It is just absolutely freezing here! I mean, it isn't literally freezing...but it is 55 degrees in the middle of the afternoon on July 30. Last night, we contemplated putting our electric blanket back on the bed...but opted for an extra comforter and no fan instead.

I'm pretty sure that the whole country is having wierd weather this summer, but I know Colorado Springs is for sure! We had a monsoon yesterday that started just when I was on my way to the grocery store. The drainage systems here aren't really built to handle lots of rain, so I was watching the Subarus in front of me to make sure their mufflers didn't go under water at the numerous flooded intersections. Rain, wind, lightening, and of course the hail that seems to come with every Colorado rain we've seen so far. The thunder here can be pretty ear-popping, but sometimes the thunder is long and drawn out. The first time I heard that type of thunder, I was expecting to hear air raid sirens and a radio alert that Ft. Carson had just exploded. This is the type of thunder we're having today as the raing has just picked up again! Thankfully I haven't had to water my garden or fill my birdbath in quite awhile.

On a lighter note....everyone should come visit because according to Outside Magazine:

America's Best Cities 2009: Colorado Springs, Colorado No. 1

By Sean Brander

	Garden of the Gods (courtesy of Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center)

KEY STATS
617,000: Population (metro)
$180,000: Median home price
A: Multisport grade
1,200: Number of Olympic athletes who live in town to train at the U.S. Olympic Complex

There's a reason 1.3 million people have rushed to Colorado's Front Range in the past two decades: With 249 annual days of sun, an ascendant, heavily tech-based economy, and quick access to nearly four million acres of Rocky Mountain wilderness and a dozen world-class ski resorts, it's simply a pretty awesome place to live. And while we love Denver's laid-back vibe (see right), the Springs simply outscored it this year. (Boulder wasn't large enough to qualify.) Considering that the town is base camp for both the Air Force Space Command, NORAD, and ultra- conservative advocacy groups like Focus on the Family, it may be a bit conservative for some. But regardless of your political bent, it scored extremely high in our education category, has the best weather of any city on our list, and, most important, blew away the competition when we compared average income to cost of living. The city is experiencing something of a cultural resurgence, too. Colorado College's ten-month-old, $33 million performing-arts center has begun drawing national classical music and dance groups, and this year the city launched its own roots-and-blues festival, Meadowgrass. But you don't come to the Front Range for the music. You come for 14,117-foot Pikes Peak (directly above town); the Arkansas's Class IV rapids (two hours west); world-class athletic facilities (Carmichael Training Systems is based here); and 260 miles of multisport trails available within a ten-mile radius. Sure, there are a few other towns with this many outdoor options, but they generally cost twice as much—or, like Boulder, require you to shave your legs.

So, there you go...I guess that is a good thing? Hopefully it will stop raining while we live here so we can enjoy more of the aforementioned amenities of this fair city.