My book club read John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row” for our last meeting. You need to know two things before you think that line sounds pretentious. First, most of the time when we gather, we talk about the book for about fifteen minutes, then move on to food and life chatter. We all like ...

“What season is this anyway?” A visitor asked me a week or so ago. It was during our cold snap that had followed a brief, glorious stint of warm weather. According to the popular meme, we’re somewhere between the Spring of Deception and the Third Winter. According to scientists, ...

While the Scots have more than 400 words describing types and conditions of snow, by this time of year, I only have one. And that one isn’t printable. I enjoyed winter for the first frigid months by cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. But by mid-March, I am ready to tie up a new pair of ...

We had our adult children home over Carnival, which is always a good time for them to reconnect with their former classmates. Our son finished parade night by playing darts with old friends. The next morning, he observed that “none of us are where we thought we’d be six years after high ...

Girl Math. I bristled as I heard my son Quin playfully toss the term to his fiancee. I had heard it before, but never really paid attention. Initially, I thought this must be an insult equivalent to throwing like a girl or gossiping like an old woman. But as I silently fumed, Yasmin laughed ...

When our oldest daughter entered the Adirondacks Hamlets to Huts shop, Joe Dadey greeted her as he does everyone. Their conversation went something like this ... “Anything I can help you with?” “Yeah, my parents gave me a fleece-lined headband for Christmas, and now I want to get ...