Blogs
Foraging
Sauerkraut, and garlic are all that remain of last year’s garden – at least all that’s edible. This season’s new growth provides me with lettuce, spinach and chives. I can make a hell of a salad, but it’s a little calorie thin. I try to...Deer eating crackers
I spent a recent weekend on Fire Island hoping to catch a striped bass as I did last year. The fish won this year. I am not a particularly accomplished fisherman, whereas the fish are quite accomplished fish; they have an advantage. The surf didn’t help either...Markets
We live in a valley that is nearly saturated with farm stands and farmers’ markets. I frequent a few stands, mostly for asparagus and corn. For the weekly market though, I have a definite preference. I won’t say which one as it might generate an angry...On growing peppers
My garden and yard are now in full fall regalia. Leaves are scattered over an unevenly mown lawn; sticks blown down by storms and toys tossed aside by children accent the disarray. I’ve moved perhaps half of the compost to the garden but only spread a few beds;...Planting Cherries
According to lots of “sources” on the internet there’s a Chinese proverb: “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.” I think “Chinese proverb” just lends the saying the aura of wisdom. It...Lembas and physics
Magic violates the laws of physics. In some states it violates other laws as well. I suppose with the recent election some forms of magic may become the law in certain southern states. In the reality based part of the country (does Massachusetts still count?), what...Editing
Buying an older house means you will inherit some things from the previous owners. Unfortunately they seldom leave high end stereo systems. More often they leave things like 100 pound bags of Portland cement that have a rip down the middle. They’ll hide this...Fear of the unknown
I, like most animals am afraid of unknown things that appear to be dangerous to my livelihood. Charlie Baker scares me. Like me, my chickens fear strange and unknown things; their acceptance of me suggests they do fine with strange and known things. A hawk or a...Spittlebugs
I’ve happened upon an insect I haven’t see in a while: a spittle bug. I found several of the offending loogis along the stem of a newly planted sage. The “spittle” is actually repurposed plant phloem. “Repurposed” in this case means...Sick Chicken
Last night on the bus I was thinking about my chicken. That’s not against the rules on a PVTA bus, though “failure to meet minimum standards for public health and hygiene” is. I will assume that either I have met the minimum standards for public...Cloudy with a chance of ninjas
As I write we’re experiencing our first snow fall of the year, which also happens to be our first snowstorm. I’m a weather denier as a habit. This is not the same as a climate change denier. People who refuse to accept the evidence for anthropogenic...Wolf Foot
This winter we haven’t gotten enough snow. “Enough” is what allows for cross country skiing. Even in New Hampshire where I spent part of the holidays the snow cover was patchy or absent. We passed a very wet hour tubing at a ski resort. The wet snow...Conifers
On Christmas day I enact my most gratifying statement of rebellion against the dominant paradigm I haul the Christmas tree out of the house, cut off the branches and throw it in the brush pile on top of several previous years’ trees. The boarders don’t...
Nightcrawler: The Elephant in the Newsroom
How do you start an interview with a 59-year-old actor who is coming off a year that included (literally) anchoring one of television’s most critically acclaimed series and co-starring in a flatulence-laden, sophomoric smash hit box office comedy weeks before his...
Nightcrawler: The Elephant in the Newsroom
How do you start an interview with a 59-year-old actor who is coming off a year that included (literally) anchoring one of television’s most critically acclaimed series and co-starring in a flatulence-laden, sophomoric smash hit box office comedy weeks before...Inaugural Post
This is that most awkward of blog entries: the inaugural post, in which (channeling Pooh) the author tries to introduce herself and give the reader some idea what the story is. Or perhaps, what my story is. Well, here it is. I wanted to start a blog about these...Earning Spring (or Enduring Winter)
It's fair to say that before moving to New England, where I have lived–other than a year and a half sojourn to London–since 1981, when I started Hampshire College, I didn't appreciate spring. Okay, I was barely eighteen. I could argue that there...Mommy Wars: Breastfeeding Battle
If you're a follower of modern day parenting and media coverage about modern day parenting, you realize that in the so-called "mommy wars," breastfeeding is not unlike a country with ongoing, supposedly insoluable conflicts (think, Middle East for...Talking about Unfathomable Wrongs
Day by day practically, we seem to be learning about the unconscionable wrongdoings the previous administration deemed "necessary." I put the word in quotes, because it is so unbelievable to think–despite so much evidence reported, even then, to those...Snapshots from the Mothers' Movement
One of the real pleasures I've had as a freelance writer has been working with Judith Stadtman Tucker, who founded Mothers Movement Online. The MMO sought to be a clearinghouse for information about the social, political, and economic status of mothers, in order...I'll Be Twist(ing)
