Squirrels can be some of the most annoyingly destructive animals in a suburban garden, sometimes worse than rabbits. They are notorious for digging up tender, vulnerable seedlings and flinging them everywhere, and they make messes when they paw through flower pots and scatter soil all over a patio or porch. But is there any way…
Not long ago, I was talking to a relative about the business of writing. This relative maintains a very active social media account, and I told the relative that I thought that maybe there was some potential to turn it into a blogging gig, perhaps even a monetized one to help offset the relative’s tight…
When we think of growing food in a garden, we often think of annual vegetables that grow for just one year, are harvested, and do not automatically grow back the following year. If you want to grow those again, you must plant new seeds. These are known as annuals, or plants that only live for…
Fresh leaf lettuce is one of the easiest and fastest-growing edibles you can plant in your home garden, and even a small area — as little as one square foot — planted with lettuce can provide you with a lot of fresh salad throughout the spring. However, you and your family aren’t the only ones…
So, you’re facing a huge decision. This one’s big. Really big. This is the kind of decision that will make or break you. Sausage or bacon? Okay, maybe not, but there are plenty of times when we do have to make big decisions: about what car to buy, about whether to splurge on that expensive…
One of my daughters often asks me to pack fresh bananas in her school lunch bag. I appreciate that she wants to eat healthy food, but bananas have such a short shelf life. They turn brown on my counter before I know it. My family loves classic banana bread, but sometimes we want something different….
When I was in middle school, I once walked out of a speech class in tears because I couldn’t deliver the speech right. The teacher came out into the hallway and told me, “You’re a perfectionist. You like to get everything right the first time.” She encouraged me to go in and just do my…
It can be helpful to stock your pantry with some basic supplies that you can generally count on always being there. The following ingredients are common in many recipes ranging from banana muffins to pancakes to spaghetti. Keeping these items around will help on busy nights or during weeks when you haven’t been able to…
I’ve been teaching high school for close to two decades now. When I first started teaching, Bill Clinton was at the end of his presidency, dial-up internet was still a thing, and there was no such thing as a smartphone. Some things have changed during that time, while other things have not. What follows is…
Spring is here and it’s time to start thinking about this summer’s vegetable garden. If you’re new to vegetable gardening, you’ll want to select plants that will provide you with some easy success so you’ll be motivated to continue developing your green thumb. Even if you’re an experienced gardener, you’ll still enjoy growing low-maintenance veggies….
