-
-
Recent Posts
Blogroll
- A View From the Woods
- Being Mrs. Carmichael
- bullfrogs symposium
- Cell 2 Soul
- Colder Weather
- Cross-ties
- Empire of Lights
- Finding Strength to Stand Again
- La Pouyette — and Things of Life
- Life in Kawagoe
- MindfulBalance
- Nature on the Edge
- Nylon Daze
- Paris Breakfasts
- Pas Grand-Chose
- People, Places, and Bling!
- Random Acts of Writing
- Smile, Kiddo
- Stir
- Tales and Travels of the Tin Man
- The Urge to Wander
- Thoughts from Finchley
- Wind Against Current
- Writing Between the Lines
- Writing Down the Words
- Arizona
- Art
- Autumn
- Basho
- Beauty
- Blogging
- Blogs
- Challenge
- Christmas
- Color
- Computers
- Connections
- Cooking
- Courage
- Death
- Desert
- Doubt
- Education
- Emily Dickinson
- Enlightenment
- Flowers
- Food
- France
- Friendship
- Gratitude
- Haiku
- Happiness
- Health
- Holidays
- Home
- Hope
- Hugs
- Identity
- Inspiration
- Ireland
- Japan
- Joy
- Koan
- Language
- Life
- Light
- Listening
- Love
- Medicine
- Meditation
- Memory
- Mindfulness
- Museums
- Music
- Nature
- Northampton
- Nothing
- Orchids
- Painting
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Quotes
- Reality
- Sculpture
- Shakespeare
- Snow
- Spring
- Summer
- Sunrise
- Thanksgiving
- Touch
- Truth
- Winter
- Wisdom
- Women
- Words
- Writers
- Writing
- Zen
Category Archives: Pioneer Valley
No Second Chances? Who Says? (for the record)
FIFTY YEARS AFTER FIRST VISIT, WRITER SETTLES INTO LIFE IN NORTHAMPTON (reprinted from the Hampshire Gazette) Judith Bruder at her home in Northampton. CAROL LOLLIS, photo Choices, even major life choices, are often made for the flimsiest reasons. And, … Continue reading
Posted in Etcetera, Freedom, Happiness, Home, Memory, Personal Essay, Pioneer Valley, Writers
Tagged Choice, College, Home, Memoir, Memory, Smith
20 Comments
No Second Chances? Who says? Fifty Years After —
The link here doesn’t seem to work any more. I’ll try and figure out a way of getting the story posted more permanently. Fifteen minutes of fame, no kidding! Yes! for complete story, see post above. Original lead: Interesting to … Continue reading
Posted in Enlightenment, Etcetera, Happiness, Home, Memory, Personal Essay, Pioneer Valley, Writers
41 Comments
Bus Your Coffee Cup?
No, this isn’t a bus stop! When you’re at Rao’s in Thorne’s Marketplace in downtown Northampton, you’re already where you want to be. The coffee’s strong, the tea comes from an excellent assortment, the sandwiches are fresh and tasty, and … Continue reading
Posted in Definitions, Etcetera, Food, Pioneer Valley, Wonderings
Tagged Cafes, Coffee Shops, Definitions, Northampton, Word Usage
24 Comments
SWEET PEA
It’s a term of endearment here in the United States. “Ah, my little sweet pea, I love you so much!” But in my case, it’s very literal. I LOVE sweet peas, what are sometimes called shell peas, or English peas, … Continue reading
Posted in Etcetera, Food, Happiness, Memory, Pioneer Valley, Spring
Tagged Farming, Food, Fruit, Memory, Seasons, Spring, Vegetables
82 Comments
HOW SWEET IT IS: The Gift of the Maples
Here in New England (and all the way north into Canada), the deciduous sugar maple (Acer Saccharum) is leafless and barren in February, a dead sign of a dead land. Or would be — except that with the slightest daytime warming, sap … Continue reading
Posted in Etcetera, Food, Nature, Personal Essay, Photography, Pioneer Valley, Spring
Tagged Breakfast, Local Farming, Maple Syrup, Nature, New England, Photography, Sugaring
22 Comments
IN THE “GREENHOUSE”
Only the “greenhouses” aren’t green — they’re white! Backing up a little, the two elite women’s colleges in the Pioneer Valley, Smith and Mount Holyoke, both do their bit to cheer up Valley residents in March with Spring Bulb Shows. Smith’s … Continue reading
Posted in Color, Etcetera, Flowers, Nature, Photography, Pioneer Valley, Spring
Tagged Architecture, Flower Shows, Greenhouses, White
26 Comments
XYZZZZZZZZZ Rated!
Here you have an unexplored (by me) staircase descending into the basement of Thornes Marketplace, Northampton’s showcase new/old shopping center. It’s alluring, in its promise of fun and unexpected goods at low prices, but so far I’ve not dared to descend … Continue reading
MUM’S THE WORD FOR THIS FLOWER SHOW
This austere polished ramp leads down to the greenhouses at Smith College. Why were we here? Only because we had guests, and I was fresh out of ideas of what to do with them, and the Chrysanthemum show was on. … Continue reading
Posted in Autumn, Death, Etcetera, Flowers, Japan, Pioneer Valley
Tagged Beauty, Chrysanthemums, Flowers, Saints, Symbolism
26 Comments
CHRISTO and JEANNE CLAUDE (Not) at Smith
Have you heard of artists Christo and Jeanne Claude? One of their best known “exhibits” took place in 2005 in New York, when the pair “wrapped” Central Park in a thousand brilliant saffron banners, or “Gates”, to produce a stunning … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Etcetera, Pioneer Valley
Tagged American Colleges, Art, Happenings, Women
21 Comments
At the Cup and Top Café
This is the facade of our new favorite Northampton café, which happens to be located in Florence. People who live in Florence say they’re from Florence, not Northampton, which is true because Florence is very much its own place, with … Continue reading
Touch2Touch 