Yes, it's called Valley Fever. Some people catch it and never know. I tested positive two summers ago when Alan and I were having a mysterious ailment. One of my lungs had a spot indicating that I had caught it at some point but they couldn't prove when. Most of the time you get over it without much trouble and no medication is needed, you just get over it. When it's really bad, that's another story. It comes from a fungus in the soil. Doctors prescribe anti-fungal meds for really tough cases. It's been esepcially bad in Tucson this winter because of our drought.

The other critter to watch out for: scorpions! We have to shake our clothes and inspect our shoes before putting them on. So far, so good, but we use monthly pest control.

Oh, and I forgot, pack rats. I have a friend with a second home here. She has a carpot instead of a garage. Two years in a row they have arrived in Tucson for the winter only to find that the pack rats ate the wires in the car that they leave here.

Sure you still want to move to AZ? Don't let me scare you, Karen. Anyway, the sunrises and sunsets are worth it!