Ila Bonczek

To make the most of your growing season, save a bundle on plant material, and — most importantly — get your green thumb warmed up for a productive year, consider sowing seeds indoors.  If you’re...

Everyone in India has been raised with the belief that the day should begin with tea, and most people also enjoy it throughout the day.  If you take a look, you will notice that nearly...

From the microscopic building blocks of life, to the countless cosmic bodies that resemble our own planet; we seem to be both immersed in and surrounded by spheres. Nature has provided so many examples of...

Do you find yourself snapping at, or complaining about, or annoyed by others? Do some things just seem to rub you the wrong way? Maybe it’s time to take a critical look at your values....

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you are certainly familiar with some of the many plants associated with this holiday. From the original Christmas gifts of frankincense and myrrh to the 70 million festive poinsettias...

Potpourri has long been used as a means to freshen the scent of indoor spaces, but it wasn’t always pretty. The French “pot-pourri,” from which our English word is derived, literally means putrid pot —...

Since recorded history began, good handwriting has been a valued and highly-esteemed skill. Often considered an art, handwriting was once the primary means of creating important documents, communicating by letter, and preserving written memories.  As...

The simple presence of plants in our environment is known to be beneficial in many ways — they help reduce stress, improve focus, facilitate healing, and act as natural air-purifiers and humidifiers; but some common...

Resentment is often compared with taking poison and expecting it to harm the offender rather than yourself — an unwise choice no matter how you look at it. The negative effects of resentment are numerous,...

Although there are countless options for vegetarian sides at Thanksgiving; the bird, the stuffing and the gravy can be a stumper for non-meat-eaters. This original recipe trio will get you past that hump, and on...

Feng shui (風水), translated literally as “wind water,” is the ancient Chinese practice of aligning physical and energetic elements of an environment to achieve harmony and balance, resulting in improved energy and mood for those...

Kimchi is a Korean pickle that really packs a punch. Like other fermentation processes, it has not grown old with the passage of time; but ripens and grows in popularity. This spicy condiment can, for...