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An Alabama grandpa’s bucket of old baseballs is touching the world. Ethan Anderson shared a photo of a bucket of old baseballs his grandfather, Randy Long, left at the batting cages they used to go to together, in the hopes that some future kids might make use of them. But it’s the note attached to the bucket that has people reaching for the tissues. “My grandad left an old bucket of balls at the batting cages we used to go to with this note on them…....

More than a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a dog “stranded” on the roof of an RV in Arcadia, an area “severely impacted” by flooding. Officials believe the dog was trapped on the roof for as many as nine days. “Thankfully, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office was able to mobilize the boat and rescue the dog,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook....

Emmanuel Todd Lopez, the world’s most beloved emu, is recovering after the South Florida hobby farm where he resides was hit with a deadly bout of avian flu. Taylor Blake, who runs Knuckle Bump Farms, shared on Twitter Saturday that they lost 99% of the birds on the farm to the virus. Only two birds—one of them Emmanuel—survived. “We lost 50+ birds in 3 days,” Blake shared in a now-viral thread....

All you need to cut a butternut squash is a knife, a cutting board, and confidence. It also helps to choose a squash with a long, straight neck—they are much easier to peel and slice than their shapely counterparts. Make sure your chef’s knife is sharp. A dull knife won’t be able to easily cut through the squash’s thick skin and you may risk cutting yourself. If you’re nervous about the cutting board slipping around as you work, place a kitchen towel underneath the board to help anchor it as you slice the squash....

Given its proximity to Washington, D.C., and a busy international airport like Dulles, you’d expect Leesburg to feel like a modern suburb on the verge of sprawl, but just the opposite is true. Locals and travelers enjoy an authentic small-town experience as they stroll cobbled sidewalks of the historic district or jostle down dirt roads to an area vineyard. And at Christmastime, the whole town gets into the holiday spirit....

It has long been said that South Carolina has four distinct barbecue regions, defined primarily by sauce. Sweet, tangy mustard-based sauce dominates the center part of the state, from the counties around the capital city of Columbia down through the Lowcountry. In the northeast, from Florence and Kingstree over to Myrtle Beach, a spicy blend of vinegar and pepper is standard. The so-called Upstate along the North Carolina border is home to a thin red sauce made from vinegar and tomato, while folks in the counties along the Savannah River prefer a thick ketchup-based version....

The trailer for Ree Drummond’s acting debut is here! Candy Coated Christmas, Food Network’s first scripted movie, will air on discovery+, and we have a first look at all the delicious holiday cheer to come. In the trailer for the Hallmark-esque movie, Molly Gallant (Molly McCook) returns to her late mother’s Washington hometown after learning that the family business is struggling financially. Molly’s plan to sell her mother’s childhood home begins to lose steam after she meets the current renter, Noah Winters (Aaron O’Connell) and starts to fall in love with him, the town, and its bakery (run by Drummond’s character)....

We have a long list of favorite television series that are set in the South, and Netflix has an upcoming show that’s vying for a spot on that list. It’s Sweet Magnolias, a feel-good series about friendship and family that’s set in a fictional South Carolina town. The show is based on the Sweet Magnolias book series by Sherryl Woods. The series began with Stealing Home, which was originally published in 2007, and also includes the books A Slice of Heaven, Feels Like Family, Welcome to Serenity, Home in Carolina, Sweet Tea at Sunrise, Honeysuckle Summer, Midnight Promises, Catching Fireflies, and Where Azaleas Bloom....

Variety is the spice of life—except when it’s not. Have you ever noticed that once you become known for bringing a popular dish to a party, it’s almost an unwritten rule that you’re expected to bring it to every gathering thereafter? It doesn’t matter if you’re looking forward to wowing your fellow partygoers with a new creation, because you’ll never hear the end of showing up without your tried-and-true recipe they’ve been craving all year....

For every person staring up at the sky in awe on the Fourth of July, there’s a dog cowering in a corner. Ears back, panting, trembling, hiding—for some pet parents, seeing their pup in fireworks-induced distress can be enough to ruin the holiday altogether. This intense anxiety caused by loud noises is the result of evolution. Like all animals, dogs survive by avoiding perceived threats, so until we can explain to them that fireworks are essentially harmless, they’re going to keep panicking every time the sky explodes....

