In an age when practically anything can claim a spot on social media, the lowly kitchen spray is having its day — reimagined as a curated, crafty and oh-so-pretty countertop accessory. Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — Michael Mizanin, the former World Wrestling Entertainment champion who performs under the name “The Miz,” and his wife, professional wrestler Maryse Mizanin, have slammed down $6.4 million on an English manor-style home in Westlake Village. Read More ⇒
A benefit (and hazard) of my job as a design writer is spending chunks of time with decorating experts in beautiful homes. I always learn something from pros who have a refined eye for detail. Read More ⇒
It’s a cool morning with the mercury on the thermometer almost down to the 50-degree mark. The redness from the sunrise is so bright, promising a beautiful day with the sun warming up the outside world. I have a few gas lights on to warm up the house for baby Ryan. Read More ⇒
When I’m standing outdoors in the depths of winter, I try to imagine what it’s like now, at the end of a hot summer. This isn’t to get the blood flowing in January — it’s a way of enduring the cold and reminding myself how much more bearable it is than the heat. Read More ⇒
Think soup stock. Everything goes into the pot including all the unappetizing bits and pieces of vegetables you may rather not have on your plate. Many cuisines from around the world eat the entire animal or plant with very little waste. Americans could increase health and lower waste if we … Read More ⇒
Imagine paddling a canoe or kayak in and out of quiet coves or along lake or river shorelines. Beautiful scenery and close-up views of wildlife are often your reward as you glide along just above the waterline. Read More ⇒
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The ranch-style house perched in a quiet Los Angeles suburb is almost as famous as the White House. Its memorable frontage served as the picture-perfect image of the home of the six Brady kids from the popular sitcom “The Brady Bunch.” Read More ⇒
Soon after Foster Lott and his wife, Katharine Alter, bought their two-story, 1945 house, they began talking about ways to improve it, and saving up to do so. Read More ⇒
I have a ton of goldenrod on my property that flowers in late summer. I have seasonal allergies — how can I get rid of the goldenrod? Read More ⇒
A big advantage for buyers of newly built homes is the opportunity to own something no one else has lived in — a brand-new property. You’re the first person to use the oven or take a shower in the property. You’re also free from worrying about repair bills and home improvement projects. Read More ⇒
Competition for tenants who can pay top rents has grown so fierce that landlords are loading up their new buildings with goodies unheard of in years past when a swimming pool and laundry room were considered ample enticements for renters. Read More ⇒
Everblooming and bush habit, are not two adjectives or descriptors you would ever expect to give a sunflower, but that has all changed. It’s called Suncredible Yellow and botanically speaking it is a Helianthus hybrid. Read More ⇒
One Saturday afternoon in late May, I puzzled over my toilet seat, attempting to decipher the strange hieroglyphics someone had drawn onto the porcelain surface using Sharpie marker. Or maybe waterproof mascara? Read More ⇒
This time of year, my oven becomes a secret closet for unused pots and pans.It remains cold and dormant through most of the month. Why would I heat up, dirty and spend unwanted time inside when I can cook outside nursing my little grill while enjoying the porch. Grilling can bring out the be… Read More ⇒
If you’re tired of hearing about new invasive forest pests, I’m right there with you. Seems like they arrive at an ever-increasing pace, and the harm potential ratchets up with each newcomer. At this rate maybe we’ll get some wood-boring beetle whose larvae explode inside the tree. That woul… Read More ⇒
I drove by a cornfield a few days ago and it looked more like a field of pineapples with all the pointed leaves. Why does the corn look like that? Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — Fifth time’s a charm for actor Kevin Nealon. After five relists over the last three years, the “Saturday Night Live” alum and his wife, actress Susan Yeagley, have sold their home in Pacific Palisades for $4.85 million. Read More ⇒
Brain research has shown how relevant sleep is to health, so it’s more important than ever to get a good night’s sleep. In the bedroom, that means not just decorating in calming colors but also minimizing stressors and optimizing conditions for a restful night. We asked some experts for advi… Read More ⇒
Many stressed-out parents have come to think of home organization in terms of major closet, kitchen and basement makeovers, requiring substantial planning and time not available to busy families (not to mention the purchase of fancy hangers, woven bins and drawer dividers). But there are a l… Read More ⇒
It was covered in tiny brown spots, a little soft, fragrant, bordering on smelly, and the fruit flies were ready to fight me for it — my perfect bananas. The alternative to a banana snack was to chuck it in the compost pile. That, in my book of chintziness, would be wasteful. Read More ⇒
Lovina’s daughter writes of baby, visits and freezer corn Read More ⇒
