It was my mother, the Queen of Christmas, who first suggested it, amazingly. She'd always seen gift certificates as cheating somehow—...

Most of us are swimming or, more likely, drowning, in stuff. We don't need another gadget or doodad or gewgaw. But gift certificates ...

It's hard enough thinking of gifts for Aunt Ilda or Cousin Terence, but when it comes to kids my mind goes completely blank. A trip t...

Making lists, checking them twice…and don't get me started on the whole naughty or nice thing. It's just all too much to keep tra...

The average American farmer is nearly 60 years old. For every farmer and rancher under the age of 25, there are five who are 75 or old...

First chickens, then goats. Now being into bees is the latest preoccupation among urban agriculturists in this most ag-obsessed city. In ...

Pssssst…don't tell anyone, but despite dire predictions of blizzards and storms, the daffodils are coming up around the neighborhood,...

My idea of the perfect gift has these attributes: It doesn't need dusting. It reminds you of the person who gave it to you. It ma...

We live near an elementary school where more than 40 percent of the students receive free or reduced-price meals. These meals may be the ...

Field to table. Farm to table. Plate and pitchfork. Outstanding in the field. The table awaits. I've been hearing those phrases eve...

  Growing up in a largely rural state like Oregon, you'd think people would be all been there, done that about where our food comes fro...

In the spirit of not burdening our lives or those of our loved ones with more stuff that needs dusting or displaying, yet also lets them kn...

The plants in my garden are rubbing their little eyes, waking from a sleep brought on by cool temps and too much rain, and hopefully think...

Distance is a funny thing. Portlanders talk about how close they are to some of the best ski slopes in the country (45 minutes), great fish...