Archives: April 2010

Strategic Stops

Advice for Palin on the path to the presidencyA few months back former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin released a book that was either an attempt to run for president, an attempt to make money or both.But if she pursues the presidency, then she’ll have to become more acquainted with New Hampshire given that we hold the first-in-the-nation presidential…

Sparkle City

From dingy to dynamite — the latest in tooth whitening. Want to look younger? Land a job? Attract a mate? Appear polished for a special business event? The motivations behind tooth whitening are as varied and seemingly endless as the array of tooth whitening products available today, from toothpastes, gels, rinses and strips available at retail stores, to dentist-supervised in-office…

Nature Nurtured

Polymer clay — transformed.In a word — stunning. How else to describe the wearable fine art of Kathleen Dustin of Contoocook?Dustin has taken a crafter’s medium without a fine art history and given it a shining presence. Polymer clay (Fimo) is relatively simple to work with, but the patterns, the textures and the shapes that are brought to life by…

Rocking Stockings

Surprise Santa with a sense of style.After 33 years as a high school business teacher, Pam Chaffee thought it was time to put down the books. Three years ago she gave up computer software for soft fabrics, feathers and felt.The Newmarket resident now has a cottage industry making funky Christmas stockings and wine bags from her home. The idea for…

A Different Sort of Jelley

Sweet and Spicy! In a blind taste test, our staff compared four N.H. gourmet pepper jellies from around the state. Here’s what they thought and which one they liked the best.LollipopTreeSweet vidalia onions and bell peppers, combined with tart cranberries and crushed red pepper, creates a milder mix with a hint of heat. The LollipopTree offers a wide range of…

The General’s Byway

You get both history and beauty on this driveAdmittedly, unless an early snow blankets the roadsides, November is not the state’s most scenic month. So we’ve selected a route filled with historic sites, following New Hampshire Revolutionary War hero General John Stark. The general is known to history for leading the fight at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775…

Letters to the Editor

Need a good reason to spot the newt?This month’s lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive a gift basket from A Brush With Life (www.abrushwithlife.net).An Art Nouveau wine theme adorns all eight pieces in the basket: slumped recycled wine bottle cheese trays, wine glasses with a decoupage design and ceramic tile coasters. The items are all the creations of New…

Inches From Doom

How I survived hip-deep sidewalk snow piles.It seems to me that, in the last couple of winters, the sidewalks in my fair city have become more difficult to traverse.Perhaps the passing of the years has something to do with it, as I have become increasingly less agile. (“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack beware, the ground is slick.”) But…

Ninja Sensei

Leon Drucker (left) was introduced to the ancient art of Ninjutsu 25 years ago and since then has trained intensively, including in Japan under the last of the ninja masters. Today he is one of the most senior instructors of Ninjutsu in the U.S. As a Sensei (teacher) at his Dojo (place of training) in Milford, he passes along the…

Symphony of the Seasons

Spring arrives a bit late on Bible Hill in Francestown, but, when it does, the garden of Len and Meredeth Allen lights up with a crescendo of color, texture and fragrance. As the season progresses the tune changes from the delicate blooms of crabapple and azaleas, punctuated with slender stems of tulips, to the proud alliums of early June to…