I could never live in the desert. It is not just that I do not like heat, but also that my psyche needs green. I discovered this after I moved to Montana for a time to help my sister. I was unaccountably depressed while I was there, sleeping much more than usual, lethargic, weepy and not at all my usual self.

Then I decided to take my nephew on a college tour back to Minnesota. When we got toward the eastern side of South Dakota and the brilliant greens of a well-watered landscape came into view, my heart lifted. I felt a euphoria that was so intense it felt as though I were floating. In that moment, I realized that my misery was more to do with the colors of the landscape than any other factor. I moved within two months, back to where the land was green.

That does not keep me from appreciating and loving the stark beauty of the desert. The subtle striations of color, the cracked and blistered earth, the desiccated silver of the tree trunks and the hazy dustiness of the succulents are beautiful. I love the plane geometry of the landscape that we cannot see when covered with an abundance of flowers, bushes, grasses and trees. There is something magnificent and courageous about the flora and the fauna eking out a life in these marginal landscapes. There is a profundity in this life of scarcity – this life on the margins.

But it is not for me. I want a green land. Give me the entire green rainbow from the palest milk green of an Easter Rose to the deepest darkest greens of a Doug Fir. I need green to live. It’s that fundamental. But, one of the nice things about Second Life® is that I can visit the beauty of the desert without the heat or the misery. And the desert at ISON is particularly beautiful – a living desert, not an ocean of sand.

The Celestial blouse and neck piece from ISON seem inspired by the desert. While there is complexity in the design, giving it a flattering form, the aesthetic is stark and minimalist like the desert landscape. Its ornamentation is not lush embellishments festooning its landscape like flowers, but the simple beautiful of subtle color variations. Meanwhile the neckpiece has the carved out of the earth grandeur of a desert formation.

The skirt from La Penderie de Nicole is an explosion of volume in contrast to the controlled lines of the top. While it too is minimalist in avoiding ornamentation, it is as exuberant as the top is restrained. The tan boots from Baiastice are adorned simply with a criss-cross pattern of studs up the sides. There is a color change HUD to alter the color of the studs. I chose brown, keeping to my desert palette.

The skin from PXL Creations can be found at Uber. The rose plum of the lipstick is as opulent as this month’s theme and is echoed in the manicure applier from La Boheme.

Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: Ma Vie
Skin: [PXL] MIA NAT Opulence ~ Makeup 01 MEB C2
Tattoos: [PXL] MIA NAT Red Eyebrows {tattoo}
Eyes: [UMEBOSHI] Eon eyes dark Green (med)
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash
Mesh Attachments: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Elegant
Mani/Pedi: La boheme Gaia
Hair: Clawtooth: Yvette – @ Collabor88
Clothing: ISON – celestial bell sleeve top -M- (tan)
La Penderie de Nicole::My Ballon Skirt::Bronze S
Shoes: Baiastice_Avani high boot-suede-sand-
Jewelry: ISON – celestial neck piece -M- (gold)
Location: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISON/47/66/4