Phoenicians look forward to monsoon with the eagerness of NASCAR-goers awaiting a car crash. There’s beauty in the destructive power of the unpredictable storms in this season. Two of my brothers who now live out of state plan visits during the annual monsoon season to satisfy a nostalgic craving for the theatrics of mile-high walls of dust, fierce lightning, and flash flooding, along with the thrill of waiting to see how much force nature will unleash. Just last night, the first of these cracked open the skies with an impressive lightning show, rain, and microbursts of wind. I had dinner with a friend and stopped for a second leaving the restaurant to take in the gorgeous yet ominous sunset with a storm looming in the distance, and then got in my car and thought nothing of it. I made it home before even the air stirred. As soon as I was home, I got a message from my friend whose house apparently was in the path of a microburst while we were at dinner. The message said, “OMG, the pool! It’s brown and there’s half a tree in it!”.

Read More

As I type, with the blinds closed, lights off, and A/C blasting, a deadly heatwave is baking the paint off my car in the parking lot. With record heat and prolonged drought as a backdrop, I determined xeriscaping to be a good topic for this blog post. Whether you live in the desert or in greener parts, much of the US is experiencing drought conditions. Xeriscaping is a great way to conserve water, save time, and update the appearance of your home. Let’s take a closer look at what xeriscaping is, what the benefits are, and some things to keep in mind when it comes to your HOA.

Read More

As I type, with the blinds closed, lights off, and A/C blasting, a deadly heatwave is baking the paint off my car in the parking lot. With record heat and prolonged drought as a backdrop, I determined xeriscaping to be a good topic for this blog post. Whether you live in the desert or in greener parts, much of the US is experiencing drought conditions. Xeriscaping is a great way to conserve water, save time, and update the appearance of your home. Let’s take a closer look at what xeriscaping is, what the benefits are, and some things to keep in mind when it comes to your HOA.

Read More

As I type, with the blinds closed, lights off, and A/C blasting, a deadly heatwave is baking the paint off my car in the parking lot. With record heat and prolonged drought as a backdrop, I determined xeriscaping to be a good topic for this blog post. Whether you live in the desert or in greener parts, much of the US is experiencing drought conditions. Xeriscaping is a great way to conserve water, save time, and update the appearance of your home. Let’s take a closer look at what xeriscaping is, what the benefits are, and some things to keep in mind when it comes to your HOA.

Read More