Thursday, January 01, 2015

A Good Sign For 2015

Last night, on the eve of the new year, we got snow.  In the desert.  It's not as uncommon as one might think.  We live in Oro Valley, outside of the Tucson city limits, where the elevation is 2,620 feet above sea level.

The mountain you see in the photo - the Santa Catalina Mountain Range - can be seen from our living room window.  The mountain has an elevation of 9,157 feet and its highest point, Mt. Lemmon, receives 180 inches of snow annually.  In the winter it's not unusual to look out the window and see the mountain capped with snow when it's cold enough.  But getting snow on the ground at our house is rare.  If we get it, it's a light dusting and it melts quickly.  In February 2013, Tucson received 2 inches of snow, the largest snowfall in 26 years.

This morning I was up early, and although it was still dark, I could make out snow on the cactus outside my window.  I fell back to sleep and woke again at 7:30.  I wasn't ready to start my day but I did want to get pictures of the snow, so I quietly got out of bed and slipped out the back door, still in my pajamas, and walked the property taking pictures.  I wanted to make sure I got evidence of all the snow-covered cactus before the sun fully rose and melted it.

This is what our front yard looked like at that hour.

The trees were covered with snow, the delicate leaves on many of the bushes were icy and crunchy frozen, and the pads of the prickly pear cactus all had a layer of snow on them.



In this photo you'll see the jumping cholla with about an inch of snow on its stems.
And finally, the house, front yard, and the driveway where you can see a layer of snow on the truck hood.
I couldn't have asked to start the new year in a better way.  Snow and cold??  Be still my beating heart.

My friend Gary said it's a sign that all my dreams will come true this year.

I do believe he's right.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2014: Good Luck And Prosperity Is On The Way
2013: As Pure As The Driven Snow
2012: Quiet On The Set
2011: I’d Rather Get A Little Taste Of Mark Ruffalo Than Eat Swiss Chard
2010: Two Very Different Ideas Of Fun
2009: Caution: New Year Ahead!
2008: Fresh Dreams. Clean Slate. High Hopes. New You.
2007: Two Thousand Seven
2006: Happy New Year!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

3 comments:

Gary said...

Those photographs are so cool ! No pun intended. I know your no big fan of desert landscapes but to me, it's just sooo different than I'm used to. I'm glad you took the time to wander and take these pictures.

Maria Costi said...

Salena that is so beautiful. I'd love to experience something like that. Another thing on my bucket list lol

The Daily Rant said...

GARY: So glad you like the pictures. I think they're pretty cool and well worth roaming the desert in my pajamas.

MARIA: You're welcome anytime! I can't promise snow, but we'll certainly give you the grand tour of Tucson. We'll connect the next time you're in the states. :)