In a Hardly-Ever Land

Once upon a time, in a never-never tale in a hardly-ever land, a lost pilgrim about to move into the neighborhood asked if he might attach a hose to the neighbor's bib in order to get water for his carpet cleaner.

Nope, the never-never neighbor said.

Nope?

Nope.

But there is more than one neighbor, even in a hard land.

Plants that do not need hose bibs--although an occasional hardly-ever shower is helpful, are the descendents of those plants that crusted on the outside to conserve water. Apparently, some of the peripatetic desert residents develop crusts, too, to conserve water.

But when the sometime rains do come, they loosen almost-forgotten habits of almost everything dry, and burst into bloom. When that happens, as it is happening now, hard things become incredibly beautiful.

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