It's About Time to Head Home

We only have a bit more than a week left before we head back to Bloomington. We have been finishing up a few projects and reconciling ourselves to leaving others for next year. Like finding a suitable dining room table. That will just have to wait.

We did buy four roll-down shades for the rear balcony. So far I have two installed. I better get going on finishing that project. They make it comfortable to sit out back in the afternoon once the sun starts heating the area. The warmth of the sun is perfect for breakfast in January but gets to be a bit much in the afternoons as March approaches.


And it looks like the heat will be increasing. The forecast for the next few days shows a change coming.


Temps rising to 99 and 100 Monday through Wednesday. And the symbol that Excite.com provides on the left of a tree blowing in the wind? 24mph! A sure sign that the Khamseen is coming. Khamseen (or kamsin, take your pick) is Arabic for fifty. All desert countries have a name for the wind. Supposedly, once it starts, the Khamseen blows for fifty days. Here, another local blogger describes the 2007 version.

A quick check on the Bloomington weather reveals that it may, in fact, be safe to come home.


When we arrive, I may be able to remove the extension cords along the driveway that were lighting our Christmas candles when we left.


UPDATE NOTE: I added a close-up shot of an irrigation pump and a short video with the "putt-putt" sound of the motor at the earlier Irrigation Day post.