Tuesday dawned astonishingly warm and humid. A sudden change from the weather we have been having. We hit 80 degrees in the house. Finally, blissful warmth. We drank in the warm breezes – the first hint of the Summer yet to come. When Wednesday came and was even warmer than Tuesday, we realized this wasn't a tease – Summer really is coming. I performed the season's first Ritual of the Space Bag.

Clothing storage is a real problem here. You can't just pack your clothes into a box and put them in the closet. Even with desiccating crystals, the clothes will actually rot. The humidity gets to everything. Without air circulation, your stuff is a goner.

In an environment like this, Space Bags are your friend. I use them for long term storage of everything. So yesterday we gathered all the winter stuff – sweaters, jeans, jackets, coats, socks, extra blankets, pillows, robes – everything. We laid it all out on the bed, turned on the air conditioner, and closed the bedroom door.

I crossed my fingers when we started the air conditioner, hoping we would not pay the price for neglecting to have the unit serviced. It started right up and worked beautifully. I let the AC run for a few hours to reduce the humidity in the room, then packed everything in the bags and sucked the air out with the vacuum cleaner. Its the only use my vacuum ever gets, since the maid refuses to use it.

I know I will have to perform the Ritual of the Space Bag at least once more, and probably twice, before Summer hits. The next round will include all of Chuck's leather boots, since they molder unbelievably when they aren't worn. I will also throw in some of my nicer Summer dresses that I brought. I brought them down with me and haven't worn them once. We live a beach life. Yes, Mazatlan has the opera, and symphony, and ballet, and upscale dining. We just don't go.

If you are planning on moving here, bring plenty of Space Bags (I have about 50) and a vacuum cleaner. Neither commodity is readily available here. I am guessing one follows the other. There are no Space Bags because there are no vacuum cleaners. The closest you will get is a ShopVac from Home Depot.