What a lovely party. First to arrive were Dorothy Harding, Esther Kling, Jean Stroud and Hazel Solemsaas — all sporting smartly different and attractive summer outfits. Next to join the gathering were Linda Wade, Bea Hendershot and Betty Aga. You should have seen the flattering deep cape ...

I always looked forward to picnics when I was a kid. We weren’t frequent travelers, so driving a couple of hours to a state park was quite a big deal. Back then, our car did not have air conditioning. We left really early in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat. We often arrived before ...

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 ...

“Mistakes, I have made a few” I believe is a line from a Frank Sinatra song. I have made many mistakes during my gardening career. I try to learn from these mistakes and not repeat them next time. In years past, I learned, but I haven’t fixed one of my mistakes. One mistake I make is ...

“You have a lot of food in here,” our son commented the other day. He was investigating the contents of our refrigerator. “Eat whatever you like,” I remarked. He is all grown up, but he still checks what’s in the fridge when he drops by our home. When our son was a teenager, ...

Looking for a magic potion or powder for whatever ails your garden or lawn? How to get rid of bugs and weeds are hot topics right now on social media. You can even find books and articles regarding these so-called sure-fire remedies. Potions that you can make right up in your own kitchen with ...

During this pandemic, you may have started doing things you never imagined doing before: homeschooling your children, working from home, canceling your trips, and preparing more meals at home. We have also struggled to find our favorite items in the grocery stores. Some of our favorites have ...

Two anxieties have recently captured the attention of the world. We all have been dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and ability to corral this virus. Now, in the face of the current tragic and sad events of racism, we share unimaginable pain and loss gripping our nation. We are a collage ...

“Am I going to need sunglasses?” my husband asked me. That was an unusual question. Then I noticed he had a smirk on his face. I was doing yardwork and feeling a bit warm in the summer sun. I had announced I was going inside our house to change into shorts. After a long, cold winter, ...

Recently, I received a call at the Extension office about, “sowing your carrot seeds and then placing a board over them until they germinate.” The person asked if I had ever heard of this? Well, no I had not, so I looked on the NDSU Extension website, found nothing, and advised on how to ...

Many apologies to my patient neighbors! My first raised garden bed was admittedly an eyesore. We did a standard raised garden bed using cedar 2x10s as the frame. Within 15 minutes of filling the bed with a soil mixture, a stray cat brazenly jumped into the low bed and used it as a litter box. ...

Many gardens today have become much smaller and more manageable than years ago. As a child growing up on a farm, I remember how much bigger the garden was and how the rows seemed like they stretched on for miles, especially when I was in trouble and had to weed them! The harder I cried, the ...

The other day, I was wandering around my backyard, checking on the new growth of my perennial plants. The rhubarb I planted a couple of years ago is producing a good amount of stems. I was worried that I had pulled too many stems last year in its second season. I harvested less than ...

Create a front garden that is sure to boost your mood and welcome visitors all year round. All you need is one weekend and a bit of paint, flowers, decor and edging material to boost your landscape’s curb appeal. Add a splash of color by painting your front door. Look for colors that ...

In our home we have been welcoming spring with the fresh taste of lemons. Ah the color, size, and abundance of juice in handpicked Arizona lemons – there is simply nothing like it. The lemon box held center stage in our home thanks to two Lutheran Lemon Ladies. Did you know that there are ...