In the desert we learn to value every drop of moisture that comes our way. A shower here is like a surprise gift; a rainstorm seems nothing short of miraculous. But you might imagine that our collective joy was dampened last winter when it started raining in November and then continued to rain. And rain. And rain. As lovely as
Blooming Beauty
The desert may be inhospitable, but it is far from sterile.
It was dry in the desert. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, of course. But for me as a recent transplant to the Coachella Valley, the land here seemed particularly parched. The ground was rattlesnake colored but soft, like ash. I was about a mile, maybe two, into the slot canyon, on a hike with a group in an