Despite conventional wisdom, even xeriscape landscaping is not maintenance free. Whether you use xeriscaping or traditional landscaping, it's necessary to keep up with seasonal maintenance tasks.

Winter
Irrigation: Continue to water plants, but not nearly as much as in summer. Scale back the amount of water, and change watering times to mid-day or afternoon to avoid watering when temperatures are below freezing.

I can guess what you’re thinking. “Maintenance of site drainage? You have to be kidding.”

Every geotechnical report has a section on the importance of sloping the ground away from the structures, and the importance of keeping water away from the foundation. Failure to do so can result in damage to the foundation.

On two separate past projects of ours, the building owners decided to change the grading around their buildings. This isn’t always a problem, but on these projects, it turned out to be a big deal.

For crying out loud … a man can skydive safely from 23 miles high, but we can’t keep our sidewalks from cracking and crumbling?

Yes, we can. But sidewalks do need loving care – the same loving care you give your carpet. (Please tell me you give loving care to your carpet. We will discuss carpet care another day.)

When considering maintenance, some building owners think, “Well, we replace the filters every spring and fall. Do we have to do more?”

In short: yes. Ignorance about building maintenance is a short-lived bliss. Eventually, gravity and the elements assert themselves.

I will break down maintenance into five disciplines:
- Civil
- Structural
- Architectural
- Mechanical
- Electrical

My goal? For you never to see a parking space in the same way again.

Last week, I quoted from The Albuquerque Journal about the positive economic impact that the arts have on Albuquerque’s economy.

But it’s not just big cities that get a boost from the arts. It’s small towns throughout our state, from Taos in the north to Silver City in the south. In fact, last May, Smithsonian Magazine ran an article titled, “The 20 Best Small Towns in America,” which ranked Taos second on the list.

To show the importance of the arts in Taos achieving that distinction, I’ll quote Smithsonian:

I’ve never considered myself an oracle, or even to possess particularly keen powers of prediction.

But I do pay attention to issues affecting our citizens and state. That’s probably why, for the third time in the past two months, a major newspaper has confirmed a trend I’d blogged about months before.

Last Spring, I wrote about the important contribution made by the arts to New Mexico’s economy. I called for New Mexico’s lawmakers to shift incentives from Hollywood productions to local film producers, which will lead to a more permanent and stable base of local employment.

Strict ideology doesn’t serve the human race very well. In fact, biologists believe that what most separates us from animals is our capacity to imaginatively conceive of a view that differs from our own.

That’s right: more than opposing thumbs, speech or a large cerebral cortex, what makes us most human is our ability to compromise and cooperate. That may sound ridiculous, given our long history of conflict. Or it may sound hopeful, given that on a global scale, the post-WWII era has been the least violent period ever.

The 1972 election arrived the year I turned 18. I was excited by the right to vote, and took the privilege seriously. I registered as a Democrat and campaigned for George McGovern, whose surprising rise to the Democratic Party presidential nomination rode the tide of mistrust about the Vietnam War.

I was living with my parents at the time. As the election neared, I took my voter guide out to the front porch and sat studying the candidates for lessor offices. My father asked who would win my vote for Congress.

“I haven’t decided yet,” I replied.

“Think globally, act locally” dates from around 1915, and is attributed to Patrick Geddes, a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. That surprised me, because I associate the phrase with social activists of the 1960s. It’s been quoted by people as diverse as two-time Nobel Prize winner Buckminster Fuller and artist Yoko Ono.

I’ve never been accused or praised for being a social activist. But I do believe we all should take an active role in helping to support and develop our communities.

About a dozen blogs ago, I decried farming during a prolonged draught of water-intensive crops such as hay and alfalfa. This practice stems in part from state water rights laws, which dictate that water rights owners must exercise their rights or risk losing them. I suggested that farmers find an alternate crop that uses less water than hay, and that is sufficiently profitable to provide a livable wage. Once that is accomplished, the state can purchase any excess water rights.