Desert Sentinels--7 days 'til Christmas

"Desert Sentinels," 5 x 7 watercolor card

In lands of far horizons like deserts, the Great Plains (once called the Great American Desert), where you can see "a far off," landmarks grow in importance and sacredness.
It's no accident that astrology began ages ago among the ancients in the Americas and elsewhere, such as Arabia, where people needed guides, land--"marks"-- not otherwise available to prevent being lost.
To me, another Sentinel of the deserts, of arid country, of wide open spaces, is the yucca. Many consider it just a cactus, but it is more--not just the state flower of New Mexico, but a sentinel of survival, of life, of hope...just as are stars, as was a star celebrated this season of the year.