“Summer time and the living is easy” — but parents shouldn’t make it too easy for their children to forget everything they’ve learned up to vacation time. Schooling stops during the summer but our learning should not. Many children tend to regress in … read more

Bainbridge Island’s picturesque Port Madison Bay has drawn people to its peaceful shores since Native Americans first paddled into the deep-water harbor. Generations later, in the mid-1800s, the area became home to a bustling lumber mill with an economic impact so great that … read more

What keeps you interested in plants? Is it spring fever, compelling you to run to your favorite garden center and pick out whatever catches your eye in the moment? Or do you carefully lay out a plan, following your garden designer’s directions or … read more

Before starting his Slaughter County Brewing Co., Scott Kirvan had been home-brewing for about 30 years. “That’s how I got started, and Slaughter County Brewery is my first time doing professional brewing,” he said. “‘Been doing this, at this location, for about two … read more

Eurasian collared-doves are setting some kind of a record when it comes to colonizing North America. They aren’t native to this continent but their numbers stretch from coast to coast. This bird is a native of Europe and parts of Asia. After being … read more

Corner hutch popularity is like a rollercoaster. A few years back, I professed the easy availability and need for these space-efficient cupboard/shelf units with one purpose — to hold “things.” Repeating over and over that they are easy to find, easy to repair … read more

Unlike a chandelier or a stunning kitchen tile backsplash, ceiling fans go mostly overlooked by visitors and occupants of a home. Although fans can be decorative, their primary purpose is utilitarian, hence they are rarely noticed until they are needed or wanted. Ceiling … read more

Gardens in the greater Puget Sound region literally come alive in June, and gardeners do as well. June brings a plethora of blooms, perfuming the air and dazzling all the senses as summer takes flight in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The West Sound … read more

A favorite look in many gardens is flagstone surrounded by a carpet of ground covers. Providing interesting textures and colors, the shortest of the short such as creeping thyme, Corsican mint, Irish and Scotch moss, and others cover the soil as they crawl … read more