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Spring has sprung! That’s what the calendar says, and if the forecast I am reading today as I write is correct, it will truly feel like it has sprung. With the arrival of spring and warm weather, there is a temptation to immediately jump into gardens and start digging. However, that could create a problem if soils are still quite wet. Even if not digging or tilling, just walking on wet soil can disrupt its structure due to compaction. The same also applies to stomping around on moisture-saturated lawns. The technique I use to determine when garden soil is ready to be tilled is one I lear...

My wife, Susan, has always been a cat lover; that’s not to say she hasn’t adapted quickly to each dog that has come to live with us, and soon accepted them as family members. Susan has long wanted to add a feline to our family; our assorted dogs would not have appreciated one in “their” dominion. And since our dog of 15 years passed away last month, even I have given thought to the feasible addition of a kitten in our home. I do worry about having an outdoor cat, though. The problem is that most cats, if permitted out of doors purposely or by accident, will kill birds, alo...

If you're getting out to enjoy this warm weather, columnist Thom Smith wants to remind you that any day above 35 degrees is tick weather.

My favorite new March quotation is by Clarence Fanto in the March 1 edition of The Berkshire Eagle, "Around here, at least until May, spring is more of an aspiration than a reality — a guest who pops in for a day or two, then beats a hasty retreat as winter refuses to hit the exits." It is mud time for friends living along gravel roads — and potholes for the rest of us. Soon, it once again will be time to get out the rake, although, its work will be far less than the other side of winter. Some winter birds begin leaving, while others refuse for more favorable winds that will help th...

Q: "I'm emailing you because I just finished reading the piece you did with The Berkshire Eagle about black vultures last April. I was researching black vultures in Massachusetts because I saw one yesterday in the backyard in Deerfield! I was able to grab a couple videos. No one seems to be as excited as I am about it, so I figured you might be. I was out with my chickens and though I know they prefer carrion, they can still find prey. I was in awe, they are so beautiful. I can see why they became your 'life bird.' I don't know a lot of the terms, but I am learning. I spend a lot of time on t...