Diamondback fan?  Today is Baxter's birthday - -Happy Birthday Baxter!!!!

Fact about Flagstaff

Pioneer filmmaker, Cecil B. DeMille originally traveled to Flagstaff to make his first film but he arrived there in the middle of a storm and decided to move operations further west, to Hollywood. His film, The Squaw Man (1914), went on to be wildly successful, launching the fledgling movie industry and establishing Hollywood as the movie capital of the world.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK-END

FLOWERS THAT GROW IN THE FLAGSTAFF AREA

ZINNIA OF THE Asteraceae FAMILY,  IS AN ANNUAL PLANT THAT NEEDS FULL SUN AND GROWS TO BE 18 INCHES.

Plant zinnias in mixed plantings with other summer-blooming annuals, or place small groups of zinnias among perennials. They are at home in cottage gardens and children's gardens, and they are often grown in cutting gardens. Cut the stems before the flower is completely open. Zinnia flowers also attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.

SNAPDRAGONS ARE AN ANNUAL PLANT THAT NEEDS FULL OR PART SUN AND GROWS TO BE 30 INCHES HIGH.  THIS IS A FUN PLANT TO GROW FOR CHILDREN.

DUE TO WEATHER CHANGES IN FLAGSTAFF, THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN THESE YOUNG PLANTS MAY NEED TO BE COVERED TO PREVENT FROST DAMAGE.

IF YOU PREFER TO HAVE HANGING BASKETS IN YOUR AREA TO DECORATE, WE HAVE THESE SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU.

THE BEGONIA IS AN ANNUAL PLANT THAT CAN GROW IN PARTIAL SHADE.  Use wax begonias in containers and as edgings, as miniature temporary hedges, or in shade gardens to add summer-long color. They make a great filler over daffodils and other spring bulbs. Tuberous begonias can be grown in containers or with other shade plants, such as impatiens, browallias, and lobelias. In the ground, they are lovely combined with ferns and other shade-loving perennials. Keep them set back from walkways, as the stems are brittle and easily broken.

Petunia, Razzle Dazzle Hybrid Mixed IS AN ANNUAL PLANT THAT GROWS IN FULL SUN AND Petunias make beautiful edging plants and also can be combined with other summer-blooming annuals in mixed plantings. They are superb in containers of all sizes and types, either alone or combined with other flowers. Their flowers attract both hummingbirds and moths.

Starting your flower garden now will give you a colorful area for the 4^th of July.

WEEK-END MAY 12, 2012

Congratulations all NAU graduates - GOOD JOB!!!!   FREE event at Foxglen park Saturday, 5/12/12 from noon - 4 pm Spring Fling Kite Festival.  $3.00 wrist band for bounce house, rock climbing wall.
HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY to all the A-MAY-ZING Mom's.

10 Ways to Volunteer In Flagstaff

We're going to take a bit from last week and expand on it. There are so many opportunities to lend a helping hand and volunteer in Flagstaff. So we put together a list of places to start. These are in no particular order, and should all be considered as something great you can do. The nicest thing about this, is there are so many different areas to volunteer in, that you cant get bored. So here we goooooo....

1.

Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership
(928) 226-0644

Fire risk education and reduction is the name of the game here.

2.

Assistance League of Flagstaff
(928) 779-3029

Cedar Closet is the thrift store we mentioned last week, here is their philanthropic group backing.

 3.

Literacy Volunteers Of Coconino County

(928) 556-0313

 Now this is something you can get behind. Reading is such a powerful thing, why not share this knowledge with someone else?

 

4.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff
(928) 774-0649

This is a great safe haven where kids can be kids. This is also a great place to become a life mentor. One of the best feelings out there.

5.

Northern Arizona Food Bank
(928) 526-2211

Get a group of friends together and give these people a call. As a group you can accomplish so much more and share your experience with your friends.

6.

Retired And Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)(928) 523-6585

Volunteer Opportunities for those 55 and older! You don’t have to be young to get your volunteer on!

7.

Soroptimist International of the Arizona Peaks
http://siazpeaks.vpweb.com/

Women helping women and children in Northern Arizona. Go see Hope’s Closet in the Cedar Safeway Center!

8.

Flagstaff Family Food Center
(928) 774-3188

The Flagstaff Family Food Center provides nutritional meals in a safe pleasant environment and assists children with reading, homework and social skills.

9.

Paw Placement of Northern Arizona
(928) 699-7586

The people here are dedicated to what they do. They are not only a no-kill, but kennel free sanctuary for animals. They study the animas’ behaviors and correct them to help the adoption process.

10.

United Way of Northern Arizona

(928) 773-9813

This is a place to teach and learn about financial stability. A life lesson many do not have to opportunity to learn about.



7 Spring Time Staycations

Hello everyone! Its that time of year again! The snow is dwindling, the skies are blue more often, and you are finally starting to get a bit of a tan. What better way to welcome spring time, than explore your own backyard? So here is my personal list of things to do when I need to shake the cold winter blues!

