Oh my, but this has been a hectic month so far! Moving truck arrived, unpacking, working on the house and yard, a whirlwind trip to Chicago to visit Robert's father in the hospital. Dad is home now and, we hope, getting the help he needs. We'll go back later this summer for another visit.

Shortly after arriving in Tucson, the A/C controller head in my car shorted out. It's repaired now, thank goodness, cuz the temps are in the low hundreds. That's okay -- our old home town in California was 114 degrees today, and we were only 108. Amazing.

Doctor appointments, Home Depot trips, planning drip irrigation but meanwhile hand-watering every night, changing addresses on a zillion things, making our first mortgage payment, an avalanche of clothes when a rod fell down in our clothes closet, watching a family of quail grow up, realizing I need to weed the front yard and spray Round-up on the weeds growing in the sidewalk edges. Our homeowners' association has a thing about weeds. Phone calls. Finding a new hair colorist and nail technician, and learning that silk wrap manicures melt in Arizona heat so no one does them. My first set of acrylic pink-and-whites. Remembering to wear sunblock (almost) every day. Sunburned lips until I found Blistex and Chapstick. Ouch. Finally achieving critter harmony by giving Silkie the Demon Cat her own room. Cooking our first dinner here. Discovering some good restaurants, and one not-so-good. Getting back to my goal weight, and supporting my husband as he gradually loses a little bit every week. Calling my in-laws every day. Continually unpacking, organizing, making lists, running to Wal-Mart and Target, trying to make a home for us. Washing pillowcases and towels every day because R picked up pinkeye somehow.

Listening to African and Brazilian CD's from the wonderful public library, finding TWO public radio stations broadcast by the University of Arizona, re-reading William Gibson's "Neuromancer" to be discussed at the library science fiction club next week. Meeting some of our neighbors. Getting used to being in air conditioning everywhere. Buying windshield shades for our cars, and using them. Missing the deadline for an outing to Phoenix to watch a Diamondbacks game. Watching the Chicago Cubson WGN on cable television. R says this is the Cubbies' Brigadoon year, but I say they'll screw it all up and break our hearts again.

Finding out that the computers for our California bank branch and the Arizona branch cannot talk to each other. So we have to open new accounts here, change all our stuff, and then close the old accounts. The bank simply cannot transfer our accounts. Amazing.

Tonight I'm coasting on half-caff and feeling quite good.