Hi Editor Julie...

It was two years ago I last reported from that OTHER Snowbird destination for many Michigan Silver Citizens -Arizona. So here we are again to update readers who are thinking of making the Grand Canyon State either their winter-only or full-time home.

The real BIG news here is RAIN. We come to the Phoenix area about every year to visit a daughter, my brother and friends, and we've never seen it rain. According to the weather gurus at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, a normal year produces 3.89 inches. The first two months of the year produced 4.84 inches alone. People in the Michigan Thumb would consider it almost a drought if only that much rain came down in two months.

But for newspaper, radio and TV news folks here in southern Arizona, rain was big news - something akin to the start of World War III. They reported it was the third highest amount of rain in a hundred years. Actually, in higher elevations it did rain a lot more than in Phoenix. So-called rivers around Phoenix, usually filled with sand, flowed with real rain water. It was something for natives to behold.

A letter to the editor in the newspaper the other day called on the news media to give the public a break from rain hysteria. "Please, no more articles or newscasts about potholes, leaky roofs, mold, mud, pollen, bugs, termites, ants, weeds, West Nile virus, cars stuck in washes, trees falling over, landslides, sinkholes, delayed air traffic, swollen streams and unhappy golfers." Then he added, "Rain is the answer to drought. We should be on our knees praying for more!"

Those of you thinking of moving to Arizona already know that the northern part of the state is much different than the desert south. There's snow and wonderful green mountain scenery, including Grand Canyon. But most Snowbirds don't want Michigan-type weather. They head to the warmer climates of Phoenix or Tucson where most living things must be constantly watered to survive.

The rain did make it greener than we've ever seen it before. Our daughter, whose back "lawn" is composed of several tons of stones, had so many weeds popping up that she finally hired a gardener to cope with them. She never had weeds there before. Actually, people don't spend a lot of time in their yards anyway. Most new subdivisions have their side and back yards surrounded by cement block walls seven or eight feet tall, making it tough to get to know your neighbors, even though houses are often only ten feet apart.

If you want to move to a real friendly place (and are at least 55 years old) try one of the Sun Cities. That's where my brother and wife live, along with friends we visited overnight. Located on 8,900 acres in the Sonoran Desert northwest of Phoenix, the original Sun City of the 1960s was soon filled up, so Sun City West was launched. Together, they had 60,000 Senior souls. Now, with Sun City West sold out, the more pricy Sun City Grand is rising in the desert. The Sun Cities don't have walls between the homes, making it a much more neighborly place.

In fact, the first time we visited my brother, John, we parked our rental car in front of his house. Fifteen minutes later, his phone rang. It was a neighbor lady across the street. "I don't want to worry you," said she, "but there's a strange car parked in front of your house." He explained that there was nothing to worry about-it was his brother's car. Fifteen more minutes later the lady called back. "Your brother should probably know that there's something leaking out from under the car onto the street." John then had to explain that the liquid was very likely water from the air conditioner that had been used on the 95-degree day. Yes, neighbors are also very watchful.

I should also point out that many Arizona Silver Citizens apparently have a different timetable than those of us back in Michigan. We were invited to stay overnight by our Sun City West friends. After returning from dinner at a restaurant, we were chatting away in their living room when suddenly our hostess stretched her arms, yawned and announced that it was their bedtime. I looked at my watch and it was only 8:30! (Back home, we usually head for bed after the 11 o'clock news.) They trotted off to the bedroom while we sat there wondering how to spend the next three hours.

My brother and wife said they are on the same time schedule. The best explanation is that from early May into October the temperatures of 100 or more are an everyday experience, peaking from 112 to 120 in July. Early morning is the best time to play golf or tennis, take walks and work outside. So they arise between 5 and 5:30 AM.

Is Arizona right for you? Said one enthusiastic life-time resident, "If you can get past the scorpions, the dust and the heat, you'll love Arizona. You'll learn to live in air conditioning. You will know what a swamp cooler is and you'll carry a bottle of cold water or pop everywhere you go like the rest of us. You'll understand the difference between an Arizona Room and a Great Room. You'll know what javelina are and that a road runner isn't just a cartoon character. And if you own a piece of desert property, you'll find all of these critters in your neighborhood, including quail, jackrabbits and coyote." (We found about everyone had tales to spin about their encounters with coyotes.)

There's plenty to see and do. If you love baseball, you will find nine teams in spring training in the Phoenix area and three around Tucson. In Florida, they call it the Grapefruit League but in Arizona it's the Cactus League.

Unfortunately we will be heading back to Michigan before the Annual Ostrich Festival in suburban Chandler where our daughter lives. Ostriches in Arizona? Yep. Chandler was once the site of big ostrich ranches when their feathers were needed for women's hats. Beside the festival parade and ostrich races, you can buy ostrich feathers and hand-painted eggs or you can dine on ostrich burgers, fresh emu eggs and best of all - ostrich jerky! No wonder everyone's flocking to Arizona.

Jim can be e-mailed at sponcom@ameritech.net.