Style Magazine - April 2021
Before becoming a parent, I never truly valued or took full advantage of our region’s public parks. Sure, I visited them for the occasional picnic, jog, or game of tennis, and knew they brought natural beauty into neighborhoods, but never realized just how crucial they are to a community. Now, as the mom to a tantrum-prone toddler, parks—playgrounds, in particular—are a daily destination for us. Give my daughter a sandbox, swing set, and an open field to frolic in, and her attitude instantly improves. In addition to providing hours of free, fresh-air amusement, they’ve also proven to be a primo place to meet fellow mom friends. (If you’ve never watched “Dear Cool-Looking Mom in the Park” on YouTube and feel like laughing, check it out. It pretty much sums up my attempt at having a social life these days.) Lucky for us, our region is overflowing with parks (hundreds, in fact, with even more in the works) waiting to be explored. Turn to “Walk in the Park” on page 22 for 10 of our favorites—picked for their abundance of amenities, environmental components, stunning scenery, or all the above. Next time you find yourself in a funk, the solution might be as simple as going for a stroll in one of these gorgeous green spaces. Readers looking for other outdoor diversions are in luck. There’s plenty more ideas in the pages that follow—from our feature, “Choose Your Own Adventure” (page 59) that’s jam-packed with alfresco activities like chasing waterfalls, nerding out on birds, and discovering local downtown districts; to “Nurture Nature” (page 26), where we talk about the importance of Earth Day and easy ways to lessen your environmental impact today, and every day; and “Home Grown” (page 44) featuring nine secrets to garden success this spring. If you’ve never considered yourself “green” or “outdoorsy,” I hope this issue inspires you to think differently, act accordingly, and play outside whenever, however you can. Because, if you’re anything like me, even 10 minutes of fresh air will make a monumental difference in your day. Cheers! —Megan megan@stylemg.com @meggoeggowaffle
Before becoming a parent, I never truly valued or took full advantage of our region’s public parks. Sure, I visited them for the occasional picnic, jog, or game of tennis, and knew they brought natural beauty into neighborhoods, but never realized just how crucial they are to a community.
Now, as the mom to a tantrum-prone toddler, parks—playgrounds, in particular—are a daily destination for us. Give my daughter a sandbox, swing set, and an open field to frolic in, and her attitude instantly improves. In addition to providing hours of free, fresh-air amusement, they’ve also proven to be a primo place to meet fellow mom friends. (If you’ve never watched “Dear Cool-Looking Mom in the Park” on YouTube and feel like laughing, check it out. It pretty much sums up my attempt at having a social life these days.)
Lucky for us, our region is overflowing with parks (hundreds, in fact, with even more in the works) waiting to be explored. Turn to “Walk in the Park” on page 22 for 10 of our favorites—picked for their abundance of amenities, environmental components, stunning scenery, or all the above. Next time you find yourself in a funk, the solution might be as simple as going for a stroll in one of these gorgeous green spaces.
Readers looking for other outdoor diversions are in luck. There’s plenty more ideas in the pages that follow—from our feature, “Choose Your Own Adventure” (page 59) that’s jam-packed with alfresco activities like chasing waterfalls, nerding out on birds, and discovering local downtown districts; to “Nurture Nature” (page 26), where we talk about the importance of Earth Day and easy ways to lessen your environmental impact today, and every day; and “Home Grown” (page 44) featuring nine secrets to garden success this spring.
If you’ve never considered yourself “green” or “outdoorsy,” I hope this issue inspires you to think differently, act accordingly, and play outside whenever, however you can. Because, if you’re anything like me, even 10 minutes of fresh air will make a monumental difference in your day. Cheers!
—Megan
megan@stylemg.com
@meggoeggowaffle
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| home & garden |<br />
to fruit. Give them what they need now<br />
with a good helping of compost around<br />
the base of the tree and a layer of mulch<br />
to retain moisture as the weather warms<br />
up. Hint: Be sure to keep mulch at least<br />
two inches away from the tree trunk to<br />
protect it from mold and disease.<br />
BORAGE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. The bright<br />
blue flowers of borage (an edible, fastgrowing,<br />
and attractive annual herb)<br />
discourage tomato hornworms and<br />
other damaging insects while bringing<br />
in bees and additional pollinators—<br />
making it both a deterrent and<br />
attractant. Plant it in between tomato<br />
plants, as well as squash, cucumbers, and<br />
other flowering, fruiting plants.<br />
TIMING IS EVERYTHING. Though warmseason<br />
veggies are available now, you<br />
should wait until the soil warms to 55ºF<br />
to plant them—normally mid-<strong>April</strong> to the<br />
beginning of May. If the soil is too cold to<br />
sit on comfortably bare-cheeked, it’s too<br />
cold for your plants.<br />
PUT DOWN ROOTS. If your tomato plants are<br />
leggy or floppy, remove the lower leaves<br />
and plant them deeper. They’ll push roots<br />
from the stem, which makes for a strong,<br />
bushy plant.<br />
Bee photo by Jozef Jankola. Mulch photo Maria Sbytova.<br />
48 stylemg.com | APRIL <strong>2021</strong> | /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemags
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