Not long ago, sunflowers bloomed here by the thousands every fall.

You can still occasionally find their seeds, usually between the teeth of tiny brown rodents with long tails. I forget their scientific name, so I just call them carls (they look a lot like my childhood hamster Carl).

Carl would not have been able to survive in these conditions, but the carls do just fine. Those freaks can survive for like five years without water. Maybe longer. And they can outrun the snakes and bobcats with leaps as long as a professional basketball player is tall. I’m not sure if they breathe in the dust at the same rate as me, but they definitely don’t cough as much.

Don’t lose your hat, because we could walk for half a day and not find shade. Once in awhile I’ll come across a boulder large enough to block the sun. You have to keep your eyes sharp, though, since poisonous scorpions love to nestle themselves under there. I’ve seen a few lizards learn that the hard way.