It's the inflated stems and not the flowers of this plant that are most likely to catch your attention, but the flowers are quite pretty if you take the time to look at them closely. Interestingly this plant is related to desert candle and jewelflower. These plants are in the Mustard Family along with some common desert plants such as spectacle-pod, prince's plume, and water cress. Also some plants we commonly eat such as broccoli, radishes, and cabbage are also in this family. You can expect to find wild cabbage growing in pinyon/juniper forests in the Death Valley area. Click here for more information about wild cabbage.

The fruit available during the early summer is the best there is all year and I always look forward to fresh berries and fresh melons during the summer months. The song embedded on this page celebrates the joy of eating delicious, ripe watermelon. I'm somewhat peculiar in that I prefer to eat my watermelon with a knife and a fork. I cut a slab and lay it on a plate and carve it up as if it were a big, fat, juicy steak!

I started a thread over on Trona News on the topic of Calf Rehabilitation! I've had recurrent calf problems for over a year and I've tried just about everything to rehabilitate my calves! It's been a very frustrating experience for me since during this time I have not been able to run or hike the way I like to. I've been conscientious about maintaining my fitness, but have not been able to enjoy adventurous running and hiking activities for an awfully long time! Click here to check out the Calf Rehabilitation thread at Trona News!