Winter rain is Gentle, lyrical Settling in Creosote-scented like summer More mint-flavored as I sip herbal tea inside Winter rain is Welcomed Walked in, played in without worry of lightning A relief from drought of water and of writing Shrouding Read more…
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…
In the five seasons of our Sonoran Desert, the main times for rain are winter and Monsoon summer. April (end of spring), and the first half of May (beginning of foresummer), were this year and are traditionally very dry. The Read more…
Weather forecast for Northern Arizona: 100% chance of snow on Jan 1, 2023. In the days leading up to our family’s December 31, 2022 departure, my husband and I exchanged weather websites, nervous looks, and turns with the kids. I 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…
When my 11-year-old gets up early and joins me on the back patio to read in the rain while I sip my coffee and watch the water, life is a little sweeter. When the same kid cheerfully gets his jacket 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…
Rain! Once again, desert rain revived my spirit and helped me to see life around me rebounding. Two Saturdays ago, spatters on my windshield both to and from the Marana Community Garden had me giddy with laughing and clapping in 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…
Water, thank you! You helped gather kids from half a dozen families around a little tub of toys on a nearly-100-degree morning, to splash, giggle, and even share. You sustained tomato plants I thought were done for, with the help Read more…
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