Q: My husband and I recently drove to Cave Creek and along the way we noticed many people had put plastic-foam cups on their cactuses. I said this is for protection from the frost, but my husband said it was some sort of Christmas decoration. Who wins?
I got a letter from a woman whose husband wants to soak their Christmas tree in the pool for a couple of days before putting it up. She sounded quite worried about this.
I have never thrown a Christmas tree into a swimming pool, so I don’t know what effect, if any, the needles would have on the pool filter.
Q: I have lived in the Valley for two years now and love it. A couple of weeks ago I heard about Valley fever for the first time. What exactly is it?
A: It would be nice to report that Valley fever is a disease named for our very own Valley, something we could all be proud of, but unfortunately this is not the case. It is named for the San Joaquin Valley in California.
Some of the West’s most colorful characters ended up in Arizona sooner or later. For some, it was the lure of the boom town bonanzas. Others found it a refuge from the restrictions of more established societies in the East. For DeForest Hall, it was the wide open spaces and the weather. He liked the high desert around Wickenburg so well that he changed his middle name to Wick.
Q: I just survived my first Arizona summer, and the worst part was mowing my lawn in the triple-digit heat. Now, my neighbor asked me if I am going to put in a winter lawn. Am I?
A: First of all, congratulations on your getting through your first summer. You are now officially qualified to lord it over other newcomers and to say…
