Watching the first flowering bulbs appear from the thawing ground in spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Luckily we don’t have to wait all winter to have spring blooms. A great way to do this at home is by forcing bulbs. Forcing bulbs means tricking the plants into thinking it is time to...

Love Your Pet Day is Feb. 20, and while it seems like an easy enough thing to do, there are good, healthy ways to show your love best. I’m always being told “When I die, I want to come back as Tracy’s dog.” I know it sounds morbid, but if you knew how my fur babies are treated, you’d understand. The...

The Millers Mills Community in the town of Columbia is again planning their annual Ice Harvest for Sunday, Feb. 13. As always, this event is subject to Mother Nature’s fickle ways. Both sufficient ice to cut and snow for sleighs to carry the ice are critical. The Millers Mills Grange sponsors the ev...

In light of it being International Hoof Care Month, we thought we’d share this story from Country Folks columnist Judy Van Put, who writes the monthly “Horse Tales” column. Lameness issues and possible bowed tendon? This past year has been a difficult one for our 17-year-old mare, Morgan. Back on Ma...

Some of my fondest memories of my grandfather involved a not-so-silent war he was involved in for years. It was Grandpa and the birds versus the scavenging squirrels. My grandpa loved passively birdwatching, seeing who would flit up to the bird feeder throughout the year, noting all the different co...

What are the perks of homemade soup versus something from a can? The obvious answer is love, but another obvious answer is health. February 4 is National Homemade Soup Day, and it’s an excellent reason to get into the kitchen and experiment with fresh foods. Think about it – that canned soup you buy...

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (shocker!), so that means six more weeks of winter. With that in mind, here’s some very helpful information, just in case: There’s a snowstorm predicted. Whatare some foods I should have on hand if I think I’ll be housebound for a few days? Generally speaking, bread ...

It’s never a bad time to learn a new skill, and as we settle into month three of winter, maybe you should try your hand at canning. January is Canned Food Month, and while some people’s first thoughts are the cans at the grocery store, we know you, Country Culture maven. You’re a home canner. But ma...

National Seed Swap Day was made official in 2006 and falls on the last Saturday in January. According to Seed Savers Exchange ( www.seedsavers.org ), humans have been swapping seeds for over 10,000 years. During 2020, as more people were staying at home, many turned to gardening and now many new gar...