GOOD MORNING SONORAN DESERT

Quietly sliding the door open, I step outside onto our patio, breathe my first dose of cool, sweet Arizona morning air, and look towards the glowing morning horizon. Wispy, muted, water-colour like hues take on a daytime vibrancy as the rising sun shoots the Sonoran palette with pulsing Rays of golden light.

Don't move,  I order myself. Listen. Breathe. Savour the peace.

Almost imperceptibly at first, life begins to stir. Gentle desert breezes rustle the undergrowth. As if taking their first stretch of the day, majestic saguaro cacti mimic the gentle sway. Soaring on early morning thermals, a giant red hawk swoops and dives in search of breakfast. Alert to the swoosh of threatening wings, a long-eared jackrabbit stands statue-still, camouflaging himself beside the faded paddles of a prickly pear. Unwilling to chance capture, a road runner spins off in a cloud of dust towards the safety of tall desert grasses. The startling, raucous cry of a cactus wren suddenly pierces the early morning stillness and the Sonoran Desert comes fully alive for another day.

I bid good morning to the beautiful Sonoran Desert, good morning to my desert tonic. Life is good.