12/22/08 More Arizona Snowmen Stories
Snow hit northern Arizona this past week. Flagstaff is buried under two-plus feet, and Snowbowl is now open. I hear that Grand Canyon looks like a wintry holiday card. In Sedona: Every morning I glance look out my bedroom window expecting to see snow on the prickly pear … but, not yet … just raindrops clinging to the cactus needles. On-and-off sunshine. On-and-off rain showers. It’s good for the desert, but bad for the carpet in the store.
On a positive note, the migrating storms have given us spectacular sunsets. Yesterday, driving out to the grocery store in West Sedona, I noticed that the clouds hovering over the western horizon were red like steel wool on fire. Looked like a volcano had erupted in Cottonwood. No, I didn’t have a camera with me. Sorry.
Arizona weather is hard on snowmen: A neighboring store has a wire snowman that waves at passers-by. Well, last week’s wind-and-rain storm knocked him over, and the impact popped his mechanical arms off, so he just lay there twitching on the sidewalk. It was so horrible I could barely laugh. Employees set him back up and reattached his arms, but his carrot nose is now smashed backward and curves upward into his face. Not a holly jolly sight.
Update on Sedona Green Gallery’s formerly seven-foot, paper Mache snowman: He’s now about two-and-a-half feet tall. I accidentally left him out in the rain once … maybe three times … and his lower body segments quickly flattened under his own water-soaked weight. For a couple days, he looked like a living stack of pancakes — actually, a friend told me it looked like a bean bag chair with a face. At this writing, only his top third remains. I set his top portion in a giant planter on the store balcony, but he doesn’t look healthy. I fear he won’t last until Christmas. No worries: He’ll wave goodbye saying “Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again some day” Thumpetty thump thump thumpety thump thump ….
OK, I’ll swinging home for Christmas in a couple days. Wish me safe travels. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and “God bless us, everyone.”
I love your Blog!! I visited Sedona for the first time in 2002, and I fell in love with the place. With money the way it is, I may not get back there for awhile. Reading your blog soothes my soul and takes me back to beautiful Sedona. Thanks!
What a nice thing to say! Thanks. — Mike