Sep 17 2025
A manta ray moving through the ocean can look almost as though it is flying. Its enormous pectoral fins rise and fall like wings while its broad body glides seemingly effortlessly through the water. There is no frantic movement and no obvious rush. Even a manta several yards across can seem strangely weightless. That graceful …
Sep 13 2025
Fall baking does not have to mean putting pumpkin spice into everything in the kitchen. Some of the season’s best desserts come from the variety available at this time of year: pumpkins become creamy custard pies, firm apples soften beneath biscuit topping, maple syrup brings deep caramel-like sweetness to homemade pudding, and tart cranberries brighten …
Sep 11 2025
Fall produce gets plenty of attention for pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, but some of the season’s best flavors come from fruit. Autumn brings crisp apples, fragrant pears, dark grapes, jewel-like pomegranates, tart cranberries, honeyed figs, unusual persimmons, and several fruits that are easy to overlook unless you happen to live near where …
Sep 09 2025
Fall has a way of making home feel especially important. As mornings become cooler and evenings arrive earlier, the spaces where we cook, read, sleep, gather, and relax begin to feel different. Summer’s lightness gives way to warmer colors, softer textures, heavier blankets, glowing lamps, pumpkins, dried grasses, and all the little details that make …
Sep 06 2025
A hummingbird can stop you in your tracks. One moment the garden seems quiet, and the next a tiny flash of green, ruby, violet, or bronze appears beside a flower. The bird hovers almost impossibly in place, darts backward, disappears, and sometimes returns before you have fully registered what you just saw. It is easy …
Aug 28 2025
**Before embarking on any new exercise adventures, it is recommended you consult a medical professional, in order to avoid hurting yourself or otherwise putting your physical wellbeing in harm’s way. Yoga is great for everyone, but, just like skateboarding or luge racing, it works best when practiced safely.** In the middle of the year, when …
Aug 12 2025
Crisp and deeply golden on the outside, tender and herb-filled in the center, homemade falafel is one of those dishes where a relatively short ingredient list can produce an enormous amount of flavor. This chickpea version combines soaked dried chickpeas with parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, and a little baking powder. The mixture is …
Aug 12 2025
Few animals have the presence of an elephant. An adult African savanna elephant can tower over a person, reshape vegetation simply by feeding, carry enormous tusks, communicate with companions across long distances, and travel through landscapes using routes that may have been followed by generations of elephants before it. Yet some of the most remarkable …
Aug 10 2025
A lion’s roar rolling across an African grassland is one of the most recognizable sounds in the natural world. Lions have occupied human imaginations for thousands of years. They appear in ancient art, royal symbols, mythology, flags, literature, and popular culture. Their reputation for strength is so powerful that we still call them “kings of …
Aug 10 2025
Cool cucumber, creamy Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, dill, mint, chives, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil come together in this easy no-cook summer soup. It is bright, refreshing, and creamy without feeling heavy, making it especially appealing when the weather is too warm for a simmering pot on the stove. This chilled cucumber soup works equally …
