living

From a single room, a 200-year-old house in Westhampton still fits families

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Standing silently for more than 200 years, a house in Westhampton has been witness to the joys and tragedies of many families. It has heard the laughter of children, the music of pump organ and guitar, and the voices of adults raised in anger and in jubilation.

Farmer Timothy Phelps built his Colonial-style house in 1796.

Get Growing: The five 'S's

sherrywilson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

A year ago gardeners were stir-crazy, praying the snow would disappear by planting season in April.

This February, despite a mild winter without snow up to the windowsills, we are just as eager for spring. That was evident last Saturday when about 25 people turned out for a lecture on big yields from small spaces by Master Gardener George Kingston of East Longmeadow.

Gardener's Checklist

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Anxious to see if we are going to have an early spring or six more weeks of winter, I set out early on Groundhog Day to find the portly rodent. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate one, so I returned home, picked up my cat, Cobi, and tossed him out the door. Before I could check to see if Cobi cast a shadow, he shot off in pursuit of some fat furry creature.

Drying out your home, Part II

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

In a recent column, a newly minted Jersey Shore homeowner asked for help making his damp abode drier.

He said he'd been told that building code mandated that the vapor barrier be up against the floor over the crawl space, but the 2-year-old solid oak flooring was beginning to curl because of moisture.

In the dead of winter, a fresh cinnamon roll is exactly what you need

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Two words: cinnamon roll.

OK, that was almost too easy. Yet today, while you're on the treadmill or balancing your checkbook, or changing lanes or reading a bedtime story, you will be thinking of having a cinnamon roll, ideally within the week. Maybe sooner.

Such is the power of suggestion, especially when the suggested object is gooey and spicy and soft and sweet all at once.

Celebrate the queen's birthday with one of her favorite recipes

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

By Bill Daley Chicago Tribune

On Monday Queen Elizabeth II marked 60 years on the throne. And soon loyal subjects around the world will be raising a glass to toast Britain's second-longest reigning monarch as she and the royal family kick off a year of celebration.

Style Stop: Ayano Kataoka

Daily Hampshire Gazette — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Hampshire Life's style team was about to call it quits for the day when Ayano Kataoka's veggie-green jacket made us turn around. We caught up with the UMass music professor from Japan while she ordered a late lunch at The Black Sheep Deli in Amherst.