11:33 a.m. on 2002-07-09

six -desert

i hung up my knickers.. outside..on the line. i can do that because i live in the desert, Sonoran, so i'm being environmentally sound when i do that. the desert is an awesome place to live. it's dry, sunny, and warm (ha). it's a unique environment to live in.. whenever you think about land in the us, it's rare to think about the desert.

The land i live in was part of the Gadsden Purchase, ratified by congress in 1854. i was pretty much the last major purchase of land in the 48 continental US. The US purchased the land for the development of the southern transcontinental railroad along the Gila trail (mail/migratory trail west) -Trimble, Marshall, "Arizona A Calvacade of History", Treasure Chest Publications, Tucson, 1989, pg. 89. ..now the land is used for the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range, wildlife refuges, and American Indian reservation lands.

i technically don't live in yuma (yuma has a cool history and i will go into that at another time), but yuma is the "big" town..so i say i'm from there. why not? i go there just about every day.. it's just down the mesa. just as one would imagine, there is more sand than grass, lots of palm trees, and agricultural fields (?). I still don't get it either, but lettuce, alfalfa, corn, orange trees, grapefruit trees, date trees, and cotton make up lots of empty space..so it's not all sand =). farmers dread when it rains because the farmers can control how much water the fields get by irrigation.. when it rains, it messes up the calculations.. but the weather people must get bored around here, apparently it hasn't rained since october..and it's now july. irrigation cannals are prevalent. it's cool to see a front yard or a field flooded..it looks refreshing.. it's always sunny as you'd imagine.. in late summer, it turns dreadful, the monsoon season starts, when it gets humid and clouds build up in the afternoon-which might rain but most likely won't. (if you think 85 and 30% humidity is bad, try 110 and 30%, btw)

lesssee.. whatelse.. oh, the colorado river. the colorado and the gila river meet just north of yuma which then flows down (those are where most of the irrigation water comes from, also underground wells satify people use). because of various dams along the colorado, Mexico doesn't get the full joys of the river..i've not seen it but apparently the water drys and mexico is left with an empty riverbed to the gulf of california. (..there were treaties made to determine how much water mexico and the various states along the colorado get.. but i'll save that for another entry too)

so much information..i'm probably forgetting lots. in short, i love the individuality and uniqueness of where i live. and i don't really consider it a bragging right to say i experience hotness.. but it is fun to see the different reactions.. but i do bitch when people back east complain it's hot.. i don't think it's all that bad over there.. my god people, it's summer..what do you expect? comfortable weather can be found in the spring and fall.. so turn on a fan, chew on ice, and get over it. =)

oh.. and my use of "knickers".. i don't mean "loose-fitting short pants gathered at the knee" (merriam webster dictionary) but underwear, panties, shorts, dwores, undergarments, unmentionables.. etc.. typical laundered items =)

cheers

around to the front - what's next? huh? where to?

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