Photos by Anna Van Devender unless otherwise stated. Escaping the Southern Arizona heat in June is a Van Devender family tradition. Driving to Yellowstone in Summer ’23 was by far the furthest road trip we’ve tried. My husband and I Read more…
Category Archives: Bigger Critters
Eclectic. Wild. Scattered. Littered with the kids’ toys and gardening projects unfinished. I love my yard and also admit to zooming in on favorite plants for blog and Facebook posts to hide the mess of the big picture. When a Read more…
“Cats, dogs, yummy supper, getting to play Minecraft this afternoon, getting to play soccer after supper” rattled off my 8-year-old during “Thank-yous” at the end of supper last Sunday. Like a lot of Tucson families, we hide during the hotter Read more…
Arms of scarlet globemallow wave from the flower bed my son started last year on Earth Day. Bright pink Parry’s penstemon flowers polka-dot my field of view. Flicks of feathered motion alert me to finches in the shadow of the oak tree. I Read more…
No matter how many times I hear the gentle song of mourning doves, the sound transports my mind elsewhere. Poof! I am standing in my late grandparents’ lush, Central Phoenix backyard, my happy place throughout childhood and young adulthood. Mourning Read more…
Good morning! We’re all trying new things at home this week, right? With my Nature to You public activities cancelled, I am using this time (among kid-entertaining, stocking up on groceries, and staying in touch virtually with family) to add Read more…
The Scene Tucson’s blazing hot desert summer; two active, imaginative boys; one restless mom wanting time with the boys but also to work; one dad working full time from home and hoping for a quiet house. The Goal Find time Read more…
“The worms are alive!” I practically sang upon confirming that red wigglers moved within cool, moist soil in my portable worm bin. They were laying low, nestled into their rich vermicompost rather than feeding. But they also weren’t massed together Read more…
“Can I show you my new babies?” I beckon my husband on the way out of the house. I proudly open the doors of my mini-greenhouse on the front patio. Inside, humble trays of soil hold tiny specks of green: Read more…
“I had a lot of fun in the garden yesterday!” beamed one of my elementary students entering school on Wednesday. The boy’s smile and his forwardness meant as much as the words, since he has made great progress in participating Read more…
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