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Living

The Oenophile’s Garden

Budbreak — when wine grapes’ winter buds open and begin to release their woolly leaves — has unfurled across the East End, perhaps inspiring people to dream of growing wine grapes of their own.

Apr 29, 2022
Wild Thing

Where some see weeds, others, like Jill Musnicki of Sag Harbor, see "a hotbed of glorious biodiversity," to borrrow a phrase from The Guardian. Her front yard has been carefully cultivated into a pollinator garden with native plants undesirable to some but "a miracle" to bees, butterflies, birds, and all kinds of beneficial insects.

Apr 29, 2022
Anchors Aweigh for Quarty, Hagan

Kimberly Quarty and Damon A. Hagan of East Quogue were married on Sept. 25 at the East Hampton Presbyterian Church.

Oct 28, 2021
On Call: The Latest on Booster Shots

While new recommendations released last week on Covid-19 booster shots for at-risk populations are not a broad suggestion that all vaccinated people get a booster, they do extend the recommendation to a great many people.

Oct 28, 2021
For Your Moment of Zen

Priya Kapoor Lasky started her business, Own Retreat, based on a simple question: If you desire peace in your life, why not create a dedicated space in which to seek it? She is referring to Zen, meaning a sense of calm, quiet focus, often derived from Buddhism and other philosophies in Asian and South Asian cultures.

Apr 24, 2021
Gimme for the Garden and Home: Ins and Outs

The Star's Hunter-Gatherer has gone shopping for things that can be useful inside and outside. They'll bring the spirit of outside inside, and the comfort of inside outside — yes, you can have it both ways.

Apr 24, 2021
Grand Opening: An Up-Close Look at the Monarch's Metamorphosis

Last summer, I cared for several dozen future butterflies that were raised in a Monarch Waystation garden in Bridgehampton. Created by Cindy Warne, the garden provides milkweed for caterpillars and nectar-rich plants for butterflies once they emerge from their chrysalids.

Apr 24, 2021
High-Up Hideaways: East Hampton Couple Builds Treehouses Worthy of Fairy Tales

"Historically, treehouses have been the setting for adventurous, magical escapes. Treehouses are also a timeless American tradition, an escape for 'kids' of all ages. Jimmy Carter even built a treehouse for his daughter on the White House lawn."

Apr 24, 2021
In Defense of Dandelions

These small, sunny flowers, scorned by many keepers of the East End's rambling stretches of unbroken green lawn, are looked down upon as weeds — but at what cost?

Apr 24, 2021
Koi Joy: Ponds That Pair Landscapes With Symbolism

Along with the benefits and challenges of keeping koi comes their symbolism of strength and perseverance.

Apr 24, 2021
Q. and A.: Health Care for Your Landscape

Proper landscaping starts with a plan, which may involve a homeowner calling in professional help. That's according to Jeff Peters of East Hampton, who started his landscaping company, JCP Landscaping, in 1999. He works throughout East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, North Haven, and Water Mill. Many of his 16 employees have been with him for 20 years. Mr. Peters shared some landscaping advice with The Star.

Apr 24, 2021
Raise the Roost! A Poultry Primer

Like oyster farming, raising chickens is a growing phenomenon on the South Fork, with poultry practitioners describing a low-maintenance operation that has multiple benefits of the environmental and gastronomic varieties, with little if any downside.

Apr 24, 2021
Tip Sheet: How to Spot Your New East End Hideaway

It's not too late to join the crowd of East End house hunters. The Covid-19 pandemic may have kicked off a stampede of buyers, but real estate pros expect that demand will remain high long after vaccinations usher in herd immunity. That's according to Nicole Tunick, who works alongside her husband, Zachary Tunick, as a Douglas Elliman Real Estate team.

Apr 24, 2021
What, Where, When: Not-to-Be-Missed Home and Garden Events in 2021

The Power of Stitchery: Nui Project and Sashiko
April 25, 4:30-6 p.m., LongHouse Reserve, $35/$25 members
In a virtual lecture through the LongHouse Reserve, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, a leading expert in Japanese textile techniques, will continue to illuminate craft and textile design through discussion of ancient and modern Japanese stitchery practices. In rural Japan, cold winters and harsh physical work required sashiko stitchery, which reinforced textiles and made them both functional and decorative.

Apr 24, 2021
Recipe: Dandelion Greens with Ham Hock and White Beans

Tony Piazza of Piazza Horticultural Group shared a favorite recipe created by his grandmother, who grew up in Caserta, Italy. "This simple preparation was a spring staple growing up," Mr. Piazza said.

Apr 19, 2021
He Proposed at the Morton Refuge

Mr. Johnson proposed at the Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Noyac with a ring designed using the same matrimonial gemstones worn by his mother during her 30-year marriage to his late father.

