Wednesday, June 26, 2013

God Forsaken

One half of my family has been farming and ranching for hundreds of years.  It's part of our DNA.  At some level, when we look at land, we think "grow" something.  It's always been there with me...what is growing on the land?  When we visited Zion National Park, for example, what trees and plants were growing there at that moment was of the greatest interest to me.

I'm absolutely sure that's one of the reasons I fell in love with Australia.  There were so many new-to-me plants to see/touch/smell.

Conversely, when I see arid, God forsaken expanses of 'wasteland' my bent is to shudder....avoid it.  "Nothing grows here."  Preconceived, on so many levels, is that it's a place to be avoided.

Until it rains!

The desert fairly bursts with life.  Now, even though, my visceral reaction is a shudder, I look at dry, arid lands and wonder what it must look like when it does rain.  What frogs unearth themselves for their brief meetings, matings and re-entry to the underground?  What seeds germinate?  What flowers burst open?  What critters' foot prints bake in the mud?

Because of the long held preconception, just under the surface, it is always a moment of surprised pleasure when I see arid, God forsaken, no-man's land, wasteland...... after a rain.
And Then It Rained!


And Then It Rained detail

7 comments:

  1. What a great story Diane. My mother, daughter of two botanists, used to live in Arizona and she always said there was nothing like the desert in bloom. How interesting that one location can be the source of both aversion and pleasure.

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    1. It really launched my interest in plants what grows where and why. Thanks for your comments and for the challenge!

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  2. Beautiful! I love how the diagonal lines give the impression of rain, unlocking all these hidden treasures. I'll never look at the desert the same way :-)

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    1. Actually I love desert areas now. Teally havimg to look for life. Interesting at the very least. Thanks for your kind words

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  3. Funny, I remember my mother visiting for the first time when I'd moved to California many years ago - she referred to Northern Nevada and the Sierra she'd flown over as wasteland! I was taken aback! I've grown to love so many different terrains over the years, but, I'll admit, there is only one that feels like home. I guess it is what, as you say, you are imprinted with. I love the contrasting green and brown all of your handwork!

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  4. Thank you , Martha. Interestingly. I have been trying for years to get one of my sons to move to N CA. I knew he would love it especially the weather. He went there on a trial basis lasi mo. Now he's in love with it. And why not?

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  5. I love dry arid areas and I have seen a lot in Australia. Your fabric selection looks perfect for what you were conveying.

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