Home & Garden

Brown bag. Right away, you think: elementary school, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonder® bread with the crusts cut off, a carton of 2-percent milk, a baggie full of carrot sticks, a cookie, and maybe even a little note from Mom tucked in somewhere...

Recently, it seems like everyone is giving more thought to how they impact the planet.

It’s that time of year when you’re ready for a new look in the house. I’ve found that one of the most cost-effective ways to add new life to a room or two is with paint. You could paint a wall, the cupboards, or an entire room. However, choosing the right paint for the right area can be a real chore...

How many of you live with a N.G.? That’s “Non-Gardener” to those of us who till and toil alone. The late Mr. P was, to be honest, an N.G. Oh sure, he gifted me with a dozen pots of lovely white ‘Pascali’ roses early in our courtship. This was because I’d told him how much I loved white roses...

Go ahead...try to ignore this beauty!

We’ve covered a lot of ground in our Going Green stories over the years. A lot of it has involved environmentally-responsible products and green living, but for this one, we literally want to cover a lot of ground. And the only way we’ll be able to do that is by driving...

In a classic episode of The Simpsons, Lisa falls for a young dreamboat environmental activist, whom she tries to impress by explaining she started a compost pile in her backyard.

Get growing with a bonus fall-winter season!

October and November are what some people call “Inside-Out Time.” It’s an odd sub-season in Bakersfield that may last a few weeks or longer. You start the day in a chilly house, but after going outside, you’re still close to summer warmth. Off come the sweaters and on go the sprinklers. There’s a slight chance of frost, which seems to encourage re-seeded lawns into that Oz-like emerald green color.

Decorating for the seasons is nothing new, but with a few fresh ideas, you can do wonders with a tired room. And it seems autumn is the favorite season to decorate for...the subtle fall colors bring warmth into our lives and homes. But how to handle each room?

“I never forget that I’m building somebody’s dream house. Every job matters to the family we’re working with, so it matters to me.”