Plans, They Always Change

I was so thrilled to be headed to Washington State! I was ready to go and have a big adventure up there - and then I got as far as Arizona, where I grew up and where I was supposed to get my parents settled in before I left.

And I'm staying.

Oh, it's not because I have to - it's because I forgot how beautiful the desert was.

I forgot the way the mountains on the horizon turn pink and pale yellow when the sun is setting.

I forgot how deep, brilliant blue the sky was.

I forgot how many millions of stars you can see at night when you walk outside and look up, without the brightness of streetlights.

I forgot about the dirt roads that are so fun to race down, and the quail and chipmunks and prairie dogs that race along with you, trying to get out of the way of the kamikaze lady in the little black SUV.

I forgot about the peace and the serenity of a quiet desert night, and all the tiny little creatures that come out in the cool stillness to sing you a lullaby.

I remember, now, and I just bought a two-acre piece of property and picked out the home I'm going to have put on it. And then I'm going to live happily ever after - or at least get close enough.