Blister in the Sun
OK I’m not even going to pretend to like the heat. But we did get a little break with some major thunderstorms. If you’ve never experienced one of these in the desert it is quite frightening! There is nothing for miles to dampen the sound & seemingly nothing else around for it to hit but you. Many times it doesn’t even come with rain so it can appear without warning. Even though the animals are pretty used to the loud military planes, helicopters & bombs they shoot off at the nearby 29 Palms Military base, this was way too much for them & they all wanted inside the trailer at once. This meant I had to stay out in the downpour (this storm came with rain) with them watching the lightening all around us. I love weather! But I don’t like seeing them so freaked out. It was over with shortly & we just enjoyed the rain.
This is the hottest, dustiest time of year & like the subzero temperatures in Colorado you do your best to stay indoors. However, indoors in a trailer is a bit like being inside a car in summer with the windows rolled half way up. Surviving in this kind of heat is something I never in a million years imagined priding myself on. But, some of the principals I learned backpacking in Colorado were helpful here in an “Opposite World” sort of way. The phrase “Cotton Kills” kept running through my mind, wishing it were true. In simple terms, in the cold cold if you wear cotton & it becomes damp or wet, it will never dry & you will die from hypothermia. Ah HA!! I was willing to give this a try. So, before going to bed I soaked my clothes & sheets, wrapped myself up in blankets so I wouldn’t dry out too fast & within 10-15 minutes I felt like I was freezing & could for the first time fall fast asleep & for the whole night! So here in “Opposite World” Cotton Cools!
Here is a list of things we do for fun in this kind of heat:
Tug of War
Make more dust
Rat Tossing
Visit with our desert neighbor Coyote
…And our desert neighbors Maria & John. Maria has just started planting Jujubee trees to see how they do. I can hardly wait! The fruit is used medicinally in Australia & China mostly to help with stress & memory. This could be a similar climate to Australia. Hopefully they will do fine, I am going to need some! Hurry Maria! Give those suckers some miracle grow or something!!!
.
