Nature

I love nature. I love the deepest corners of it, far from civilization, where it seems no man has been before. I love the struggle as nature must prove itself viable in the midst of the largest cities. I love her caring side, seen in the flowers, and animals rearing their young. I'm astonished by the harshness of the reality of the circle of life.
I am drawn to the harshness of nature because I live it everyday. Living in the desert is fantastic. Most of the country knows Arizona as a wasteland of rocks sand and cactus, and it is a shame. Of all the states I've been too my home is my favorite, probably because it's home, but also, because we have every single climate type right here between our borders.
The plants here must protect themselves, so they are thorny, and will bite you if you're not on your toes. The animals here too will knock ya down if you mess with their turf. And that's another reason it's so cool. Much like the state itself, the animals and plants here won't be told what to do,(daylight savings can kiss it WE DO WHAT WE WANT) they flourish where they shouldn't and survive when most would perish.
The beauty in the desert is everyday, it begins with the sunrise, and oh my what a rise it is. As I stood watch in the sun come up on my last hike it's was amazing to watch the sky come ablaze and the landscape change I front of my eyes. I'm not sure in the rest of the country, but here at sunrise there is a rush of cold air that you can almost feel rush across the land, it's kind of an epic feeling, I hope you get to experience it sometime!
The sun sets and again the sky is set ablaze, with vivid pinks and oranges, purples and reds, our sunsets are epic, our flag is representative of our sunsets, it's a real thing Arizona has them on lock.
The summer here is interrupted when monsoons hit and they are a welcome event. The rains can take a 115° day, and cool it to 65° in a matter of minutes, while at the same time shut down a city with flooded streets. With the monsoons come all kinds of creatures and plant life, exploding to life with the rain. Plants grow like crazy. I mowed my yard this morning, some weeds were shoulder high, when two weeks ago they were nay higher than my ankles.
Some of my favorite animals are the roads tha pop out with the rainy season. Until then they are buried deep within the dirt, dormant hibernating til the next year, so when they come out it's quite an event. It's a party when they pop out, with song and muddy dance. As they croak deep into the night, it's actually quite peaceful, their song.
So if you ever get a chance, come visit. See the grandeur that is Arizona, come see our big hole in the ground, our painted desert, come see our extremes. Come and sit with me while the sun rises and sets, you won't be disappointed.