Art....most spices are short lived, they lose potency fairly rapidly. Buy small quantities, or put 'em in air tight containers in the freezer, same with your dry goods. (assuming you leave your freezer on) We leave the AC set on 88-90 in our home, so things won't deteriorate as they would if there was no cooling.
There are watering services offered for winter visitors in the Foothills, look for signs or buy some timers, run some drip irrigation, or pay a neighbor to take care of the place...
Regards
Gemstone
Regards
Gemstone