Notah sent me a text; “Warm NM night. Sky’s desert color. Dark blue n east changing to last pale red orange n the west.” Such a few words can evoke such a feeling of the desert. We are desert people, not the ‘live in the city and talk about blue skies and hot baking sun while you sit by your pool” desert people but desert desert people. We live amid the sage and rabbit bush and pull goat’s heads from the dogs’ feet and carry water in the car all the time.
All I had to do was close my eyes and take a deep breath and I was back. I could smell the odor of sage and sand. I could feel the hot sun (that we do have occasion to complain about, love it or not) and turn my face into the wind (even if it has sand blowing through it).
It makes me angry when I ride through towns and see green green lawns and pools in back yards. It makes me angry when I know that millions of gallons of water are wasted flooding into golf courses and gardens for the tourist/ retirement areas so easterners can brag to their friends how wonderful the desert is. If you want to live in the desert then live in the DESERT. Don’t try to turn the desert into little pieces of Ohio. If you don’t like the sand and rocks and sage brush and shaggy desert grasses, then don’t come to my desert!
Meantime let those of us who DO love it keep it for future generations to enjoy.
I found this picture that describes the word picture Notah sent me… I just clicked to put it in my screen saver pictures, so I don’t have the photographer. So, Someone-in-Albuquerque, thank you.
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This is so true, Vondi. I can remember feeling this way when I lived in Tucson for 12 years. The green grass and constant sprinklers and endless swimming pools...and then all the complaints about the CAP water project and how they were going to run out of water. And all the easterners coming with eastern plants which brought forth many more allergens to the area. The pools actually changed the humidity levels (or added to it anyway). The desert has its own special beauty and it wasn't meant to be tampered with! I enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains here but there is something about the southwest...ya gotta love it.
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