A Windy Day in Phoenix

Today's crazy weather caught me totally off guard. All morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I didn't even bother to check the forecast. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? I took my time getting the lamb shanks ready. I already knew this was going to be a mixed medium meal, that is not entirely solar cooked. The onions and lamb shanks were browned on the stove before transferring everything to the Sun Oven. By the time that was done there were a few clouds in the sky, nothing of real concern, braised meats by definition cook at a low temperature for a long time.

With dinner simmering happily away I went about my business. I kept an eye on the cloud situation, it was once again a day of on again off again sunshine, but the Sun Oven seemed to be maintaining a satisfactory temperature. I don't know why I finally decided to check the forecast on accuweather.com, but when I did I was surprised to see a big banner at the top of the page that said "Red Alert! High Wind Warning! Chance of Thunderstorms!". I'd never seen that before. I'd barely finished reading it when the wind in fact did pick up and within minutes the partly cloudy sky was completely overcast and dark. It was time to move the lamb inside. But wait, it doesn't end here. Half an hour later the sun came out again so I moved the lamb back to the Sun Oven where it stayed until dinnertime. And with all the back and forth I'd worked up a nice appetite.