At lunch today, a friend introduced me to the idea of BookCrossing. From where we sat, he could see a trash can with a couple of books sitting on top. Forgotten or discarded, they reminded my friend of a website, BookCrossing.com, that encourages people to “set books free” and “put books into the wild”. It’s a neat idea and if you visit the website, it’s amazing where people are releasing and finding books. For introduction purposes, I’m linking to the page from the site that shows the current locations of book releases in Tempe: http://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt/1/3/825/travel_-USA-Arizona-Tempe. Check out the site then go set a book free.

A recent discussion with a friend included the top five reasons we choose to live in Arizona. Almost all of them included the “sun” and none were “because we have to.” We acknowledged that it is not for everyone and wish that those who like to bash the desert would take their complaints elsewhere. I don’t care for endless days of gray skies and about to rain, raining or just rained weather. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the areas of our country (or the world, for that matter) where these conditions exist. I don’t denigrate places because of what I don’t like – I value them for what I do like and just don’t choose to live there. For people who don’t tolerate the relentless heat of an Arizona summer, please move or stop whining and get over it.

And, not speaking of the heat, I do believe Arizona’s version of fall is almost here. Natural air conditioning through open bus windows kept us delightfully cool this morning. Walking to the MU for my morning cuppa, I saw the grounds maintenance people preparing to plant pots and pots of red and white geraniums in the beds around the Cady Mall fountain. Open windows, cool evenings, annual flowers in bloom – I believe fall in the Valley is talking to us.