December in Arizona

It is December in Arizona and I just saw the first yellow leaves a couple of weeks ago. The four grapefruits the tree in our back yard birthed are turning bright, catching my eye every time I walk through the yard. The mercury swings 40 degrees between the "where are my flip-flops" highs and the "was that a penguin" lows, and the morning bike rides are sliding from 7am to 8am to 9am. "It's cold", we all shiver as we stand by the fires, drinking beer and looking at the bright stars of Orion in the invariably clear skies during one tacky Christmas sweater party after another. The pizza place around the corner has a Christmas ale on tap. The prickly pear cacti have Santa hats on heir pads. It's cold but I played Ultimate outside yesterday, ran with my dog tonight and I am going riding tomorrow morning. It is December in Arizona. No clouds, no blizzards, no flu. But I am still sad that most of my friends are spending the holidays with family in far-away snow-covered lands. I kind-a miss the snow and I most definitely miss my family. Very much.