While everyone has been stuck at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, not many have been as stuck at 15-year-old Aaron.
I’m exhausted. Too much COVID-19. Too much garbage news. Too much election 2020 shenanigans. Too much yelling and arguing and disagreeing about reality and facts.
Happy New Year! My hunch is that as much as we might think about what 2021 has in store, many of us are just happy to just say it is NOT 2020! Since, unfortunately, the mere turn of a page on a calendar is not enough to turn the page on the pandemic, we still have work to do and issues to ad…
It is amazing how the term “minivan” has changed from one generation to the next. In 1983 the first minivan flew off the assembly line. The manufacturer was Chrysler, and they introduced the Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. The minivan saved Chrysler from ext…
2020 is nearly behind us. In some ways time has flown by. In others, it feels like it’s completely stopped. Weeks of working from our couches, a never-ending deluge of bad news, we’re ready for something uplifting.
The news media, department stores, churches are all telling us that Christmas will be different this year. The COVID-19 virus will certainly change the way that we celebrate and gather. It will be especially hard because we may not be able to see those who we only see at Christmas. It will b…
The holiday season sees a deluge of requests for charitable giving at a time when family budgets are often tight. But there is a painless way to help children in foster care.
The buzz word today when people talk about how they want their homes decorated is that they want to create their “sanctuary.” Your home, no matter what the size, can be your sanctuary. It should be a place where you come home and de-stress. This is where you refuel for the next day by nurtur…
The Male Call Advisory Board™ has been busy compiling the clichés and grievances that have piled up on our complaint desk (it’s a pretty big desk!) over the year. Although some of these have been dealt with, we thought it might be a good time to re-cap.
Like a lot of teens doing remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Julio misses the classroom. Well, maybe not the classroom as much as the high school hallways and cafeteria where he can mix and mingle with his peers.
Whenever I have had the opportunity to test drive a Ford Mustang, I find a way to tell everyone around me that my first car was a two-year-old Ford Mustang. In 1970 I purchased a gently used 1968 Mustang that cost me $4,000. I was recently out of high school and starting a job, so I didn’t h…
We are in a world of turmoil. The planet is burning, the seas are swelling, the disease of COVID-19 is among all of us from the highest to the lowest. Turmoil is unsettling; turmoil breeds discomfort; turmoil satisfies only the sadists.
In a matter of 14 days, Amazon Prime and Blumhouse Productions released four new horror movies titled Welcome to Blumhouse. The new program will follow a common theme: family, love, redemption, and destructive forces. The first two films, Black Box and The Lie launched Oct. 6. In addition, E…
Arizona is not the friendliest place to garden as many “transplants” to the desert may have discovered. It takes a special set of skills that are very different from those needed in other climates. As fall lurks just around the corner, I always get lots of questions about how to start a gard…
During our engagement, my wife and I hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then out with seven other friends. We carried backpacks, which had all our provisions for just three days. It’s amazing, however, how the ounces all add up to pounds. After our stay at Phantom Ranch, I was …
You can stream the 2018 movie Instant Family or you can create your own instant family by opening your heart and home to Vanessa and Reye.
No scammers, no players, no married men, no “nurse or purse.” No drama. Must be honest.
Our lives at home have changed recently, and since the beginning of this year we are looking toward our personal spaces to meet our needs in different ways. For many of us, our home has become our place of work, too, as well as our gym, restaurant, movie theater, vacation and so much more! S…
By Greg Peterson, The Urban Farm Did you know that you can grow apples, apricots, peaches and plums here in the low desert? There is a huge caveat however…you have to purchase the climate-appropriate variety of fruit for our area. I have been teaching about how to successfully grow fruit in …
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids When it comes to games, 12-year-old Tirahji is a bit old-fashioned. No Fortnite or NBA 2K20 for this guy. “Tirahji is big into Uno and board games,” says Kayla, a child specific adoption recruiter with Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK).…
By Rabbi Robert L. Kravitz, D.D. — Turmoil, Chaos, Illness and Death…everywhere. Watching Gestapo tactics against Americans. Mask up, wash up, stand up…apart. Decisions. … Standing or kneeling. Protesting against, whatever. Need vaccines, but won’t take this batch. De…
I have owned a Cadillac; bought it from my dad. It was a big ol’ car with flashy wheels and faux roof that looked like a convertible, but not really. It held three children comfortably as well as all the music and sports equipment we needed. The kids were a tad embarrassed when carpooling, as […]
We are fortunate that, in spite of the pandemic, we can work remotely, and our children can learn remotely. However, this benefit does not come without consequences. For one thing, we are not “designed” to spend extended periods of time engaged in near vision activities (like staring at a co…
By James O’Brien Veterinary technician, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center — If you live in the Sonoran Desert, it’s likely you’ve experienced the joy of seeing a roadrunner. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of one darting between bushes on your morning hike or, if you’re particularly lucky,…
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle Netflix The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) This film, starring Paul Rudd, is not only funny, but also sentimental and heartwarming. Out of work Ben (Rudd) decides to register as a caregiver while struggling through a divorce. He is quickly hired to care fo…
By Barbara Kaplan ~ Q: I am having a hard time deciding what pieces to keep and what items to “release.” I have many items that have sentimental memories, and yet they aren’t what I would have picked to live with in my current home. A: Most of us have items in our home that […]
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids They say dogs are man’s best friend and 12-year-old Dwaun would certainly agree. Dwuan is a dog person. The active, athletic boy would love to join a forever family with pets — especially if that pet was a dachshund or a pug. “Dwaun is a kid […]
