By Cindy Naas

Last week, I was in an accident.

I was driving my children to a class when my brakes completely quit.

I ran two stop lights and a stop sign before being able to get my car under control again.

Luckily, no one was badly hurt. The car is already repaired, and my kids didn’t even notice what was happening- they cheered to see their boring old mom driving wildly. “Wow, you drove just like a race car driver!” my youngest said as he clapped. Children are so lucky, they see life in such uncomplicated terms.

After I got home that night, I was still very shaken, and so I went outside to recover from that incident. I did what I always find most comforting - I watered my garden. I wandered through Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

One of the most common problems in a garden is over-watering.

Even though one may have the best intentions, plants are usually given much more water than they really need. Here are some tips on how to save water in your urban landscape.

1) One of my most important rules is pretty simple : In the summer, don’t water between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm.

Why? During those times, it is usually hot enough that the water will only vaporize, and most of the water won’t reach the plants If you have plants that are wilting, you can certainly give them a good long drink. Otherwise, Read the rest of this entry »