Health insurance. 401-K. Vision care. Paid vacation. Fresh tomatoes. As corporations continue to tighten their belts and cut employee benefits budgets, one of the newest perks is a company garden. In Purchase, NY, at the world headquarters for PepsiCo, the company garden is in its second year. Last year, 200 of the Purchase location's 1,450 employees signed up for garden plots, but so far only 75 have committed to gardening, and a lot of those plots are still weedy. Kim Severson, writing in yesterday's New York Times, visited Purchase and also talked to HR departments around the country about employee gardens. These corporate plots of dirt spring from growing attention to sustainability and a rising interest in gardening, Severson found. They also reflect an economy that calls for creative ways to build workers’ morale and health. You can read her story here: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dining/12gardens.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

     Sew...you like pincushhions. Until the mid-19th century, pins and needles were expensive and treasured by their owners. Around 1850, steel prices dropped dramatically and mass production techniques made these sewing necessities commonplace. Victorian women were enthusiastic about their sewing circles and projects, and pincushions became popular. Antique pincushions available today show how committed, and even competitive, Victorian women were with the homes for their tools. Lancaster Farming correspondent Linda Sarubin takes a look at pincushion collections in our current edition. You can read it here: http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/2935


     Hope takes a taxi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyXrSJpQ_tk&feature=popular