After the Freeze

Garden update: January 17, 2024 Well, it looks like my garden made it through the freeze relatively intact. I kept everything under wraps for a whole solid week. The sunflowers got nipped, though, so I’m curious to see how they rebound: The whole reason why I planted them is because I want to attract RoseyContinue reading “After the Freeze”

Getting Ready for the Freeze

Garden update: January 8, 2024 It’s not unusual for the Sonoran Desert to experience an occasional freeze. Luckily, I work in a hospital and get to come home with loads of (unused) paper sheets. The amount of waste in the hospital is daunting, so I try my best to recuse/recycle whenever I can. These sheetsContinue reading “Getting Ready for the Freeze”

What’s Growing In My Garden

Hello! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!! So, what’s everyone’s New Year Resolutions? Mine is to keep better care of my garden. I usually go with the “fend for yourself” route, but with climate change wrecking such havoc, I’ve decided to take a more hands-on approach to gardening this year. I want to keep things organic, soContinue reading “What’s Growing In My Garden”

Welcome to the New Normal

As I write this, there have been 133 days this year when the high temperature reached at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7C) in Phoenix, Arizona. It last reached at least 100° F on October 21, 2023, which is fairly late in the year for such a temperature to be achieved. In 2020, Phoenix that number was a whopping 144 days over 100Continue reading “Welcome to the New Normal”

Pow Wow

A powwow is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or public, indoors or outdoors. Dancing events can be competitive with monetary prizes. Powwows vary in length from a single day to weeklong events.Continue reading “Pow Wow”

Desert Vegetable Garden

I used to want to be an urban farmer. Heck. I just told a lie. I still want to be an urban farmer, but the reality that I live in a desert has finally set in. (Water, Or The Lack Thereof) I always knew that water was a precious resource, but I figured a smallContinue reading “Desert Vegetable Garden”

Newest Acquisition

Pictured above is what a mature Cascalote (caesalpinia cacalaco) looks like. Pictured below is what my three-year-old Cascalote looks like now: And here’s what it looked like when I first planted it last year: One of the greatest joys of gardening is watching trees grow. I planted all of the trees in my yard asContinue reading “Newest Acquisition”

Scared of Summer

WILDFIRES IN THE AMERICAN WEST The above photo is an image of a burned cholla cactus. I took this photo after the Sears fire ripped through its habitat in September 2020. The Sears Fire burned through nearly 14,500 acres (22.65 sq miles) over the course of a week. It’s hard for me to conceptualize whatContinue reading “Scared of Summer”