Country Woman

Summer always seems to fly by. One minute I’m stocking up on sunscreen, and the next, leaves are starting to turn and I find myself reaching for scarves and sweaters again. To make the most of the warm weather while it lasts, I try to get outside as often as I can. Fortunately, the five recipes featured in “Fun in the Sun” (page 36) are perfect for cookouts and other outdoor gatherings. I’m also planning to mix vegetables from my own garden—which is overflowing with zucchini and tomatoes this time of year—into a few of the recipes included in our “Backyard Brunch” feature (page 40). As much as I love the outdoors, it’s also nice to have a few indoor activities planned for rainy or unseasonably cool days. This month I’m looking…

Shine Bright Do you trim your Christmas tree with ornaments that have been in your family for many years, or even generations? If so, tell us a bit about the ornaments and send us a few pictures—they could end up in an upcoming issue of the magazine! Home Sweet Home If you’re proud of a recent home renovation, a before-and-after project or a room refresh that turned out even better than you thought it would, chances are good that our readers will love it, too. Snap a few photos and share the end result with us! Just Desserts Have you inherited an antique cookie jar or vintage cooke cutters that hold a special place in your heart? Tell us all about your sweet family heirloom, and you could see your story featured in a future…

Tell us about yourself. Even as a child, I was always growing something. I started with flowers but began growing veggies as a tween. I now live with my husband northwest of Chicago in a house with a big backyard, and I’m planning to start a raised container garden. What are your hobbies? I enjoy sewing, crocheting and hand embroidery. A few years ago, I started an embroidery business and sell my work at local craft fairs alongside my husband’s wood turned pens. Who inspires you the most? People who help other people: volunteers, first responders and people working in social service positions. In the past, I coordinated community outreach projects through my workplace, and I loved feeling like I was making a difference in someone’s life. What makes you a country woman? I live in a…

Cat’s Pajamas I was blown away when I saw the cat in the dollhouse featured in your April/May issue. It looks like it could have come from the same litter as the cat that has lived in my dollhouse for many years! The lifelike doll at the sink was gifted to me by my sister, Kathy Ison. We both love your beautiful magazine! CYNTHIA BURNS WINNSBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA Taking Flight I received my first issue of Country Woman and loved it. My husband and I are 91 and 92, and we’ve been married for 72 years. In the 1940s, he started flying planes, and when he’d fly over my house he’d shout things like “Pick you up at seven!” Our friends thought it was so romantic, and I did, too, so I wanted to…

Q: Have you repurposed any common household items for use in your backyard or garden? The deer who live by my house love my hostas, but I’ve found a way to keep them from nibbling at the plants. I shred hunks of old bar soap with a potato peeler and scatter the pieces around my garden! CAROLYN KOONS HUMMELSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA I recycle all of the to-go containers that I get from restaurants. The black plastic ones with clear plastic lids make perfect greenhouses that can be used to start seeds inside. They’re free, and you’re helping the environment by reusing items. HOLLY HENSLEY MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA I put a bit of Vicks (yes, the cold remedy!) on the leaves of my tulips and other spring flowers. I also apply some of it to the top…

For years, Minnesota teacher Laura Adamczyk Schaper has been working with her first and second graders to write and publish their own class books. The first book was called Stuart’s Great Adventure, and Laura got the idea when she heard about a company that helped teachers publish books with their students. “I thought that would be fun,” she says, “but I didn’t have a topic in mind until the class hamster, Stuart, escaped from his cage.” The whole class spent the day looking for Stuart, without any luck. Fortunately, when Laura returned the following morning, she found that Stuart had climbed back into his cage on his own. “That set the idea to use Stuart as the topic,” Laura says. “The students came back with ideas as to what Stuart had done…