The Desert in 3 D

 

If you thought you were going to have a short video clip here... you were wrong.  It’s just my clever way of relating some important survival facts to you.  So pay attention…this is important!

It is crucial while living in the desert to get enough water in order to avoid dehydration.  They always recommend having a gallon of water with you at all times.  I never knew how good warm (almost hot) water could taste.  When you’re thirsty it’s already too late, you’ve started to dehydrate.

 

I’ve seen what dehydration does to fruits and being a woman of advanced years as it is, I take precaution to avoid this process.  Neither of us can tolerate the sun very long, so we can't get too far away to be in any harm.

 

Diet is important also, you tend to need a little more salt to help retain that fluid…who’d have ever thought I’d want to retain fluid!  We also try to eat things that have moisture in them.  My favorite in this category is ice cream.  Even better with peanuts (for that salt) and bananas for potassium.  I’m not sure what the chocolate does, but I’m sure it’s vital. Left Brain doesn’t go along with this thought, but it’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

 

While reading an old Reader’s Digest the other day I learned that pomegranate is good for the memory, or at least I think that’s what it said, I don't really recall clearly.  To be on the safe side, I now have a frozen Daily’s pomegranate marguerite every night.  You can never be too careful.

Now for those sticklers out there waiting for the 3^rd “D” (you know who you are) the last important lesson to learn while in the desert is to avoid diarrhea.  This is crucial for so many reasons.  Keep in mind that there is nothing around here for miles and miles.  So when that queasy feeling hits during a hike it’s a real eye opener.  What are you gonna do?

 

There’s literally nothing to go and hide behind to do your business.  The cactus doesn’t block much of the view; even if there’s nobody around…one still feels compelled to hide this activity.  Plus there’s the danger of squatting down in the wrong spot and angering a scorpion, rattlesnake or tarantula, like this cute little furry fellow.

yes, I shot this photo - and saw more than one that day.....yuck!

 

And let’s say that you found a nice big clump of cactus and survived any bites or stings.  How do you handle the paperwork?  It’s not like being in the woods of the Midwest where I knewwhich leaves were okay to use.  There are simply no leaves here to serve as toilet paper.

 

So leaving you with that image burned into your mind is my presentation of the desert in 3D.

Long Live the Queen of Always Carrying Extra Toilet Paper