Now that we have our gardens planted, weeded, and growing, we think we can kick back and let Mother Nature do the rest. If only it were that easy. Gardening never stops, even in the winter there are still things to do, but let us concentrate on right now. 1. Tend to rose bushes. Ensure ...

“My jars of homemade raspberry jam exploded in my cupboard!” my exasperated caller told me. At the time of our conversation, she was taking a break from scrubbing sticky jam from her pantry walls. As we visited, another jar of jam flipped its lid and spewed its ruby red ...

June 22-28 is National Pollinator Week. Why do we celebrate bees and other pollinators? Ever hear the expression “busy as a bee”? One out of four bites of human food is courtesy of hard working bees. While bees do not pollinate cereal crops such as wheat and barley, they are responsible ...

I have a healthy respect for grills. We received a gas grill for our wedding and my husband kept rebuilding it periodically for almost 25 years. I’m not sure if he was being nostalgic, romantic or frugal. I think the latter. At least I didn’t say “cheap.” I decided I should learn ...

Honeyberries are one of the first fruits of spring, even before strawberries. Bushes were in full bloom and buzzing with pollinators a few weeks back already. Honeyberries are a great addition to the landscape. Compact bushes grow 4 to 6 feet tall and produce small, yellowish white, ...

Adrenaline rushes. Her binoculars rise as she spots a Northern Oriole at the J Clark Salyer Refuge located north of Towner, North Dakota. The well-used birding book is at her elbow merely hinting at the hours of study that have led up to her knowledge of identifying birds because of their ...