blanket to the bed and gave me permission to touch the thermostat.

Wouldn't you know, our freezing overnight temperatures brought illness too. Patrice caught a fever and a chill and body aches and walked around with a blanket. Nicco carried a blanket out of sympathy, and to be like his papa.

On this chilly day, Nicco spent the afternoon playing cars with Mamie. He asked me to help him ask her to play with him. He repeated the words I told him and they went to the coffee table to line up all his cars. He looked carefully at each one and said, for example, "ca c'est rouge, et noir, et un petit peu gris." It was super cute, if I do say so myself.

After all the cars were lined up, he had to go help his Papi put up the Christmas lights.

Winter in Tucson has also created a lot of movement among the wildlife. We've seen tons of quail families scurrying about, presumably getting nests ready for winter. We've also seen 3 more scorpions in the past few days. I keep thinking they will just die, but apparently, they want to get out of the cold too. Yesterday we took a drive in the foothills and saw 3 coyotes! I guess they might be on the move too, or maybe I just stumbled on their territory for the first time. Either way, it was pretty cool.

I am actually heating the house at night to keep it above 66. We had been getting down to 63, and that is just too darn cold for me! It takes considerably less time to get above 70 when we start at 66. Nicco has taken to wearing a shirt to bed. And in case anyone wonders, he's still sleeping in his tent.

Deck The Halls

I had an interesting Thanksgiving this year. Maybe it was because I shared the traditions with my French relatives who were not previously acquainted with this American holiday. Maybe it was because I didn't have anyone (besides my boys) from my family in our home this year. Maybe it was because I'm pushing 40 and my aging mind is messing with me, making me more sentimental than I ever was before. Whatever the reason, I felt this crushing wave of emotion wash over me and bring tears to the brims of my eyes as I talked on the phone to my parents and each of my sisters, listened to the sounds of chatting, laughter, and Mary Poppins, watched my family busily preparing our feast, and inhaled the aroma of turkey, stuffing, and all the other fixins wafting through the house. In my secret heart of hearts, I hoped that the same sensations were cemented in Nicco's memory, even if subconsciously, so that when he is grown up and reminisces about the holidays, he will remember these sights, sounds, and smells.

  

Nicco and Papi peeling, coring, and slicing apples for our apple pie

Our pretty table setting...the napkins are unstarched, so Patrice couldn't do anything fancy with them. We don't have any napkin rings, so while the French people cooked, Nicco and I made napkin rings.

Our feast, including home-made cranberry sauce with orange juice from our own oranges, and French-style stuffing. We talked about the things we are thankful for, family topping the list.

Nicco has been counting down until he can start counting down. With all the countdowns in his head, I was a little surprised that he remembered that after Thanksgiving, we get to set up for Christmas. On Friday morning, Patrice and Papi put some new shelves together in the garage and in the organizing process, they brought the Christmas boxes inside. Nicco played with our little Holy Family (thanks, Mom, for buying a nativity set at Hobby Lobby so Nicco has one to play with!) and advent house. At one point, Baby Jesus got stuck in one of the windows and we had to use a special tool to get him out. Nicco said "I knew Baby Jesus should go in the 25," 25 being the biggest room in the advent house. Nicco also wore our stockings and his Santa hat as he pulled out each ornament and oohed and aahed.

Jingling the Jingle Bells

Decorating the tree with an ornament from a previous cousin ornament exchange

At the end of the day, Nicco wanted to turn off all the lights and just watch the Christmas tree glow.