The searing heat from the sun seems to be the only entity present when one steps outside. It's always there, the bright gaudy orb stationed in the sea of blue. The sun's broiling rays are a constant reminder of the power of nature. Being under extreme heat warnings day after day is part of living in the desert, the part that makes one want to shout at the sun, "Stop it, please! We've had enough!"
At first the bushes and cacti revel in the brightness of the summer days, happily photosynthesizing through the longer days. Then one by one, you see the plants' despair and even defeat. Leaves turn brown and fall off, even with extra watering. Cacti droop, some even dropping arms or pads. Trees stand mute, their leaves no longer the bright green of spring. Some leaves curl and change color, but they hang united to obscure the sunrays and provide blessed shade. The birds are high in the limbs, silent and motionless, breathing through open beaks. You see very few other creatures. They're holed away in some shady spot waiting for the blistering sun to drop below the horizon.
Wind whips up wispy sand and dust clouds roll past. Sometimes they're a forerunner of a monsoon storm, but often they're just dust and sand particles fleeing the desert. When the monsoons do come, they are welcome relief, until they're not. Flash flooding with fast running water is as deadly as the scorching sun. Mother Nature always has the last word. One is wise to remember that in the desert.
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