I have taken a solemn vow to never use the phrase “uncertain times” again. Now that these words have become so ubiquitous, I regret even writing the word “uncertainty” in this column in our May issue, when we were all taking our first tentative steps into a period that will be etched in our psyches and has forever altered our futures.

We at Cities West Media settled into a routine over the past two months. I continued to come into the office most days, as did our president, Brett Wilson, and production manager, Mare Czinar. We stayed in our respective domains and waved our sanitized hands at each other from a safe distance when our paths did cross. For the most part, the rest of the staff has operated remotely.

Because most us have been confined within our own borders for some time now, we decided to celebrate Arizona with this unique double issue—a first for us in our 40 years of publication. On the following pages, we dig deep into our state’s rich history. From Taliesin West’s hallowed drafting room to Scottsdale’s storied Cattle Track Arts Compound, we share some of the countless stories of these “if-these-walls-could-talk” sites. We celebrate small businesses that champion goods made in our community. (As always, we urge you to support them in every way you can, especially now as they begin to rebuild after months of enforced in-person inactivity.) We also wander through an unforgettable estate once owned by Sen. Carl Hayden and check in with two of Phoenix’s most beloved residents—singer, songwriter and showman Alice Cooper and his wife, Sheryl—who share the latest remodel of the Paradise Valley abode they have called home for 35 years.

Phoenix Home & Garden is Valley-strong. As the only monthly shelter magazine that is and always has been created exclusively in Arizona, we live, work and play right here and wear our state pride with honor. There is nothing uncertain about the times ahead. Together we will roar back and thrive.