251 replies to this topic

[jeremx]

went to our first neighborhood association last night. it was kind of an emergency meeting since there have been two homicides in our neighborhood in the last 2 weeks. there was a 13yr old boy shot and killed about a block from our house and they found a woman's body shot a few blocks the other direction. apparently our neighborhood area goes from the 51 to 28th street and from thomas to mcdowell. i had no idea it was that big. we're on a decent street but a block or two south or east and it's straight up hood. what was cool is that our councilman michael johnson showed up http://phoenix.gov/d.../d8profile.html .. seemed like an ok dude. pretty personable, addressed some questions, and took down plenty of information from everyone. there were also three officers there who provided their info and urged us to call them for any issue. no matter how small. so that was cool. and we met some of our neighbors. all in all it was a good experience. we're looking to put together some kind of "get to know you" event for the people on our street. even if it just ends up being my girlfriend and i knocking on everyone's door and introducing ourselves. we want everyone to know when we're typically around and what cars should be in our driveway. and if they see a uhaul in front of the house, that ain't us as we're not moving anytime soon and to investigate. (hopefully none of them use the info to rob us themselves, ha). we're also getting some motion lights soon for the darker parts of the yard and driveway. luckily we've got the dogs who act as a pretty good early warning system. and potentially keep people from even messing with the house.

[jeremx]

went to my second neighborhood association meeting last night. there was less than 20 people for 4,900 homes in the neighborhood. pretty depressing. we discussed noise complaints, dogs, and how to get info about the association out to more residents. a foot campaign and facebook page are the two biggest bets. all in all, it was pretty informative.

i spent a time after talking with the guy who decided to set up the facebook page a couple months back. turns out he lives on my same street and we talked a bit about the house my girlfriend and i moved into. i guess he had met the couple that had put in the same bid as us. he said they were pretty bummed when we got it but that he was happy that good people moved in. there was another couple there that apparently live pretty close to us and told us that her old sculpture professor from asu used to live in our house.. that he'd died of liver cancer in '05.. and where his dog was buried in the backyard. i was happy to hear that someone who had such a creative passion and touched a lot of lives in a positive way had lived in our house. i'm not much of a spiritual person but it's way better than hearing a serial killer lived in your house. i'll take good vibes over bad any day. plus he was a dog lover. and we've got two of our own. so that's kinda cool. i was starting to wonder if some of the odd stuff i find half buried in the dirt around the house were items that the previous owner may have collected to incorporate into his sculptures as he used a lot of different materials in his works. i saw a quote attributed to him and thought it was pretty cool.. "not everything is art.. but everything is art supplies."

[Jacki O.]

hah! best quote ever!

[jeremx]

hah! best quote ever!

i have no artistic ability whatsoever and i wholeheartedly agree.

[jeremx]

our column ficus took a huge hit with that last freeze so i thought i'd share this in case anyone has any plants or bushes that might need to be covered this week.

Phoenix-area temperatures should dip into the 60s Monday and Tuesday, a change accompanied by spotty rain Monday and near freezing temperatures beginning Wednesday morning, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Possible thunderstorms are predicted after 11 a.m. Monday, with light rain possible all day, meteorologist Hector Vasquez said. Rain has already fallen in parts of the Valley.

The day's high is predicted to hover near 63. The average temperature for this time of year in Phoenix is about 69.

The change from recent temperatures is thanks to a low-pressure system that moved through Washington and Oregon before arriving in Arizona, Vasquez said. The system is expected to leave Arizona on Monday night, arriving in Texas by Tuesday morning and then carrying moisture eastward by Wednesday night.

Morning temperatures should approach freezing around the Valley from Wednesday through Friday. Sunny skies are predicted for the three days, but wind chills should make temperatures feel colder. Wednesday's predicted high near 49 should feel closer to 43 with winds between 10 and 18 mph. Gusts on Wednesday could be as strong as 30 mph.

Snow showers in Flagstaff should only deliver 1 to 2 inches of light, dry snow above 4,500 feet, particularly in mountains to the north and east.

http://www.azcentral...l#ixzz1Cd8IGQts

[Tony]

our column ficus took a huge hit with that last freeze so i thought i'd share this in case anyone has any plants or bushes that might need to be covered this week.

