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Reading. Pfft. Who has time? Who can take hours and hours to actually read a book, especially if it’s not all that good? Why waste that kind of time? You wonder that often, which is where I come in. It’s my job to find the good stuff for you and, for this calendar year, these are the books I loved best that you shouldn’t miss.
Question: Do oranges grow in Las Vegas? Also, when is the best time to plant a new tree?
Well, if you did it again — waited until the last minute to buy Christmas presents for your favorite hiker or camper — you’re not in so much trouble as you may think. Some of the most practical and appreciated gifts for outdoorsmen can be purchased at a CVS, Walgreens or hardware store through Christmas Eve. Furthermore, they’re inexpensive, so you can buy several items, making it certain the recipient will truly love at least one. Buy a low-cost stocking, fill it to the brim, and it will even look like you planned ahead.
Question: During the excessive hot spell in July, our irrigation failed while we were out of town. As a result, one of our queen palms lost all of its branches. In spite of subsequent life support, it does not appear to be coming back. Is that too much to hope for? Is there anything we can do to help it recover, or should we just mourn its passing?
If you’re looking for a Kwanzaa-Christmas-Hanukkah book that will dazzle your 2- to 6-year-old, this one’s it. Read it, and “Dusk” could become one of her favorite things.
Thanks, everyone. Just a brief follow-up to last month’s column on skin cancer. From it, I learned five things:
Question: Have you ever heard of adding vinegar or citric acid when fertilizing plants in our area?
Beckoning seductively to city dwellers who long for elbow room, the 1.6 million-acre Mojave National Preserve lies in Southern California, barely an hour’s drive south of Las Vegas.
Every year, Arturo and his abuela decorate their Christmas tree with special ornaments, but in the new book“Arturo and the Navidad Birds” by Anne Broyles, illustrated by KE Lewis, there was one year when the tradition was nearly shattered.
Question: I have seven fruit trees, including some citrus, that I planted in half whiskey barrels about three years ago. They all have had fruit the past two years. I want to transplant them into the ground in order to get more fruit. Is it best to transplant them in the fall or early spring?
Like most kids, you love it when someone reads one of your favorite Christmas stories aloud. You probably enjoy singing Christmas carols, too. “The Family Christmas Treasury” will help you do both by including the words to some of those songs you love, along with several holiday story favorites.
Question: I planted about 12 gardenias a couple of months ago, and they appear to be dying. I checked the soil, and it’s evenly damp. They have two, 2 gallon-per-hour emitters, and they were all being watered three times a week for 20 minutes.
If your kids need something new to read every Hanukkah, then stop your search right here. For family or for fun, “Hanukkah in Alaska” is a book your 3- to 6-year-old will want to see.
Verde Canyon Railroad operates in north central Arizona, headquartered in the town of Clarkdale. The town itself is a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1912, it’s named for William Andrews Clark, the same man who founded Las Vegas in 1905. This planned community was built to provide housing and support services to the booming copper mining town of Jerome, a few miles away. Jerome was once the fourth-largest city in the Arizona Territory, boasting a peak population of 15,000 people in the 1920s.
Question: When is it best to prune crape myrtle? I’ve heard before winter and again just before spring. The last two years, I trimmed back the branches (it is only about 5 feet tall) about one-third of the way in late February. What is right? We live in Aliante.
