Author name: marian

Home harvested seeds are fine, as are leftovers from purchased seeds.   Following the swap, Janis Kieft of Botanical Interests Seed Company will cover everything you need to know about starting flower, herb and vegetable seeds to plant in your garden. She will cover what seeds should be started indoors, what seeds to plant directly […]

Did you get it right?   d. harmless

Over the past twenty-five years, many people have shared stories with me about the effect that reading The Polar Express has had on their families and on their celebration of Christmas. One of the most poignant was told to me five or six years ago at a book signing in the Midwest, on a snowy

This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room.  Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless

Long ago, a brave little girl named Anja wanted to be one of Santa’s elves.  So she leaves a note for her family and helps her elderly neighbor prepare for the holiday, then she straps on her skis, and heads out into the snowy landscape. From a red bird to a polar bear to a

With four days before Thanksgiving, it seemed a good time to ponder a famous quote about Gratitude Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

Doctors 2 parents: Limit kids’ tweeting, texting & keep smartphones, laptops out of bedrooms.   The recommendations are bound to prompt eye-rolling and LOLs from many teens but an influential pediatricians group says parents need to know that unrestricted media use can have serious consequences. It’s been linked with violence, cyberbullying, school woes, obesity, lack