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We often have snow on the mountains around Tucson, but for the first time since we’ve been here (and for I’m not sure how many years before that) we have snow in town. I took some pictures last night, and then some in the morning with better lighting. Most of the snow actually stuck, although in the yards it got a bit splotchy.

Click the picture for more pictures.

Apparently a lot of schools are closed today, although some changed their minds and decided to open after all. The really weird thing is that the landscapers for the HOA must have been schedule to show up and trim bushes today, so they did. It doesn’t seem to me like this would be the best time to trim bushes.

Adina has been wanting to plant a tree in the back yard for some time, and I’ve been fighting it for a couple of reasons:

1. It’s hot in these here parts.
2. There be a lot of rocks in that there dirt.

We’ve had lots of rain lately, which has helped cool things off a little bit, and has made the dirt a bit softer. However, there are still rocks rampaging through the dirt.

Enter the pickaxe. I wish I’d thought of buying one of these earlier. Last time we tried digging a hole (to plant some cacti in), we ended up planting them in pots instead because it was nearly impossible to dig a hole in that dirt with just a shovel. Adina mentioned something about a pickaxe, and I decided that was a great idea.

A pickaxe is a rather heavy piece of equipment. I think the head on this one weighs 15 pounds or so, which isn’t all that much until you start swinging. I should probably dig more holes just to get the exercise, because that was a pretty good workout. Adina had already dug about half the hole, so I didn’t have that much to do, but I was sweating a lot by the time I was done. My arms were sore, too, which made my attempts to play a computer game (that involved lots of mouse movement) a losing battle.

I must admit, however, that it was fun swinging that thing around and beating the dirt into submission. Perhaps I should dig some holes for the cacti now, and maybe dig up the stump of the lemon tree that Thaddeus killed.

Since we’ve been in Tucson, we’ve never noticed more than a trickle of water in the Rillito River (which runs across town towards the north). In fact, the River is primarily populated with lots of desert bushes, litter, and the occasional shopping cart. The last few days, however, have been quite different.

After it had started going down already, it was estimated at 15 feet deep. We’ve had more rain (especially in the mountains) in the last 5 or 6 days than we have all year.

Update: Today I found out that a bridge over the Santa Cruz River (the Rillito mentioned above drains into this river) has been closed due to potential structural damage from all the water (and no doubt trees floating down the river after being uprooted from the bottom of the river where they live in the dry season).Also, there are still about 30 roads closed in Tucson (one of them, in the canyon where much of the water started, wash washed out). I have a feeling this is due to the fact that so many roads run through washes, and those washes aren’t draining as fast as they normally do.