1 - Go fishing.

My personal favorite spot is on the shore of Upper Lake Mary. There you can take a breath of fresh air and maybe catch dinner. Its a short 15 minute drive east of town and is filled to the brim with pike (which are very delicious deep fried in a Bisquick batter).

A few quick tips:

Get your fishing license! Wal-Mart, Big Five, and AZ Game and Fish can provide this for you. I get mine at Wal-Mart for a whopping $15 and its good for a year! The fine is NOT worth it!! Bring a lawn chair and a grocery bag for your trash. Visit the Lake Mary Country store for snacks and bait. The folks running the store are very nice people!

2 - Be a tourist in your own town.

I like to go out and browse all the downtown shops. but too often I go to Target or Chili's and totally overlook all the great dining and retail we have here. So grab a cup of coffee and get out on the town!

As of right now I would have to say that my favorite downtown eatery is Aloha Hawaiian BBQ. I high recommend the Chicken Katsu Combo plate. DELISH! Which reminds me, I think I have dinner decided for tonight...

When it comes to shopping downtown, I can do damage. But my go to store is the Seasoned Chef. I like to go browse all the cool gadgets and tools for the kitchen since cooking is my favorite thing to do. Its hard to not buy EVERYTHING!

3 - Take a hike.

I mean, come on!

Who wouldn't want to see this view in person??

Whether you're a novice or a very experienced hiker, there are trails EVERYWHERE! I personally love to hike in Sedona. There is a trail, called the Airport loop Trail, that goes around the airport and allows you to see all of Sedona from way up high. Its a fairly easy hike, about 3.25 miles and ends where it begins; which makes life easy on us "directionally challenged folks." So if you're anything like me, don't hike alone, bring a TON of water, some snacks, and a camera.

When you're done hiking stop in to the New York Bagels & Deli and get yourself some pizza! I promise you will not be disappointed.

4 - Clean out your closet.

Now, I know this one sounds insane, but hear me out. Now that winter is coming to a close, its the perfect time to go through your closet and make room for summer clothes. You've gone all winter without wearing that jacket waaaaaay in the back of your closet, and you'll probably never wear it again. So why not donate it? There are many places to donate in Flagstaff and they are always in need. My grandmother introduced me to the Cedar Closet years ago, its a great place to donate and it directly benefits the town you live in. There is always easily accessible and familiar Goodwill, and its on either side of town, so there's no excuse! We can't forget the others here in town like the Salvation Army, Savers, St. Vincent dePaul, and Hodgepodge. So get out there and donate. It'll give you warm fuzzies and help out so many others in our town.

I'll make this easy for you...

Cedar Closet

2919 N. West St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 779-3029

Goodwill

963 W Route 66 #100

Flagstaff, Az 86001

(928) 774-4737

OR

2225 N Steves Blvd.

Flagstaff, Az 86004

(928) 526-8157

 

Salvation Army

507 N Humphreys

Flagstaff, Az 86001

(928) 774-1403

OR

2229 E Cedar Ave

Flagstaff, Az 86004

(928) 774- 5061

 

Savers

5060 N US Highway 89

Flagstaff, Az 86004

 

St. Vincent dePaul

2113 N East St

Flagstaff, Az 86004

(928)779-4353

 

Hodgepodge

2340 E Route 66

Flagstaff, Az 86004

(928) 213-5775

 

 

 

5 - Go see an outdoor festival.  

Springtime in Flagstaff, bring beautiful temperatures, wind and sunshine. So why not get out there and enjoy it! A great way to get out is go to all the festivals in Flag.

In May you can find a kite festival at Foxglenn Park, and there's a Strutt Your Mutt Event in Buffalo Park. June brings us concerts, chili cook offs, and music. A quick way to find out about all of the city's events go to the City of Flagstaff Official Website. They update their calendar regularly. Another great resource is the Daily Sun.

6 - METEOR CRATER

Seriously. Its a once in a lifetime thing to go see this. It may not be the most amusing thing to do in Flagstaff, but it is very memorable. I remember going there as a kid and thinking "wooooow its a big hole in the ground wooooo..." But its it mind blowing. its a lot bigger than a hole in the ground, don't trust my younger version of me. You need high power binoculars to see the truck in the bottom of this. You can't see it with the naked eye. Its HUGE. It was caused by a piece of an asteriod colliding with the Earth at near 26,000 mile per hour. Its 2 miles around and 550 feet deep. The prices are decent, and its not too far east of town.  Here's a link to the website for more info.

7 - Just breathe.

Sometimes its hard to say no to the hustle and bustle. But sometimes its easy to say YES to relaxation and quiet. The holidays are over and you've finally begun to recover. So go grab your favorite book, you latest crocheting project, or just a really good movie. Then sit down and breathe.