(P)Raising Arizona

Undaunted by the hopeless mission of making New Year predictions, I now move on to New Year resolutions.  You'd think by this time in life I would have resigned myself to not achieving behavioral or moral perfection, and therefore postponed that project for my 'next life.'  But I can actually undo one error of this blog: excessive badmouthing of Arizona.

It's not that there aren't legitimate reasons for running Arizona into the ground, or rather, the rubble.  To start with, there are Arizona drivers.  The soil-to-sharp rock ratio and the leaf-to-spine or sticker ratio and the green anything to brown anything ratio must be lower in this state than any state in the nation.  But that is only the bad side.

On the good side Arizona is the only state that eschews Daylight Savings Time.  It probably has as many smooth-pebbled arroyos as any state.  But I want something more.

I use virtually no heat here while camping all winter.  Oh, it is plenty chilly in the morning.  I get out of bed in the morning and immediately put on a winter coat and hat.  But there is so much difference between chilly coolness and coldness.  I define 'cold' to be any combination of temperature, wind, and humidity that causes me to wear full-fingered gloves.

The morning coolness in Arizona means perfect sleeping weather.  It means no bugs.  You could leave doors open here.  You could take screens off all your windows.  No rattlesnakes or creepie-crawlies are to be seen.  These advantages are drastically underestimated, especially by snowbirds who would be better off on the east (and only east) side of Baja or in mid to southern Florida, where they can lounge around in shorts and sandals.

Nothing puts all the advantages of Arizona together like taking a frisky dog-walk through a surprisingly interesting arroyo on a chilly morning.  Early.  Let the arroyo sidewalls hold back the weak winter sun.  Try to warm up by picking up the pace -- the little dog is always happy to comply.

Hopefully you will come back to your camper and see the morning sun trying with all of its non-might to warm your entry door screen.  Inside it will be bright but still chilly.  Your body seems to slough off health and vigor onto the floor.  These qualities seem so solid and tangible that you could almost scoop them up off the floor. 

Leave the outer door open.  Let the sun blast into your bright little cave.  Make a good hot cup of coffee and turn on some favorite music.  It really doesn't get any better than this.  Thank you, Arizona.