Monsoon lessons learned....

Monsoon storm in the distance

1.) Never leave the Hideout assuming the weather will remain constant.  This is a lesson I should know having grown up in the Midwest.  But clearly I have been spoiled by the generally excellent weather in AZ and by previously living in very comfortable, weather-proof homes.  On Friday I left the Hideout after lunch for a play date with friends and did not expect to be gone beyond 5pm. However, the afternoon turned into an evening and I left the awning out when a dust storm and subsequent monsoon rain were rolling in.  When my husband got off of work he ran home and put the awning in, but it had been in the wind for a bit.  This was not the first time we forgot to put the awning in - one night last week we went shopping and left it out.  I found myself rushing back in a panic during that dust storm.

Dust storm coming towards us

2.) Don't leave the outside area full of things that will blow away or not handle the rain.  As a side note, also on Friday our new solar shades were installed!  Thank you Sun Dancer Shades, we love them!

Before

After

As a result of the installation the reflective material was lying outside on the patio and picnic table when the storm came and we were away. Unfortunately we were unable to find two of the seven pieces - I feel bad about littering in the desert.

Dust storm blowing away

3.) Don't bring damp laundry to hang out in a monsoon.  Seems like common sense, no?  At 3pm yesterday it was 108, sunny and cloudless as we arrived at the laundromat to wash bedding (...nighttime diaper fail).  At 5pm it looked like tornado weather.  Not to mention there was actually a tornado warning in Pinal County - not near us, thankfully.  The mattress pad - which is amazing at keeping the mattress dry - doesn't dry well in the dryer.  Oh, which brings me to another point, don't get all excited to hang out your laundry when the rain stops.  You may leave your drying rack in a position where a gust of wind will blow it (and your clean mattress pad) over into a muddy puddle. Whoops.  What a cluster...  In the middle of all this the power went out for about an hour - so no A/C - it was high 80s and humid!  In the end all worked out - of course (hand washing notwithstanding).  This lifestyle is certainly a lesson in how to roll with the punches.

During the rains a faint rainbow!

The pictures above are from today's monsoon.  Thankfully we were home as it blew in, hence the pictures.  We were prepared - the patio was clean and everything was put away.  The awning was in. The kids were in.  The laundry was in.  I was free to take pictures and enjoy the storm.  So far we've only lost power today for about 10 minutes - much better than yesterday.  Life is good!