Small touches create a great master bathroom

By MELISSA RAYWORTH

It’s easy to design a gorgeous master bathroom if you have a huge budget. But with the right choices, says interior designer Gabriel Anderson, you can have an exceptional master bath without overspending.“Having huge expanses of marble is amazing and...

Silence a rattling headboard with felt pads or tighter bolts

By Jeanne Huber

We are at a loss. Every bed in our house has a headboard, and they all make noise when someone tosses in bed. We tried putting rubber wedges between each bed and headboard connection, but the noise persists. Other than attaching the headboards to the...

Wood ash from fireplaces, stoves can sometimes help the soil

By DEAN FOSDICK

For gardeners who heat their homes in winter using stoves or fireplaces, good-quality wood ashes can be a soil-amendment bonus. But if applied improperly, they can be a caustic topping for foliage-heavy plants and seedlings.The primary benefits of...

Healing hooves

By CAROLE SOULE

Victor hobbled quickly ahead of me on three legs, his right front foot swinging in the air. He had escaped through an open gate. Even on three legs, he moved faster than me, but I had to get him back to continue treating his infected hoof. Victor is a...

Leaf peeping time

By RUTH SMITH

It’s autumn, a time when our attention is drawn to leaves because of the spectacular pallet which their changing colors create on the landscape. In addition to enjoying the various hues from afar, it’s worth taking a closer look at trees because even...

Dollhouse design is thriving thanks to social media

By ALICIA BARNEY

For five months now, Reagan Baker has spent nights after work hanging curtain rods, assembling chandeliers and installing wood floors. She’s not renovating her New York City apartment, but outfitting a miniature dollhouse camper.“Everything is just so...

Learning from mom

By CAROLE SOULE

Brittany’s baby was small. Her white bull calf weighed only 45 pounds (half the weight of most Scottish Highlander calves), but he was walking and nursing within hours of birth. His mom keeps him clean and runs to him when he calls. They are a good...

Teaching oxen to work as a team

By CAROLE SOULE

Stash looked at me through his fringe of shaggy hair as I shouted, “Walk on!” He just stood staring at me with a puzzled look on his face. I was standing about six feet in front of him and using the voice commands I thought he’d learned. But he was...

Rose of Sharon shrub is worth growing

By LEE REICH

An unsung hero of the late summer garden is rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus). This shrub’s branches are studded with pastel blossoms year after year, despite drought, poor soil or general neglect. Cold winters or sweltering summers similarly leave...

Goldenrod mistakenly blamed for summer allergies

By RUTH SMITH

At this time of year, I often hear people say, “The goldenrod is in bloom and my allergies are acting up.” Those two things may happen at the same time, but not because goldenrod is the cause of late summer or fall allergies.Goldenrod grows in a wide...

Spoonbread has a puddinglike richness

By SARA MOULTON

The Southern staple known as spoonbread – a particular specialty of Kentucky and Virginia – is a Native American dish adopted early on by America’s earliest European settlers. George Washington happened to be a big fan and often served it up at Mount...

Violence in all eating

By CAROLE SOULE

As we unrolled an 800-pound round bale of hay, a dead fawn fell to the floor of the feed bunker. The fawn was all in one piece and must have been accidentally scooped up by the hay baler.I’m sure the farmer would have tried to save this fawn if he had...

For honeysuckle, plant the right one in the right spot

By LEE REICH

Who couldn’t love a plant with a name that speaks of both sweetness and nurturing? Yet there are those who scorn honeysuckle. And – just as bad – there are those who shower honeysuckles with too much affection.The key to experiencing honeysuckle’s...

Angelique: One of the prettiest tulips

By LEE REICH

Angelique is soon to arrive in my garden, but only briefly. And as in years past, I’ll miss her when she leaves and will look forward to her return next spring.She has proven to be one of the prettiest tulips.To describe her petals merely as rose-pink...

Low-cost altering services for cats, dogs

N.H. Spay LineEligibility Requirements: For residents of N.H., this service tries to help people locate a low cost or free spay/neuter program.Procedure: Call toll free 1-800-990-SPAYAnimal RescueVeterinary Services Dr. TrahanEligibility Requirements:...

At Passover, eggs are a symbol and a staple

By SUSAN BAROCAS

After many years of cooking for Passover, I know there are two must-have ingredients: the ever-present matzoh, in various forms, and eggs.Without eggs, our ceremonial meal would be incomplete – and we couldn’t produce an edible spongecake....

Resources are available to help cover pet expenses

Below is a list of organizations that provide financial assistance with pets. Visit their website to see if you qualify and meet their criteria.Pet Health Financial Assistance Resources Brown Dog Foundation: Helps provide assistance for a sick dog or...

Cows are covered with snow blanket

By CAROLE SOULE

A blanket of snow covered my black and red Scottish Highlanders turning them white.When it snows you might ask, “why don’t you bring your cows inside, where it’s warm.” I don’t because cow hair acts like roofing, keeping heat in.Cattle “insulation” is...

Professor restores historic Timothy Dexter mansion

By JACK SHEA

Whether it was through working with his hands or his mind, William Quill has spent his life as a builder.With his hands, he built various things while working as a machinist. It was before pursuing a college degree and working as a psychology...

Cute desserts for a crowd

By HILLARY NELSON

As an ex-pastry chef, I know the nicest wedding present I can offer a friend or relative is the gift of a wedding cake. So long as the happy couple isn’t set on the kind of elaborate creations that turn up in bridal magazines, I can make them...