Simple Gardening Projects That Bring Happiness, Understanding Common Eye Disorders, and Tax Planning for High Net Worth Individuals

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Gardening doesn’t have to mean hours of bending, digging, or managing a full yard. For many people, the most rewarding garden projects are small, contained, and deeply satisfying — offering calm, routine, and a sense of care without physical strain.

Choose three easy herbs, such as basil, parsley, and chives. Plant them in small pots and place them near a sunny window. The daily ritual of watering, pinching leaves, and using them in meals creates a direct connection between care and reward. Even the simple act of trimming herbs for scrambled eggs or soup reinforces a sense of usefulness and pleasure.

Instead of managing multiple containers, focus on one. A pot of cherry tomatoes, geraniums, or lettuce on a patio or balcony provides visible progress in a short time. Watching buds form, or fruit ripen, brings quiet anticipation — one of gardening’s greatest emotional benefits. 

Plant something tied to a personal memory: lilacs like those near your childhood home, marigolds your grandmother once grew, or mint reminiscent of a traditional family recipe. Tending that one single plant often sparks reflection and storytelling, turning gardening into a form of gentle remembrance.

Set a timer for 10–15 minutes once or twice a week. Use the time only to observe: notice new growth, soil moisture levels, or leaf colors. This low-pressure practice builds mindfulness and reduces the feeling that gardening is another tedious task to manage.

Paperwhite narcissus or amaryllis bulbs grow indoors with minimal effort. Watching them emerge and bloom over a few weeks provides visible anticipation and beauty, especially during colder months.

Gardening for the soul isn’t about productivity — it’s about nurturing something living and allowing that care to reflect back to you.

“The Note Inside the Cookbook”
From the life overview of Calvin R., 91, Eugene, OR. Shared with permission.

I inherited my mother’s cookbook the year after she died, a thick spiral-bound tome swollen with grease stains and handwritten additions. Most of the recipes were familiar: roast chicken, meatloaf, pies that never quite turned out the same when I made them. What I didn’t expect was the note tucked between the pages for chicken soup, written on a scrap of lined paper browned with age.

It was addressed to no one in particular. Just a reminder, in her careful script, to add the salt at the very end and to skim the broth patiently, “even if it feels like it’s taking forever.” I stood in my kitchen and read it, then read it again, struck by how gentle the instruction sounded, more like advice for living than cooking. I could almost hear her voice, steady and unhurried, the way it always was when she warned me to slow down.

That afternoon, I made the soup exactly as she’d written it. I waited. I skimmed. I tasted and waited again. The house filled with a smell I hadn’t realized I’d been missing, and for a while I let myself feel her absence without trying to fix it.

I kept that note. Not because it improved the soup—though it did—but because it reminded me that care, applied patiently, has a way of showing up long after the person who taught it is gone.

***

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Smithsonian Transcription Center
A public project that lets volunteers help transcribe handwritten letters, diaries, and field notes from the Smithsonian’s collections. You can contribute a little or simply browse completed work and read original documents that are rarely seen.

American Archive of Public Broadcasting
A free archive of radio and television programs preserved from public broadcasters across the United States. The collection includes interviews, local reporting, cultural programs, and everyday conversations, offering a clear record of how people spoke about their lives and concerns at the time.

Federal Writers’ Project Slave Narratives (Library of Congress)
Firsthand interviews recorded in the 1930s with formerly enslaved people, preserved without interpretation or polish. The accounts are direct, measured, and deeply human, offering historical perspective through everyday memory rather than summary.

This daily section is brought to you by MemoirGhostwriting.com, experts in capturing life stories for loved ones and/or the public. We can meet any budget. (Does your story deserve to be told?)

Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts. Even a few sentences are a memory preserved for loved ones.

Keeping phones, tablets, and computers in sync can save time and prevent frustration—no more missing contacts, outdated calendars, or photos stranded on one device. The good news: most syncing today happens automatically once it’s set up correctly.

Start by making sure all your devices are signed in to the same account. For Apple users, that’s an Apple ID using iCloud. On iPhone, iPad, or Mac, go to Settings (or System Settings on Mac), tap your name, and turn on syncing for contacts, calendars, photos, and notes.

For Android and Windows users, a Google Account does most of the heavy lifting. Sign in, then make sure syncing is turned on for Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, and Photos. These will automatically stay updated across phones, tablets, and computers.

Photos are often the biggest concern. Google Photos and Apple Photos/iCloud Photos both back up pictures automatically so you don’t lose them if a device breaks.

Finally, make sure devices are connected to Wi-Fi regularly—syncing usually waits for Wi-Fi to avoid using mobile data.

If you use a mix of Apple, Android, and Windows devices, cloud services act as the bridge. Dropbox and OneDrive keep files identical across devices, no matter the brand. Save a document in one place, and it appears everywhere.

For notes and reminders, Evernote and Microsoft OneNote sync reliably across phones and computers.

If you want everything to update automatically, look for settings labeled Sync, Backup, or Cloud. Turn those on once, and let the system do the work.

When devices are synced properly, you spend less time hunting for information—and more time actually using it.

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Unmissable American gem: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia beckons history lovers and leisurely explorers alike with its beautifully preserved streets, scenic riverside trails, and the rich stories of early America nestled within Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

Unscramble the letters to find a famous person, event, or object! Be the first to reply with the correct answer, and we’ll send you a free gift in the mail.

Today’s clue: Style or design of printed letters.

EPFACYET

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