CYCLE OF LIFE

Desert rocks about to be transported to their new home thousands of miles to Jackie's backyard.

NOTCH LEAF PHACELIA found in the washes gives bright contrast to an otherwise sunburnt-beige landscape.

This Palo Verede tree will be toast when the next hard rain falls.

A good rain will slide this tree into the wash where it will become life for insects, and in-turn life for lizards;  and birds will eat the lizards.  None of us are immune from the cycle of life.

The next time I hear a politician say, "Slippery slope" this is what I'll be visualizing. 

DESERT or PURPLE SAGE

The literature suggests, and Native Americans knew, that desert sage has qualities that are analgesic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, diaphoretic, digestive, disinfectant, emollient, febrifuge, poultice and sedative. Today we use synthetic pills from Pfizer pharmaceutical.  Should the system we now know ever fail, we'll be asking the Indians for a little help, just like in the beginning.

The Loggerhead Shrike is well known for its creative use of barbed-wire, chain-link fences and long thorns to impale its prey, returning later to dine. This bird eats lizards, grasshoppers, frogs, mice, moths and will even kill and eat other birds. So it goes. And you thought the Blue Jay was a wicked rascal. We are all food for something.

Another beautiful afternoon slides into evening and bids the day adieu.