Fall in Tucson

Yes, Tucson does have a Fall. It just doesn’t really have a winter. And this has to be tied for my favorite part of the year. We’re through with all the heat! My other favorite part of the year is Spring which comes right before it gets hot again but also includes cactus flowers.

Our highs are in the 80s, occasionally the lower 90s, but it’s completely manageable. And the evenings are getting down to the upper 50s even. But without looking at the thermometer I can tell it’s Fall.

In Utah you could tell it was Fall because the leaves on the trees would change colors. There aren’t exactly trees with leaves like that here, so you can’t use that to tell if it’s Fall or not. The picture I put with this post was taken in Utah. A picture of Tucson in Fall would look pretty much like a picture of Tucson at any other time of year.

But there are clues to a change in season, be it ever so slight. Here’s my checklist to know if it’s Fall or not in Tucson:

• You can drive with the windows down and it’s not just because you are on your way to the mechanic to get your air fixed and you don’t want to melt to the seats on the ten minute drive there.
• It’s worth it to leave the window open when you sleep at night.
• You actually pull the sheet over you when you are sleeping. (The blanket is still pushed off to the side.)
• The radio DJs start talking about how cold it is now. (And I laugh at them.)
• You walk outside in the morning and feel alive in the crisp air rather than starting to drip from the heat.
• The birdseed stops melting.
• Your tomato plant starts getting flowers again and you realize it isn’t drying out every day so you don’t need to water it every day.

This really is the best time of year here.