If this was a “normal” year, this week I would be surrounded by a wild, tangled clutter of colored strips of paper. On each one would be a “gratitude” written by a student, often in a near-unintelligible scrawl. I would be grabbing the glue stick and, with a practiced rhythm, swipe the glue across one […]
Mainewhile
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Sacrifice now to celebrate the future
We’re doing Thanksgiving a little differently in my family this year. Well, OK, a lot differently actually. Like you (I hope), we are staying apart in order to be able to be together once this virus is under control. Ethical qualms about the origins of the holiday aside, I love Thanksgiving. Love it. I know […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Sometimes things aren’t what we expect them to be
My youngest son is in his senior year of high school. The fundamental questions of “Who am I?” and “What am I going to be?” loom large. Ever since he was fairly young, he’s wanted to go to college and become a sports journalist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never doubted he could do […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: We should welcome knowledge, not reject it
When I was a teenager, my sister lived in Scotland for a year and made friends with a brilliant pianist from China who had defected to the west. When he eventually moved to the U.S., he came to visit our family and we all got to hear stories of what his life had been like. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: The idea at the heart of our nation is getting lost
Hang around folks who study governance long enough and you will undoubtedly encounter the debate over whether our nation is a democracy or a republic. I often find myself hesitating before using either term, knowing that somewhere out there, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce, is an individual who feels strongly about it and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Happy, belated, Indigenous Peoples Day
Maine officially adopted Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated this past Monday, in April of last year. Brunswick was even earlier, making the change from Columbus Day back in 2017 (along with several other Maine towns), though the United Nations beat us all to it back in 1977. This is a good thing. Italian culture has given […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Neighborliness needed now more than ever
I have a new neighbor. Actually, I have several. Technically, they are the neighbors; I am the one that’s new. It’s hard to know how to behave in this situation, given the pandemic. I mean, in the old days (by which I mean last year), I’d have baked a little something, walked over and introduced […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Check out Banned Books Week
This week is special. From now until Oct. 3, we celebrate and pay homage to one of our most basic freedoms: the right to “seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.” That’s right, it’s Banned Books Week! The official celebration (check out bannedbooksweek.org, site of the above quote) began in 1982. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Good board games build memories, family bonds
I grew up in a family of gamers. No, no, not that kind. Heck, for much of my childhood we didn’t even have a TV, let alone video games. I mean the non-tech kind of games. We played a lot of card and board games around the dining room table. There were many “go-to” games […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Mainewhile: Big conversations overdue at cusp of summer’s end
You can feel it. The air has a crispness to it, the sunlight slants at a different angle, the breezes mean business. Summer is coming to a close and autumn is on our doorstep. Usually, this is my favorite time of year. Soup and pumpkins, sweaters and cider. Usually, this is when we are stocking […]