“Life is like a cactus, full of pricks but also very beautiful.“
Variously Attributed
Pricks
Arizona
“He’d always had a quickening of the heart when he crossed into Arizona and beheld the cactus country.”
Dorothy B. Hughes, in The Expendable Man
Photo is of a postcard sunset taken long enough ago that there is no chance of recovering credit.
Cactus/Caucus
“I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.”
Mo Udall
The Universe
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.“
Cactus Forests exist. In Arizona the most obvious are the Saguaro Forests. For the next few Wednesdays we will celebrate them. I have photos.
Not Just Desert
Most of what people call “desert” is not desert it is dry land forests. Some are Saguaro Forest, some are Joshua Tree Forests, some are Mesquite Forests and there are many other varieties and of course lots of Mixed Cactus Forests. Once you start to see Arizona as a forest it can change the way you see our terrain. “Look there’s a grove of Teddy Bear Cactus.” or “See how the Ocotillo stand is growing on the north side of the wash.”