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Tag: Gary

cherry cobbler
Cherries

Cherries

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Mom wrote this poem, called simply Cherries, when her granddaughter Lucy was just a few months old. It may be that this cute little outfit inspired her. Cherries Lucy’s little yellow dress is cherried Take her to the hammock under cherry treesand in the early evening wrap herin the childhood cherry spreadremembering another eveningwhen we rode a ferris wheelafter a day of cherry picking Grandchildren and sister loved the cherriessent for summer birthdaysand from a country marketwe wooed each otherwith…

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Hermey the Dentist
‘Where were you when Di died?’

‘Where were you when Di died?’

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In these endless days of Covid-19 self-isolation, it is important to find ways to smile and laugh. More than just by making fun of politicians, though; that rabbit hole seems to get stinkier by the minute. It’s still funny stuff, but definitely doesn’t lift the spirits. And so, I turn to podcasts. Here’s a new one I “discovered” a few days ago: In a nutshell (emphasis on nut), this comedic duo plays two elderly New Yorkers who are on a…

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Lobster Mac & Cheese
Recipes: Lobster M&C, Bestest Brownies

Recipes: Lobster M&C, Bestest Brownies

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When you grow up in New England, you come to crave lobster. By-the-seashore lobster, that is, not the ones in a large fish tank as you enter a national restaurant chain. When Thomas was a little guy, he even included a lobster in the family crest he designed in art class. Our family Christmas tradition the past half-dozen years or so is mid-afternoon Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwiches shipped frozen from Maine, thanks to GoldBelly.com. And so, when Gary and I…

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Voyage of the Damned
‘Paging Dr. Introvert!’

‘Paging Dr. Introvert!’

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In case you’re reading this years in the future, let me just say that the spring of 2020 is one we will most likely choose not to look back upon with fondness. A frightening pandemic swept the country, while calls to stay home and “flatten the curve” were, by all too many, ignored. Some in self-isolation rediscovered the joy of reading. Gary and I settled in, each with a pile of books, to stay safe and healthy. And well-read. It…

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Goodbye to a good guy

Goodbye to a good guy

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“I live for death.” Gary says that with a twinkle in his eye, when he tells me he’s heading to a funeral home yet again. He never misses the local radio newscast, which ends with obituaries. It’s the first page he turns to when the newspaper is delivered. Always has been, Gary wants to know who died. He wants to pay his respects. He wants to tell stories. My husband will go to the funeral home when so many others…

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Shakespeare soap
‘Out, damned virus!’

‘Out, damned virus!’

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Are you getting choked up about poor Princess Beatrice of England, who may need to postpone her wedding yet again? Me neither. We’re all figuring out this new Coronavirus lifestyle. And a good many of us are doing what we can to make the best of it. Take John & Aubrie, for example. They’ve been planning their April 18 wedding for nearly a year. Very traditional, very sweet. No one could have guessed COVID-19 had other plans in mind. After…

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Gary chopping silage
A farmer’s guide to Coronavirus

A farmer’s guide to Coronavirus

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Okay, so technically I’m a farmer’s wife, but after 37 years of marriage, I know a thing or two – and nearly everything about farming applies to tips for getting through this Coronavirus pandemic. (1) Wash your stinkin’ hands! Farmers get dirty. Whether it’s dirt, sweat, animal entrails, manure, or some combination of the above, your wife doesn’t want you dragging it in the house. Wash up. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says scrub for 20 seconds. That’s exactly…

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Dead Skin Eater story, with John and Tom
Gary’s grossest story

Gary’s grossest story

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Gary is never at a loss for a good story. It’s part of his charm. Thing is, as parents, you just never know who might be listening in … We got that big fluffy sheep-dog toy for John as a gift when he was seven or so. (It’s actually a puppet. And very soft.) When we asked John what he named the fluffy beast, the answer took us by surprise: His name is Dead Skin Eater. “What? Why would you…

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books by the gallon
29 days to read

29 days to read

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There are 29 days in February this year. It is nice to have an extra day to read. Especially since we have gallons of new books. My parents planned last fall to move their bedroom from upstairs to downstairs, into what was then the library. In doing so, they needed a new home for their impressive book collection. Dad says Gary and I were the natural choice, since we have room at our house. I thought it was because I…

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hurricane headline
The great wind

The great wind

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All my life, Dad has talked about what a scamp he was as a kid. Yet, there were no stories to back up his claim. Was this silence on his part due to not wanting to set a bad examples for his four children? Perhaps. It’s only now that the confessions are spilling forth. As his confessor, I am impressed, but not yet mortified. Here’s a story: Times have changed over the generations, thank heavens. Back in the 1930s, Catholics…

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