Biodiesel Day At Cranmore Mountain; Eggnog

Drivers of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles get rewarded with a free lift ticket and VIP parking for Biodiesel Day at Cranmore Mountain Resort on Saturday Jan. 21.

Cranmore, located in North Conway, NH, made headlines in 2003 when it became the first ski area east of the Mississippi to run its snow course grooming equipment and other diesel vehicles on the biodiesel (B20) fuel that few others were utilizing.

The resort uses more than 20,000 gallons of 20 percent biodiesel fuel each year which results in a 4,000 gallon reduction of conventional fossil fuel diesel.

Taste Local, Ask For It

For a seasonal treat to usher in the New Year, we recommend the fresh eggnog (also available in cartons) from Mountain Dairy, in collectible glass bottles - delectable and farm fresh. Here's a link to see the series of limited edition milk bottles plus the recipe page, which features eggnog cheesecake and eggnog poundcake - yum!

North American Alpaca Show at ESE

The North American Alpaca Show at the Mallary Complex, ESE grounds in West Springfield, Mass. (home of The Big E), Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call Kevin O'Leary (603) 636-1474, N.E. Alpaca Tours.

Monarch Migration Time: Milkweed

Milkweed seeds are getting ready for dispersal - more milkweed plants mean more monarch butterfly food and landing platforms.

Streams of migrating butterflies follow age-old pathways in the sky to migrate thousands of miles to winter in Mexico.

For details see www.monarchwatch.org, or www.monarch-butterfly.com to get an idea of the butterfly's journey and life cycle

The milkweed's sap is both acidic and somewhat poisonous to many animals. As a catarpillar feeds it absorbs the chemicals into its body - so the orange-and-black monarch tastes bitter to many of its predators.