The proverb, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is true in the case of what surrounds us in the high desert – sagebrush and old wood.
Not everyone sees sagebrush as a beautiful plant, but we do. We like the smell of sagebrush. We like the intricate detail of the plant enough to buy jewelry that looks like sagebrush! (www.josienash.com makes beautiful sagebrush jewelry) We like the unique silvery green color of the plant. Maybe I wouldn’t find beauty in sagebrush if I was pioneer trekking across the high desert day in and day out. Maybe I wouldn’t find beauty in sagebrush if I grew up by the ocean. Maybe I wouldn’t find beauty in sagebrush if lived on the plains. An Ian Tyson song, Roll on Owyhee, describes vast amounts of sagebrush as the “sagebrush sea.” We choose to find beauty in our sagebrush sea!
To me, old wood is something that seems to go hand in hand with sagebrush. If you see some old wood, generally there will be sagebrush close by or it could be intertwined with the wood. Of course old wood isn’t as abundant on the desert as the sagebrush. Some people don’t find beauty in old wood either because, well, it’s OLD! To the modern eye, only weathered, deteriorating wood can be seen. To our desert eyes, I know there is always a story behind the wood, what it built and its use. Sagebrush and old wood make a great team. They hold the secrets of the desert and stories of days gone by.
If you ever drive through Nevada, I hope you will look at the sagebrush sea with fresh eyes. To us it is part of our home and we find beauty in it.
I wrote this short poem about old wood and sagebrush- the desert duo.
DESERT DUO
Old wood and sagebrush,
Go together like teeth and a toothbrush.
Kings of the desert they rule,
Standing together acting rustic and cool.
Take hold of the weathered, old wood,
Transport yourself back in time if you could.
Inhale the pungent, sweet sagebrush smell.
Linger, don’t leave, the scent seems to tell.
Old wood and sagebrush are the perfect pair.
Growing old together in the wide, open air.