Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—Vegetable gardening is not permanent landscaping. With few exceptions, vegetable plants are annuals, like bedding plants. They do their respective jobs within only a few months. When finished, they relinquish their space to different vegetable plants of a different season. More of the same will be in season again in a few months. Crop rotation is something to...

UNITED STATES—Several months ago, warm season vegetable plants replaced cool season vegetable plants. More recently, new cool season vegetable plants began to grow from seed, to replace warm season vegetable plants. Annual vegetables grow only within specific seasons. As they finish, they relinquish their space to those that grow in the next season. Annual color operates in the same...

UNITED STATES—Succulents, both old and new, have been something of a fad for quite a while now. There are certainly many reasons for them to be popular. They add bold form, texture and color to the garden. Most adapt excellently to container gardening. Many types are resistant to pathogens. Succulents are generally easy to maintain and equally as easy...

UNITED STATES—Olive orchards formerly inhabited some of the regions that became urban in California. A few orchard trees remained within urban gardens of the homes that encroached on them. Unfortunately, for those who did not utilize the abundant olives, these trees were horridly messy. Many decades ago, pollarding eliminated the mess without eliminating the trees. Pollarding is extreme pruning that...

UNITED STATES—September began with the warmest weather of the year. Such weather is not uncommon for late summer here. It can happen as late as early autumn. Still, it can be disconcerting while weather should be cooling. Cool season vegetable plants that are technically now seasonable dislike such warmth. Cole vegetables are particularly responsive to weather. Cole vegetables are within...

UNITED STATES—Some gardens continue to recover from the exceptionally wintry weather of last winter. Frost damaged some plants, and killed a few. Wind damaged trees. Excessive rain caused erosion and saturation. This collectively unpleasant weather inhibited some from maintaining their gardens. Yet, some plants that require vernalization are performing splendidly. It seems like an odd juxtaposition. Bloom of some plants...

UNITED STATES—Except for flowers that bloom randomly throughout the year, most autumn bloom is done. Much of the formerly spectacular autumn foliar color succumbed to wintry rain and wind. Many colorful winter berries have already gone with migratory birds who consume them. Overwintering birds appreciate what lingers. Fortunately, some winter bloom continues. Cool season annuals likely provide most winter flowers...

UNITED STATES—The scope for telehealth is expanding rapidly in the days of lockdown due to COVID-19. The prospective ability of the consumer market is appealing to policy makers, healthcare providers, fitness companies, and technology firms alike. The innovation of telehealth lets these entities give more individualized, patient-centered, convenient, and low-cost access to healthcare by means of new devices, drugs,...

UNITED STATES—Eating healthy is not easy America. I try and I try, but we all have weaknesses and we do our best to battle them. A recent trip to the doctor made me realize that I have to do a bit more to put my health in a better light. For starters, I have completely eliminated pop/soda/soft drinks, whatever...

SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, August 17, owner Richard Wong announced that Ton Kiang, his family's dim-sum restaurant and Hakka-style banquet hall, will permanently close at the end of the month, The restaurant is located on Geary Street in San Francisco's Richmond District, where the Wong family has been serving dim-sum to San Franciscans for 40 years. Wong's father Ching Boon Wong...