Lifestyle

When Maitreyi Roy first came to Bartram’s Gardens a decade ago, it was a hidden gem along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southwestern Philadelphia: 50 acres of verdant fields and trees surrounding a historic home and garden whose roots reached back three centuries. h The only thing missing was people. h As the new executive director, Roy had her work cut out for her. Initial surveys found that many neighboring residents, who are predominantly Black, didn’t even realize Bartram’s was a public park. It took time and further engagement to learn what kinds of programming and services they needed to begin using the space. h Within a few years, an estimated 100,000 people were coming to Bartram’s annually to walk, boat, fish and watch birds, a threefold to fourfold increase. Attendance continued to grow steadily through 2020, when Roy shuttered many programs to keep visitors safe from COVID-19.

As spring rolls around, I have one very large shrub that catches the attention of most visitors to my garden. When they see this particular shrub, many of them say, “That is the largest hydrangea bush I have ever seen.” Or others will say, “my hydrangeas have not started blooming yet.”

Dear Dave: We’re trying to get control of our finances by living on a budget. We also have about $18,000 in debt we are trying to pay off. My husband brings home $3,400 a month, and I am currently taking care of our eight-month-old baby. We would like to have a date night once a month, and he thinks we should set aside $200 for this. Under the current circumstances, I feel like this is too much. What do you think? – Carolyne

ROME – The head of the Polish bishops’ conference has done what Pope Francis has so far avoided doing: He publicly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to use his influence with Vladimir Putin to demand an end to the war and for Russian soldiers to stand down.

Dear Abby: My boyfriend has this bad habit when we meet new people. It can range from a neighbor to someone like our landlord. During the course of a conversation, he’ll lie and exaggerate certain facts about his life, our life or something more sensitive, such as our financial situation (which, might I add, is not good).

Burn Awareness Week is held in February. It’s a good time to be reminded of precautions that can be taken to avoid burn injuries, especially in the kitchen. The American Burn Association has some familiar pointers for keeping safe:

March is here, and spring is officially right around the corner, thank goodness! There are more things to do this month in the garden than just about any other time of the year. I know it won’t do any good to tell gardeners to take it easy, pace yourselves, and don’t try to do everything at once; so I’ll just remind you to make sure you have a bottle of pain reliever for sore muscles handy and Epsom salts to soak the pain away. The following are things we should be doing in March to get our gardens ready for the best gardening season ever.

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Dear Abby: My son just withdrew from college with a medical leave due to anxiety and depression. My husband and I support him fully and are helping him receive the help he needs. Of course, we are very concerned.