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My water broke beneath a crystal chandelier while three hundred guests applauded my sister-in-law’s first dance. By the time I whispered, “Something’s wrong,” my mother-in-law was already smiling for the cameras. Warm liquid spread across the white marble terrace of Sterling Ridge Estate. A contraction folded me in half. “Julian,” I gasped, grabbing my husband’s … Read more

Every gardener dreams of a vegetable patch filled with strong pepper plants, crisp leafy greens and tomatoes so plump and perfect they look almost too good to pick. But sometimes the garden tells a different story. Tomatoes begin rotting at the bottom before they ripen. Leaf tips look scorched. New growth appears weak, twisted or … Read more

One of the most important parts of gardening happens long before the first tomato ripens or the first flower opens. It happens in the soil. Every time we grow vegetables, herbs, flowers or fruit, plants pull nutrients from the ground. If we want our gardens to keep producing year after year, we have to return … Read more

Long before sports drinks came in neon colors and plastic bottles, there was switchel. It was simple, sharp, refreshing and made from ingredients most people already had in the kitchen: ginger, lemon, honey, apple cider vinegar and water. For generations, this old-fashioned drink was used as a thirst-quencher during hot weather, especially by people working … Read more

For many houseplant lovers, propagating plants is more than a hobby. It is a way of sharing something living with the people we love. That is especially true with Christmas cactus. Unlike many ordinary houseplants, Christmas cactus cuttings often come with a story. A small segment may have been taken from a grandmother’s plant, passed … Read more

Every gardener who grows tomatoes and peppers knows the same dangerous optimism. You start the season thinking a few plants will be enough. Then you imagine pests, bad weather, mysterious plant diseases, weak seedlings, neighborhood squirrels and every other possible disaster. So you plant extra. Then summer does what summer does. Suddenly, the tomato plants … Read more

Spoiler warning: This article contains details from Episode 3 of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. The competition on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro took a painful and unexpected turn in Episode 3, when early frontrunner Natalie Jolley was forced to leave the show after suffering an accidental injury during rehearsal. The … Read more

There’s no room for mistakes as the competition continues on “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” With nine dancers remaining, Episode 3 of the “Dancing With the Stars” spinoff is challenging the contestants with group performances. “DWTS” pro Britt Stewart joined judges Shirley and Mark Ballas during the Monday, July 27, episode. The dancer helped … Read more

The morning my divorce was finalized, I made one small change that should have felt routine. In my world, it was the same as pulling the pin on a flash grenade. I canceled a security clearance. Not my own credentials. Not an emergency authorization. I revoked a Level 8 Global Access Pass that my former … Read more

The coffee hit my face before I understood that Arthur had lifted the mug. One second I was sitting at our breakfast table; the next, scalding liquid was running down my cheek while his sister Brooke watched with a smile. I screamed and stumbled backward. The chair crashed against the tile. Arthur did not move. … Read more