Moved here from Texas, my thoughts thus far...

[Finper]

I visited Tucson from so cal last wknd. The roads were very rough I didn't see pot holes but was surprised on the gravely feel if it. On the other hand your fwys are beautiful!! Caltrans is crap here our fwys are full of trash and weeds yours had no tagging and beautiful landscape... I was very impressed... And no traffic!!!

[sickofIL]

Borax also works. (sodium borate) You can use what is in the laundry detergent isle. I've used it for years. It worked very well in Illinois.

Yes, it was hot today, but I worked on my minivan all day in the garage and it was way better than Illinois at 90 degrees.

By the way, you still sweat here. It just evaporates. This is how your body's cooling system is suppose to work. When it is very humid your sweat doesn't evaporate so you feel hotter.

[Marcy1210]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

I lived in San Antonio for 5 years (1980s). All that time my arthritis hurt every day, including my elbows (same in Tampa Fl). When I rode my bike, was outside awhile, my clothing would get wet from sweating, humidity there almost as high as the temp. Here, in Tucson I do very well, joints only ache briefly when the weather is hot and humid or cold and humid (a few times a year) as long as I don't fall.

My arthritis is excruciatingly painful during the monsoon. The barometric pressure and humidity reduce me to a crying baby from the pain. I've had to go to the ER for morphine injections a few times because OTC pain killers do nothing. I never had this pain in CO during thunderstorms or snowstorms. It's only been here. I think it's the humidity because we don't have humidity in CO, but we do have the barometric pressure drops.

A friend of mine's father was a plumber, had told her to put some bleach in her toilet bowl once a week and leave it there while she was at work - said it makes the pipes slippery so water bugs can't climb up.

I have a master bath that I use every day, but I have a guest bath that rarely gets used. I put 1/4 cup of Clorox bleach in the sink and tub drains once a week and just let it sit there. I flush the toilet once a day just cuz. I don't have sewer roaches in my plumbing. Mine are in my attic and come down through the access square in my closet. Since I never use the attic access, I went to HD and got some large glue squares and put them up around the opening. If any roaches try to get out of the attic, they'll get suck on the glue boards. Sometime in December, I'll have my son check them and see if we caught anything. Usually by now, I have a few lethargic ones in my closet, but, knock on wood, so far none. Once the monsoon starts, that could change, though. That's when they become really active. I also use bait stations under all my sinks and behind the toilets. The roaches crawl in them and carry the dust back to their nest/hive/home whatever, which spreads it to other roaches, and the powder apparently makes them disintegrate. I also use glue boards under the sinks. All I've caught on those were some harmless, tiny spiders, gnats and a lot of dust bunnies.

I sprinkle BS on the door strips and outside. 10 years ago I moved to a mobile home park, was warned about the spiders, told one man was bit and almost died. Three times in 8 months (just going back and forth to my pickup in my carport) I was hospitalized for cellulitis. Each time the ER dr said there was an insect bite at the source of the infection.

I've also heard that blood meal will help, too. It's harmless to pets and children, but apparently it's a repellent for roaches, scorpions, etc. I haven't used it here, so I don't know about bugs, but when I had gardens in Colorado, it kept the deer from eating the veggies in the garden, and certain flowers.

[Ash Fork Rat]

thinking seriosly about moving back to Arizona . this time though i won't live out in woods . Phoenix sounds awful good .