I don't go out much at night (mainly because my younger kids are six and nearly fifteen months). Tonight, though, I'll be at the Northampton Center for the Arts for the Twist Fair, where sixty crafty vendors will be sharing their wares (some wears, I'm...Remy's Art to Remy Friends
My son, Remy, who is six, drew the flowers flanking my blog's title, Standing in the Shadows. He is very excited to be "famous" for his art. What does he think he'll be when he grows up? Answer: an artist. A famous artist. More famous than Grandpa....Pride in and for My Town
The first Saturday in May in Northampton, Massachusetts is Pride. We don't even necessarily say something longer like the Pride March. It's Pride. Pride's certainly what I felt today, in the middle of a big crowd (estimates by the organizers were 10,000...Access/Condoms
Sometimes, people talk about the days before abortion, when condoms were unavailable for purchase by women (read, unmarried women). Many forms of contraceptives that were once unavailable are now, at least in theory, available. If you've been through adolescence...How To…
On wintry mornings, I like to walk through my kids’ elementary school building in order to get from the kindergarten—where I drop Remy and his lunch—to the main entrance at the opposite end of the building before heading back for the cold walk home....Bristol Palin's PRO-Abstinence (After the Fact)
There are many cynical takes on Bristol Palin's stepping onto the morning chat show circuit as teen ambassador for Candie's Foundation, an organization funded by the company that markets sexy shoes to teens focused upon teen pregnancy prevention through...Mother's Day II
Just over a year ago, we adopted a baby. Already parents to three children, our family grew in a new way: we became an adoptive family. As Mother’s Day approaches, the holiday raises new questions, ones that didn’t apply before Saskia arrived.This is not a...Musings: Bike Week and the Non-Car Lifestyle
I am not moving anytime at all soon (if ever?). However, if i were to move, I'd be intrigued by a community like Vauban, Germany, an experimental, planned district outside of Freiberg near the German and Swiss borders where cars do not come into daily life. The...Reality Television: Nice Work? (If You Can Get It)
The latest round of headlines as the Gosselins ramp up toward the fifth season premiere of their reality show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, take the work/life balance into pretty depressingly set-the-bar-low territory. In case you've never heard of them (lucky you?!),...Boys, Bullies, and Parental Fear
There’s a particular type of fear that parenting invites, which grafts past onto future, as in, I don’t want what happened to me to happen to my kid. You hope your child won’t be picked last in gym class for dodge-ball teams. Insert your own bad...What's Divorce and Adoption Got to Do with it?
For advocates and supporters of legalizing same-sex marriages, New England has been providing some stunning, satisfying victories in recent weeks. Lots been written about why New England is blazing the trail. If you live here, it's not all that surprising,...Are Americans Really Anti-Abortion?
This headline posed a question that caught my attention: Is the Electorate Tilting "Pro-Life?" No surprise that this piece on the American Prospect blog critiques the headlines, which are potentially misleading. Pew came out with news of a tilt toward more...Does Having Daughters Make Parents More Liberal?
What an interesting article Andrew Gelman wrote about on fivethirtyeight.com, asserting–with numbers (disputable? maybe)–backing this up: parents with daughters are more liberal than parents with sons. In the article cited, researcher Ebonya Washington...Thoughts about Pottery
Yesterday evening, I strolled (by myself, itself a rare treat in the dinner/bedtime zone) downtown to see the Mark Shapiro, Maya Machlin, Michael McCarthy, Daniel Garretston; The Apprentice System: Stonepool Pottery show at the Artisan Gallery. I'd been speaking...Farmers' Markets & Local Bounty
Many times this year as I've observed–carefully, gratefully–the emergence of color from the small spears and buds and new grass through the parade of flowers marching past thus far, I've thought about how the gift given by New England's spring...Penultimate School Day, 2009
Tomorrow’s the last day of my kids’ school year. The three old enough for school are finishing kindergarten, fifth and seventh grades. They’ve learned a huge range of things this year, from beginning to read to beginning Chinese to writing essays...Bristol's Cover
This past week, newly-minted high school graduate Bristol Palin landed the cover of People Magazine, in red robes and baby Tripp. Not surprisingly, media coverage of the cover story ensued. From CNN to Huffington Post, the objective was to articulate what message...When Words Pick Up Swords: Anti-Abortion Terrorism Ensues
"Women and families are intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically competent to struggle with complex health issues — including abortion — and come to decisions that are appropriate for themselves." — George R. Tiller, M.D.,...Reclaiming Abortion Rights' Language
Dr. Susan Hill, President of the National Women's Health Foundation, and friend of the recently slain Dr. George Tiller, has spent a great deal of her week giving interviews. She makes clear, this from an interview on Salon, that Dr. Tiller helped women other...Another Question: When is Life Sustainable?
