August 2023

28
Being Water Smart
By: Howard Galin / Happy Gardening
Already this summer we’ve experienced many
days of “record breaking” temperatures. Be
ready - the month of August promises more of
the same!
Unusually high temperatures combined with prolonged hours of
daylight and minimal humidity makes it quite difficult to keep our
gardens healthy and attractive. We are spending less time actually
working outdoors so we want to focus on effective steps to address our
landscaping needs.
In summer, we must maintain adequate moisture levels in the
soil to protect the plants and their
roots. Most non-native plants need
to be irrigated twice a day, six times
a week for about 30 minutes, while
native plants such as cactus, yucca
and agave need just 10 minutes of
irrigation once a week.
Switching over to a desert
landscape can save hundreds of
gallons of water! Outdoor water
wasted is water lost!
Unlike water used within your home, outdoors water cannot be
recycled by the Water Authority and used for Return Flow Credit.
Single family homes use 46% of the water in Southern Nevada.
Multifamily homes use about 29%. The Southern Nevada Water
Authority monitors when and how you are using water.
Excessive usage can lead to high water bills and fines for violating
watering rules. The Authority encourages residents to monitor
usage by providing rebates for installing “water-smart” irrigation
programs to manage your irrigation needs and “strap-on” devices
onto your water lines to alert you of water leaks.
The devices are controlled through your cellphones. You are
encouraged to convert from septic tanks (where no water can be
reclaimed) to public sewer connections where it can be recycled. To
obtain information regarding purchasing water saving devices and
applying for rebates, contact the Southern Nevada Water Authority
at: SNWA.com
At home, you can reduce water usage and maintain soil moisture
by substituting rock mulch with organic mulch around your
landscaping. Have any grass? Remove it and receive a $3 per square
foot rebate. You will save money as well as water!
If you take advantage of water-saving programs and use water
more efficiently, you can reduce your monthly water bill, maintain a
healthy beautiful garden and protect our water supply.
Have any gardening questions? Contact me: Theplantwhisperer28@
gmail.com.
Howard Galin is a University of Nevada certified Master
Gardener who lectures on, and writes about native plants and
desert landscaping
August 2023
Barrett-Jackson Auction
By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road
One of the advantages of getting older is that
we now have the money to spend on hobbies
that we couldn’t afford when we were younger. For
many, one of those hobbies is cars.
What’s nice is that the vehicles we lusted after as teenagers we can
now own - mostly. And there are few better places to find your dream
machine than the Barrett Jackson auction that comes to Vegas every
year in early summer.
I said mostly because many of those muscle cars have skyrocketed in
price. But there are still bargains to be found.
Barrett-Jackson auctions are held all over the country, including
here in Las Vegas, Palm Beach, New Orleans, Houston, and the bigdaddy
one in Scottsdale, Arizona, every January. A bonus of the auctions
is that a handful of cars are sold for charity.
The Las Vegas auction raised $865,000 for the American Cancer
Society as well as Kristi House, a charity that provides treatment and
advocacy for childhood trauma.
The majority of vehicles are sold for no reserve, which means highest
bidder wins, no matter what the price. The auction is also one of the
largest sellers of memorabilia.
This year, a Mae West visible gas pump set a world record for vintage
gas pumps, going for $368,000. Barrett-Jackson will also auction
motorcycles, boats, and just about anything else that moves.
The top-selling vehicle this year at Las Vegas was a 2019 Ford GT
Lightweight Edition for $990,000.
Not all vehicles go for absurdly high prices. A 1999 Bentley Arnage
went for just over $15,000, a steal from its original price of $215,000
and a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte crossed the block at $11,000, which
sold for $95,000 new.
If you do bid, you also have to pay a bidder’s premium of 10% in
addition to the price of the car. The auction can also help arrange
delivery, financing, and insurance on site.
For more information, or to see what all the cars sold for, as well as
upcoming auctions, check out barrett-jackson.com.
BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years.
She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at
bjkdtr@gmail.com