Bright Sunlight

On June 3rd, 1985, I moved from the land of my birth, Los Angeles, California, to the Phoenix suburbs of Arizona.  I don't think a day has passed since that day, that I haven't marveled at how beautiful the sky is out here in the desert.

That first week, my mom and dad and aunt were here, helping me move, and it was bittersweet.  I lived at home until I moved here, and while I knew where I was going career-wise, I never really wanted to be away from my family.  But you have to severe those ties, eventually, and begin making your own way, even if you do make lots of mistakes along the way.  My little sister moved out here with me, so I was not alone.  She was 18, and ready to begin college.  We had so much fun, figuring out life with only each other for support instead of that HUGE family back in California.

Arizona has stars.  It's true!  You can see them at night; bright, sparkling like Swarovski crystals against midnight blue satin.  L.A.'s skies were so saturated with artificial light at all times, you never got to see a star.  It became a ritual for me, when heading out to work in the morning, to greet Orion, because I could see him up there, stable, and always on the hunt.

I remember the first taste of summer monsoons.  The wind would come up, the sky would turn yellow-grey, and the dust would shroud everything.  Then the thunder would roar and it would rain so hard you couldn't see across the street.  It was frightening in its intensity, but then in its aftermath, there was a break from the summer heat, and there is nothing like the scent of wet desert; it's comforting and homey and wraps you in calm.

This is such a primal world, the desert, and although we have all the modern comforts and conveniences, this primal world still struggles to dominate over it all.  The scorpions continue to try to invade the house every year; the black widows and preying mantis keep watch over vegetation that always seems to have thorns of some kind.  And I can deal with them all, except those darned Wolf Spiders... just something about spiders with hairy legs that gives me the willies. :D

Anyway, it's a crazy-bright morning again, and I think I'll head outside and get myself a little Vitamin D to kick off my day.  I'll be seeing the radiation oncologist today, after zappage, and I need to tell her that I feel like I'm getting acid reflux or something, and it's interfering with sleep.

Be safe and well, all.