Desert Rain

Right now I am listening to the rain fall. Now that we are living in the desert, it is a really big deal. I used to love listening to the rain all the time in Ohio. I loved hearing it hit on the slate roof and dripping on the black earth, watering all of the amazing plants that just seemed to naturally do their thing.
Here in the desert, it is like knowing that gold is falling from the sky and you want to hear each precious drop. You hope to hear more magical drops fall because you have no idea how long it will be till you hear that peaceful patter again. It could be months.

I can't say that I love living in the desert, because truth be told, I don't. But I am trying to find the precious drops of beauty in it.

Like the smell of wet creosote bushes after a rain.

The way the sky is so big here you can see the earth as a big bubble.

Striking pink and purple sunsets on a vast canvas of grey-blue.

Such a variety of birds as they migrate from all those places that do actually get really cold.

Skies as blue as a child's eyes.

Tumbleweeds.
Yes, they do still exist. They aren't nearly as big or numerous as they were when I was a kid.

Mountain views. I do love seeing Red Mountain on a clear blue day. It is amazing. And the Superstition Mountains are really pretty on a brisk winter morning.

Desert wildflowers.

Oh, and the Ocotillo bush. Some people think it is a cactus, but it's not. It is a bush that grows tall and straggly with lots of spines. When it rains it starts to grow these little green leaves. And they last for a while. That is one way to know how recently there has been rain in the desert.


Washes. This is kind of like the "hollers" in the Midwest. Everyone here knows what they are and you can use them as descriptions. On a hike you might say, "follow the trail and when you cross the wash you will see the cactus ribs on the left. Keep going till you cross the wash again and the campsite is on the left."

Although the desert is still not my "cup of tea", I have been able to find the beauty in it.
And for now, that will do.
But give me about 4 months when it has been over 100' for several months with several to go and I will deny everything I just wrote!