Good Ideas

Starting a garden in a new climate zone can be a challenge. It’s a learning process to find out which flowers, veggies, trees and shrubs do best. Many people trade advice, plants and seeds with gardening friends and neighbors. Wouldn’t it be a great to get local gardeners together at a community event and swap [...]

As proud as I am being a German, I am proud being an American and try hard to buy “Made in USA” products and support American businesses. Sometimes this gets frustrating, especially when buying clothes and school supplies for my children. Try finding something as simple as a pencil made in America. When I talk [...]

I’m originally from Germany and have had to listen to plenty of teasing about our obsession with recycling and the meticulous way we organize our recycling. Okay, I’m obsessed with recycling, but an even more so with repairing.  We all have our trusted car mechanic and plumber. Oftentimes I find myself in search of local [...]

It’s summer time. It’s the busiest time of the year for realtors. This summer, families across the States are buying and selling homes. Thousands of children move with their families to different schools, neighborhoods, and towns. They are being uprooted, forced to say good-bye to their friends and need to make new friends quickly. As [...]

A few years ago, we have said adios to our paper napkins. Believing that even little changes can make a difference, we switched to fabric ones. Each person has his own color, so there is never any confusion at dinner about the righteous napkin owner. We even got some extra colors for guests. We have [...]