Of the many dozens of bird books that I have read, skimmed, purchased or borrowed over 60 or so years, no one has inspired me more than Peter Cavanagh and his "100 Flying Birds."
“Sustainable Food Gardens," Robert Kourik’s new book, is a must-have for those who want to raise their own food in an environmentally-friendly manner.
A lovely October afternoon allowed the gathering of well over 50 of Gail Pinna's family members and friends on the open lawn across from Sugar Hill Assisted Living Community for the Dalton's Historical Commission dedication of the lone "Crane House Purple Beech" as "Gail's Tree."
Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, acknowledges that the common understanding of a city park is of a lawn, picnic tables and sports fields, and her park has all those things. But, she adds, there is much more there as well. Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the most innovative urban landscapes in the United States, an example of how humanity can be accommodated in partnership with wildlife and native ecosystems, with all these elements shaped by a concern for sustainability.
Problematic woodpeckers damaging wooden molding on a house; robins seen in recent weeks and a virtual jumping worm conference at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are a few of the topics discussed in the week's NatureWatch column.
Don’t let the vine deceive you, it is a killer! The vine grows up on anything it can find, from fences to telephone poles. As it grows, it wraps itself around its victim, one that is not strong enough to break free of the vine and grows around it and in doing so eventually kills it.
NatureWatch columnist Thom Smith answers readers questions about jumping worms.
In my mind, this is a time of year for observation and decision-making. As to observation, it would seem that the flowering season is over; yet, there are still some very attractive late bloomers. In our flower borders, several which stand out now include Japanese anemone (Anemone × hybrida)…
In this week's NatureWatch, columnist Thom Smith answers readers' questions about songbirds, suet and planting butterfly gardens.
This past summer was one of record-breaking rainfall in my corner of Western Massachusetts — our dirt road washed out three times, and our garden soil was too wet to work much of the time. I can’t do much about my road, other than express my gratitude to the town crew that put it right. But I can adapt my garden, with the help of Ginny Stibolt and Sue Reed’s book, "Climate-Wise Landscaping."
You needn’t be an ardent weather watcher to know that frost is imminent and may have already occurred at some of the higher elevations. I made it a point this week to complete the harvest of what remained of our tender crops before any chance of frost. That meant picking the last of the bush beans, cucumbers, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, melons, squash and sweet potatoes.
Snowbirds are arriving earlier and earlier each year. In this week's Naturewatch, columnist Thom Smith reports how the dark-eyed Junco has already has already been spotted in the Berkshires. According to folklore, the snowbird's arrival signals that snow is not far behind.
Entertainment
A recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's “Vegan, at Times”:
NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Seinfeld became a vegan almost by stealth. The cookbook author and philanthropist started quietly making separate meals for herself without dairy or meat.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jury selection was set to begin Tuesday in former reality TV star Josh Duggar's trial over federal child pornography charges.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, complaining in a petition released Monday the verdict was thrown out over a questionable agreement that the comic claimed gave him lifetime immunity.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Actress Lindsay Lohan has told her followers on Instagram that she's engaged.
NEW YORK (AP) — Thanksgiving weekend moviegoing was still far from the feast it normally is, but Disney's “Encanto” and the Lady Gaga-led “House of Gucci” both gave a lift to two genres that have been particularly battered by the pandemic: family movies and adult dramas.
ROME (AP) — National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday.
It’s school picture day at a high school in Southern California's San Fernando Valley in the opening scene of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1970s-set “Licorice Pizza.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A list of nominees in the top categories at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, announced Tuesday by The Recording Academy.
It’s nice to make something for guests — I am of the opinion that it’s easier to make something than to go out and buy it, as long as you have the right ingredients. Homemade bread of any kind is a really beautiful thing to share with people, and a quick flatbread doesn’t take a lot of effort or time like a sourdough or focaccia would.
This stuffing recipe is obviously too late for your Thanksgiving turkey, but Christmas is coming — and it’s great anytime.
Recently, I picked up the cookbook and began thumbing through the pages, pausing twice, for a chocolate babka recipe and on another for challah bread that promised a dough that isn't sticky.
Every year we have a big latke-making session, frying up a double recipe. What we don’t eat that first night I freeze on a half sheet pan in layers, separated by foil or wax paper.
Who has time to think about breakfast on Thanksgiving morning? If you're hosting, your mind is sure to be on other things — getting the turkey in the oven, getting the side dishes underway, …
In a quest to find a "better" pumpkin pie to serve this Thanksgiving, members of The Eagle's features and digital content departments tried out four different variations of this Thanksgiving dessert ahead of the holiday.
Dennis Pregent went searching for some of the interesting people who were born in the Northern Berkshires. He profiles 35 of them in his new book, "Born in the Berkshires."
In this age of plenty, with more books being published than ever, choosing what to read isn’t easy. A trusted bookseller, friend, or reviewer’s recommendation might be more consistently reliable, but there’s also something to be said for keeping an eye on the big literary prizes for some guidance.
Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder to solve. Luckily, there's a cold case, the Box in the Woods murders, waiting to be solved in the Berkshire Hills.
In a nearly 200-page book about the history of Great Barrington, longtime Berkshire Eagle Our Berkshires columnist said his goal was to “go beyond the historical side to the human side and find little stories to tell.”
In "The Book Of Magic," due to hit shelves Tuesday, Oct. 12, author Alice Hoffman takes us back to the magical house on Magnolia Street, where the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens first began.
In her memoir “Half of a Whole”, longtime Lenox resident Marilyn Haus goes where few dare — in pursuit of an honest understanding of the dysfunction in her family of origin, and of her part as an actor in those relationships.
