A Place in the Southwest Shade

Think of the word 'sunny'.  Doesn't it feel cheerful?  Our minds make all sorts of pleasant connections- sunshine, sunlight, sunlit, sunrise, sunflower.

 Now think of the opposite word 'shady".

'Shady' not only reminds us of darker places in life but also is an synonym for 'dishonest', as in 'shady dealings'.

I would like to propose that in the Desert Southwest, with springtime daytime temperatures already in the 90's, 'shady' takes on a whole new positive connotation, as in 'resting in a shady place'.   With the sun beating down relentlessly in our high desert area, any bit of shade in prized.

I saw a field yesterday that had only two small trees, about a 100 feet apart .  Each had a worker's truck parked beneath it in a sliver of shade. Our outside cats have already staked out napping locations beneath plants with the widest leaf spread to give maximum privacy and shade. And as I drive around town in blazing heat and light, the meager shade provided by desert plants, like honey mesquite trees, desert willows, and pecan trees, beckons.

Our yard has finally aged enough that the plants are adults and provide some wonderful shady spots for strolling and relaxing. We can walk under the grape arbor to visit the garden to see if any tomatoes are ripe yet.

We can sit under a pecan tree with a glass of jamaica (hibiscus blossom water).

Two palo verde trees outside the wall have finally grown up enough to provide shade in the vegetable garden.

Grape vines provide an amazing amount of shade for a bench in front of an outside room we call the 'bunkhouse'.

And I'm glad to see that this flower bed gets at least some shade during the day.  (I never believe the plant labels that say 'full sun', at least not for El Paso.)

As our daily summer temperatures climb into the 100's, I know I will be seeking out a wonderfully cool, quiet place in the shade. Go away, sunshine!