An e-mail:

Do you know that where I live west of Tucson, AZ, there are dozens of rattlesnakes, thousands of scorpions, and a handful of Gila Monsters between me and the nearest blackberry (and, I’m being optimistic about the density of Blackberries out here). I think I prefer the rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters and Scorpions to the Blackberries.