The Busiest Man at the Festival
Beer was the drink of choice at the Deerfield Farm Fest, and this guy was nice enough to hand me two free beers, maybe because he’s a cafe regular. The Golden Spike Ales went down smooth and the music was wonderful…all in all a great way to spend a summer […]
The Music, and Atmosphere Great, Sales Lousy
We brought the cafe show on the road and manned a booth at the Deerfield Farm Festival tonight, with mixed results. It was fun to create the booth and get the signage all set up and see our cafe employees making gobs of cupcakes, muffins, scones and brownies. We all […]
Faux Farmer’s Market for Mel’s Movie in Hamp
Sometimes in the cafe customers begin bellowing a story clear across the room. I”ll answer and we’ll begin a rollicking dialogue, from our posts 25′ apart. A few days ago, Whately Farmer Dave Jackson strolled in. He said that the producers of the Mel Gibson movie, Edge of Darkness, had […]
Town Wide Tag: Every Sale on the Google Map
Tonight I paced, waiting until 7:29 to leave the house to attend the Deerfield Selectboard meeting at town hall. I was on the agenda but first the distinguished state senator Stan and state rep Steve who were there to present an award to a 24-year volunteer, Richard Stellman. I chatted […]
From WRSI to MSNBC, Maddow Hits the Big Time
Rachel Maddow has hit the big time. I remember a few years ago when I used to appear on her morning show on WRSI FM. I’d pop down to the Northampton studio about 7 am, and we’d talk about travel tips. Eventually she had to refrain from bringing me on […]
College Loans or $34 an Hour…Your Choice
I read a story in the WSJ about how energy companies are working hard to convince high schoolers to forgo college for a trade education. I’m passing this along to my son, it’s good advice. “In many parts of the economy, there are too many workers, rather than too few. […]
Jerry Wexler: "All I Could Do Was Sit There and Weep"
Jerry Wexler was a renowned music producer who died last week at 91. He was remembered by Jim Fusilli in today’s WSJ, a portrait of a man who considered was ‘abrasive, derisive and cynical,” by many people, but beloved by artists like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. He will be […]
He Stole from the Cafe–But Redeemed Himself
In today’s mail I got an postal money order and this note. It was from Richard, who worked in the cafe before he moved out to San Francisco earlier this summer. “Dear MaxWhile I was working at GoNOMAD, more than one occasion I helped myself to food (sandwiches, muffins, etc) […]
Circolo Italiano: A Club for People Who Love Italia
It’s a gorgeous day at the cafe. But I’m not supposed to be here. I got a call, one of those somewhat rare calls from the cafe, when one of my workers called in sick. So here I am taking my first break of the day after slinging hash and […]
Sales Tax Weekend is a Brilliant Way to Jumpstart the Sluggish Economy
What a concept! Have a special weekend when the state won’t take their five percent cut of any purchase in a store…advertise it heavily and then the merchants pick up and advertise it. And pretty soon every store in the state is full of eager shoppers, wanting to spend money, […]
Renegade Site Gives Away Magazines for Free
I’ve just spent the last hour reading magazines. For free, on-line, flipping through the pages of Popular Photography and the National Enquirer as easily as I might read them in the check-out line of the supermarket. I found them all at a site that is making magazine publishers reach for […]
More Good News for Solar Electricity Generation
The relentless progress of alternative energy is leaving the government in its wake. More and more utilities are seeing the value of large-scale solar arrays to generate not just hot water but electricity. Today in the WSJ I read about Pacific Gas and Electric, which just signed on to the […]
Making the Front Look as Good as the Inside
Flowers can change a building’s tone, as illustrated here at the GoNOMAD cafe, in the center of South Deerfield.
Meeting My Oil Man at Dinner by the Hall of Fame
Last night was a Wednesday, so as custom lately has dictated, it was time to go out for dinner. Cindy has enjoyed not having a messy kitchen and I’ve enjoyed finding new and different places to have our weekday night out. Often it’s the old standby, The Apollo Grill in […]
Deerfield Attractions Promotes Deerfield
Deerfield Attractions work has been keeping me busy lately. Lots of promotions that we are organizing, and sometimes it comes down to the ‘I’ am organizing. I wrote a letter to the Deerfield Selectboard asking them to approve my idea for a Town Wide Tag Sale on October 4. We […]
Chavez Puts His Ego Ahead of Progress
Some of my friends speak highly of Venezuela’s strong man Hugo Chavez. This pisses me off, because I detest what he’s doing to his country and his dangerous braggadocio all over the world stage. I have read travelers’ accounts of how pathetic it is there compared with neighboring countries like […]
Follow the Oil Man to a Secure Energy Future
This is a plan I think we should push our leaders to adopt. Visit PickensPlan
Say You’re Sorry To Mr. and Mrs. Utz–Or Else!
Mad Men is a television show that’s been lauded and praised by many. I caught the past two shows and think the buzz is deserved. The opening credits give you a hint that it’s a little different from most 2008 scripted TV fare. In an animated sequence, a man wearing […]