INTRODUCTION: Springtime can only mean one thing at This Middle-Aged House: It’s time to fix the place up! Here’s the first in a series of Tucson home renovation photo essays. After decades of service, my furnace room door was done. Falling apart. Kaput. Time to call Tucson’s Green Handyman, Jesse Micander. His mission: Replace the…
A ferocious southeasterly wind didn’t stop the participants in this year’s Tour de Tucson. Nearly 5,000 people completed one of the five races or the non-competitive fun ride. View photos of racers and fun riders in my bike-tographic gallery …
Twelve years ago this month, I became a homeowner. Shortly after I bought my place, a mentor took one look at the barren yard and said, “That’s your palette!” To say the least, I was inspired. I started the landscaping makeover by digging holes for plants that had been donated by friends. Didn’t take me…
This copywriter has a new ride, Bicycle Blue. I bought Blue back in May, and we just finished our first 1,000 miles. During the week, Blue gets me to and from work. We also go out and play on weekends. Now, you may be wondering about that reference to work. Does this mean that I’ve…
Since last summer, I’ve been a member of Connect Coworking. It’s a collaborative workspace in Downtown Tucson, Arizona. The Connect blog just featured my copywriting collaboration with a design studio CEO. He’s another Connect member. Quoting from the post, “These kind of connections are so crucial to both expanding and established businesses and freelancers.” Here’s…
True story: I am named for a World War II-era Victory Gardener who fed eight people. Which means that urban agriculture is in my blood. My own garden is in a much more favorable location than Great Grandmother Martha’s Buffalo, New York plot. I’m in Tucson, Arizona, and making the most a miniscule budget. Read…
Here in Tucson, summer is already happening. Hot weather outside? Doesn’t bother me. I’m still riding my bike and taking long walks. Hot copywriting assignments? Loving those too! Lately, I’ve been writing about: Engineering education Fund raising that benefits veterans Recreational boating I’m looking forward to adding your topic to this eclectic mix. Want to…
Yesterday evening, I entered my copywriting website into the Tucson WordPress Meetup’s annual showcase . And it won 2nd place in the Best Presentation category! Here’s a summary of my presentation: In 2015, I worked with an Atlanta-based web developer on a mobile-responsive redesign. We launched last April. Since this is a business website, it…
Copywriting Around America Lately, I’ve been covering topics that range from raised bed gardening to worm farming, and from engineering firm marketing to the psychology of color. In addition to enjoying the wide variety of assignments, I’m having a great time with clients who come from all over the country. So far this year, I…
Summer’s latter half has been filled with construction-related copywriting projects. One was for a Phoenix-based company that restores residential and commercial buildings that have been damaged by fires, floods, storms or other disasters. My words will be used in their new promotional folders. The other project is ongoing and involves work for a design studio…
You’ve probably seen many photos of El Tour de Tucson – packs of cyclists hurtling past picturesque mountains or cactus-studded deserts. Can’t say that any of them have come from my camera. Why not? Because I don’t have a car! The bicycle is my main form of transportation, and that includes going to and from…
Your New Word for Today Poor Dick Quax. He gets into a Twitter debate with two alternative transportation enthusiasts and the next thing you know, his name is a hashtag. Responding to a request for better transport options at a local mall, the Auckland, New Zealand city councillor said, “[N]o one in the entire Western…
Words for the Web As a copywriter, I work directly with clients. Or I’m a subcontractor. My subcontract work comes from design studios, and it runs the gamut from dancing lessons to solar energy. Then there was the recent copywriting project that broke the mold. The client was the design studio itself. Here are the…
Cyclovia Tucson used to be one of those annual events. And then it became popular. Very popular. The spring 2014 edition attracted 20,000 people to Tucson’s South Side. The first-ever fall Cyclovia Tucson featured the central part of the city. I have a confession to make: I didn’t ride. Not one single pedal stroke. The…
Before this summer’s monsoon season, I lost an entire barrel of spaghetti squash plants. Borers got to them. So, I re-planted the barrel with O’odham Vayo beans. I watered them. And watered. And watered. It was getting to the point of being ridiculous. Was this impressive growth of Vayo bean vines ever going to produce…
The remnants of Tropical Storm Simon love Southern Arizona. To the tune of 1.40″ in my rain gauge since yesterday afternoon. And it’s starting to rain again. Simon, how can we miss you if you won’t go away? Here’s my front yard, shortly after Simon said, “Rain on Tucson!”
Tucson’s long, hot summer of 2014 almost made me give up on container gardening. Take, for example, my hot pepper pots. I watered and watered and watered them. (Why am I doing this?) The pepper flowers kept drying up and falling off. Result: No summertime peppers for my omelettes. Then came fall. And guess what’s…
It’s official: Tropical Depression Odile was a No-Deal. After spending several hours weeping over Tucson, she decided that we weren’t supportive enough. So, Odile headed east and dumped her sorrows all over New Mexico and West Texas. While Odile was still trying to gain our sympathies, she left scenes like this. Baja Fairy Duster in…
Yes, it’s still summer. And, yes, it’s still hot as blazes. But September is just a few days away. Which means that it’s time to get the early fall garden planted. What’s in mine? I’m starting lettuce and greens in the big pot. Still-producing lemon basil plants surround it… What’s in this basin? Carrot seeds…
Mid-afternoon thunderstorm rolls in, ruining my plans to take a nap. Outside, there’s the sound of raindrops soaking the hardscape. Like the brick edging around one of my garden basins… And the front walk. It’s getting the rain-hammer! Uh-oh! More thunder outside. Here comes the rain — again.
So much for trash-talking the clouds. One of them took umbrage and thundered at me. That cloud invited its friends over for a party, and rain it did! Half an inch in less than an hour. After checking the rain gauge total, I trained my camera on the side-yard garden. Chiltepin pepper plants with prickly…