![\"Snowbird\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Snowbird.jpg\")
<\/a>By Suzanne Sparrow Watson<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s that time of year again \u2013 the annual migration of the snowbirds has begun.\u00a0 \u201cSnowbirds\u201d for those unfamiliar with the term, refer to all the people from colder climes that come here in the winter just so they can call home to their friends and brag that they’re not having to shovel sunshine.\u00a0 There are so many people here from the Midwest that someone once said that the definition of diversity in Phoenix is when someone from Chicago moves in right next door <\/i>to someone from Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
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A quick trip to the grocery store this morning made clear that the snowbirds are on the wane.\u00a0 I did not have to swerve coming out of my neighborhood in order to miss some \u201chigh flying\u201d snowbird with his top down, talking on a cell phone, and smoking a stogie.<\/p>\n
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Nor did I have to endure people turning left, no, then right, no, then left again because they didn\u2019t have GPS in their car and can\u2019t figure out our complicated street system.\u00a0 (I will say that having streets that dead end and then pick up again three miles down the road is a tad bit confusing) <\/p>\n And best of all, I breezed into the parking lot, found a space up close and was able to complete my shopping without having to stand in a long line of people stocking up on gin, cocktail napkins and sunscreen. \u00a0Rest assured, the most beautiful sight we see this time of year are all the car transport trucks heading out of town.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bad part about the migration is that most of my friends are snowbirds.\u00a0 They return this time of year to the mountains or the Midwest, carry on with their lives at home and leave the rest of us here to sweat out the summer.\u00a0 Just as they have their unique moniker, those of us who stay here are affectionately known as the \u201csummer sluts\u201d. \u00a0At least I think<\/i> that\u2019s a term of affection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In any event, last week a friend asked me if I actually looked forward to everyone leaving for the season.\u00a0 Since she was “migrating” back to Chicago the next day, I did what I thought was right. I lied. \u00a0I told her it was awful here in the summer. \u00a0And, of course, I do miss my friends. \u00a0But the truth is, it\u2019s kind of nice once everyone clears out.\u00a0 We can get into any restaurant we choose at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night.\u00a0 We can arrive 10 minutes before the opening of a blockbuster movie and still get a great seat.\u00a0 Oh sure, you can fry an egg on the pavement in mid-August but\u00a0 that\u2019s a small price to pay to be the first in line at the Nordstrom Annual Pre-Season sale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the best reason to enjoy the snowbird migration?\u00a0 No more dinner invitations.\u00a0 We control our schedule \u2013 from now until November we will not be on a social merry-go-round.\u00a0 We will only go out when we feel like it.\u00a0 We will not have to get dressed up.\u00a0 We can sit on our sofa, wearing Bermudas and a tank top, and download movies from Netflix.\u00a0 We can munch on junk food.\u00a0 We can drink beer and vodka tonics to keep cool.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Come to think of it, maybe I am a summer slut.\u00a0 By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Well, it\u2019s that time of year again \u2013 the annual migration of the snowbirds has begun.\u00a0 \u201cSnowbirds\u201d for those unfamiliar with the term, refer to all the people from colder climes that come here … read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"