It was a blustery day but sunny. It was a good day to go for a walk. As we strolled through one of the projects on the Jail-side of Greenfield, we headed downhill to a bike trail that lead to the Green River Recreation area by the Green River. Wild […]
“Take your hands out of your pockets! Stand back up there, on the curb sir!” It was a nightmare scene but one in which thankfully, I wasn’t going to regret for years and years. I felt last night great empathy for black men in America, all of whom would be […]
I’ve been enjoying a book that some might call “chick trip lit. ” What I like about Susan Jane Gilman’s Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is how cleverly she describes her traveling companion, Claire, when they are facing duress in 1986 communist China. The pair have known each […]
The map is what caught my eye. It was the familar shape of the United States, but down the middle were red checks, next to pink ones, and on the far edges, light green and dark green checks. It showed population decreases and increases for every county in the country, […]
Here is a parable I found on the web from a site called “Oceancityfools.com” Is Your Jar Full? When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar……and the beer. A Professor stood before his philosophy […]
We took a walk on Sunday down a road off Rte 122 that lead to water. It was a road that once connected one of the submerged towns: Dana, Enfield, and Prescott, that now lie beneath the mighty Quabbin reservoir. It was a fitful spring day, with gusty breezes blowing […]
Last night was spent in the big city. Big city, of course, to a rural guy like me being Northampton. I called my pal Jack up, who doesn’t get out of Greenfield much, and he whisked me away in his Lincoln to the Center for the Arts. There I had […]
The front cover of the NY Times business section had a ghastly aerial photo of a large patch of green, being overtaken by the desert that surrounded it. It was an abandoned golf course in Dubai, which was originally designed by Tiger Woods, just before the events of November 2009, […]
There are about six million Jews in the United States, but to many people with this heritage, their religion means little. To other Jews, it’s how they identify themselves. Some Jews are religious but many more enjoy celebrating Christmas. The topic is fascinating to Kate Feiffer, herself a Jew who […]
Having lunch with interesting people is a tonic for the soul. I learned this from my father, who was always known for his lunches with pals. He was a very regular lunch-goer, the traditions would last decades. I am carrying on this tradition at the cafe, and today I enjoyed lunch […]
“I’ve already got your money!” cried fired comedian and druggie loser Charlie Sheen, to an audience member who demanded a refund in Detroit’s Fox theater on Saturday night. It went downhill from there, according to an AP story in today’s paper. Who deserves to be called out as a fraud […]
I had breakfast today with three members of what some have called the Greatest Generation. It was my father, Nathaniel, and his two longtime friends, Sandy and Philip. All three men are in their mid-eighties and I felt honored to join them at their regular Saturday morning ritual, dining at […]