Denying the Desert It's Becoming

 While hiking through an extremely dry stretch of forest, imagining fires, I sought out the flowers that were still surviving.  This gives the impression of a healthier situation than what I actually witnessed.  It felt like 100 degrees at Noon.  Sticks on the ground were crackly.  We could smell the pine needles as the Sun drove out their last bits of resin.  This was by far the driest I've seen the local forest in my 7 years here.  And it's only May!  Please be careful with matches.  Better yet, leave them home.