by Darin Lowery
I loved the house- the kitchen ceilings were ten feet high, some of the floors honey-colored oak, and I knew I could hang an old fashioned, latticed porch on the front with no problem. With a perfect view of the Pinals and a breeze which carried a faint scent of pine I knew I’d found the perfect house for me. … Continue Reading
By: Laura Baker
Note: This is a reprint from an article Laura wrote for the GlobeMiamiTimes. Featuring the Romero’s amazing garden which supplies the region with a plethora of options for growing chilis,tomatoes and herbs.
Image via Wikipedia
I remember the first time I drove through Six Shooter Canyon. The wind was cool and the sun danced merrily through the tall trees that lined the narrow road. The quaint houses and the quiet street were a refreshing change to the smog, the crowds, and the miles of asphalt spidering across the Phoenix Valley. There, nearly at the end of the road, I spotted a weather-worn sign that read “Sunrise & Sunset Chile & Herb Garden.” … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
The Prelude:
In 1987, my Administrative Assistant- let’s call her ‘Debi’ because her real name was unpronounceable- slammed the door to my office as she left, snarling over her shoulder. “Now I have to wash my hair tonight. Again. This happens every time I have a date.” Her voice rose in exasperation. “It’s like a house fire in his office! I can’t take it anymore- HE SMOKES LIKE A BROKEDOWN CHEVY VAN!”
Sadly, ‘Debi’ left our employ for health reasons. She wanted to keep breathing. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
Spring is right around the corner- I can feel it. We’re sure to have a few more weeks of cold weather, with those few odd, uplifting days of promising sunshine and tepid breezes, but I can wait. Spring means soft tee shirts and planting stuff in the ground and sitting outside drinking iced tea while waving back at folks in pickup trucks who honk a howdy. Even my dogs know it’s in the air, this promise of change, the reminder that we really do have ‘seasons’ in Southeastern Arizona. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
I stopped eating bread about three years ago. Some of this was due to a friend’s problem with gluten, which is found in flour. Gluten is a protein substance that remains when starch is removed from cereal grains- it gives cohesiveness to dough. Perhaps this puts the ‘glue’ in ‘gluten’. It turns out I have sympathy pains, wouldn’t you know it, and the thought of a PB&J on Wonder Bread made me ill. This is but one reason I never had children (little kids are crawling with germs) and in fact I avoid pregnant women on the street. The thought of me going into false labor, right there across from Palace Pharmacy would mean I could never show my face Downtown again. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
A few days after Thanksgiving, my Mom would send us down to the basement for her boxes of Holiday decorations. Some of these trinkets were homemade (this being the 1960’s) when families still did things like that- craft paper angels, popsicle stick snack bowls and garlands of cranberries and popcorn. Most of the ornaments were store-bought, however, having been purchased over the years at dime stores such as Ben Franklin and Woolworth’s. One box in particular held the older, fragile items: thin glass confections in the shapes of fat snowmen, elegant pagodas and golden bugles. This box was of course my favorite. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
In the small Chicago antiques shop in which I worked many years ago, a customer waved me over and asked to see a piece of pottery. She was a petite blonde with fluttering hands, and she pointed to a vase behind glass. The piece had a thick, almost syrupy glaze, and the colors were too bright, almost loud. It was an excellent example of late1920’s English ceramic arts. I carefully took it from the case and placed it in her hands. She studied it for a moment and then f
rowned. “Okay, thanks. You can put it back.” … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
While at work the other day a pal dropped in and we had a chat. We were talking about kids- I have none, so of course I’m an expert- and she has one son, now an adult. I’ve met him and it appears she did a good job in raising him. In the course of the conversation she exclaimed, ‘You have to remember, Darin, that babies don’t come with instruction manuals’. This is when steam came out of my ears and my eyes rolled back into my head.
Of course they do. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when families sat down together for a meal each night. A time when dinner table conversation wasn’t interrupted by the bleat of cellphones and the blare of TV reality shows. Everyone present discussed their day and, in my parent’s home, we listened to my Father’s abstract jokes and laughed politely.
While I have no children, I do have two dogs. At nine o’clock each night I sit down at my vintage chrome kitchen table and eat. My dogs enjoy sitting with me and while they can’t talk about their day, they seem to be very interested on what’s on my plate. Or perhaps it’s simply the colorful dinnerware. … Continue Reading
by Darin Lowery
Ralph and I drove up to Big Lake, Arizona at the end of July: this was a golden opportunity to get away from the scorching heat of Globe and see a bit of our state in the process. He has a new 24’ Palomino travel trailer and it has everything except rotor blades and afterburners. Big Lake is a little over 300 miles from Globe, and it’s well worth the visit. … Continue Reading
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