Fall is the best time to divide spring and summer blooming perennials that are overcrowded, dead in the center, failing to flower or flopping open. Wait until spring to dig and divide fall or summer blooming perennials that were not moved the previous fall. These are guidelines that increase ...

Last night, I did that thing where you have 30 minutes between work and day care pickup to power shop the grocery store and restock the essentials while planning a week’s worth of meals in your head because the list you have on hand only says “eggs and milk,” but the list in your head ...

Fall is an excellent time to dig and divide spring flowering perennials. Peonies, irises, daylilies and others can benefit from periodic dividing to maintain plant vigor and flowering. Plants that have the centers dying out, reduced flowering and crowded plant crowns are candidates for ...

Whenever I teach classes on alcohol ink, I tell participants that this fickle medium is like a lesson in Zen. That is, “controlling” this fickle medium is a lot like herding cats, so you sometimes just need to go with the flow and learn to embrace whatever happens. Granted, the end ...

Dear Carol: My mom is 85 and has lived with COPD, diabetes and heart disease for the last 10 years, but she’s been a fighter. She’s always said that she didn’t want extreme measures to keep her alive when her time to go was obvious, and I agreed, but now that the end seems close, I think ...

I told my husband, Peter, that our marriage was like stew – and that’s a good thing. This is a second marriage for both Peter and me. We were both married for a long time and then divorced for quite a while. We dated other people and realized how tricky the whole process of finding a new ...

One of the great joys of being a teenager back in the early ‘70s was to appreciate the many wonderful sitcoms that were on television. The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a favorite of mine. In this show Mary had a neighbor named Rhoda, played by Valerie Harper. They lived in a grand Victorian ...

Nothing beats the flavor of fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes and when they’re left on the plant five to eight days after the fruit are fully colored, the flavor only gets better. Check plants regularly and keep harvesting, so the plants continue to produce throughout the fall. This also ...

OK, real talk here: Today was a day. I would use the word tough, but I’ve had some days that truly fit that category, so I’m just going to Call. It. A. Day. It was supposed to be an easy 60-mile trip to Dickinson with my kids. And when I use the word “easy,” I guess I don’t really ...

Mushrooms in Yards Recent rains have benefited not only our yards, gardens and crops, but other growing things in nature. Ones which are very easy to see are mushrooms or also called, toad stools. Mushrooms or toad stools are the “flower” part of an underground fungus. This fungus lives ...

– Get to know your neighbors. One of the best security measures you can take is to get to know your neighbors and ask them to keep an eye out for strangers around your house. – Install a home security system. The research shows that homes without a security system are three times ...

Dear Carol: A while back you wrote about a widower with mild cognitive impairment who wanted to move to assisted living after his wife died. Our situation is similar, but this is my 83-year-old mom and her memory is fine. Mom’s an extremely social person. Dad died just two months ago and ...

A warm, cozy rug can make a room look and feel more appealing on even the chilliest fall night. And the right rug can be a source of comfort year-round. "They're also great in the summer, if you think about it, because your shoes are off, you're in your shorts, the house is air conditioned," ...

They say that blessings come in disguise. If so, my blessings are poorly disguised. They show up wearing false noses and funny eyeglasses and are instantly recognizable unless I am being completely thick-headed-and it is astonishing how often I am. I had a really bad year a few years back ...

Most adults can hardly fathom the stress of being a teen today. With one social media post, your position in the volatile food chain of high school status could change. With college tuition soaring, you feel constant pressure to ace your college admission tests. Your still-maturing teen brain ...

Bravery is such a slippery concept. Sometimes we think we have tons of it, and then we face a chance to flex and instead we back down. Other times we are sure we can’t possibly be brave enough to face a situation until we have to actually walk through it. And then we do. I saw my kids ...

When you shop for a new sofa or another piece of furniture, it’s not hard to envision how it might look in your living room. And if you’re considering a new wall color, you can test pretty simply with swatches. But shopping for lighting can be more complicated. It’s easy fall in ...

There was a time not that long ago when designers were tearing out anything terracotta-colored, whether it was tile, painted walls or upholstered furniture. A darling hue of the ‘80s, the brownish orange — evocative of terracotta earthenware — was considered dowdy and done. But like so ...

How do you create a space conducive to creative thinking? A number of recent books explore the working environments of creative people in search of hints and inspiration. “They’re not highly produced spaces. They are spaces that reflect the real lives of people,” says Ted Vadakan, ...

As the father of a teenage daughter – and unannounced to her –I am stepping in and making commentary on current fashion. Oh my! From the first day that she arrived home from the hospital as a baby, I tried to impress upon her my understanding of a lady’s wardrobe and the essence it ...