Winter can be a time of darkness in more ways than one. Being a cheerful Granite Stater in mid- to late-autumn can be a challenge. The foliage is gone, winter’s darkness looms and holiday pressures mount. It’s particularly tough in 2008, after we’ve endured months of bleak economic news. Since bouts of feeling blue are a normal part of human…
Gas, electric and other fireplace alternatives are no longer the unsightly, loud units you may remember. Today there are a number of beautiful stoves that will bring warmth and style into your home. *** The cold weather season is officially here, and isn’t going anywhere for a long, long time. It seems that nearly every iconic image of New Englanders…
But, alas, straightening up “Old Tippy” makes it easier for the hooligans. *** Our mailman here in Thornton recently sent me a letter. Well, it wasn’t really a letter – it was more like a speeding ticket – without the calamity of a fine. My mailbox is apparently out of compliance. “Your Mailbox Needs Attention” the notice begins. Below this…
OK, so Zack Conroy is no boy. He’s 23 and a working actor. Born in Portsmouth and a regular returnee to the state, Conroy lives in New York City now following a traditional grind through the star-making machine: auditions, modeling and holding down a paying job at the same time. But things are looking up. He filmed seven episodes of…
In the midst of turmoil, it’s nice to remember that some things endure. No matter the ups and (way) downs of the stock market or the rise and fall of political fortunes, “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” — just as it has for 217 years — is forecasting the weather, offering recipes and providing snippets of humor and fact suitable for…
Paris Hilton sounds French and other political distractions … Is former governor Jeanne Shaheen showing her age? Is U.S. Senator John E. “Johnny Walker” Sununu walking away from his record? Which one is really doing the shoveling and piling it “high and deep”? In the First District congressional race, does Carol Shea-Porter support the troops? Is Jeb Bradley for or…
Goodbye, zucchini – hello, cold weather friends *** Winter squash has staying power. It was considered one of the “Three Sisters” by Native Americans along with corn (maize) and beans. Planted together, they grew in a symbiotic relationship, with the squash growing up the stalks of corn and providing ground cover to prevent weeds, and the beans providing nitrogen for…
Predictably, Portsmouth contributes its share of news, with Ben Hasty leaving The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke (www.dunawayrestaurant.com) to join Chef/owner Rob Evans at Hugo’s in Portland. Evan Hennessey, whom Seacoast foodies remember fondly from 43 Degrees North, unveiled his first new menu in September as the new executive chef at The Dunaway. On State St., Agave Mexican Bistro (www.agavemexicanbistro.com)…
Here in New Hampshire there’s a lot of talk about “participatory democracy.” Our state is known for its citizen-powered state government, for town meetings and our insistence upon local control. Sometimes these terms are used nostalgically, sometimes dismissively by people who think they are either problematic (i.e. our sprawling underpaid legislature), archaic (our underattended town meetings) or mythic (our dubious…
Even with the first name of Salmon, he succeeded.Here’s a quick history quiz for New Hampshire-philes: Which U.S. Supreme Court Justice wrote the lone dissent in Bradwell v. Illinois in 1873, asserting the constitutional right of women to practice law? (The seven-member Supreme Court majority disagreed, famously opining: “ … the paramount destiny and mission of woman is to is…
