Question: I have been reading about converting my IRA to a Roth IRA as the tax laws are changing in 2010. Any suggestions? Peter W. Answer: You will be reading a lot more about this over the… Read more
Spinning colors of various shades – red, purple and blue, create a mesmerizing view as I sit quietly in the local laundromat waiting patiently for my load of comforters to finish their wash cycle…. Read more
Ingredients 2 red onions, chopped 3 eggs 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 scoop grainy mustard 3 celery stalks, chopped 3 tbs parsley chopped 1 stick of butter 3 tbs tarragon chopped 4 apples,… Read more
Recently I’ve become aware of how much two Western Massachusetts VA (Veterans Administration) institutions do for our veterans and the surrounding communities. The Soldiers’ Home is located… Read more
Our record of the first Thanksgiving is very sparse – one letter sent by Edward Winslow to a friend in London (and later reprinted in the delightfully titled history Mourt’s Relation). Winslow… Read more
Ingredients 1 small onion, diced 1-1/2 cups diced potatoes 2 tbsp. butter 1 cup diced carrots 2 cups water 2-1/2 cups milk 2 chicken bouillon cubes or turkey stock 2 tbsp…. Read more
Recently, I read someplace that our planet Earth travels a thousand miles every hour. WOW! And we aren’t even aware that we are moving. This morning, I woke up early, sometime before five, as… Read more
I do not even know you …know anything about you at all. I do not know your name; where you live; what activities keep you busy; what language you speak. Nonetheless, I am thankful for your… Read more
Outside, the landscape, with its dark green pine trees, piles of windblown pine needles, and trees with only a few brown leaves remaining, has the look and feel of the late Fall. Thoughts of… Read more
One of my childhood memories is about practice blackouts and air raid warnings. A siren wailed and that meant lights out in the house. The neighborhood also went dark. Shortly after, the siren… Read more
My widowed mother, Minnie E. Noble, nicknamed “Hester” by me, was 62 this month. I was 23. May 1st we started Montgomery living in our remodeled country schoolhouse without electricity or running… Read more
A cluster of people stood patiently in line, awaiting their chance to buy a lottery ticket . The newsstand was next door to Centerville Bank, where the gals who worked there pooled a few dollars… Read more
It all started when Mrs. Jones sent he son Jack out with their last possession to sell for some desperately needed food. Sadly, she instructed Jack to take their cow Bessie to town when the other… Read more
For ten years, Thomas and Jared left 223 Carrigan every morning at precisely 7:43 AM. Thomas in his pea coat, shoulder bag, and faded jeans; Jared in his trench coat, briefcase, and tweed hat…. Read more
A couple of years ago we were on vacation seeing the rural high plains of the upper west. The towns are small and far apart, tiny outposts of modern life amidst the vast and timeless prairie…. Read more
“Sir, excuse me, sir,” I called out to the older man walking past my house. Only his dog, an old, grey, whiskered yellow lab turned to look at me while keeping the slow, meditative pace of his… Read more