We first met Dan our first spring in Heath in 1980. He stopped by the house to say he had come to get some farm implement that the previous owner said he could leave in the barn. The ensuing chat revealed that he and other friends had lived in our house for a time. Although we could not know it then, this was really a sign that our lives were already joined through the house, and would become even…
Paul Tukey of Safe Lawns sent this moving letter: "In the midst of planning movie premieres and national anti-chemical campaigns, our life as we knew it stopped suddenly when my wife went into labor at precisely 12:55 a.m. last Thursday. For the next several hours, I was either glued to a stopwatch or being gripped fiercely by my wife as her contractions grew closer and more powerful in succession. Incredibly important questions came at us from all directions…
The Belly Bus came to Greenfield Town Common on Friday. When I dropped off my donations Sara Cummings of Franklin County Community Action told they had already collected almost TWO TONS of non-perishable foodstuff and more food was still coming in. Families First brought in their cartons of donations and other groups were waiting to drop theirs off. The Belly Bus helps stock local food pantry shelves; at this time of the year pantries are nearly empty. And this…
First I have to say the very most important event of the past week was the wedding of my cousin Jay and his beloved Juliet in a beautiful garden in Manchester by the Sea. It was a glorious day and celebration was in the air. Our hotel was hosting three wedding receptions and packed to the rafters with SEVEN groups of wedding guests. Juliet is a Nanny in the classic mode. The wedding guest list was filled with her…
I never knew there was an American Public Gardens Association, or a National Public Gardens Day, but I certainly appreciate and applaud the many public gardens, large and small, in my area for the information and inspiration I gain from each one of them. The term public garden seems to cover many types of garden, so I'd like to mention a few that I have enjoyed. Closest to home is The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls which…
Saturday we went to daughter Betsy's house for our third family Christmas gathering and we got all the traditional holiday treats. First there was a toy needing assembly. In this case a very simple cat Rolling Rocker. Rory and Tynan are going to the animal shelter this week to choose two kittens and all they wanted was everything about cats. They got a calendar (365 kittens!), two books about cats, kitten napkins, kitten toys and the rolling rocker.…
As we prepare for our Thanksgiving feats I cannot imagine one table that will include potatoes. In my family we always have mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes.We don’t often think about the value of the potato; it is so basic to our diet. Many think of meat and potatoes as the beginning of any menu, but it was not always so.The potato originated in Peru 4,000 or 7,000 or possibly even 14,000 years ago. The Spanish conquistadors…
All the festive events for the holiday weekend actually began on October 8th when friends gathered with Elsa Bakalar, our most famous and generous local gardener, to celebrate her 90th birthday. It's been a difficult year for Elsa with two broken hips and other injuries, but she was as ready for her party as any of us. Judy (left) worked with Elsa for many years in Elsa's house and gardens and Marie (center) has known Elsa since she…
Last weekend I worked at The Riverfest in Shelburne Falls. Our theme was the 100 mile diet, which is really just a hook to hang eating local on. We live in a rural area with a few remaining dairy farms. However, less visibly, hidden on the back roads are an increasing number of small farm raising produce under the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system, selling shares for weekly distributions during the growing season, as well as goat farms…