Well, here we all are. The holiday season has peaked, and now we are slushing and sliding into the new year. How are you holding up? The question might sound flippant, but I mean it. Winter is hard and while the holidays, with all of the lights and the “making merry” and whatnot, are intended […]

Right, so I realize this is a little late in the game, but for those of us who celebrate Christmas, there is a farm, a tree farm, out there doing it right. Not that all you other Christmas tree farms are getting it “wrong,” but this farm just really nailed the Christmas vibe. How, you […]

Maine is not an easy place to grow old, which is weird. After all, we continue to be the oldest state in the nation by population. You’d think it would be Florida or Nevada – but nope. It’s us. You’d think, therefore, that we would have a plethora of elder care options, ways to make the […]

Thanksgiving behind us, we are now legitimately within the holiday season which, as it happens, is also budget season. At least for some of us. The thing about budgets is they are more than just dollars and cents. They are value statements. Those of us who have served in the nonprofit sector are steeped in […]

There’s a meme that’s been making the rounds of the internet for a few years now: “Not all heroes wear capes.” How true that is. Granted, usually the meme is employed in service to something witty or ironic, like for a kid who figures out how to save their younger sibling from having to eat […]

It’s the season for taking stock and being grateful, and I am so ready. I am all set for a seasonal reflection, family gatherings, decking halls and whatnot, but given the late breaking headlines, we have to make a small detour first – to cyber crime. Obviously, I would prefer to not have my identity […]

“How’d your pumpkins do this year?” The question from my brother-in-law caught me and my husband off guard. What? What pumpkins? For a few different reasons, all of which would be too long and boring to recount here, we don’t have a vegetable garden. Yet. Maybe not ever. Jury is still out, but certainly not […]

Like most, I am heartbroken and anxious and angry over the recent mass shooting in Lewiston. I am heartbroken for the lives lost, the families shattered, the kids who are having trouble sleeping at night now. I am anxious over the lack of answers, clarity or safety we have. I am angry because this feels […]

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. I mean, what’s not to love? It has whimsical costumes, scary stories, a normal bedtime (looking at you, New Year’s) and chocolate. What could be better? Plus, it takes place at this magical time of year where everything is windy and dark, shifting and in flux. Best of all, […]

It is not exactly news that the recent global pandemic took a toll on our collective sense of community and belonging. Sociologists are busy constructing studies to calculate what, if any, impacts upon our social fabric can be attributed to the pandemic, but while we wait for the graphs and figures, I’ll just wander out […]