After 40 years as a military dependent, I realize that not worrying about healthcare insurance is one of my privileges, one that is not given without sacrifice, but one that I have often taken for granted nonetheless. I have never known the horror of finding a large medical bill in the mail (except when Tricare […]

PORTLAND The nation’s juvenile detention centers are largely ill-equipped to handle transgender teens, leaving them vulnerable to bullying, sexual assault, depression and suicide, advocates say. Young transgender people are too often sent to girls’ or boys’ lockups based on their anatomy, not their gender identity, and can end up suffering psychologically and getting picked on […]

Falafel is a mixture of mashed chickpeas, onions and herbs and spices, formed into a small cake and deep fried. It’s traditionally served in a pita or flatbread, with vegetables and tahini sauce or hummus, but you will also find it served over salad greens or part of a mezze platter of small bites. Falafel […]

Traditionally farmers pruned their apple trees in late winter, but there is no reason not to do so now. Trees are dormant, and we’ve finished weeding and raking, so most of us should have time to work on our trees. Pick a sunny afternoon and get to work. Later, when the snow is deep, it […]

After the elections and Donald Trump’s win, when half the country was mourning and the other half was celebrating, I did not participate in any of the heated arguments on social media. It seemed that everyone was talking in circles — people who once shrugged off Hillary Clinton’s email scandal as an unimportant detail were […]

VENICE, Fla. The Great Recession left Joanne Wood-Ellison in need of a new career. It took collars and leashes to pull her out of that slump. Wood-Ellison had been laid off three times from marketing jobs, and her skills just weren’t in great demand in the Sarasota area. So she decided she needed to create […]

Like other families, we’ve just returned from an epic holiday vacation to spend Thanksgiving with relatives. Unlike most, however, we went 1,705 miles to do it — according to AAA, about “48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving” — and we did it in a car with legroom equivalent […]

It’s that time of the year again: time to figure out good gifts for Uncle Albert and your sister Sadie. If they’re gardeners, gifts are easy to pick. There are plenty of items that cost from $5 to $300, and generally, one size fits all. Let’s look at some things I have used and like. […]

AUGUSTA OK, I admit it. I pick up castoff gloves I find along the side of the road. You never know: These gloves that have blown out of the backs of pickup trucks can, if you’re patient, be useful. You just need to hold onto that lonely left until you can match it up with […]

I garden for many reasons. I want to grow my own chemical-free food, to have an excuse to be outside a few hours every day, and to have flowers on my table most of the year. Right now, I have just two out of three. A good batting average for a ballplayer — better than […]