Black walnuts: Flavorful, frustrating backyard bounty
Along with the gently welcoming cascade of falling leaves, autumn sometimes arrives with arresting thumps, followed by clumps of greenish tennis ball sized objects. Those are black walnuts, landing amid the softly crunching brown, gold, and scarlet foliage carpet, if...
Ann Strite-Kurz draws from decades of experience to create embroidery, needlework
Ann Strite-Kurz has a standard response for people who look at her extensive embroidery and needlework collection and ask how she has the patience to make each stitch by hand. Borrowing a friend’s response, she tells them, “You only have to have patience for things...
When’s the time to decorate the tree?
You’ve taken down the fake cobwebs (maybe some real ones, too) and your pumpkins have sunken in and been tossed. From here, you can either savor the simplicity of your home for November or you are one of the people who are eager to deck the halls with boughs of holly...
Learn to protect pollinators in the slow season
Even when they look dry and “dead,” our green spaces are full of life. When we think about plants, for example, we can see that herbaceous perennials seem dry but they are actually just retreating underground, while annuals continue their life cycle by spending the...
Garden and gobble with gratitude
This time of the year most of us are gathering around tables to celebrate gratitude with friends and family. There’s usually a few things left to handle in the garden before winter settles in. So, let’s talk about how to run your garden’s closing shift before winter...
Protect your sanity during holiday season
As much as I look forward to this season, I often find myself getting anxious about how to get everything done, how we will afford everything we want to do, all with the added pressure of making sure everything is magical for my ever patient husband and our not to...
From flowers to seeds to attract song birds
Fall is a wonderful time to remember what thrived in the garden and what didn’t. It is also a great time to see what bloomed during the summer that should be left alone, not trimmed back, so that the native song birds can feast on the flower seeds. There are a lot of...
Tin ceilings bringing back retro feelings
(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.) Some of the finest homes in 19th century Europe made a statement with their plasterwork ceilings. Extensive labor, expertise and time-consuming processes...
Simple ways to conserve energy
Make Every Meal Celebration Worthy
