One thing I miss about living in the desert is the stupendous sunrises and sunsets. It's all about dirt, really. When you live in a dry, arid climate, the increased amount of dust particles that float around in the air reflect the sun's rays and make for beautiful colors in the changing skies. So in essence, the Southwest has more beautiful sunsets because it is, in fact, dirtier than other places. (Tell that to all those people moving there from Los Angeles to escape the smog.) Here the humidity, along with the lack of being able to see for a length of three football fields before a tree obstructs your view, keep the color watching to a minimum.

But every so often, we get a nice one here. The only problem is I am no longer predisposed to pay attention. All the more reason to have children, who look out the window in the morning and notice these things, then exclaim, "Look Momma, The Sky is Painted!"