It’s the final day of 2008, and outside it is snowing hard. I love it when it’s like this, although as I business owner I realize it’s not very good for business. But it’s soooo cozy inside the cafe, with people reading the paper, hunched over their laptops, and outside […]

This week in between the holidays is a notoriously slow time for anyone who sells things for a living. I remember so well those many years, no, decades, anticipating January. Oh January. At the Valley Advocate when the office was in Amherst, we would have to take the first one […]

Here is a help wanted ad I just posted on Craig’s list. More on Craig later. Despite the terrible recession and panic across the nation…the GoNOMAD Cafe is a beacon of stability…full of customers and busy as hell. We need someone to join our staff immediately and bake, make sandwiches, […]

Elbert and Bernice live just above Cindy’s house in Holyoke. Their dwelling, which they designed themselves, is one-of-a-kind; an octagon with a round ceiling and lots of odd-shaped windows. We joined them in this house for dinner last night. The couple embody the idea that keeping your mind busy keeps […]

After reading about George Bush’s voracious reading habit, I felt like I had to increase the amount of pages I consume yearly. So I picked up a book I’ve been reading for too long called American Nomads, where the author loosley follows the trail of the conquistador Cabeza de Vaca, […]

We had big news in a teeny tiny package last night, as Valerie Sofia Cosme came into the world. What a little joy she is! My second grandchild emerged healthy and happy at just under eight pounds at Franklin Medical, where Kate works…the ultimate busman’s holiday, on December 26. We […]