In my early twenties, I worked as an abortion counselor. This was in the mid-1980’s before abortion providers’ lives were on the line and groups like Operation Rescue targeted clinics ruthlessly. Even then, late abortions were rare. During the two years I...Abortion Access & Zero Tolerance for Violence
Because this perspective is filtering in slowly, I wanted to call attention to some smart thinking about Dr. Tiller's murder. Amy Goodman wrote a piece in Huffington Post about Dr. Tiller's murder having been preventable. In her article, she asks, what if the...On Food, Financial Aid, and Family
With economic turmoil on the minds of Main Street, Wall Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, your street and mine, conversations about money are substantively different than before the economy hit the skids. Collectively, we seem to be grappling with all kinds of things, from...Bottles and the Bad Parent Patrol
I'm going to write one of those posts based on the theory that the blogosphere is a small place (if you live in a big city and run into people you know regularly, you know what I mean). Over at Babble, Katie Allison Granju wrote yesterday about something I've...Words
Yesterday afternoon, in the space of maybe five minutes, I was served with two reminders both of how loaded words can be and how difficult it is to navigate our lives without letting our assumptions—and our experiences—unintentionally collide in hurtful...How Voices Are Best Heard
The "Twitter revolution" in Iran–huge protests over the election results, that would have been supressed if not for the way technology can now carry events repressed by those in power out into the larger world–has been amazing to witness this...Not Too… The Conundrum of the “Just Right” Book
The read-aloud is a great parental prize. There's little more delightful than snuggling up and reading a glorious picture book or diving into a chapter book with an eager young person. Yes, there are a few unavoidable pitfalls to the read-aloud gig: chiefly,...Sun and Rain, Rain and Sun
I just saw a flash–lightning bolt bright, it would seem–of sun. Put another way, we've had a lot of rain here in our Valley this month. Some of it has been really impressive rain, conjuring images of arks or words like monsoonish. Lots of days...Caught on Camera (But Not on Film)
It hasn't been the best week to be a Republican governor cheating on his wife (not great for Republican senators doing the same, either) or a husband with eight young children and a reality show rumored to have cheated on his wife. Governor Mark Sanford's...June 30th
Spend any time involved in the world of nonprofits and you know a deadline's looming. June 30th marks the end of the fiscal year for many nonprofit organizations. And this year's a particular nail biter, given what my eldest son refers to as "these tough...Fragility/Durability*
This spring, when all those first shoots were coming up—snowdrops, the spears before crocus or daffodil set to bloom, furled leaves curled, practically fetal—I kept thinking again and again how impossibly tender and small and delicate the green seemed. How...Well, Can Boys Wear Pink?
A couple of exchanges this week got me thinking about putting the words why we have notions that certain behaviors prove boyhood (or girlhood), masculinity or femininity. The first occurred when stopping by my friends' store, impish, where I noticed a new t-shirt...Pound Foolish: Making Choices Isn't Easy
As a parent, there are many variations upon this theme: how to help your kids make smart choices. Smart can mean many different things, from healthy to kind to compassionate to responsible to self-protective… Parents practice their messages, repeating phrases...In Praise of Paintbox Theatre (& Internships)
Having spent many summers since becoming a parent marveling at the fact that if you continue working in the summer, your kids need something to do once school lets out–ah, camp, that thing no one mentioned in childbirth class, along with the omissions about so...Passing
The spectacle that was Michael Jackson’s death continued this week. There were tributes to his contributions of music, movement, and style. Remembrance of Jackson-related bizarre—masks, animals, amusement park home—and Jackson-related...Spreading the Word
Recently, I've been thinking about how much I admire artists and writers whose work lives go beyond creating their own work to actively championing community–learning envirornments, supportive networks, forums for bringing their passion for writing or...Plus-Size–the New Euphemism for Fat?
The Freaky Friday analogy–in this case, as premise for Lifetime's summer series, Drop Dead Diva, it's blond bombshell trades places with any-euphemism-for-fat lawyer–seems tired before it begins. Pitched as a dippy-meets-dumpy or brains versus...The Contours of Rocks
Last night, I went to hear my old friend, Doug Anderson, read from his new book, a memoir entitled, Keep Your Head Down, in which he chronicles life before, through, and after Vietnam. Doug's a great storyteller and the book somehow manages to do what many who...Unabashed Admirer of Tomie dePaola
I don’t mean to write about books all the time (but I’m a writer, so I guess this counts as an occupational hazard). Here’s the thing: one of my favorite writers and illustrators is coming the Eric Carle Museum this weekend, on the occasion of his...Cooking with Lulu
Spend time with any smattering of young kids and you’ll find at least one with a strong preference for beige food. You know the kid; s/he will eat bread (in many forms). To that, add cereal or potatoes, applesauce, oatmeal, crackers… Vegetables? Not so...E-Edition
Best Of 2024
Readers Choice 2024
