Photo Courtesy of N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation

We always hear that spending time in nature is good for us. But what exactly does that mean? I love wandering the woods. You probably love to be outside, too. But like me, you might need to know the why of something to prioritize it enough to make an impact. Here’s why spending time in nature is “good for you”. Nature's shapes and structures, the trees, the plants, the clouds, the tiny salamanders, are composed of fractal patterns, which our brains find easier to compress and process than man-made objects with their sharp angles. This "easier" sensory environment triggers reduced blood flow to the subgenual prefrontal cortex, which in turn lowers rumination, stress, and anxiety! If this

One of the best excuses for a summer drive is ice cream! I remember back in the day, going out after dinner with my mom and sister to little wayside places in the woods - our favorite flavors were Mocha Almond and Maple Walnut – no “Moose Tracks” for us! Call me old-fashioned! As an adult I can indulge in variety with frequency because I'm lucky to live in the Hudson Valley which is loaded with amazing ice cream places. Any excuse is a good excuse for a drive and a cone. These days, with the craze for artisanal everything, there are oodles of home-made varieties of hard ice cream in wild flavors to be explored! I'm one of those equal opportunity ice cream-lovers, I like it hand-dipped or smooth and twisty! Both species of dairy goodness (hard and