Once you get to April here in the Valley of the Sun there’s precious time remaining to get all the backyard chores done before the real heat comes in and forces everyone inside. It’s not a whole lot different as when, back home in the Northeast, September and October are the months spent “buttoning up” things and preparing for the siege of winter. Of course, the big difference here is in the kind of weather you’re doing all the prep time in. High ’80s / low ’90s ain’t bad when it comes to preparing for the long hot summer. I have my checklist in place, am making good progress:

1. Add insecticide to the lime and lemon trees to kill the infestation of Asian whatever-the-hell-it is-called – done.
2. Check all irrigation lines for leaks and – most especially – sufficient water for all backyard and side yard non-desert plants – done.
3. Trim all queen palms to remove dead branches and fertilize for the hot weather – done.
4. Wash down the patio and tiki bar – done.
5. Schedule swimming pool water drain and replacement of outdated filter – done.
6. Spray all outdoor ceramics and art work to prevent fading by the sun – not done, waiting for a calm weekend day.
7. Sweep and wash down patio area – done.

We’ve got a big wind storm scheduled for Monday afternoon so I expect a couple-two-three items above to have to be repeated. Had another local tell me all the signs point to an above-average summer temperature-wise. Now that ought to be something. Considering we’ve already been in the ’90s the past few days it wouldn’t surprise me.