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: Imagine
On a recent sticky August morning, I waded through the mint to look for zucchini and corn. Despite the memes about abundance appearing on my Facebook feed, I found exactly one zucchini fruit. Season total: three. The corn patch that Read more…
Plenty of things about Disneyland make me happy: the thrilling rides, the delicious food, the artistic details at every turn, my 9-year-old’s joy while hugging a wookie, my 12-year-old’s awe after viewing the fireworks. Our family navigated Disneyland this summer Read more…
Ask the sunflowers. Among three different Tucson-area locations I tend, sunflowers are sprouting this spring in: pots and raised beds where my son and I planted them (barrel in title image), a rock border where seeds accidently scattered, deeply-watered beds Read more…
Brrrr! Slip some shoes on, don’t bother with a jacket, grab the pile of tattered old sheets and towels, and toss them over the six or so plants and beds that I don’t want to freeze on a freezing night. 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…
“Let’s go see if there’s ice in the pond!” and outside my boys go first thing on a frozen morning. Sometimes it’s a fight for who gets to break the ice first. Sometimes they are first mesmerized by trapped bubbles Read more…
“Now we have another reason to save egg cartons,” noted a resourceful parent choosing seedlings I had prepared for a Town of Marana gardening class. As I had hoped, the spinach “babies” from my porch greenhouse back in December went 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…
“Yay! We get to eat breakfast outside!” chirps Kid 2, and he flits to the back door. His verbalized desire is music to my ears. In the last few months, both boys have increasingly either asked to go out or agreed Read more…
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