Speaking of Nature: Nature’s solace not hard to find

By BILL DANIELSON

Stress. Anxiety. Panic. Sound familiar? Well, don’t worry because it’s not just you. Everyone is feeling it. You are not alone. That being said, the feelings of stress, anxiety and even the occasional rush of panic is no less real just because others...

Food for the Beaver Moon — and beyond

By TINKY WEISBLAT

I have always loved the Native American tradition of giving each month’s full moon a special name that celebrates the season of the year. November’s full moon, which falls this coming Friday night, is the beaver moon.It marks the time in autumn when...

Valley Bounty: Benefit cuts threaten farmer’s livelihood in New Salem

By JACOB NELSON

Jared Duval built his farm around Massachusetts’ innovative Healthy Incentives Program (HIP). Since 2017, HIP has helped tens of thousands of lower-income households buy fresh produce grown by local farmers. By most accounts, it’s been a wild success,...

CEC celebrates National Family Caregivers’ Month

BY EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Halloween observances in the U.S. reveal that many people enjoy feeling scared. Yet humans tend to shy away from real-life unsettling scenarios, like those involving disease and decline. This column marks National Family Caregivers’ Month by featuring...

Let's Talk Relationships: Vulnerability opens door to true self

By AMY NEWSHORE

What exactly IS emotional vulnerability? What comes to your mind as you read this phrase?I imagine many of us cringe a bit, and are not comfortable at the thought of being vulnerable. To clarify, I define emotional vulnerability as revealing one’s...

Greenfield Community College to host Franklin County Intergenerational Film Festival

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD – Greenfield Community College (GCC) will host the inaugural Franklin County Intergenerational Film Festival on Nov. 14 to showcase and celebrate six short films created by teens and older adults during GCC’s Cyber-Senior Program.The...

Faith Matters: Fitra — An unusual source for common ground

By JAN FLASKA

Perhaps like me, folks like you find wisdom in the nearly forgotten corners and conversations of our past experiences. As a teacher of religious studies and philosophy, I stand by the idea that, truly, there are few new — few genuinely new - ideas to...

‘Eating in Leverett’ for 250 years: New cookbook is a lasting memento of town’s major birthday

By TINKY WEISBLAT

The town of Leverett is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. The festivities have included a cake-filled birthday party in March, a plant walk, an antique vehicle and equipment show, a quilt show, a July 4 parade and barbecue, and much...

Speaking of Nature: The guest list, ‘bonus birds,’ and more

By BILL DANIELSON

September and October are months of farewell and I spend a lot of time trying to squeeze in a last visit with each species of bird before the they finally decide to pack it in and head south. Great friends that have spent the entire summer with me...

A CSA for cooler weather: Pioneer Valley Heritage Grains

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Until recently, there were some products locavores in the Pioneer Valley just couldn’t buy. We had no trouble finding fresh local vegetables, at least during the harvest season. We could purchase some local meat and poultry. Grains were a different...

Vigil held for Grizzly No. 399, the beloved Grand Teton bear who was killed by a vehicle

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

During her nearly three decades roaming the snowy wilderness of the Teton Range, Grizzly No. 399 became a beloved mama bear with millions of parkgoers following her yearly adventures and her ever-growing family tree.Nature lovers are mourning the...

Book Review: Chronicles of a difficult time: ‘The Anguish of Alzheimer’s: The Years of Mom’s Dementia’ by Ann Watt

By TINKY WEISBLAT

When I was 20-ish and my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, few Americans talked about this fogging of the brain. Today, thank goodness, many people share their Alzheimer’s stories ... and although there is still no cure for the disease, we can...

Creating the big picture, one piece at a time: Charlemont mosaic artist welcomes others to join her on Guatemala art trips next year

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

A Charlemont mosaic artist is looking for people to join her on a working trip to Guatemala in early 2025. Cindy Fisher of Bing Bang Mosaics has been working with mosaics since 2000, but said she’s been interested in them since she was a kid. “I just...

A brief reflection on standardized testing: And how it is a direct outgrowth of the early 20th-century eugenics movement

By DOUG SELWYN

Most of the children in my fourth/fifth grade class came from homes in which they did not speak English and came from cultures foreign to the one in which they were now living.We had spent the year in our classroom focused on what we collectively...

Faith Matters: All Souls celebrates bicentennial, 1825-2025

By KATE MASON

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church is celebrating 200 years in Greenfield with some special events for our larger community. Some folks may wonder what is a Unitarian Universalist? Our non-creedal faith is progressive and inclusive. We are...

Greenfield Winter Farmers Market a trailblazer

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Fans of the Greenfield Farmers Market who are feeling sad that the three-season treasure has wrapped up this year’s outdoor version can take heart.Next Saturday, Nov. 9, marks the first of eight occasional winter markets, located indoors at the...

Veteran printmaker to hold workshop, reception in Shelburne on Saturday

SHELBURNE — Learn photography skills with master printmaker John Marcy during a workshop and reception on Nov. 2 at the Fabric of Life Homestead.John Marcy has been a photographer and printmaker for over 40 years and holds a masters in photography...

Sounds Local: Ball in the House to address racism at Nov. 3 show

By Sheryl HunterIf you think a cappella music is something that only barbershop quartets or high school vocal groups perform (yes, I’m thinking the show “Glee”) then be prepared to have these ideas challenged when Ball in the House takes the stage at...

Speaking of Nature: Until we meet again: The eastern chipmunk descends underground until spring

By BILL DANIELSON

For a good chunk of the summer I was able to monitor the activity of one particular visitor to the feeding station down by my Thinking Chair a little more closely than most of the others. Simple behavioral observations allowed me to hypothesize the...

Paradise found: The apple is not forbidden fruit, it is the fruit of our New England homes

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Apples are on my mind. They’re everywhere at this time of year. This coming weekend marks the 30th anniversary of Franklin County Cider Days.A few years ago, I was flummoxed to learn that it says nowhere in the Hebrew Bible that the forbidden fruit...