If you haven't visited the Birnau church set on the hill above Lake Konstanz, you must put it on your list of things to see. The Birnau, a baroque church built between 1746 and 1749, sits above a vineyard overlooking the Bodensee. I live just on the other side of the lake from this landmark. My parents-in-law even married here. Over the years, I have visited the Birnau several times, often with visitors from the USA. Each and every one of them is always taken aback by the absolute beauty, the pastel colors and the detail upon entering the church....

Let's talk about color, the color of beeswax. Pantone assigned it the number 14-0941. I think they came pretty close to the real thing. Beeswax is – Sophisticated, Refined, Delicate, Subtle, Mellow, Sweet, Warm, Calm and Pretty.         How would you describe beeswax?

As I write this, Bayer is holding its annual shareholder meeting in Cologne. I'm quite sure that the neonicotinoid pesticides produced by Bayer and their contribution to killing bees is not on the agenda. Quite the opposite, Bayer has started a full-blown PR campaign to convince the public of its supposed concern for the health of bees. Michele Simon and the environmental group Friends of the Earth just released a report entitled "Follow the Honey: 7 ways pesticide companies are spinning the bee crisis to protect profits”, detailing the tactics used by Bayer and other pesticide producers to mislead the public. Following are just...

It's pretty. It makes you even prettier. And it helps save the bees. What's not to like? I must admit that I'd never heard of the make-up company Chantecaille. But what a fun discovery! First the important stuff taken from their website: "All CHANTECAILLE products are not tested on animals. There are no animal derivatives, lanolin or mineral derivatives in the products. All skincare products are free of synthetic colors and fragrances, and do not contain any sulfate detergents, phthalates, nor petrochemicals." And since the company focuses on using natural botanicals, it's philosophy is to give back to nature. The...

I just couldn't resist the combination of these orange ranunculus flowers in a recycled apidae Moroccan tea glass.        Doesn't this glass make the perfect vase?