Ear, nose, and throat doctors categorize tonsil size as 1 through 4. Size 1 is the smallest and size 4 is the largest. Size 4 tonsils are so large that they are touching each other or very close to it. At three years old our youngest son managed to have size 4 tonsils. The overly large tonsils generally led to difficulties with eating and drinking and were also more suceptible to infection. Our ENT doctor recommended that we have his tonsils removed. So that's what we did.

North of Phoenix by about 15 miles and just to the east of I-17 are a couple peaks that stand out from the desert floor. The more rugged peak is called Gavilan Peak and the taller but gentler is called Daisy Mountain. On Labor Day we decided to hike to the top of Daisy Mountain. We were not aware of any trails so it was cross country all the way up which turned out to be just as strenuous as I thought it would be. Even though the slopes look gentle and smooth from a distance, in reality prickly bushes and cacti crowed together and the angle is much steeper that it appears. The view from the top, however, is worth all the effort.

It finally happened. We finally found a scorpion in our yard. Well, actually, in our swimming pool. Apparently it had fallen into our pool and drowned. I found it stuck in the bottom of the pool vacuum. So let me see. About a year ago I was bit by a Brown Recluse. About half a year ago we found a rattle snake in our neighbor's driveway. And now we find the scorpion. I guess the other dangerous Arizona creatures we have left to find are Tarantulas, Black Widows, and Gila Monsters. If we stick to our schedule we should run into something else in another 6 months or so.

I took a few pictures of the guy I pulled out of my pool. You can see a couple of them here.

The third release from Superchick, Beauty From Pain, is one of their best albums. Most of the songs carry forward the typical Superchick sound that we've become accustomed to from their first two albums (although there are a few exceptions). This isn't a bad thing if you like their sound -- and I do. This album stands out in that it is more thematic than their others. As the title suggests, the songs on this album tackle issues dealing those painful situations that life throws at us.

As summer rolls into full swing here in Phoenix Arizona one of the biggest issues for home owners is their electricity bill. The scorching outside temperatures force air conditioning units to work overtime to keep the insides of homes habitable. It's not unheard of for home electricity bills to be over $400 per month during this time of the year. Naturally this prompts a consciencious homeowner to try to lower their bill. Below I've described 10 mostly useless ways that one can lower their monthly payout.

The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul is Douglas Adam's second Dirk Gently novel. Gently is a private investigator, actually a holistic private investigator. That is, he believes in the total interconnectedness of all things. Therefore, his detecting methods involve pulling together the most unusual and apparently unrelated things and finding the common link. While the first book, Holistic Detective Agency, was fun and clever, Teatime seems to be too over the top. Adams has certainly given Gently some strange and apparently unrelated events but he doesn't tie them together in a clever way. Instead of explaining it all in "our" world, Adams moves the whole shebang off to a parrallel universe populated by norse mythological creatures. Once in that world we don't expect things to necessarily make sense so the tension of the juxtaposition of strange events is significantly reduced.

The Go John Trail winds its way between a cluster of small hills (or mountains) to make a 4.5 mile loop through some very nice Sonoran Desert country. The trail starts out from the parking lot with a bit of a climb to a low saddle. Right at the peak of the climb is an abandoned mine shaft. Some Arizona state department has built a wire cage over the opening to prevent people from climbing in. That's probably a good idea.

A few weeks ago I found myself enjoying a few days with my wife in Sedona Arizona.  I've always wanted to hike some of the trails in that area so I decided to take advantage of the situation and find a short trail that would give me some nice red rock views.  The manager at the Bed & Breakfast we were staying in suggested a trail called Little Horse Trail.  I was looking for something that was relatively flat, not too crowded, and provided good opportunities to see the incredible rock formations up close.  He said that Little Horse Trail would work perfect for what I wanted.