The Desert is a Scary Place

photo by Bill Josh Young

I'm in Tucson at the moment, it's the Fourth of July, and there's a thunderstorm brewing. Last night a huge one blew in around 9:00 pm. We all ran outside and stood under the eaves to watch. The lighting and thunder crashed all around us and the rain poured down in torrents. You could almost feel the desert soaking it up. And the smell of that desert in the rain is intoxicating - my favorite smell in the world. However, all that rain brings out some nasty little creatures. As I went to do yoga in my mom's living room this morning, I was confronted by a small scorpion. I sprayed it with raid and it flailed about, giving me some major creeps. I went to put the raid away and when I came back, it was gone. Where the heck did the horrible little thing go? Well, I wasn't about to exercise on the rug after that, not knowing when it might skitter over to take its revenge. Finally, after I finished the workout in another room, I decided to fling myself in the pool to cool down. I stripped down to my skivvies and leaped in with abandon. Suddenly, I came face to face with a desert toad that was dog-paddling for its life. Once I recovered from that small freak-out, I retrieved my flip flop, fished the toad out with it, and placed it on the grass. Minutes later, it was gone - ungrateful bastard.

Beautiful and awe inspiring as it is - the desert is full of surprises, some not so nice. I'm keeping my shoes on and my eyes open til this little vacation is over.