When to move on: lessons from a pine tree

When my husband, Bob and I bought our little cabin in Northern Arizona’s Rim Country in 2022, we transplanted our foot-tall Christmas tree, “Jack” on the back of our two-acre parcel. At first, our pine experienced transplant shock and it was touch-and-go for a while. We compared this to our own growing pains adjusting from…

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Contingency mindset: backing up your best laid plans

When my husband and I moved to Northern Arizona’s Rim Country a year ago, we already had an unlimited data plan for our phones, so reliable Wi-Fi was our biggest concern for internet usage. We received provider suggestions from others who reside in our community (population 599) and settled on one that has kept us…

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Attaining different outcomes: how to navigate crossroads

Since moving to Northern Arizona, my husband and I regularly explore a series of forest trails bordering our neighborhood—several of which are marked, as well as noted on our mobile apps. Others, however, reveal only worn-out grooves in the dirt, common at many of the forks we stumble across. This becomes an exercise in trial…

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