Ann Metlay Artist and Writer
  • Home
  • About
    • Artist Statement
    • Calendar
  • My Journal
  • Past Works
    • ASSEMBLAGES
    • Mindfulness Vessels
  • Books
    • Ann, the Writer
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Artist Statement
    • Calendar
  • My Journal
  • Past Works
    • ASSEMBLAGES
    • Mindfulness Vessels
  • Books
    • Ann, the Writer
  • Contact

my journal

Waiting for the Monsoons

7/10/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
Maybe it is because we are in the midst of an extended drought. We never had a winter this year. Our last significant rainfall came at the end of the monsoons last September. But this year we seem to be more on edge, more expectant than other years for the impending moisture.

Arizona, and many parts of the Southwest experience summer storms. Clouds gather during the day. Horizons darken. Humidity builds. Later in the afternoon rumbles of thunder can be heard. They edge closer, grow in volume.  Soon a lightning bolt crosses the sky. People gasp as they watch the arcs of electricity. Rain begins to fall, first light and in patches eventually; with the “good” monsoons” the rain pours down. Puddles become rivulets which race across the parking lots. Eventually the rain moves on. Rainbows, particularly as the sun begins to sink, appear.

Like everything, however wonderful, Arizona monsoons do have their dark side.  Intense monsoons bring on flash floods. Our roads are crossed by dry creek beds. Most of the time, these are merely annoying dips in the road. There are warning signs in front of them, “Do Not Cross in High Water.”

Flash floods can be deadly. Several years ago there were several groups of tourists were washed through slot canyons near Page. Last year, on my July 15 birthday, a family reunion in a swimming hole near Payson, 60 miles from here, turned tragic when nine family members were washed away, and drowned. The irony then was the weather in Payson was sunny. The storm which caused the flash flood occurred miles away. There was almost nothing to warn the family of impending disaster. Several times tourists have drowned in slot canyons in Page, near the Utah border in monsoon-related flash floods.

But right now, as temperatures climb well past 105, and our near-zero humidity hits double digits, we are all speculating on the onset of the monsoons. The temperature drop of sometimes almost 30 degrees, the welcome moisture, the fresh winds, we love these. We will gaze in wonder at the myriad of rainbows that pop up. we will breathe in clear, dust-free air once again. Our thirsty wildlife, bees, birds, beetles and javelina, will be able to find renewed sources of drinking water. The seemingly unbearable Arizona heat will feel more bearable.

Just wait. In a week or two Facebook will bloom with gorgeous rainbows, breathtaking sunsets. We will share our monsoon experiences with all of you, not lucky enough to see it firsthand.
​
And next year, around the Fourth of July, we will again be waiting for the monsoons!
4 Comments

    Ann Metlay

    "With all the beauty surrounding me here above the Verde Valley, how could I not create more beauty?"

    Archives

    October 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016

    Categories

    All
    1968
    Abandonment
    Acceptance
    A College Memory
    Adrift Wood And Stone Assemblages
    Affirming Life
    After Parkland
    All About The Moon
    Amazon Books
    Amber's Birds
    A Moving Journal
    An Age Old Controversy
    Antidote For A One-Day Winter
    April Sunrise
    Arizona Monsoons
    A Tribute To Clark Memorial Library
    Autism
    AZ
    Beauty
    Beginning Of Fall
    Berkeley Bourgeois Meets Bronco Busting Bar-Fighter
    Blessing Of The Bug
    Blessings
    Blowing Into Spring
    Body Image
    Book Reviews
    Breeze Song
    Butterfly Space
    Carrot Beet Soup With Dill
    Cats
    Celebrate
    Children
    Chilled Spinach Soup
    Chilled Tropical Fruit Soup
    Clarkdale
    Coming Into Health
    Community Of Artists
    Cottonwood
    Cottonwood Studio
    Cottonwood Trees
    Cottonwood Village
    Cottonwood Waltz
    Devotion
    Dodi Checks In
    Doxies
    Dragon (A Story From The Classroom)
    Enchanted Wands
    Evolution Of Art
    Faith
    Father's Time
    Featured Artist
    Finding The Promised Land
    Forming Community
    For The Love Of Cats
    Fresh Tomato Soup
    From Adrift
    Full Moon
    Genesis 1
    Grand Opening
    Gratitude List
    Hank Erwin
    Hanukah 2017
    Hanukkah 2018
    Happy Birthday
    Headlines
    Healing Wolf
    Helen
    High Holidays
    Holiday Blessings
    Holidays
    Homing Wands
    How I Moved To The Verde Valley Of Arizona
    How To Eat Matzoh
    How To Mark A Life Milestone
    I Live In Gratitude
    Immigrants
    In Honor Of Teaching
    Inspired By Louise Nevelson
    January 2017 First Friday Artwalk
    John F. Kennedy
    Jr.
    Judaism
    Judie Dies
    June 5
    Kindle
    Kittens
    Kitten Time
    Late Dinner
    Learning To Entertain
    Leaving Jerome
    Lech Lecha
    Let's Go Camping
    Light Food
    Lilacs
    Made In Clarkdale
    Making Choices
    Martin Luther King
    May
    Medication
    Meet Don Jones
    Memoir
    Memories For The Holidays
    Menus
    Mindfulness Vessels
    Modeling
    Mousie
    Moving Beyond Words
    Moving Down The Hill
    My Artistic Process
    My Latest Book
    My Tree
    New Artist Syndrome
    New Gallery
    New Studio
    Nightmares
    No
    On The 342nd Birthday Of This Country
    Open Studio
    Open Studios
    Palo Verde Trees
    Parents
    Patriot's Day
    Peace Corp.
    Pets
    Photo Shoot
    Poem
    Poems
    Poetry
    Political
    Potato Leek Soup
    Prayer
    Prayer Shawl
    Quality Of Life
    Ranch
    Rebirth
    Rebuttal
    Recipes
    Red Flag Warning
    Rehoming Ceramic Pieces
    Reitz Ranch
    Remembering Departed Friends
    Remembering Junipurr
    Reunion Thwarted
    Review Of 2018
    Ribbons
    Scenes From Day 2 Of Open Studios
    Season
    Sedona
    Self Assurance
    Self Doubts
    Shadow Of Athena
    Side Effects
    Soup
    Storms
    Studio Cats
    Summer
    Summer Soup
    Sunday Soiree
    Sunday Sunset Soirees
    Sycamore Canyon
    Synagogue
    Teaching
    Thanksgiving
    Thanksgiving Grace
    The Man Who Blew In Off The Desert
    The Power Of Soups For Cold Weather
    The Woodman Cometh
    The Year To Come
    Toe Rings
    Torah
    To Restore Our Dreams
    To Restore Their Dreams
    Trauma
    Travel
    Tree Of Life
    Tree Parts In Desert Wood Assemblages
    Trump
    Verde Valley
    Waiting For The Monsoons
    Watermelon Dessert Soup
    Watermelon Gazpacho
    What Is Word Artistry?
    Wordless Poetry
    Zorb

    RSS Feed