This year, there’s even more to be thankful for in Arizona

Just like this time last year, we like to come up with reasons why we should be thankful that we’re living in Arizona.

Last year, we talked about our year-round growing season and our indoor-outdoor lifestyle, but this state is so varied and wonderful that we can come up with lots more reasons that we love about this place.

So, in 2017, we’re thankful for:

Locally grown food we love to eat

Most people think of California and Florida when they start talking about U.S. food crops, but the truth is that Arizona is feeding more and more Americans.

We are the winter lettuce capital of the world. We rank second in head lettuce, leaf lettuce and romaine, as well as cauliflower and broccoli. Nationally, we’re second in producing lemons, third in tangerines and fourth in producing oranges and grapefruit.

Grand Canyon

That large, magnificent hole in northern Arizona has repeatedly been mentioned a lot on the internet as one of the handful of places you have to see before you die.

You’ve probably seen it already from the South Rim, but have you ever walked to the bottom in the middle of July or August? Have you ever visited the North Rim?

Maybe you want to achieve those goals this year. There are nine other national parks and monuments in Arizona to visit as well.

Our state park system

Recently, Arizona State Parks and Trails — our official state park agency — won a gold medal from the National Recreation and Park Association for being the best-managed state park system in the nation.

Don’t just think about the national sites. Drop in to visit Jerome State Park or Tonto Natural Bridge or the Tubac Presidio or Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Water in drought

We all want to be careful with water, particularly in years like this when rainfall seems especially scarce. But, thankfully, rain and snow were plentiful last year in places where it counted, and Colorado River water is still running strong.

Arizona Diamondbacks

OK, maybe we didn’t make it that far in the playoffs, but last year, we lost 93 games and won 69.

This year, we flipped that and went 93-69! That got us into the wild card race where we did manage to beat the Colorado Rockies.

Our climate

We mentioned this last year, but it’s hard not to be thankful for the great weather in the desert when it’s snowing in Minneapolis, Cleveland and Chicago.

Snowbirds

Maybe we get tired of the traffic and the crowds in the restaurants, but they do keep the economy booming and raise the value of our houses.

For more homeowner advice, DIY tips and videos, and information about all the projects around your house, home, castle or cabin, visit Arizona’s largest collection of homeowner DIY advice and information at RosieontheHouse.com.

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