RAIN!!!!!

    They call this area "The Valley of the Sun" and for good reason. We have lots and lots of sunshine - and little rain. That makes it a desert area and we like the dry and sunny days. The last time it rained in Phoenix was in late October and that was just a light sprinkle, they tell me. Sometimes, when rain clouds roll in, the rain produced does not even hit the ground - you can see it leave the clouds but nothing hits the dry ground. That is called virga.
    But yesterday we had RAIN! Thunder and lightening and what seemed like lots of rain. Actually it was only .5" but we got lots of puddles and pooling of water. The ground is often so baked hard that the water runs off and does not penetrate. But desert plants are adapted with shallow roots that take in the water when they can. Hopefully, this rain will help to germinate the seeds from last Spring, and we will have good wildflowers next Spring.

                       The Christmas decorations looked really nice reflected in the rain puddles!