There is no more ubiquitous symbol of Valentine’s Day (and romantic love) than a bouquet of red roses.  For a little history of the holiday, and the symbolism behind other well known flowers, check out my post from last year on the Language of Flowers. This year, I wanted to loo

As you may have noticed from previous posts, this winter and the holiday season has been fun and filled with lots of food and cocktail indulgences on my part. By the time New Years Day rolled around, I was ready for a break from all of the excess.  I decided to do a 21 day nutrit

When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing like something warm and spicy to drink.   Last week, on one of the coldest nights of the winter, I ventured out to Belly Wine Bar in Cambridge.  They had this wonderful mulled wine warming on their outdoor fire, a perfect a

I grew up fairly connected to my Scandinavian heritage.  My paternal grandfather was from Norway and my paternal grandmother was Swedish.  Tomorrow, December 13th, is Santa Lucia Day in Sweden, an important day that celebrates light and the start of the Christmas season. San

It is the time of year when everyone is coming out with their holiday gift lists.  So, to follow suit, here are some curated ideas for the gardener or nature lover in your life. 1.  Hunter Rain Boots – for the Intrepid GardenerI love mine and wear them all the time. &n

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week!  As people plan their menus and shop for the big day, many tables will feature a cranberry sauce or chutney.  Since Thanksgiving is a big day for the cranberry, I thought it appropriate to take a closer look at this

For the past 5 years my friends in Marblehead have hosted a “Friends Thanksgiving” party.  They have their dinner a week or two before the official day and do it as a potluck event where friends can gather and catch up.  Every year folks get assigned different di

Fall decorations are all about pumpkins, chrysanthemums and harvest colors (orange and red).  The Bittersweet vine, with its beautiful color, is a ubiquitous symbol of fall.  With a little foraging in the woods, lots of folks come home with these berries to add to window box

The idea of carving gourds into lanterns originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland, where people carved locally available turnips and potatoes.  The practice was based on the legend of a character named “Stingy Jack”. As the story goes, Jack tricked the Devil a numb

Fall is the perfect time of year for jam making.  Fruit is readily available, it’s nice to warm up the kitchen on a chilly weekend, and jam makes a great gift for the upcoming holidays.   Last week, my good friend and I got together to make a batch of our frequently re