Ah, fall! My favorite time of year for sure. Hot apple cider, pumpkin pie … and sweaters. The worse the nightly news, the more comfort I take in pulling on a cozy sweater as I either head out to face the day, or settle in for the evening. Here’s the thing about sweaters: They are […]
Mainewhile
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Substitute teaching is a pretty sweet gig
A lot of the collective day-to-day chaos from COVID has (thankfully) simmered down since last school year. Vaccines are widely available, masks are plentiful (and optional), and trips to the grocery store no longer feel like a tactical operation. One thing that hasn’t changed much though, is the lack of substitute teachers. If a teacher […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Stargazing spiders can shift perspectives
A really good friend recently sent me the podcast “No Such Thing as a Fish,” accompanied by this message, “My new favorite thing is knowing some spiders can see stars!” It’s true. Some spiders can see stars. They can also see the moon and a few other amazing things. We have no way of knowing […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Cultural perspectives deepen our connections
Recently in our home we’ve had a lot of conversations about culture and our identity within it. As a nation, we seem to be neck deep in this question: Who are we really? Can we hold on to the truths we once deemed self-evident and do the hard work to bring those into being? Or […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Banned books broaden our horizons
Banned Books Week, the American Library Association’s annual celebration of the right to read, has come to a close. What a party it was! A book party is always a good idea: stirring up imaginations, starting conversations, providing inspiration. Shining a spotlight on attempts at censorship – that’s just extra fabulous. Recently, despite calling ourselves […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: One man’s ascent to a generosity of spirit
Back in college, one of the first items of clothing to become a mainstay of my new Acadia hiking life was my beloved gray henley-style snap Patagonia fleece. Granted, it didn’t start out as mine. It belonged to a friend. But after several “borrowings,” it eventually took up residence in my closet full time. I […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Loan forgiveness benefits many more than just students
My parents are both children of the Great Depression. All through my childhood I heard stories about what that time of hardship was like. I heard about how hard it was to find food, about my grandmother buying cuts of meat for the family that she used to consider cat food, about my grandfather working […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Maine needs to increase ranks of firefighters
A few hours after typing this, I will park myself on a metal folding chair and settle in to watch my eldest son graduate from firefighting academy. I’m pretty proud of him. I fully own that there is some plain ol’ mama pride going on here, naturally, but this sort of thing is good for […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Mainers should be thankful for cheeky New York columnist
Each and every one of us owe a huge thank you to Cindy Adams, the visiting New Yorker who recently wrote about her trip to the Pine Tree State in an article for the New York Post. I’m guessing you’ve read it? Or maybe you’ve read about it? It is exactly the sort of ridiculous, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Turning up the heat on winter preparations
Back when I was a kid, “Aesop’s Fables” had a sort of fashionable revival and it was fairly common to hear them read aloud at the library story time. They were even a regular feature on Sesame Street. One of these was “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” The way the story goes (in most versions), […]