Lifestyles category, Page 190
Earth Day aims to keep planet healthy — do your partVideo
Since 1970, Earth Day is celebrated each April 22, beginning with a protest against the impact of industrial development, according to earthday.org Global pollution leading to developmental delays in children and a decline in biodiversity from heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants led the call to action, the organization...
Out & About: Ligonier library shares ‘Memories of Idlewild’
Idlewild Park, along with its later addition SoakZone, holds a special place in the hearts of many Western Pennsylvanians. Dolores Allison of Stahlstown says she portrayed Little Red Riding Hood in the historic park’s Story Book Forest as a teen in 1957. Her mother was ”volunteered” to sew the costume...
Out & About: Easter egg hunt goes to the dogs
Conventional wisdom says that early humans domesticated dogs for the help they provided with hunting. For most dogs nowadays, their purpose is to be man’s best friend — but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up their love of the hunt. Even the most pampered pet perks up when a squirrel...
Out & About: Speaker tells riveting tale of escape from the mob
Andi Cipa of Murrysville had a special reason for wanting to attend the annual pre-Easter dinner held by the Greensburg Christian Businessmen’s Connection. As soon as she heard who was speaking, she says she told her husband, Kevin Cipa, a regular attendee, that she was going with him. Speaker for...
9 steps to get your grill ready for summer
There are die-hard grillers who don’t see why a little cold or sleet should stand between them and a juicy grilled steak. The rest of us in colder climes throw a cover over our grills for the winter and wheel them into a garage or storage spot, wheeling them out...
Travel tip: Tiny Jim Thorpe welcomes annual indie film festival
Nestled in the mountains of Carbon County, quaint little Jim Thorpe has been called one of America’s most beautiful small towns by Rand McNally, USA Today, Culture Trip and Architectural Digest. In addition to the natural beauty, visitors come for the annual Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, set this year...
Short ribs in a beer and cider vinegar lead to great tacos
Carne deshebrada, literally meaning “shredded beef,” is a common offering at Mexican taco stands. It’s made by braising a large cut of beef until ultra-tender and then shredding the meat and tossing it with a flavorful rojo sauce made with tomatoes and/or dried chiles. Although short ribs are a bit...
Old Joliet Prison offers tour-goers a ‘ruin-porn’ experience
At the start of “The Blues Brothers,” the 1980 comedy classic, “Joliet Jake” Blues walks out the front gate of Joliet Correctional Center, a looming, limestone fortress built in 1858. Now, for the first time since the facility closed in 2002, tourists can walk in through that gate. The Old...
Banish groundhogs, rabbits from your garden
I hear from many gardeners each season who face animal issues in their garden. While deer seem to be the most common leaf-munching culprit, two other mammals cause gardeners a great number of headaches: groundhogs and rabbits. Today, I’d like to take a closer look at some ways gardeners can...
8 clever kitchen uses for that roll of parchment paper
I’ve been using it for so long I don’t recall when I first heard about parchment paper, but I do have a vague recollection of thinking the name conveyed some sort of official, fancy, tied-up-with-a-ribbon kind of purpose. Thankfully, it’s much more prosaic than that. Parchment paper is one of...
Living with Children: Addiction to videogames
Julie Jargon is a reporter with the Wall Street Journal. Heretofore, she has written about food companies like Starbucks and McDonalds. As of April 2, however, Ms. Jargon is writing a WSJ column titled “Family and Tech,” described as dealing with “the impact of technology on family life.” In her...
Grassroots organizations heed call to serve neighbors in need
The call to serve can come at an unexpected time, in an unexpected place. For Connie Staley of Greensburg, it came during a dinner hosted by a church she attended. The sumptuous meal cost $30 per person and was served at a local banquet facility. “It was a beautiful dinner,”...
New coffee and bakery shop Ka-Fair to open in Morningside
Coffee in a bowl? The owners of a soon-to-open coffee shop in Morningside can explain. Mullika Reanroo and Sujitra Taimmoungpan, co-owners of Ka-Fair Coffee & Cakery, say the bowl lets people better experience the brew. “Drinking from the bowl allows you to breathe in the aroma of the coffee beans...
Stephen Colbert donates $400K from book to N.C. hurricane relief
RALEIGH, N.C. — “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert has donated proceeds from his Hurricane Florence-related book to disaster-relief efforts in North Carolina. The Raleigh News & Observer reported Thursday that the comedian sent a check for $412,412 to Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor posted a “thank-you” on Facebook. Colbert...
Popular national park hub to start charging for parking
BAR HARBOR, Maine — A popular hub for visitors to Acadia National Park is going to start charging for parking. Bar Harbor, Maine, has set time limits on parking in much of the downtown village for many years, but it plans to begin charging to park next month. The Bangor...
Dish Osteria and Bar reopens South Side doors
With little fanfare beyond a website announcement, Pittsburgh’s popular Dish Osteria and Bar is open once again, two years after its owners began what was referred to as a “sabbatical.” The popular Italian and seafood eatery — at 128 17th St. on the South Side — announced a pending return...
Bust some myths during inaugural Seven Springs home show
Horticulturist Denise Schreiber says she “tells it like it is” when she talks about the science of growing things — especially when it comes to debunking old wives’ tales that are often accepted as gardening gospel. Expect to hear the facts and nothing but the facts when Schreiber presents “Urban...
Appliances that work hard to keep a house running need cleaning, too
Your major appliances work hard for you. So why not pay some attention to your washer, dryer, dishwasher, fridge and stove? “Lots of people think that the function of the washing machine or the dishwasher is to clean, so it must just clean itself,” says Melissa Maker, who runs a...
What’s causing those stains on the chimney?
Question: Our chimney is badly stained from weather. A chimney sweep told us chemicals and power washing would not guarantee removing these stains, and a heavy power wash could even damage the brick. How can we safely remove the stains? Answer: The stains could be mold, dirt, algae or soot,...
Create a fairy garden with the little ones
Spring is the perfect time to work with your kids or grandkids to create a fairy garden. Betty and John Robison built a fairy garden trail in Scenery Hill, Washington County. In 2010, the couple started Robison Acres a small nursery and wild plant sanctuary. Each year new things get...
Ask Doug Oster: Advice on peach trees, bugs and more
Gardening editor Doug Oster gets asked a lot of questions. A lot. And he doesn’t mind offering gardening advice. But rather than just limiting those answers to the person who asked, we thought it might be a good idea to share that wealth of knowledge with everybody. There are three...
Cutting through quartz requires some serious drilling
Question: I want to thread a 12-foot pipe through a hole in a large rock and into the ground to support a birdhouse. The rock would remain on top of the ground, but it would anchor the pipe better and more attractively than my current arrangement. I can take the...
Try these plants that are beautiful and deer- resistant
In May, the deer finally have something to eat in the forest, hopefully keeping them busy and out of the garden. Any gardener that lives in deer country, though, knows that the allure of hostas and tulips draws the four-legged marauders to the garden. Here are some plants that I...
Prevent and manage rose cankers
Question: I have several pink Knock Out roses that I’ ve had for several years, and they have always been healthy and lovely. I make sure I care for them properly. Recently I noticed that all of them have cankers and discoloration (black and dark brown) up and down the...
Brownsville Perennial Project teams students with landscape architect, community leaders
Landscape architect Laura Patterson walks through a parking lot in Brownsville occupied by some overgrown shrubs and an old white dump truck abandoned there years ago. She has lived in the greater Uniontown area her whole life and owns Exquisite Garden Design. Her grandmother lived in West Brownsville, working in...
