I truly love living in the desert. Yes, the weather is brutal this time of year, but if you stop to smell the cacti, you’ll be amazed by the colors and adaptations living things must make this time of year to survive. Everything has an attitude in this heat. It seems while the rest of us are running from our air-conditioned houses to our air-conditioned cars to drive to our air-conditioned offices, all while sipping the largest, coldest drink possible, the cacti surrounding the city are looking at the sun and saying, “What? Is that all you’ve got? I’m just warming up down here. Bring it.”
You think I’ll shrink in this heat? No way! I’m going to turn a beautiful shade of purple instead. Take that, burning star in the sky.
I don’t need no stinkin’ water. My friend Agave has been slipping me some wicked tequila anyway. All’s well in Barrel Cacti land.
Sunscreen is for wimps.
In the meantime, I’ve been inspired by these savvy succulents.
And call me crazy, but I’m harvesting prickly pear fruit this weekend and taking a stab (and more than likely a poke or two) at making jam. From cactus. And maybe a pie! Yes, I very well may have a case of heat-induced crafting craziness. Yes, indeed.
~K