HOW HOT IS HOT........????

June is usually our hottest month in the desert and I guess this one is no exception.  The thermometer on the back porch read 117.4* at one time this afternoon.  I don't think it was that hot, at least I hope not.  The thermometer is hanging on the back side of an upright post, to protect it from the sun.  But when it gets that hot I doubt that the post makes much difference.  We had wind and a dust storm, and clouds and late this afternoon a few sprinkles.  It's so hot they didn't last long. The humidity is rising, as we head into the monsoon season.  Hopefully we'll have a good one this year, the last 10 years or so have been pretty disappointing for the most part.  Our poor prickly pear cactus, look like survivors of a concentration camp.  It wouldn't take much to kill the pads completely, but if and when they get rain, they will come out from the roots, if that happened.  They are survivors. 

I raced Saturday night as planned, and thankfully when the sun went down it cooled off enough to be fairly comfortable.  I finished 2nd in the heat race and 4th in the main event.  Unfortunately the guy that "won" was suppose to have 50 pounds of lead added to his car, because he had won 2 races in a row.  He was 4 pounds shy on his weight, so he got disqualified and we all moved up a spot, so I got points for 3rd.  The positions were posted today and one of the guys is tied with me for 1st place.  We race again the 1st of July and he'll probably surge ahead.  He was only 11 points behind me, so I surprised he didn't at least get a point or two ahead of me.  So I can bask in being in 1st place for a little while longer............LOL

When it's this hot, the donkeys don't want to do anything.  They actually spend quite a bit of time laying down, which I find odd.  I don't know if being in contact with the ground is cooler than standing and having the hot air circulating around, but we'll look out and there will be 6 or 7 of them laying out by the driveway, in the sun.  We went to town today to get a camo net to make shade.  Guess they don't sell them anymore, so we ended up buying a 18x24 tarp.  John is going to hang it in the trees in one of their favorite places to lay for shade, so they will probably go find someplace else to lay in the sun......!!!  

Coquette, my little skin problem queen, finally broke out today with a sore on her leg.  She is wearing men's crew socks on her legs and has been doing good, but for some reason it is difficult to keep  socks way up on her legs.  We all pull them up all day when we see her, but obviously today she had them down for awhile.  Luckily it's above her knee, in a place I can actually bandage, so if her socks slip down, at least it will stay covered..............I hope.....!!  So far the others are "sore" free, even Rosie and her ventral dermatitis is doing real good, in fact this morning was the 1st time she hasn't had scabs on her belly since probably March.  I put Cortizone10 on her belly every morning and it seems to be doing the job.  Every year I have fought the good fight, with just about everything available up to and including Dex shots, which did absolutely nothing. 

This last week-end was Saddik's 1st race with Lynn in Colorado.  Linda said he did great, I guess so, as a team, he a Lynn finished 1st in Lynn's age group, and 3rd overall.  I guess she and Lennon finished at their own speed, she didn't say, although she did say Lynn and Saddik were headed down the mountain, when they were going up the mountain and Saddik wanted to go back up with them..........LOL   Guess he wasn't ready to quit. 

Saddik showing off his medal

Linda and Lennon, planning their strategy

Boaz and Turbo helping with chores

We had planned on taking BlackJack and probably Buddy Brat to Tombstone this Saturday for a parade to salute the Buffalo Soldiers that were stationed at Ft. Huachuca in the 1880's.  They have a horse mounted group that dress in period costume and ride in many of the parades in Texas, and Arizona.  Maybe other states too, I don't know for sure.

It would have been fun, BUT..........this heat is suppose to last at least another week.  When it's like this donkeys don't want to move around, and probably don't want to put on a pack saddle or a blanket, not to mention walk 4 blocks on asphalt at high noon.  I don't think John was looking forward to dressing up in his miner's outfit, complete with red union suit and knee high boots either.  So I sent our regrets to Bronco Billy this morning.  I don't know why they are having it in the summer, maybe it's a special day or something.

Not sure what type of outfit this is, doesn't look like a miner.  This was a few years ago, when John, BlackJack and Cisco were in a movie being shot up at Gammon's Gulch the movie site that is just up the road from us.  John had to go to "wardrobe" and they dressed him.