In what I find to be a hilarious case of “what goes around, comes around,” during the holiday season I have noticed online retailers sending out physical, glossy-papered catalogues so kids could circle with real pens, pencils and crayons what they wished for. That Toys ‘R’ Us mailer was always a hit...

We know it’s a bit cliché, but seriously, doesn’t everybody love bacon? Just thinking about it means you can imagine its unique aroma filling your nostrils. Maybe you can even pretend to taste it on your tongue. Our sense of smell is the only one of our senses that allows us to observe the past. Rem...

You’ve probably seen African violets with their neat rosettes of fuzzy leaves and clusters of purple flowers. Native to Africa, the species were discovered in 1892 by Baron von Saint Paul-Illaire in the mountainous rainforests of Tanzania. Today, there are over 16,000 registered hybridized varieties...

Something about taking down the old calendar and hanging up a new one fills us with so much hope. Moving from 2022 into 2023 is really just Saturday turning into Sunday, but 2023 is new and therefore full of promise. However, many of us tend to bite off more than we can chew with New Year’s resoluti...

There are many reasons to propagate your houseplants. Maybe you want to share with a friend. Maybe your plant has gotten too large and you’d like to replace it with one of a more manageable size. Or, sadly, it’s taken a turn for the worst, and you want to be sure you have another if it doesn’t recov...

I don’t remember the first Christmas season that I tried eggnog. I was a bit of a picky eater as a child, so I’m imagining it wasn’t too early on. Once I tried it, I was hooked. It’s like Christmas in a cup. And it’s celebrated on Dec. 24 with National Eggnog Day! Most of the store-bought eggnogs ar...

The winter solstice is often (but not always) on Dec. 21, bringing us to one of the key turning points of our year. From this point forward, the days will be getting longer instead of shorter. Winter is just beginning, but spring is in sight. Along with bringing the longest night, the winter solstic...

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year-old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington, D.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible i...

During the holidays, poinsettias show off in shades of red, pink and cream. They’ve been hybridized to decorate our homes during a season when the garden outdoors is fast asleep. Most people treat them as a holiday plant to be enjoyed for a limited time then disposed of, but that doesn’t have to be....