While enjoying a very spring-like late winter afternoon beside the Trout River, at my home in northern Franklin County, I found myself greatly appreciating the sunshine and fascinated by the large number of black bugs that seemed to also be enjoying the sun’s long-awaited warmth. The ...

It’s early March, the time of year when local maple syrup producers across the North Country are busy tapping, or have finished tapping, literally hundreds of thousands of trees in anticipation of this year’s harvest. It’s time to reap the reward, to collect the sap and boil it down with ...

Small farms. The name says it all. Modest. Practical. Connected to the Earth and the local population. Small farms were once the backbone of this country. Small-scale farmers grow a diversity of fresh produce, often using very few or no chemicals. They raise livestock, avoiding added ...

North Americans share an amazing diversity of birds. More than 1,000 species can be found in the U.S. alone. They come in an astonishing variety of colors, shapes, sizes and behaviors. You could live a lifetime and never see every variety of bird that it’s possible to see in our state, or ...

A snowflake is one of God’s most fragile creations. Psalm 147:16 begins: “He sends the snow like white wool” (NLT). And there really is something awesome about freshly fallen, white snow covering everything. It really is like a blanket of white wool spread over the earth. In fact, ...

- By the numbers: Homes and businesses  -      We use energy in our homes every day; lots of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 40% of the energy consumed in the United States goes to powering our homes and commercial buildings.       We use energy to keep ...