Around the edges The picture’s the main event, but the right frame makes it feel like a party. Besides putting photos and artwork on their best behavior, frames are can’t-miss gifts. Local stores have loads of great options, including these.  $62 at Caspari, 100 W. Main St., 817-7880 $35 at Caspari $78 at Creme de […]

There is no fruit more brazenly flavorful, yet unabashedly tender, than the peach. The immature fruit is hard and green, not unlike a raquetball in size and texture. As the season progresses, and the sun shines and the rain falls, the peach plumps up and gets curvy and luscious, ripening to luminous shades of golden […]

  It’s great to have a backyard pool, but it’s even greater when there’s a stylin’ poolhouse nearby. Such a structure can be much more than a place to put your skimmer net. We visited three local poolhouses to scope the possibilities—from family hangouts to in-law quarters to storage of fine wine. Come on in; the […]

  They always say you only get one chance to make a first impression. This old saying not only applies to awkward first dates, but to our humble abodes as well. For many guests, that split-second judgment of our home happens before we even open the front door. When it comes to rentals and homes […]

 Hello, summer A bounty of pleasant garden tasks spills out of June’s bosomy embrace. Enjoy it before the hellish days of July have us scurrying for the slightest bit of shade.  Cut grass no shorter than two to three inches so that it can sustain itself without chemical treatments. If you like careful, fussy chores, […]

  And acreage, too Nothing like a nice, big front yard to class up the joint. We think this colonial off Ivy Road is plenty nice on its own, but all that lawn—with room for blooms and a very welcoming walk—puts it over the top.                     […]

 Greens for the salad days   In the Wide World of Lettuce, there is one major delineation—the one between leaf lettuce and head lettuce. On the Head Lettuce side are Iceburg and Romaine, those thirsty California classics that are famous for bearing creamy dressings while maintaining a satisfying crunch. On the Leaf Lettuce side is […]

If renters are lucky enough to inherit some usable outdoor space, be it patio, yard or balcony, many would not think to sink any resources into their not-so-great outdoors. I am fortunate to have a standard square, wooden deck off the back of my house that overlooks the backyard. I crave the first day of […]

Now that you’ve collected some must-have D.I.Y. home improvement tools from all the good advice you’ve garnered from Toolbox, you need somewhere to put them: a toolbox, of course! As per usual, the hardware store is filled with more options than are necessary. The old standby is the classic wooden tool caddy. With its small, […]

What’s in the flour? While any grain can be ground into flour, wheat flour takes the cake in terms of commercial use and availability in the United States. After wheat is sown, grown, harvested and transported, it still takes a beating before it reaches the supermarket shelf. Essentially, commercial milling strips a grain of anything […]