By James Roberts – Ready to impress? Put your best, hopefully realistic but flattering photo up front in your dating profile. This may sound obvious but there’s a story here. Let’s backtrack a bit. There’s an old newspaper maxim for journalists: Don’t bury the lead. (OK, OK, it’s really spe…
— By Pastor Paul Witkop — The 23rd Psalm is, perhaps, the most well-known scripture passage. My second-grade teacher, in a public school, even had us memorize it as classical poetry. I have been with people who suffer from advanced dementia, who do not know even their own adult kids — and ye…
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids Damone is a teen for all seasons — football season, basketball season, track season. Damone, 14, is a multi-sport athlete who thrives in the world of competition, says John Hicks, a child specific adoption recruiter with Aid to Adoption of S…
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle With the death of George Floyd, Dion Johnson here in Phoenix, and many other people of color, conversations about race, racism, policing and the abuse of power are back on center stage. Hollywood has not been immune to promoting hurtful and tone-deaf narr…
By Rabbi Robert L. Kravitz, D.D. — On the internet, on the radio, on television, in the newspapers. We began our summer at the end of May 2020 and into June with reports and graphic images of violence, outrage, tears of pain marching across the USA and around the world. Right in front of our…
By Cathy Droz – Several years ago, there was a KIA dealer in Phoenix who did his own radio and TV commercials. His voice was much like the character George Costanza in “Seinfeld” and he would end all his commercials (in a high-pitched voice) with “See Ya in a KIA.” It was so irritating, but […]
— By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids — Much has changed since the COVID-19 virus swept across the globe. But one thing hasn’t changed — children in foster care need homes. After years of decline, the number of children in foster care this fiscal year has topped last year’s c…
Driving down the street in June, you have probably seen the white powder spread under the mesquite trees…that is mesquite flour, and did you know it is one of the sweetest treats in the desert? We look at is as a nuisance when in reality is it a nutritious, delicious desert treat. You just h…
By Barbara Kaplan ~ Interior Design for Holistic Living benefits a person’s well-being by supporting their wellness of mind, body and spirit in regard to the all the environments they are in. To feel that holistic living can support our happiness and productivity in our most personal spaces,…
By James Roberts – During this lackluster season of un-romantic COVID’ation, want to know what’s filling up the message section of nearly every single woman’s online profile? “Hey,” “Hey!” Heyyy!!” “Hey what’s going?” “Wsup!” “What’s going on?” “Whatcha up to?” Not to let the ladies off the…
— By Pastor Paul Witkop — One of my favorite accounts from the life of Jesus is when Jesus and the disciples are traveling on the Sea of Galilee. A gigantic storm erupts, and everyone is afraid, that is everyone except Jesus, who happens to be sleeping in front of the boat. The disciples woke […]
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle The state might be reopening a bit, and we at Whiskey and Popcorn are emerging from our home theaters a bit bleary-eyed. It will still be some time before movie theaters choose to reopen, despite getting the green light from the governor. But not to worry…
– By Stephen Cohen, O.D. Many people have delayed getting their eyes examined during this time, whether it is due to avoiding going out, other priorities or work situations. Many eye doctors have closed their offices during this crisis. In some parts of the country (e.g., New Jersey), eye ca…
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids Just as the sky above seems to know no limits, neither does 15-year-old Sky, a bright high school sophomore. “I really like to tell people that I want to be president,” she says, “but I know I have to be mayor or senator first.” “I just […]
May is a great time to get your garden going and there are three important things you need to take into consideration: location, soil and seasons. A major miss in any of these three areas will confirm your misdiagnosis of brown thumb. I have found that most people who think they can’t grow s…
By Cathy Droz – Believe it or not, I like to stay behind the scenes, lie low, and not be the center of attention. Well that was hard to do when I was given a “Flare Yellow” Lexus LC 500 Coupe to test drive. At first, I was a little embarrassed to drive it in […]
By Rabbi Robert L. Kravitz, D.D. — I try to teach my granddaughter to “make good choices.” In my hospital visits I meet with patients and families who must make good choices to stay alive. In all our lives we are making choices — turn left, turn right; go up or go down; say Yes, say […]
By Barbara Kaplan ~ Creating a spa-like atmosphere in your own home is an opportunity for personal pleasure and enjoyment. First, you have to have an extra room to make this happen. If you are fortunate to have the space, you can create a get-away just for you, a place you can get a quiet […]
By James Roberts – Last April, we talked about photo clichés. It’s time to have a little hair of the dog, so to bark, and turn again to verbal glitches that are making you exactly like everyone else. First off: don’t make your profile sound like you’re a dog…literally. For example: “I’m tru…
By Paul Witkop – We live in difficult times. The financial and housing markets go up and down. The coronavirus is an unknown force that is causing chaos. We look to the government and the next election for hope — and it’s not there. We live in the most educated, the most technologically adva…
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids ~ You need just one word to describe young Ariah – mellow. “Ariah is most laid-back little guy we’ve ever had,” says foster mom Margaret, who over the years has had more than a dozen children in foster care be part of her family. Ariah, who […]
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle Radha, a once-promising playwright, is facing the “Big 4-0” with little, in her mind, to show for it. Caught questioning her abilities as an artist and frustrated with being pigeon-holed as a black artist, she breaks away from it all to become a rapper. T…
Aid to Adoption of Special Kids Recruiting Volunteer Camp Counselors — Deadline to Apply is March 15
By Clint Williams, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids – AASK Hiking and kayaking in the cool high country near Payson is a great way to spend a week in June. And doing it while bringing smiles to the faces of children in foster care is even better. The Seventh Annual AASK Sibling Summer Camp […]
By Cathy Droz – I fell in love with this vehicle the first time I drove it. There is something about the style, the grille, the serpent and cross emblem that makes you feel like you are driving through the Italian mountains of Lake Como. To my surprise, while visiting North Scottsdale Alfa R…
