Tag: Bright

How to Save Money, and Things You Should Avoid Buying

It is easy to talk about wanting to save money, but when you look at what some people buy, it is no wonder they cannot build a bank account. Saving money is not difficult for most people, but it begins with learning to say no to some purchases. When saving money is not your goal,…


Mindful Eating for Health and Pleasure

In this crazy, modern world, we have a tendency to hyper-focus on what is easily measured, at the expense of everything else. We track calories and macronutrients and jump from one fad diet to another, but pay very little attention to how we eat. The effects of eating mindfully are beginning to come to the…


Should We Water Our Plants in a Drought?

Q: As you may know, many of us are in a moderate drought this summer. My husband and I have been discussing how much we need to water our landscape and lawn. We live in the upper Midwest, and we normally get summer rain in thunderstorms. July and August are usually the dry months, not…


Quirk, Beauty, and History: A Day Exploring Ancient Orkney

I approached the circle of standing stones along a winding wooden walkway that traversed the tussocks and lichen. All around, the natural colors of this windswept island created a scene that was dreamy and romantic and somehow simultaneously severe. The deep blue of the loch paired with fields so green they were almost neon, dark…


A Walk Through the Whisky in Edinburgh

It’s true—the Edinburgh Castle is pretty impressive. Seeming to spring directly from volcanic Castle Rock, its construction has been ongoing for some 1,000 years, starting way back in the 11th century. All those towers and gates and batteries just soaring over the skyline of Scotland’s moody, beautiful capital. But it wasn’t my destination, as I…


Beachgoer Sees Giant Pacific Octopus Washed Up on Beach in Oregon—Decides to Do Something Heroic

They spotted the beached giant octopus between two rock formations along the Oregon Coast on June 7. Floundering in the receding tide, the rust-red cephalopod lay with legs splayed out helplessly in the sand between Haystack Rock and the Needles—another famous coastal formation. It was still morning and the visitor promptly alerted a Rocky Shore…


Officer Surprises Hungry, Barefoot 5-Year-Old With a ‘Healthy Snack’ and Her Reaction is Hilarious

A police officer who helped a lost, hungry 5-year-old get back home when she was found wandering the streets of Jefferson County, Colorado, offered her a healthy snack and her funny response amused him. The video has now gone viral. Sgt. Jonathan Allen has worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for 24 years, spending…


The Science of Shopping

Don’t look now, but that man who just walked into the store behind you is not here to shop. He’s a shopping anthropologist on assignment. His employer just landed a big contract with this store. They want to know what makes you tick, and why you do the things you do. Once they have this…


The Simple Art of Jamaican Watermelon Salad

I met my first watermelon salad at The Covington restaurant in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The dish consisted of watermelon cubes tossed into a pile of salad greens, alongside turnip shavings, pickled scapes, feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar. The juicy red chunks did the job normally reserved for tomatoes and availed themselves beautifully. Their sweet acids bent…


10 Alternatives to Watching TV: Distancing Your Family From Screens This Summer

American households average nearly 8 hours of TV watched per day, according to Nielsen, a market-research firm—and that’s not counting time spent streaming on computers or mobile devices. The Nielsen data count any time when at least one person is watching TV in the household. So in Nielsen’s methodology, if three people watch a program for…