Hummingbirds are now out in full force. The arrival of these tiny acrobats marks the beginning of spring, and people love to put out feeders for them.

I had a friend challenge me recently to pick up one good habit during this period of social distancing. Use this time to establish good habits for health and exercise!

With some spare time on your hands, now is a great time to think about ways to spruce up your landscape over the next year.

If your income has been affected by the new coronavirus situation, you may be looking at ways to stretch your budget. 

Cooking at home can help.

As cases of COVID-19 increase around the country, many families are practicing social distancing to protect themselves and others. This likely means you are cooking at home more and are trying to limit your trips to the grocery store. 

So, if you are cooking with more frozen items, check out these tasty recipes that have been featured on the Extension for Real Life blog!

Everyone’s normal routine is being flipped upside down. Employees are working from home, kids are out of school, and social gatherings are postponed. Boredom and stress are setting in. Gardening to the rescue! 

Looking for a fun recipe that you can make with your kids? These no-bake treats are loaded with fiber, use ingredients you probably have on hand in your pantry, and are a terrific homemade snack.  

“Flattening the curve” is an important concept in discussions about the coronavirus, but what does it really mean?

“Flattening the curve” refers to the lines on a graph documenting the number of cases compared to the timespan of an outbreak.  Normally, when a virus or illness hits a community, there is an early peak in cases (the number of people who get sick), and then the rate of infection slows down, causing the peak to drop. But if that first peak is high, the number of people needing treatment can overwhelm the healthcare system.

If you’ve got crape myrtles, you should be on the lookout for Crape Myrtle Bark Scale. This invasive pest can turn easy-to-care for shrubs and trees into high-maintenance plants covered in a black, sooty mold.

While the insects won’t kill the tree outright, the tree will eventually produce fewer and smaller blooms if the insects are allowed to reproduce year after year.

The Food Factor crew loves quick and easy weeknight recipes, especially if they have a little kick. This Quick Taco-Mac is a one-skillet meal that you can adjust to suit your own taste preferences.