Believe it or not, this is pretty darn green for high desert.  There's something stark and wonderful about desert vegetation and it might be hard to learn to appreciate it, but once it does become a part of you, it never quite leaves you.  I don't miss the nine months of summer, I don't miss the waking up at 2:00 am and seeing the thermometer is still showing 103 degrees, but I do miss the beauty of the desert.