Blog entry

Botanical Beauties - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

BOTANICAL:  pertaining to plants

Many people think that the desert is nothing but prickly plants and blowing sand.  Believe me, there are plenty of prickly plants here in the Chihuahuan Desert, and, at times, plenty of blowing sand.  But there are a whole host of other plants that bloom beautifully and are much more friendly to the skin.  The Chihuahuan Desert is termed a "cold desert" since temperatures often drop below freezing during the winter with occasional snowfall.  It is, on average, higher in altitude (El Paso is at 3800 ft / 1200 m) than the neighboring “hot” Sonoran Desert around Tucson (2643 ft / 806 m) which rarely experiences freezing temperatures.  While Tucson and Phoenix bake for several months with triple digits, summer temperatures in the Chihuahuan desert are more moderate, our hottest month being June. Triple digits, yes, but for only a few weeks.  Rainfall averages less than 10" per year, most of that coming during the monsoon season, normally July through mid-September. Amazingly, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature has indicated that the Chihuahuan Desert may be the most biologically diverse desert in the world!  Our plants just tend to be built on a smaller scale than those found in the Sonoran Desert.

Autumn Oranges and Browns - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Even though the temperatures are still getting in the upper-80's to mid-90's here in the Borderlands region, the nights are dropping down into the mid-60's at night.  Autumn is definitely in the air!  I have noticed some of the leaves on some of the bushy sumac trees are beginning to turn.  Due to lack of rain or the shorter days?  Probably both.  But it is nice to see the slide into my favorite time of the year.

Peacefully Pink - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Even though the color pink is not a favorite color, I have come to respect it.  That came about when I read an article stating that a person can sell more at handmade art shows if they wear a pastel pink colored shirt.  In color psychology, light pink is a positive color inspiring warm, comforting thoughts and is a sign of peace and hope.  According to the article, when you wore pink, people found you more thoughtful and insightful and you were more trusted.  The author, who sold at shows, swore by wearing pink and said her sales definitely increased once she made the change.