Bacon is a very important subject. Even if your scrambled eggs rival those of your favorite restaurant and your pancakes are fluffy, ruin the bacon and breakfast may be doomed. What’s the secret to perfect strips of crisp, evenly cooked bacon? We’ve rounded up some tips to help you get it just right so you can serve it to a crowd or use it to upgrade your favorite recipes. Starting with a Hot Pan I won’t keep you waiting: always start with a cold pan....

The flower made famous by Susan Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief is in danger. The rare ghost orchid, which can only be found in Cuba and in the flooded forests of South Florida, is facing extinction thanks to mounting threats from poaching, habitat degradation, and climate emergency. Conservation groups The Institute for Regional Conservation, The Center for Biological Diversity, and The National Parks Conservation Agency submitted a joint petition requesting that the species be granted protected status and specific habitats be designated for the survival and recovery of the plant....

People can’t stop raving about this clear kayak eco-tour through Shell Key Preserve near St. Petersburg, Florida. In fact, the trip, which is offered by Get Up And Go Kayaking, was rated the best activity in the U.S. by nearly 2,000 TripAdvisor reviews in 2021. No small feat! The approximately two-hour trip begins in the quaint island town of Tierra Verde. The first stop is a mangrove tunnel (tide permitting) where paddlers can catch a glimpse of a wide variety of fish and nesting birds....

Nothing says the arrival of a new season quite like rotating your shoe collection. So with fall just around the corner, this means it’s time to give your sandals a break and let boots make their long-awaited return. If you’re in the market for a new pair of go-to fall booties (who isn’t?), there’s good news — doing so will hardly put a dent in your wallet when you grab this $25 pair shoppers are swooning over....

Atlanta may be the spot for luxurious shopping and global dining throughout the year, but during the holidays it shines like no other time. If you’re looking for an activity for the whole family, check out one of Atlanta’s many impressive Christmas light displays. During theholidays, Atlanta is filled with exciting shows for people young and old. By hayride, car, or nose-nipping stroll, these are the six light shows and displays you won’t want to miss this Christmas season....

The Carolinas have lost another culinary legend. Just a few days after the death of Charleston icon Martha Lou Gadsden, Wilberdean “Wilber” Shirley, one of the original owners of historic Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro, North Carolina, died at the age of 90. Shirley, who was living in a retirement community, was just a few months shy of his 91st birthday. “It is with a heavy heart we share that Mr. Wilberdean Shirley has gone to be with the Lord,” his eponymous restaurant shared on Facebook Monday....

Whether you got carried away with the mayonnaise or the mustard, runny deviled eggs happen to the best of us. But before you defile your carefully peeled whites with liquefied filling, you should consider this deviled egg-saving trick from Lifehacker’s resident food guru, Claire Lower. Lower, who has made a career out of turning everything we thought we know about cooking on its head, suggests instant mashed potatoes as a remedy for gloopy deviled egg filling....

If you’ve ever had an Original Glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme, you’ll understand why this Southern sweet has a cult-like following. Perfectly soft and pillowy, Krispy Kreme’s doughnuts are so good that many bypass the more deluxe flavors – like the new Reese’s Peanut Butter Doughnut – for a hot, fresh Original Glazed doughnut. There’s just something about that green and red box that makes all bad days better. If you’re a self-proclaimed doughnut aficionado who takes the longer-way home in order to hit your local Krispy Kreme before dinner, listen up....

Old cassette tapes and CDs are out, but you can still jam to those oldies but goodies with a well-curated playlist. Road trips can get rather boring when your eyes are glued to the endless pavement ahead. Why not ditch the “I Spy” game and spice up your drive with a tribute to the greatest old-school hits? Legends like Bruce Springsteen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Billy Joel are sure to entertain you on your long expedition....

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Lights adorn neighborhood homes and illuminate freshly cut trees; frost nips at our noses and mugs of hot cocoa beckon us with cheery, chocolatey warmth. While there’s plenty to love about Christmastime, one of our favorite aspects of the holiday is the time it allows us to spend with our loved ones. This feeling is magical at first—but after a few days of non-stop family time, we can start to get a bit restless....