Employers have made great strides in helping workplaces become more ergonomically friendly for workers. Carpel tunnel syndrome, leg cramps and other problems associated with sitting for too long or performing repetitive movements have educated companies on ways they can design their work environments to keep employees safe and injury-free.
Q: Look what my husband did? He cut my saguaro below the seams before consulting with me. I know it looked kind of sick (the tree, not my husband), but he cut it. I am going to cut those chunks all the way down.
“Mirrors are there when we are and yet they never give anything back to us but our own image. Never, never shall we know what they are when they are alone.” — Erich Maria Remarque, “The Black Obelisk” (1957)
Q: You have converted me to the doctrine of using wood chip mulch. Is there any reason why I couldn’t use wood chips in my strawberry bed? My wife used to put strawberries in pots, and they never did well.
Q: We are from California and just moved into a new house. The problem is that the water in Southern Nevada is different. My skin is dry and itchy right after a shower. I understand that a water softener is in order, so I bought one that uses salt at a home center and am ready to install it. Fortunately, we have a loop in the garage, and I have sweated copper a few times before. Is there anything to look out for?
One of the joys of summer is the variety of sweet and juicy fruits, many of which are growing right now in Southern Nevada backyards. Peach, apricot and nectarine trees do best in the desert climate, although proper watering and fertilizing can bring success with apple, fig, pomegranate and plum trees. Even persimmon and pistachio trees do well here as do the prickly pear cactus grown for its leaves and fruit.
Fire features are outdoor amenities that can be enjoyed all year long. Whether it’s the focal point of the setting or an accent, fire features are among the most sought-after trends in outdoor design.
Q: I planted three yellow Lady Banks roses on my south wall when I moved here 10 years ago. Two years ago, my neighbor planted a white Lady Banks rose nearby. This year I noticed white roses growing on my yellow Lady Banks rose. I thought these flowers might be from their plant, but I traced it back to the base of my vine. Will my yellow roses eventually all be transformed to white? How do you explain this botanically?
Recently when working with a client, I realized I was bringing up terms she was not familiar with. Unfortunately, having been a designer for more than 25 years, I use some terms without thinking. So whether you’re working with an interior designer or shopping on your own, it wouldn’t hurt to know some of our “Designer EZ.”
In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” sleep is referred to as “chief nourisher in life’s feast,” and in “Henry IV,” Shakespeare called it “nature’s soft nurse.”