Phoenix-area temperatures should dip into the 60s Monday and Tuesday, a change accompanied by spotty rain Monday and near freezing temperatures beginning Wednesday morning, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Possible thunderstorms are predicted after 11 a.m. Monday, with light rain possible all day, meteorologist Hector Vasquez said. Rain has already fallen in parts of the Valley.

The day's high is predicted to hover near 63. The average temperature for this time of year in Phoenix is about 69.

The change from recent temperatures is thanks to a low-pressure system that moved through Washington and Oregon before arriving in Arizona, Vasquez said. The system is expected to leave Arizona on Monday night, arriving in Texas by Tuesday morning and then carrying moisture eastward by Wednesday night.

Morning temperatures should approach freezing around the Valley from Wednesday through Friday. Sunny skies are predicted for the three days, but wind chills should make temperatures feel colder. Wednesday's predicted high near 49 should feel closer to 43 with winds between 10 and 18 mph. Gusts on Wednesday could be as strong as 30 mph.

Snow showers in Flagstaff should only deliver 1 to 2 inches of light, dry snow above 4,500 feet, particularly in mountains to the north and east.

http://www.azcentral...l#ixzz1Cd8IGQts

yikes. i didn't realize it was supposed to get so cold again. thanks for the heads up. our ficus got wrecked last time!

[unluckycharm]

Our ficus is toast too (r.i.p.)

long live African Sumac trees, however. those guys are champs.

[jeremx]

yeah.. i don't know that ours are beyond repair and won't come back. the guy at the nursery said we probably had a 50/50 chance. the leaves are toast but the trunks seem stable. they didn't swell and crack or anything that i can tell. so i'm going to hit up the goodwill after work and buy a bunch of sheets to safety pin around'em. maybe even run a few strands of xmas lights through'em to keep some warmth in there. if they're just hanging on, i don't want this next freeze to push'em over the edge.

[joe.distort]

maybe even run a few strands of xmas lights through'em to keep some warmth in there.

is that an actual thing? ive never heard of that

[jeremx]

maybe even run a few strands of xmas lights through'em to keep some warmth in there.

is that an actual thing? ive never heard of that

a guy my gf works with said it seems to have helped with theirs. so i figure it's worth a shot. assuming the lights don't catch the sheets on fire and burn down the trees altogether.

[capharnaum]

here's what i'm struggling with when it comes to landscaping in az
why the fuck are we planting and maintaining plants/bushes/trees
that have no fucking business in our yards in the first place?
my ficus took a shit too but i'm willing to let it go because it doesn't belong here.
i don't know of anybody in maine covering up their saguaros when winter comes around.
i don't understand why i'm trying to go out of my way to keep my "shrubbery in exile" alive.

[fatguyaz]

here's what i'm struggling with when it comes to landscaping in az
why the fuck are we planting and maintaining plants/bushes/trees
that have no fucking business in our yards in the first place?
my ficus took a shit too but i'm willing to let it go because it doesn't belong here.
i don't know of anybody in maine covering up their saguaros when winter comes around.
i don't understand why i'm trying to go out of my way to keep my "shrubbery in exile" alive.

cuz they're pretty. And lets face it, no one wants a yard full of cacti.

[Jacki O.]

truth, planting non-native plants in the desert is the worst!

when i moved into my house there were no native desert or drought resistant plants in the landscape! we live in the fucking desert! i hate having to cover up shit like my hibiscus which i almost lost due to the frost. the only reason i try to save it is because it is edible.

i'm redoing the landscape with all native plants. the only thing we should be worrying about with the frost is our citrus trees and veggie and herb gardens.

[jeremx]

the only thing we should be worrying about with the frost is our citrus trees and veggie and herb gardens.

no! ficuz fo lyfe!

well, hopefully for life. we were assured that the ficus that we were getting would be pretty resilient and they would love this climate. we planted them in july so they're still relatively young. we were told they'd be fine after the first couple of frosts as long as they were covered. we didn't cover'em so it's our fuck up. if i have to cover those things a couple times a year in order to have a nice, natural border between my yard and the hobo-infested canal, i'm ok with that. plus the kids can't spray graffiti on leaves. well not that i've seen anyway. i'm sure it's coming.

http://phoenix.about...frostplants.htm

[Jacki O.]

oh shit it is pouring up in north snottsdale right now!


and i just realized i left my laundry out on the clothesline today. fuck shit.