When Mary Ann Ridenour and Bill Ridenour became empty nesters last year, their 3,200-square-foot home suddenly seemed superfluous. As many couples at this stage of life do, the Ridenours decided to downsize. But unlike many others, they left their big house in a golf course community for a trailer home. “When I tell people what […]

I recently read a post on Mental Floss titled “Selling Shame: 40 Outrageous Vintage Ads Any Woman Would Find Offensive,” and what amazed me more than the almost overwhelming collection of startling ad copy (“If men ‘hate the sight of you,’ read this”) was readers’ responses to it. “(T)here’s nothing funny about these ads,” one […]

I recently was reorganizing my gardening books and came across a great book by Michelle Obama — “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America” (Crown Publishers, 2012). I must have gotten it when it came out, but never read it until now. It’s a wonderful book, and every […]

Search the term online and nearly 10 million results roll in. It’s being touted by this winter’s shelter magazines, decor retailers and lifestyle mavens. What’s so huge? It’s hygge. Often mispronounced “higgy,” it’s actually more like “hewgah.” To understand the term’s meaning, just burrow into a big comfy pile of phrases synonymous with “well-being.” Coziness, […]

Gorgeous shades of yellow have become increasingly popular in home decor, a trend that seems set to continue in the coming year. Yellow is prominent in the Sherwin-Williams color forecast for 2017, while Pantone describes their new “color of the year,” called Greenery, as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green.” “We haven’t seen yellow this popular […]

SAN DIEGO SeaWorld San Diego is ending its long-running killer whale show after years of outcry and falling attendance prompted it to renounce theatrical orca displays. The show that featured killer whales cavorting with trainers and leaping high out of the Shamu Stadium pool will have its final performances on Sunday. This summer, the park […]

Early winter is when poinsettias come into the limelight, showing off their colors in homes and shop windows. But a poinsettia is more than just seasonally flamboyant. To check out more of this plant’s botanical flair, set your holiday poinsettia on a table in good light so that you can look closely at its flowers. […]

I have not been a super strict mother when it comes to screening violence or bad language, within limits, on television and movies. Without a second thought, we showed our boys “Gremlins” when they were still very young (Note 1: 1980s movie ratings did not use the same standards as today’s. Note 2: In case […]

Big provisions are required to watch the big game, and nothing’s more substantial than a burger, even in its mini-form — the slider. Indeed, if you plan to serve a variety of dishes for the Super Bowl, sliders are more sensible than the full-sized guys. But they happen to be a little trickier to cook […]

MEDFORD, Ore. After migrating from Colorado to the Rogue Valley, Dagoba Chocolate founder Frederick Schilling accomplished what many entrepreneurs only dream about — building a company and selling it for millions. When his $17 million paycheck came from Hershey in 2006, Schilling didn’t simply recede into the shadows to live the good life. The driving principles […]