Purple Haze

It was a great day to live in southern Arizona.  My usual routine is to get up before dawn, but I felt lazy today and slept through the alarm.  I woke up to blazing sunlight.  I caught this sunset over the Sierrita Mountains on a walk I took through the desert before the temps started to drop from the high of 82 we enjoyed. Notice all of the desert cholla.

Today I finally put away the little cactus blankets that I use to cover them when we have hard freezes.  I figure that Spring is pretty much here now  so I shouldn't be needing them.  I lost two small prickly pears to the winter, which were devastating enough, but what really killed me was losing a beautiful cactus I had in the front yard.  I don't even know what it's called.  Looks like it's related to a saguaro.  I need to learn my desert plants.  I've only been here four years.

Today the cactus blankets.  Maybe before St. Patrick's Day, the Christmas tree?