Creosote Bush

Lightening

And the house shudders and sobs

Drips from every edge

Asks the sky how it is possible

Why the rain strips the roofing bare of insulating dust

Seeps into old cracks and scours the surface in new ways

Why the concave angles, so striking and angular in the afternoon light

Wood and ceramic tile built to endure heat and light

Are asked to be channels for water

In the morning

Steam rises from red tiles

From the eastern desert

A warm wind has infused the air with creosote bush

Echoing the storm

But sweetly

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Live-forever plant

Thought I'd share a little miracle with you.

This is a plant that I picked up (saved from being trampled) at a local park last spring, called lanceleaf live-forever. Mom and Dad had walked with me there during their visit a few years ago. This is a cute plant that lives on rock outcrops, in little crevices, but only in undisturbed places. It's one of those "special" local plants that people like, partially because of how it seems to thrive in such a harsh, hot, dry place, and because of its odd form and small stature. A little like why dad loved the alpine gardens so much.

It had fallen down from the rocks, or perhaps been picked or ripped down, and was on the path and so I brought it home and put it in a pot. It has just sat there growing small new leaves for about a year, and then suddenly, in the last few weeks, it grew a huge number of leaves and it sent up an inflorescence stalk!

I'll send a picture when it flowers.