This was the summer of outside. I’ve always loved gathering in the backyard, but this year I wanted to go all in on creating a space that wasn’t just pretty for one dinner party but functional every ...

DEAR ERIC: Before a summer trip to visit family in 2019, a friend’s cat passed away. She wrapped the kitty in one of her husband’s T-shirts and buried it in the desert backyard, maybe two feet deep.

Backyard birds have become a pastime of mine; there’s just something mind-settling and rejuvenating about feeding and watching the sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, robins, finches and doves dine on ...