Last summer, National Public Radio asked its audience, “What books shaped you in high school?” More than 1100 listeners responded. “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “1984” were the most frequently mentioned titles, followed by “Catcher in the Rye,” “Fahrenheit 451,” and “The ...

If you’ve read this column frequently enough, you know that my parents raised Newfoundland dogs. My mother got her first Newfoundland when she was 12, and a newfie survived the car accident that took her life 60 years later. Many dog stories were generated during that time period, but one ...

I have never liked the idiom, “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” I understand the analogy that we shouldn’t dwell on the errors because we can’t change the past. I also feel like we can cry over something that upsets us while learning from our mistakes. Both things can happen. I recently ...

In upstate New York, especially northern New York, much of our driving is on rural two-lane roads with maximum speed limits of 55 mph. With much less traffic than in urban driving, you might think rural driving would be safer, with fewer collisions. A Google search on this question finds ...

This November has been cold and snowy, but the ground is still not frozen. Harvest the leeks before a hard frost! These alliums add their distinctive, delicate flavor to all types of culinary delights — soups, stir-fries, chicken, pork, salads and egg dishes. If you haven’t yet tried ...