In the previous post, I wrote about going to a Franco-American gathering last Saturday, and I felt as though a brief history was necessary. Readers from away could be forgiven for wondering, what the heck are Franco-Americans, and why are they gathering? I think I have answered the first question. Now on to the second, [...]

Last Saturday, I went to a Franco-American gathering that included artists, editors, archivists, and professors. (I’m sure I’ve left out a category or two.) Most of us were of Franco-American descent, but a few were non-Francos who are involved in the culture in one way or another. In Maine, around 30 percent of the population [...]

On Sunday, my husband, Clif, our dog, Liam, and I headed to South Portland for Mother’s Day, to our daughter Shannon and her husband, Mike’s, home. Shannon prepared a lovely brunch, which included strawberry bread, an egg and cheese dish with quinoa, and stuffed French toast with fresh raspberries and cream cheese. What a feast! [...]

This… Plus this… Equal lunch. And this… as well as this… Equal dinner. If only math could always be this good.    

Another week of rain, and there is so much gardening to do. Knowing the rain was coming, I worked like a fiend on Monday, the only nice day of the week so far, and got most of my perennial beds uncovered from the brown winter leaves that blew into them last fall. The thing about [...]

Last Saturday, we met our friends Chuck and Erma at Barnes & Noble for tea, coffee, dessert, and a chat. A quick note: Chuck and Erma live some distance away from us, and Barnes & Noble is a central place to meet. It is comfortable, the tea is good, and you don’t have to spend [...]

Another day of rain, and the report from my friend Kate in New Hampshire is that the slugs are out in droves. Little beasties! I hope the Maine slugs stay away from my gardens. Here at the little house in the big woods, we have armies of slugs just waiting to attack my plants, and [...]

After a spell of very warm weather, which made everything green and hopeful, central Maine has had a stretch of gray, drizzly weather. Very discouraging for dogs and humans and disastrous for birds trying to feed their young. The flying insects lie low during chilly weather, and this means no food for baby birds. My [...]

For one day a week—sometimes two when schedules allow—my husband, Clif, and I plan to have no-car days, when the car doesn’t leave the driveway, and we either walk or ride our bikes. As our friend Dawna Leavitt has observed, people shouldn’t be using oil (or gasoline) at all, but in central Maine, it is [...]

Last night, I had a discussion with Scott Davis, a neighbor who lives just up the road from me. His son Ian went to school with my eldest daughter Dee, and we exchanged information about the two “kids.” Ian married a women from Switzerland, who is fluent in English, French, and German, and at home [...]