Jan 28, 2021
Anne Cooper-Menguy and Robert Marshall Are Engaged

Anne Cooper-Menguy and Robert Marshall, Ph.D., of East Hampton and New York City, have become engaged.

Ms. Cooper-Menguy has been an interior designer for more than 60 years and has had her work displayed in Architectural Digest and Interior Design magazines. 

Jan 22, 2021
Grand Tetons as Backdrop

Hyatt Mannix and Matthew Thomas Powers had planned to marry at the bride's parents' house on Bluff Road in Amagansett, but the pandemic forced a change of plans. They decided instead to have a very small outdoor wedding on Dec. 30 in Jackson, Wyo., near where they live, with the stunning vistas of the Grand Tetons as a backdrop. The Rev. Alison Coplan officiated, and a reception followed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jackson Hole.

The bride is the daughter of Gretchen and John B. Mannix. The groom's parents are Joyce and Jerry Powers of Paxton, Mass.

Jan 14, 2021
An East Hampton Ghost of Christmas Past

At Christmastime in East Hampton, the festive lights across town enliven holiday spirits. This is the story of one of those spirits.

Dec 3, 2020
Celebrating Kwanzaa on the East End

Calls for change — for justice system reforms and an end to systemic racism — echoed throughout 2020 in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. That is why, when James Banks of Southampton celebrates Kwanzaa this December, he will reflect a little more closely on some of the principles of the holiday — most notably, he said, "unity."

Dec 3, 2020
Deep-Dish Bonac: A Social History of Clam Pie

You can come from the depths of salt-of-the-earth New England and still know nothing of the East Hampton clam pie. I should know. I am such a person. I was raised in Newburyport, Mass., home to such icons as the American Coast Guard, William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator Magazine, and parts of the Underground Railroad. I grew up on whole-bellied clams, both steamed and fried, but, until I moved to East Hampton half a decade ago, I had never heard of them being baked into a pie. 

Dec 3, 2020
Holiday Improvisations

Christmas was a new experience when I married into a local family and settled in Amagansett in the early 1960s. Neither my upbringing, which was secular and Jewish, nor my college years or gad-about life in New York City as a young woman of bohemian leanings had been at all Kris Kringle-y.

Dec 3, 2020
Joining With All People of Prayer

Saint Augustine points to the early Christians’ tradition of celebrating Christmas in the winter as anything but coincidental. In the Northern Hemisphere, we have just passed the darkest day of the year and now move into a period of ever-increasing light and a new year brimming with hope and enthusiasm.

Dec 3, 2020
Will East Hampton Have a White Christmas?

Bill Evans, chief meteorologist at WLNG Radio and the National Weather Service, was at least honest about the likelihood of a white Christmas on the East End this year. "Eleven percent chance," he said apologetically, adding, "That's why, when Bing sings, he says, 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.' He's dreaming of it!"

Dec 3, 2020
In Sag Harbor, a Symbol of Hope and Light

To light a menorah in the window at Hanukkah is to illuminate one's small corner of the world with hope. This year in Sag Harbor, for the first time in quite a while, a highly meaningful menorah will be lighted in the window of the Center for Jewish Life.

Dec 2, 2020
The Giving List: Six Ways to Help Neighbors in Need

To give is to love, is it not? Especially during the winter holidays, and more especially when there is no expectation of getting something in return. Here are six ways East Enders can spend their time and share their resources to help their neighbors in need.

Santa's Little Helpers

Dec 2, 2020
The Grocery List: Stock Your Pantry With Holidays in Mind

You're not really thinking of throwing some big holiday parties this year, are you? No, of course not. However, it's likely that you may be stopping by friends' and families' houses, and maybe expecting some folks and kin yourself, for low-key, safe-distance entertaining.

Dec 2, 2020
The Playlist: A Holiday Soundtrack From South Fork Musicians

At least we have the holidays to bring a bit of cheer. If you need a few tips to set the mood, the South Fork's musicians have no shortage of suggestions.

Dec 2, 2020
The Shopping List: Keeping Cozy Inside and Out

The Star's hunter-gatherer, Durell Godfrey, went shopping for "cozies" so that everyone can stay warm against the winter chill. Bundle up for a beach walk, or cuddle after walking the dog. Indoors or out, take these warm wishes, wrap them up, and share them. Remember to shop locally and drive carefully.

Dec 2, 2020
The Short List: Celebrating the Winter Solstice

The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, is also a day that many people celebrate as a spiritual holiday, to gather with a small group of close friends or family and welcome back the sun. This year, it will be Monday, Dec. 21, according to the Farmer's Almanac.

Dec 2, 2020