July 12, 2017 was a blistering afternoon in Scottsdale, Arizona. A year ago I was certain of one thing as my husband and I arrived at our new home, emerged from our stacked Sonata and stepped into the 107-degree heat. I was thankful. No matter the temperature, I had survived a mild heart attack on our way west. We were ready to turn the page in the desert.

For the next few weeks, we stayed inside mostly. Away from the sun. I unpacked a few boxes. Somehow I also found the energy to paint a wall in our condo after we had a new thermostat installed. But Tom did all of the heavy lifting. I sat and observed. I remember watching him clean our hummingbird feeder. He filled it with sugar water and hung it outside our kitchen window. Under the eaves.

Within a few days, a few ruby-throated hummingbirds zoomed in and landed. They found their newest source of neighborhood nourishment. It was comforting to see them hover nearby. They lingered there with us.

Over the past year, our hummingbird friends have become a mainstay. I’ll bet Tom has refilled the feeder with sweet nectar at least twenty times. This week we’ve seen heavy monsoon rains on a few afternoons. Yesterday I captured this image of one of our friends hanging out under our eaves. After the storm.