My son Patrick came into the kitchen, his face worried. “I caught a mouse in the basement.” I shrugged. Mice came into our house all the time, part of life in the Connecticut woods. “Put it out,” I said. He looked at me like I’d just spoken Swahili. “How?” I sighed. Time to teach my […]
Yes! In Connecticut, we survived another winter of storms, freezing cold, icicles, power outages, and slippery roads. Now comes our reward. I always think of spring as the real start of the year. All that burgeoning new life. The earth smells clean and fresh. There are so many things to appreciate, but here are […]
At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of this strange cylindrical object sitting on our kitchen counter, courtesy of my husband Randy. “Have a nice day” it would say in a cool, female voice, or give the local weather forecast, or play whatever song we asked. Five years later, I’ve not only made peace […]
I try and stay away, but fail every time. It’s so easy to use, so lightweight and compact, so effortless. When I want something, I press a button and what I crave appears in seconds, like magic. The other day it occurred to me – I can’t live without this object. Yes, I’m addicted to […]
It always starts innocently. I’m minding my own business on Facebook when “it” appears on the sidebar. Like a mirage in the desert, this object shimmers on the edges, enticing and beckoning. That shirt I pined for last month, but could never find, is there in the perfect fit and color. I don’t need it, […]
Life is stressful. But there’s one thing my mom and I do that takes the edge off. The New York Times publishes a daily game called “The Spelling Bee.” You’re given seven random letters to make as many words as you can. One of the letters (which they select) has to be in each. […]
In these turbulent times, there’s one thing I do daily that keeps me on track and gives comfort. I turn to it, whether in the mood or not. And almost always, I feel better after. It’s an odd thing to find solace in. Some of you will think I’m crazy. Some of you will […]
It’s a spot I’d driven by thousands of times, a little country farm with a storefront, tucked away, across from our town’s middle school. In all my years here, I never went in. But Covid made for strange bedfellows and one day, needing eggs, I entered. Now “The Farm” has become a staple in my […]
It makes no sense. A series about muffins and quick breads should put everyone to sleep. But I count the days until the next episode of “The Great British Bake-Off” like I used to wait for the newest Beatles song. For an hour, I’m transported from tense America to the “baking tent,” amid the bucolic […]
God, this is a stressful time. My body’s buzzing with so much tension, I want to reach for a Xanax, two shots of tequila, or both. But the other day, I found something in my desk drawer, something small and plastic and gray. Something I’d forgotten about. I clipped it onto my waist band and […]
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