Our kitchen counter is loaded with fresh peaches, and I’ve been searching for the best things to do with peaches. I’m going to be needing a lot of recipes! Jams, jellies, desserts, and even a few savory dishes — peaches go with just about everything. My kids love peaches and a few weeks ago, my daughter created for me an incredible protein shake full of the fresh smell of a ripe peach. This is one versatile fruit that everyone loves. …
I grew up in Phoenix and know a thing or two about summer heat. It can be miserable. It can also be deadly. When I was about 8 years old, I suffered an extreme form of heat exhaustion when I spent way too much time in our brand new swimming pool. If you can imagine an excited little girl, jumping into her backyard pool for the first time, and then spending ALL DAY LONG in the sun and water — …
Last summer in Yuma, Arizona, we had the worst thunder/rain storm I have ever seen. We had winds of over 60 mph and astonishing rain. We got about 2.5 inches of rain in about two hours (our average rainfall for a year is 3 inches). At times the rain was blowing sideways. I usually use this gauge to measure rain, just because we don’t get very much. I am always curious about it! Our sliding patio door is under an …
Hold on to your hat! Spring and its warmer cousin, summer, are just around the corner. Yes, even if you’re looking out the window at piles of crystalline, white snow — believe! One day soon, the days will lengthen and your summer garden will become just as real as those freezing temperatures! If you haven’t yet taken my Gardening Self-Assessment, now is the perfect time to do that. By answering just 11 questions, you’ll have the basics for a plan …
7 Things To Do Right Now To Get Ready For a Fabulous Summer Garden Read More »
It’s so easy for the hot, lazy days of summer to just sort of run into each other in a haze of heat and laziness. When my kids are out of school and there is no routine I tend to get lazy myself. Then the day arrives when it’s time once again to get the kids ready for school, and we ask, where did the summer go? If your prepping goals have taken a break right along with your pledge …
I’ve traveled more than 16,000 miles in the past 3 years on road trips with my family. I go into more detail about our travels and these tips in my radio show, but here are some of my favorite family road trip survival tips for surviving hundreds of miles in the car with kids, husband, and a trunk full of suitcases! Write out a packing list for each family member. Include one for any pets you’ll be taking. Once kids …
In all my years of preparing to work in Emergency Management, it never occurred to me that one of my biggest personal challenges would be a California drought. I was in Sacramento for the Yuba County floods of 1997, when flood waters caused 80,000 people to evacuate. In 2010, I was working in Orange County when the floods came, warranting a Presidential Disaster Declaration. Drought was something that happened overseas somewhere. We usually had much more water than we knew …
How the California Drought Has Tightened Up my Prepping Read More »
