With the price of everything going up, we’re all looking for ways to save money. While not a huge savings, eschewing wrapping paper and purchased gift boxes can reduce holiday costs and give you a chance to show off your creative side as well. Instead of rolls of wrapping paper,[Read More…]
Author: ELYSE GRAU for The Chronicle
Food handling tips for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends gather together and have a feast. Unfortunately, that feast often results in cases of food-borne illness – otherwise known as food poisoning. And turkey is the biggest culprit. Proper food handling can reduce the chance of making someone sick this year. To[Read More…]
What to do with post-Halloween pumpkins (or other squash)
Squash are very versatile vegetables (fruit, actually) to have around. Pumpkins are a subgroup of squash, vaguely defined. The large ones sold for Halloween are often not very good for eating. Some small varieties are grown for baking. The ‘pumpkin’ you buy in a can is actually one or more[Read More…]
Stop bugging me!
This time of year it is common for swarms of various insects to attach themselves to your house – south facing walls in particular. They are attracted to the warmth, and looking for somewhere to over-winter. Most commonly seen are ladybugs, box elder bugs and marmorated stink bugs. The latter[Read More…]
Shush! Noise and its impact
There is much noise in today’s world, drowning out sounds of nature. Natural sounds are usually soothing, and research shows that they are beneficial to our well-being. We all know cities are noisy – and the bigger the city, the noisier it is. But extraneous noise is not confined to[Read More…]
End-of-season care tips for your garden
Garden clean-up is an important, if tedious task. Proper end-of-season care will help minimize the spread of disease and can keep weeds down over the winter. It will also help your perennial plants survive the winter and make your yard look neater. It might help make things easier if you[Read More…]
FREEDOM TO READ
“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” — Stephen Chbosky Author of the frequently challenged “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” This is National Banned Book Week. It is a celebration of[Read More…]
Light pollution
Light pollution is excessive, inappropriate, intrusive artificial light. Different types of light pollution have been identified, including: Glare (think car headlights); skyglow – the result all the light that escapes upward, causing the night sky to appear light; light trespass – light falling where it is not wanted; and light[Read More…]
Water! Water!
Emergency: A sudden, unexpected serious situation that requires immediate action. It’s because the need is sudden, and most often unexpected, that we need to be prepared at all times. We’ve been lucky here in the Willamette Valley; we haven’t had any major weather events beyond the frequent, and comparably mild,[Read More…]
Keeping your cool with food
Though the 100-degree days are behind us, we still have plenty of warm days ahead, and such days often call for cold meals. With gardens at their highest output this time of year, cold dishes are easy to put together. Salads Of course the first thing cold food might bring[Read More…]
