Obesity and medical weight loss options

By DR. RAZA SHARIFF

What is obesity and how big of a problem is it?Obesity is when a person has a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30. Morbid obesity is when the BMI is above 40. In the United States, 43% of adults are suffering from obesity and it is...

Now is the time to buy tubers and rhizomes for summer-blooming flowers

By HENRY HOMEYER

I like dahlias. They are bright and come in many colors with blossoms from the size of daisies to the size of dinner plates. My wife, Cindy, loves dahlias. Every year we have discussions about how many we should plant and where they might go. I...

The man who played Captain James T. Kirk will land in Concord Thursday, with plenty of time to share stories

By RAY DUCKLER

His voice was unmistakable, even at 90 years old.We all know it, fans of Star Trek or not. The classic baritone, smooth like 50-year-old scotch, measured and controlled. The way Captain Kirk once sounded giving orders from the bridge of the Starship...

Highland cows on their way to a new life in California

By CAROLE SOULE

This month, Bruce and I joined hordes of people flocking to Logan Airport on our way to visit with family in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We aren’t the only ones who left our farm this week. Two days after our departure, nine of our Scottish...

What to know: Watchman for atrial fibrillation

Dr. Adam Chodosh discusses atrial fibrillation and the Watchman procedure, a treatment alternative to traditional blood thinners for certain patients.What is atrial fibrillation?Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular quivering, and sometimes...

The scoop on soil

By RUTH SMITH

We often call it dirt, but the soil beneath our feet, in our gardens and under the plants of the forests and fields is far more than grit and mud. It is comprised of a complex mix of living and non-living elements that create the foundation for all...

Horses will flee; cattle may fight

By CAROLE SOULE

Have you ever wondered which is smarter: cows or horses? I think they’re intelligence is about equal, but their behavior is different. Here’s what I mean:Horses’ primary protection from predators is flight. In the wild, when a pack of coyotes...

Her boyfriend died mountain climbing. A new film about their lives brings back the heartbreak

By MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN

Red River Theatres will screen “The Alpinist” on Friday, Saturday and SundayAfter the accident, Brette Harrington didn’t know if she’d ever return to the mountains. She just wanted to disappear.Before that day in 2018, when her boyfriend Marc-André...

On Gardening: Double Play Candy Corn creates amazing beauty in every combination

By NORMAN WINTER

“Dad, you’ve got to come look at this spring combination,” said my color deign guru son, James. It made me want to scream wow because it was so beautiful. He chuckled, saying it was kind of an accident. The stunning partnership featured Double Play...

Toot toot, not hoot hoot

By RUTH SMITH

During a recent evening trip to the shed to fetch some firewood, I heard a strange sound in the woods. I recognized the sound but listened intently to be sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing. It resembled a truck backing up, but we live in...

Rare sight of wood turtle a reminder of need for protection

By MICHAEL J. CADUTO

Last June my wife Marie and I encountered a mature wood turtle while walking through a forest near our home. We admired the intricate topography of its shell, inspiration for this species’ scientific name: Glyptemys (“carved turtle”) insculpta...

5 reasons to buy a cow (or part of one)

Want to buy a cow? It could live in your backyard and eat the grass. Then you could feed it expensive fermented hay all winter. It could supply all the manure you could ever want – and more. To the point, how would you turn an inconvenient pet into...

Foe or friend? Blue jays provide an important service to other wildlife

By LEE EMMONS

Plenty of backyard birdwatchers consider blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) the villains of the avian world. Mark Twain best summarized anti-blue jay sentiment when he compared the bird’s principles to that of an ex-congressman. In Native American lore,...

The Outside Story: Garter snakes can be surprise guests

By SUSAN SHEA

One summer day I lifted the black plastic top of our composter and jumped back, startled — a large snake was curled up on top of the compost. The yellow stripe down the center of its dark back and two yellow stripes along its sides identified it as a...

Explanation of history of plastic surgery

By EMESE KALNOKI-KIS

What is the plastic surgery specialty and its history?Plastic surgery is one of the broadest surgical specialties. Plastic surgeons are trained in craniofacial surgery, microsurgery, aesthetic surgery, pediatric surgery, and hand surgery. They’re...

10 books on American historical figures

By Trevor Fraser

So the hype got to you, you finally checked out Hamilton on Disney Plus and now you want to learn everything you can about the influential figures in American history. (You also have all of King George’s songs stuck in your head for which there is no...

FINDING FERNS

By RUTH SMITH

At this time of year many people, not just gardeners, think about plants. Gardens are lush with flowers and ripening vegetables. Meadows, wetlands and forests are rich with the colors and textures of hundreds of species of flora. But one group of...

Horns are nothing to fear on gentle cattle

By CAROLE SOULE

At Miles Smith Farm, we have two kinds of cattle: Scottish Highlanders and Angus/Hereford cross-breeds. There are many differences between these breeds, but one is particularly striking. The Highlanders, both males, and females have enormous horns,...

The Outside Story: Muskrats swimming through summer

By MEGHAN McCARTHY McPHAUL

We were touring the neighborhood backroads one summer evening when the kids noticed a sleek movement through a small pond. At first, we thought it was a beaver, but its smaller size and — once we got a closer look — slender tail revealed this swimmer...

Old fashioned measures to wrangle cows

The first call came in at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Eleven of our cattle had escaped from a borrowed pasture at Early Sunrise Farm on Sargent Road in Gilmanton.The demand for grass-fed beef had depleted our existing herd, so I had recently purchased...