Garden Gossip

Anglesey, Wales: Daffodils, Scenery, and Historic Sites

Celebrate Daffodil Day (March 22) and the start of the spring travel season with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "English Connection" show with Glynn Burrows who talks about his adventures in Anglesey, Wales. 
You can read Glynn's article about the daffodils, beautiful scenery, and historic sites like Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey, here:  https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/anglesey-wales-daffodils-scenery-and-historic-sites/ 
Glynn Burrows is the owner of Norfolk Tours in England. He appears on Big Blend Radio every fourth Saturday covering England as a travel destination as well as family history research. Follow his podcasts here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm2IK_1Zfh-xJ9eEVYhqqC3Z 
Learn more about Norfolk Tours at https://norfolk-tours.co.uk/ 
This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Big Daily Blend," "Way Back When," "Garden Gossip," and "Vacation Station" shows. Check out our network of podcasts here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Creating a Pet-Friendly Backyard

Celebrate National Backyard Day (March 19)  and the Start of Spring with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Pet Connection" Show that focuses on ways to create a backyard that is pet-friendly. Hear about toxic plants, fencing tips, and basic needs like shade and water, and more. 
Big Blend Radio's PET CONNECTION Show is hosted by veteran pet sitters Nancy J Reid & Lisa Smith, the mother-daughter team behind Big Blend Radio & Magazines, and cohosted by Angela Laws, veteran pet sitter, and community manager at https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/  
Check out this veterinarian approved article about Poisonous Plants for Pets on the Trustedhousesitters blog:   https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/pets/pretty-yet-poisonous-plants-for-dogs-to-avoid/  This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Big Daily Blend"  and "Garden Gossip" Podcast Channels. Follow the "Pet Connection" podcast at https://pet-connection.podbean.com/ 

Exploring The Rose City - Portland, Oregon

From gardens and historic sites to animal encounters and cultural hotspots, it's all about Portland, Oregon on this episode of Big Blend Radio's travel podcast "Journey Jukebox with Lisa." Hear about Lisa's experiences in The City of Roses including the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Pittock Mansion, The Grotto, Mississippi Studios, and Powell's Books, and the Oregon Zoo.
LINKS TO LISA'S PORTLAND ARTICLES- https://rovology.com/united-states/oregon/rediscovering-the-rose-city-portland-oregon/ - https://fwtmagazine.com/a-step-back-in-time-pittock-mansion-in-portland-oregon/ 
LINKS TO PORTLAND SITES- https://www.portland.gov/parks/washington-park-international-rose-test-garden - https://japanesegarden.org/ - https://www.oregonzoo.org/ - https://thegrotto.org/ - https://pittockmansion.org/ - https://mississippistudios.com/  - https://www.powells.com/ 
JOURNEY JUKEBOX MUSIC PLAYLIST on SPOTIFY (updated each episode):  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=54c7630328284648 
Portland Photos by Lisa Evans, and courtesy of Travel Portland. 
LISA EVANS is a travel writer and photographer, travel advisor, and author of "100 Things to Do in Coastal Mississippi Before You Die."  More at https://writerlisa.com/ and https://www.gosmart.travel/advisors/lisa/evans 
New episodes of Big Blend Radio’s ”Journey Jukebox with Lisa” Podcast air every 3rd Tuesday at 12pm CST. Follow the podcast from your favorite platform here:  https://journeyjukebox.podbean.com/ 
This episode is also featured on our Big Blend Radio "Garden Gossip" and "Vacation Station" Channels.  Check out our Big Blend Radio Network of podcasts here:  https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Spring Adventures in Asheville

From the Biltmore Blooms and the Asheville Orchid Festival to Art Shows and Music Events, Hiking and Chasing Waterfalls, and the Southern Conference Basketball and Wrestling Championships, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Adventures in Asheville" Podcast covers Spring Adventures in Asheville, North Carolina.
As always the show features Steve & Karen Wilson "Mr & Mrs Wild, who own and run The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast, a stunning pink lady in the Montford Historic District. More: https://www.lion-rose.com/   
Big Blend Radio's "Adventures in Asheville" Show airs every 1st Tuesday. Follow the show on PodBean: https://adventures-asheville.podbean.com/ 
This episode is also being shared and featured on other Big Blend Radio Network Podcast Channels including "Vacation Station" and "Garden Gossip," Check out our network of podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Paula Whyman - Bad Naturalist

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show, author Paula Whyman discusses her memoir, "BAD NATURALIST: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop," out now through Timber Press. 
A few years ago, Paula Whyman decided to leave her Maryland / suburban DC empty nest to find a rural getaway -- maybe a small farmhouse where she could put her interest in conservation to work. With little experience in gardening or conservation, Whyman had a crazy idea to cultivate a small native meadow to provide an acre or two where wildlife could thrive and she could explore with her poodle. Then she set foot on 200 acres of old farmland atop a Virginia mountain about 20 miles outside Front Royal, VA and her dream became a reality.
In "BAD NATURALIST: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop," author Paula Whyman explains how she cares for her mountain-sized ecological restoration challenge with a mixture of humility and humor.  She quickly discovers it’s impossible to be a “good” naturalist. More at https://paulawhyman.com/ 

Leah Rothstein - Author, Community Organizer, Housing Program Expert

In observance of World Social Justice Day, this episode of Big Blend Radio features Leah Rothstein, a veteran community organizer, local housing program expert, and co-author of "Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law" (Liveright: June 2023), which will be released in paperback on March 4, 2025.
In 2017 Richard Rothstein wrote "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America." The book has sold more than 1 million copies and started a revolution in the housing industry by explaining America’s troubled housing situation.  
Newly educated and informed communities across the nation began to take action.  As Richard toured the country educating local communities, the communities began reviewing their housing policies and initiating changes.Realizing direction was needed to help communities get started and move the process forward, Richard enlisted his daughter, Leah Rothstein, to co-author "Just Action." 
"Just Action" provides concrete examples of what communities can do to improve local housing policies. Paired with an active "Just Action Substack" column, challenging segregated housing is happening across the nation. Visit: https://www.justactionbook.org/ 

Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 2nd Wednesday "Books & Authors" Show with Books Forward features author and writer Barbara Boyle who discusses her new memoir, "Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse.” 
From a high stress career in global advertising to a simple rural life in a barn in an Italian hill town, "Pinch Me" shares Barbara's journey of transformation through love, food and community in Piemonte. Discover how she leaves her life behind in San Francisco and takes apart a 300-year-old stone barn to build a new home, a new life, in Italy. It’s a tale filled with discoveries, disappointments, pleasures, frustrations, and triumphs. And given the gastronomic excellence of the region, she shares some special recipes as well. Get the book or learn more here: https://www.barbaraboyleauthor.com/ 
More about Books Forward at https://booksforward.com/ 

Winter Adventures In Charleston, South Carolina

It's all about Parks, Plantations, and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina, on this episode of Big Blend Radio's JO GOES EVERYWHERE! Podcast with travel writer and photographer Jo Clark. 
Hear all about Jo's adventures at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, and Hampton Park, plus, where to eat, sip, and stay. Check out her article about it all here: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/winter-in-charleston-south-carolina/ 
Jo Clark is a travel writer and photographer based on South Carolina’s Grand Strand. She has a thirst for knowledge, history, great food, and wine! Her Big Blend Radio podcast "Jo Goes Everywhere!" airs every 2nd Sunday at 7pm EST. Follow the show on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/yfkjm8sd