The end of June brings us over-110 degree heat. Swimming pools heat up to over 100 degrees and the night time temperatures rise. We view this as what happens in summer as much as people in colder areas know that snow will fall and ice-coated roads are dangerous. Instead of kitty litter and a blanket in the trunk, we carry extra bottles of water, a hat, and a good pair of walking shoes in case the car battery dies.
The saguaro cactus is setting fruit. In May, the tops of the cactus have a garland of large, white flowers that bloom at night. In June, the flowers fade and the fruit is set, giving the cactus an odd, Carmen Miranda look. The Tohono O’odham (literally: Desert People) harvest the fruit and make both juice and jam out of it. Saguaros are tall, the work must be brutal in the heat of the desert.
My journal these days is largely a nature journal, and here is the page for today:
Raw-art journal page, © Quinn McDonald, 2010 All rights reserved.
—Quinn McDonald is a creativity coach who helps people through changes and re-invention. She is writing a book on raw-art journaling to be published by North Light Books in 2011.
QuinnCreative 
What a happy cactus – all those bright greens and reds and yellows!
And you are NOT the last person who keeps a nature journal… but yours is very lovely indeed, just as a nature journal should be — all loose and flowing and full of bits of information.
The horticulturist in me is sooo happy with this entry!! 🙂
Oh, thank you! I sometimes think I’m the last person with a nature journal!