OSWEGO - To help waterfront property owners address shoreline erosion issues, New York Sea Grant will host an erosion management for Lake Ontario shoreline residents workshop from 1-4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, at the Parkside Lodge in Webster Park, 255 Holt Road, Webster. There is no cost … Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — Legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard is looking to knock out a hefty sale in Pacific Palisades, where his longtime home is for sale at a whopping $51.995million. Read More ⇒
We have entered the month of August and the sun is shining this morning as I sit writing at the desk. I am by the east window, but the wraparound porch keeps the sun from shining in the windows. It makes nice sleeping with the cool evenings. Read More ⇒
There is dissension in laundry rooms and grocery store cleaning aisles everywhere. For some of us, when it comes to whitening and disinfecting laundry and certain areas of our home, common household bleach is a wonder product. To others, bleach is a hazardous chemical. To get to the hard tru… Read More ⇒
In the beginning, there were inflatable waterfowl. Then came the doughnuts, the Pegasus floats and the novelty coffins. Children have drifted out to sea and across lakes on them. They have terrorized highways, carried by the wind. And last year, on Fish Lake in Chicago County, Minn., a group… Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — The Jefferson County New York Genealogical Society has grown into an active organization since six members founded it in 1994. Read More ⇒
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Matthew George and his girlfriend, Lauren Biller, had made up their minds: “Doctor Strange” was the movie they wanted to watch. Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES—Actor David Arquette appears set on shaking up his real estate portfolio, listing both his Encino home and a Lake Arrowhead retreat for sale. Read More ⇒
It may be leaking. How serious a leak is hard to tell. No, we are not talking about your roof, the pipes under the kitchen sink, your aging bladder or an infamously rough and tumble media. We are talking about your gut. Read More ⇒
Not only does it form the basis of the aquatic food web, algae can put a lid on bovine burps. It is also made into a substitute for fossil fuels and is a heathy and tasty food supplement for humans. But in late summer and early fall, some algae can spread toxins through freshwater lakes and … Read More ⇒
North country know-how helps beat lily leaf beetle Read More ⇒
Summer. Finally! Warm weather; let’s go for a hike, maybe a swim, most definitely a party. Let’s get together and have a BBQ. Read More ⇒
I overheard some farmers talking about GDDs in the coffee shop the other day. What are those? Read More ⇒
During the short summer months in the north country, everyone is out to soak up as much sun as possible before the winter returns. (And rest assured, winter is always coming.) Read More ⇒
CANTON — From invasive to creative, an all-ages group of people turned out for a years-long, Nature Up North paper-making workshop Saturday that continues to evolve. Read More ⇒
David Freed spent most of his adult life in the restaurant business, but when he sold the 8th Street Grill, his University Park coffee shop, in 2007, he discovered there were plenty of other things to do with his time. Read More ⇒
Recycling used to be so simple: aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers and paper bags. The sheer amount of disposable items has turned a garbage problem into a garbage crisis, says Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive of TerraCycle. The company’s mission is recycling the previously unrec… Read More ⇒
Make the great outdoors even greater with cool gadgets to make life easier so you can further enjoy all of summer’s awesomeness. Read More ⇒
Life seemed as it should for all of us gardeners and horticultural gurus. We loved Big Begonias, Whopper Begonias and Tophat that had just introduced white. Shoot, we still had Dragon Wing at the throne when it came to hanging baskets. Then something happened in the space-time continuum of b… Read More ⇒
Sometimes I see brown cows when I’m driving by a farm. Are they dairy or beef cows? Read More ⇒
MASSENA — Eight raised garden beds that have been built at the Massena Neighborhood Center will allow them to provide their clients with fresh veggies straight from the garden. Read More ⇒
You don’t have to binge-watch classic movies to know that when a starlet wanted to “slip into something more comfortable,” she often stepped behind a decorative folding screen before shedding her clothes. As her dress inevitably flew over the top of the room divider, you couldn’t help but th… Read More ⇒
June is National Dairy Month and, if you live in the north country, you will know that is something to celebrate. Dairy is a significant and important industry, it generates substantial local business, pays a huge share of school and property taxes, helps maintain our rural landscape and bes… Read More ⇒
CHAUMONT — The Lyme Garden Tour, with the theme “Gardening With Plants and Art,” will be held rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 29. Read More ⇒
(N)ice meadows! Adirondacks are home to rare habitat Read More ⇒
When Lovina’s menu ideas run low, kids come to rescue Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges is reprising his role as seller in Montecito, where his Spanish Revival-style compound of five years is on the market for $7.995 million. Read More ⇒
MIDDLEBURG, Va. — Gum Tree Farm Designs’ showroom is far enough out in horse country Virginia that the dry cleaners down the street also offers mane pulling. President Kennedy had a house near here; it was where Caroline Kennedy’s famous pony, Macaroni, lived while her father was in office. … Read More ⇒