Our house offers two distinct vantage points ”“ one side nestles into the woods, another opens to the garden. The two are sufficiently different that guessing the time of day from each, at the same moment, invariably leads to different results. The days appear longer on the garden side, harder to gauge in the woods. […]

The recent spate of thunderstorms has given us spectacular, rumbling lightshows complete with billowing clouds, pounding showers of rain and strangely colored skies. They’re magnificent to watch, but these storms can also be very dangerous. We were unfortunately reminded of that fact in late June, when the severe thunderstorm that hit York and Cumberland counties […]

Unless your friends are the open-minded, cool-headed sort, it’s probably a good idea to avoid any kind of discussion about politics if you still want invites to their backyard barbecues and all-night keggers. Political divisiveness being what it is, voicing support for a candidate or policy is a good way to get paperweights chucked at […]

The Fourth of July is America’s birthday. Each year, at this time, we celebrate the freedom our nation reached for on July 4, 1776, when a group of patriots published the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration stated that we no longer owed allegiance to Britain, and “that all men are created equal, that they are […]

This Thursday will mark the second Fourth of July in Maine in which fireworks are legal, since the new law was implemented, which likely means many more trips to the emergency room on the holiday as well as fires and explosions from improper use of fireworks products. The dangers of fireworks are why we want […]

Occasionally, a glance outside leaves me speechless. It’s not that I can’t find the words to describe what I’m seeing, but I’m at a complete loss if I try to give voice to the feelings it evokes within me. It happened again the other night, when I happened to look out the window on my […]

When news broke more than a week ago that Massachusetts police were investigating New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for the murder of Odin Lloyd, it was both shocking and unbelievable. When details first emerged of the investigation, many people speculated that police were questioning Hernandez not as a potential alleged murderer, but as […]

Many years ago, the ninth-grade baseball team I was coaching led our opponents 9-4 as we batted in the top of the seventh (and last) inning. With one out, I flashed the “steal” sign to the runner at first base, who easily pilfered second on the ensuing pitch. That moved the opposing coach to call […]

LONDON – Young children and certain other people with the AIDS virus should be started on medicines as soon as they are diagnosed, the World Health Organization says in new guidelines that also recommend earlier treatment for adults. The advice will have the most impact in Africa, where nearly 70 percent of people with HIV […]

In a previous column, I wrote that a budget is a reflection of our priorities. Whether it’s our personal home budget or the state’s budget, we plan, save and spend based on what is important to us.   The governor’s proposed budget was a $400 million tax shift onto our towns, the middle class and homeowners. […]