Wild West

I was driving back toward home from the bank yesterday, when I saw a tall skinny dog trot across the main street I was on. It was well in front of me so I had plenty of time to see it. It was about half way across when I noticed its bushy tail. I thought "Is that a..." Yep, it was a coyote. Not that coyotes are limited to the west any more. But this was the first wild one I'd seen here in the Phoenix area since I moved here getting close to two decades ago. I think it was last year that someone put up a warning about a coyote seen in my immediate neighborhood. (They can be a particular danger for small pets.) I have no idea why the coyote was up on the street yesterday. It was just a few steps north of a bridge over a flood control channel, a very deep wide ditch that is perfectly dry almost all the time, that's there to keep the summer monsoon storms from flooding the nearby houses. No doubt the coyote lives down in the channel, where the plants grow wild and whatever critters that move in are left alone. It's a rough life in the desert. The coyote I saw boldly loping up my driveway a couple decades ago in Missouri, probably weighed twice as much as the one I saw yesterday.

I don't know how far and wide Hatch chilies have spread as a food item. They are certainly a thing in the Southwest. They are moderately sized, long, a bit tough skinned, perfect for stuffing, as in Chile Rellenos. I hated stuffed peppers when I was growing up. But those were green bell peppers which I still don't like. Chile Rellenos are something I often order at Mexican restaurants. This time of year you can buy the Hatch chilies in grocery stores. They can be dead mild to very hot. The trouble is that it's impossible to tell a hot one from a mild one just by looking at it. They are grown separately according to spiciness. The store will have separated piles of them for sale, but they are frequently mixed up either in shipping or by careless customers. I bought three that were labeled 'medium' to use in salads. The first one turned out to be dead mild. The second one is slightly hot. I'm hoping the last one will not be fiery hot.

Everyone's favorite dingbat President is having a 'campaign' rally in Phoenix next Tuesday. The mayor of Phoenix asked him to put it off. But DJT listened about about as well as he does to anyone, so he's coming. In addition to his statements about Charlottesville being fresh in everyone's mind, there have also been hints of him being eager to feed his base by giving a pardon to a local celebrity. Our former, long-time county sheriff, Joe Arpaio was convicted of ignoring court orders to stop hassling Hispanics in hopes of catching illegal immigrants. The sentencing is set for a few weeks down the road. There is some fear that riots may happen if Trump pardons Arpaio now before his sentencing. We did manage to vote Arapaio out before he was convicted, but there are probably as many people who love him as there are who hate him. Protests and counter protests are being planned as I write. So I'm hoping the news coming from Phoenix next Tuesday will be at least peaceful.