Among Many Ironwoods

 It has been an emotional month---full of many swings up and down as I cope with various personal situations.

Part of the salvation during this has been daily walks. The loss of my private spot in the undeveloped desert prompted me to begin exploring the many trails near where I live. This has involved hiking in the desert during the hot part of year.

My first walks were ones from my front door, on the trails in the ranch subdivision where I live. In one of my first walks, I found myself meandering up the bed of a very wide wash between two housing subdivisions. There I found many ironwoods in bloom for May, some of which provided shade for me, although none were quite as perfect as the one that is now off limits to me. Nevertheless it was a bit of joy amidst an otherwise stressful month.

Soon I began wandering up in to the trails that go up into the nearby preserve in the McDowell Mountains. I discovered how dry the desert becomes, when you leave the vicinity of any sort of vegetation. It was as if I could feel the moisture being pulled out of me.

Now I have graduated to driving to trailheads near me and wandering in the open desert far from houses. This morning I went about five miles on fairly flat ground.