Tide pool creatures are not the best at social distancing. One particularly strange species is particularly bad at this practice. They gather in large numbers and like to stick to each other as well as just about everything else. You may not have ever noticed them before because, although they may be there in great […]

Not since Hillary Clinton described supporters of then-candidate Donald Trump as “a basket of deplorables” has a public official or candidate uttered such an insensitive, demeaning. condescending and politically stupid remark as that delivered by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s admonition to an African-American radio host that a failure to support him means “you ain’t […]

On some future golden morning, we will all look back on this plague with thankfulness for its end, and with clarity on its history and effects upon us that can only come with the advantage of perfect retrospect. Until then, we can only analyze our situation as current actors in this drama. That is a […]

Votes matter We prefer to vote in person on Election Day but this year we decided to protect our vote, protect our town election workers and protect ourselves so we decided to apply for an absentee ballot. We know that if some miracle happens and the virus magically disappears, as long as we haven’t yet returned […]

It was a perfect late-spring Saturday. Several members of my large extended family gathered at my parents’ house to trim hedges and plant flowers. The sun was out, the skies were brilliant blue and the temperature was perfect for yardwork. A wonderful old saying, “many hands make light work,” was certainly the case – though […]

The benefits of face masks Most of the shoppers at my local supermarket wear face masks. The store requests them, but allows shoppers to enter without them. Inside, social distancing guidelines and directional traffic arrows are not consistently followed. It is welcome, therefore, to see so many masked faces. We know that face masks reduce […]

Ever gotten the wind knocked out of you? Or been unable to breathe for even a few seconds? There’s pain. There’s panic. There’s the desperation of trying to restore the vital equilibrium that keeps your heart beating, your brain functioning, and the rhythms of life intact and in sync with each other. Now imagine that […]

It’s starting to feel like summertime in Maine, which means that beaches should be bustling, shops should be packed, and traffic on Route 1 should be bumper-to-bumper within 10 miles of Red’s Eats. The last weekends in May typically kick off Maine’s peak season, but this year, our usual seasonal visitors didn’t come – instead, […]