FINDING THE DESERT INDOORS? You might have a tiny cactus in a ceramic pot, a prickly specimen you bought at a botanical garden on your last swing through Palm Springs. You may have a few postcards up, the sort of cards that rock photos of tortoises or sunsets or some fetching combination of the two. Or you might be looking for other routes to return, at least in your mind and heart, to the high desert during this stay-at-home spring. We're keeping close to the couch, due to the novel coronavirus, but we're still experiencing various longings for the places that mean a lot to us. And if you're a Mojave lover, through and through, you're likely searching for ways to find that Joshua Tree-style joy.
MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST, which is based in Joshua Tree, can help whisk us away through multiple channels. The desert-bolstering org has a number of delights to dip into on its Desert Indoors page. The free content includes various activities for kids, with topics including becoming a citizen scientist, getting to know the blossoms of your own backyard, and what owls love to eat. There are Youtube videos that delve into the animals and plants of the area, and special happenings, too, like the upcoming event that marvels at that amazing desert wonder, mesquite. Ever wanted a chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses mesquite powder? Tune on May 6. You may not be in the desert right now, but, we know, it is an epic expanse that is deep in your ether. Connect with it now.