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NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus has led more people to spend time outdoors, and many find themselves walking the same paths and gazing at the same trees or shrubs day after day. Author and self-taught landscape photographer Larry Lederman suggests looking at your surroundings anew by turning a camera on them. Fall and winter, he says, are the perfect time to take up landscape photography. There's the gorgeous fall foliage but also the beauty of the bare trees and their shapes. Lederman says to start photographing now and then watch the year-rou...
Traditionally, growing your own herbs and veggies was reserved for those with the luxury of outdoor space and abundant light. Now there are a number of new, high-tech indoor gardening systems that allow apartment dwellers with limited light, or those aching to gardening before the season starts, a chance to grow their own greens. For many households sheltering in place, with limited access to perishable foods, the devices can also provide a source of fresh herbs and vegetables, as well as a chance to enjoy growing something. And novices...
More challenging than birdwatching and not nearly as popular, insect-watching — noting and sharing exactly what one sees and where — is nevertheless on the rise. Concern about dwindling native insect populations is one reason why. And new technology has made it easier to log insect sightings and become part of wide-reaching "citizen-scientist" projects. A worldwide project called "Never Home Alone: The Wild Life of Homes," for example, aims to photograph and catalog the insects, spiders and other tiny creatures that share our homes. It was cre...
NEW YORK (AP) — Sitting in my suburban American kitchen, it is easy to feel that Saudi Arabia is a world away, that events at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — as gruesome as they now seem to have been — have little to do with me. Except for one thing. Almost 25 years ago, Jamal Khashoggi was my friend and mentor when I was a young reporter in Yemen on a fellowship studying Islamic movements. I got to see him in action and experience his remarkable kindness and wisdom. He changed my life and may even have saved it. In an age when cultu...
While turtles might seem like the perfect pet — less work than dogs and cats, more interactive than fish — there are a few things to keep in mind before buying one. "They are definitely becoming more popular as pets. Some of them are very beautiful and they can be easily purchased over the internet. But there's no such thing as an easy pet," says Katrina Smith, adoptions coordinator for the Maryland-based Mid-Atlantic Turtle and Tortoise Society. CONSIDER THE SOURCE First, never take a wild turtle as a pet. "Chances are they won't do well in...
Planning out how to arrange furniture in your home — or plants in your garden — used to involve a pencil, graph paper, a measuring tape and a lot of imagination. The process has gotten easier — and way more streamlined — thanks to a burgeoning selection of home and garden apps. Furniture companies, interior design firms and even landscapers have been rolling out a new generation of apps and online programs to make the process more foolproof for novices and pros alike, often using virtual and augmented reality technology. "Design apps are really...
There is nothing quite as devastating for many older people as having to leave the comfort of home because of poor health or limited mobility. But a new generation of services and technology is making it possible to stay at home longer, safely and happily, experts say. "Most people would rather stay in their own homes as they age, and technology has made that easier in so many ways," says Amy Goyer, a family and caregiving expert with the AARP and author of "Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving," published by the AARP and the American Bar...
Jeanne Nolan grew up in an affluent suburb of Chicago. When it came time to apply for colleges, she shocked her family by opting to skip college and become an organic farmer. Then she brought her farming skills back to the suburbs and city, installing and tending vegetable gardens at clients' homes. The Organic Gardener Ltd., the farmer-for-hire service she and her husband, Verd, started in the Chicago area in 2005, is one of many such services that have cropped up across the country. Some of these farmers have farming backgrounds, while others...
Just as virtual technology has become a common tool for anyone planning to repaint or redecorate a home, a growing array of apps can make landscaping easier too. But know when to use them, and when it would be easier to pull out an old-fashioned pencil and a sheet of graph paper — or to seek out a professional. "We've seen an increase in virtual interior design services within the last two years, so it's only natural that this functionality would make its way to the exterior of the home as well," said Stephanie Sisco, Real Simple magazine's h...
