Landscape architects are finding themselves on the front lines of the climate change crisis, having to come up with creative ways to adapt and help mitigate problems like rising oceans and extreme weather as they design projects across the country. “The focus on sustainability has been ...
Ask the AP: ------------ Can I celebrate Halloween during the pandemic? ------------ Yes, but probably not like you normally would. Health experts say some Halloween traditions like crowding on doorsteps for candy and inching your way through haunted houses heighten the risk of ...
Cleaning up some frosted bean and marigold plants the other day, I thought of a weather report I heard recently on the radio. The announcer stated: “Freezing temperatures are predicted for tonight, thus ending the gardening season.” His deadpan delivery of this dramatic — for gardeners ...
Entry-level jobs are scarce for recent college graduates, which leaves the Class of 2020 in a precarious position as their student loan debt comes due. Taylor Cabrera has been job-hunting for months since graduating from the University of Mississippi last spring with bachelor’s degrees in ...
CHARLESTON, W.Va. d— In the year of the new coronavirus, when new gardeners came out in droves to try growing their own vegetables, tomatoes were still king. And in a twist, the respect-seeking turnip actually turned some heads. Seed companies taking stock of what went well and what came ...
How long can I expect a COVID-19 illness to last? ------------------------ It depends. Most coronavirus patients have mild to moderate illness and recover quickly. Older, sicker patients tend to take longer to recover. That includes those who are obese, or have high blood pressure and other ...
Sunset is arriving noticeably earlier, meaning less mood-lifting daylight for everyone. The weather is turning colder, so we’re already spending even more time cooped up inside the homes where we’ve huddled. Many of us are working and studying at home by day, then trying to shift into ...
What do we know about superspreader events in the pandemic? --------------------- We’re still learning, but it seems that much of the spread of the coronavirus has been caused by what disease trackers call superspreader events. That’s when a single person infects a large number of ...
Planting a tree is one of the best things you can do to help the planet, and these days it’s gotten easier. There’s a better understanding now of what trees need, including when they should generally be planted (the fall). Why plant trees? It’s well-known that trees mitigate global ...
As many Americans face months on end stuck indoors, some are using their time and money to change their scenery or upgrade surroundings. Office equipment purchases are on the rise, and people are tackling more renovation projects. But expensive new stuff and significant home improvements can ...
In recent years, brown anything in a living space was considered by some arbiters of decor as drab and outdated. But this fall the hue is back in favor, in part because of the unsettled, anxious state of the world. “Brown traditionally makes people feel comfortable and safe, and those are ...
The weather has gotten weirder and more unpredictable, but there is a small way that gardeners can take more control: finding and exploiting microclimates. I’ve been looking for them around my upstate New York yard as cooler weather slowly creeps in. Microclimates are pockets of air and ...
Not all that long ago, managing your home network’s security didn’t involve much more than installing an antivirus program on your PC. If only it were still so simple. It’s no longer just about protecting the computer on which you may be working from home and the laptops the kids may ...
MARSHFIELD, Vt. — It’s the time of year when gardeners are turning their ripe tomatoes into sauces and salsas and cucumbers into pickles. But a boom in gardening and preparing food at home during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a scarcity of supplies with which to preserve them. From ...
What should I look for in a hand sanitizer? ----------------- Pick one that contains mostly alcohol, and has few other ingredients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% ethyl alcohol or 70% isopropyl alcohol. Other approved ...
Without warning last spring, millions of parents found themselves working from home while their kids attempted to do schoolwork under the same roof. The changes happened so quickly that families — especially those short on space — could only make the best of it with hastily arranged ...
In a crisis, long-term planning may lose out to quick and dirty solutions — regardless of the consequences. As the pandemic and its economic fallout continues, more cash-strapped consumers could fall into this trap if the Great Recession is any indicator. A recent report by the Consumer ...
With an eye toward sustainability, makers of home furnishings are experimenting more and more with plant-based materials. You can find things like bark, leaves and seeds transformed into vegan leather, fabric and organic plastic. At Frankfurt’s Heimtextil 2020 trade fair earlier this year, ...
Give a child a box of crayons and a piece of paper, and ask for a flower, and you very likely will get a picture of a daisy. Daisies also hold attraction for poets. Geoffrey Chaucer, English poet of the 14th century, wrote “... of all the floures in the mede, Thanne love I most thise floures ...
Early in May, Nydia Bonefont was concerned when her dog wouldn’t eat and seemed lethargic. She realized that Papi, a 9-year-old beagle/cavalier mix, must have hurt himself — he cried when he was touched. But she was without income to pay for vet care. “I lost my job a while ago, and ...