We have withdrawn, retreated, and have lowered our expectations… drastically.  When someone asks what “we’ve been up to,” who knows how to respond?  The most popular answer by far is, “not much.”  Yet here we are.  The panic is fading.  Can you feel it to

The Manchester Historical Museum is now offering a free mobile tour of Manchester-by-the Sea to use on your mobile device or computer. Learn about the history of the town from its colonial farms and fishing times to the furniture making era and on to the Gilded Age.

Long time writer and author Anna Kasabian recently completed the Trustees of Reservations book Castle Hill on the Crane Estate.  The book captures the essence of Chicago industrialist Richard Teller Crane Jr.’s summer home’s history and serves as well as a visitor's guide.

Vaccination is one of the easiest and most important ways to protect your dog’s health.  But we live in an age of “overvaccination” scares and a lot of misinformation on the web, and some pet owners are hesitant to vaccinate their dogs.  What is the right way to think about canine vaccinations?

An interesting meme popped up in my digital world this week. In it, a young father made an elegant point of arguing that some older books, shows, and other media, indeed deserve disclaimers explaining how the content might offend. Not because people today are overly sensitive or want to obfu…

Whenever a book of poems comes into the shop, I read a poem from it before I put it on the shelves. So, I've read hundreds of poems from hundreds of books over the last 22 years.  And yet, I invariably will read the shortest poem in the book!

Often in my work with families facing serious and life-limiting illnesses, I have been privileged to witness and participate in profound moments shared with me.  The old saying goes that we learn the most from adversity. 

Behavioral problems affect more dogs and cats than any other medical condition and are one of the most common causes of euthanasia and abandonment. You might think that veterinarians only know about medicine and questions about pet behavior are best left to trainers, but veterinarians have t…

I love books that break my heart. I can’t help it. I love a good cry in the safe space of a fictional character’s life. I also love fiction that helps me understand real-life situations better than real life can, or than my real life has the opportunity to. And if it’s beautifully written to…

We’ve had the opportunity to have learned many things, aged many years, and traveled many theoretical miles this past year. Whatever the outcome, we are not the same as we were in March 2020.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, local author Pauline Renehan Weger and co-author Alicia Williamson, are releasing their new book Bravely.  Pauline, who came to Manchester in the fourth grade and lived in town for 15 years, has teamed up with Hannah Harlow at The Bookshop of Beverly …

“Cancer” is a word no one ever wants to hear from the mouth of a medical professional. Unfortunately, however, the disease is so widespread that most of us have been touched by it at some point in our lives, whether through our own health struggles or those of loved ones. When a beloved pet …

We aren’t quite at the “go anywhere, do anything” point, but we aren’t captives. We walk the beach, go to the market, aren’t terrified to pump our gas, and (with confidence) use the ATM. We are in between. If Route 128 had three lanes, we would be in the middle one.

This winter hasn’t felt as hard as I thought it would. Here it is mid-February and I’m longing for more snow, for more chances at winter sports and quiet evenings under a warm blanket with a good book. Perhaps because we’ve been forced into a kind of hibernation for the past year, we’re alre…

One of the many aspects of modern daily life that will likely change dramatically under President Biden is internet technology – and specifically many of the rules and regulations overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. Now that Biden’s new Acting Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has tak…

Valentine’s Day is one of those polarizing holidays; either you love it or you hate it.For those who love it, it’s an opportunity to turn up the romance dial and spoil your special someone with lavish jewelry, heart-shaped chocolates, long stem roses and extravagant dining reservations. For …

When you are walking down to the beach on a sun-dappled gently breezy summer afternoon, you don't want Dostoevsky leaping onto your brain from behind a tree, dragging your soul out of your ear and into the bushes to give it a good kicking. Save that joy for the winter. During the cold bleak …

Early detection and treatment of disease can mean the difference between comfort and pain—even life and death. Unfortunately, too many pet owners aren’t concerned with preventive care; instead, they only take their cat or dog to the animal hospital when they are visibly sick or overdue for a…

Despite being “so done” with living our lives around the COVID-19 virus, the severity of the current rate of infection demands our attention…and consideration. We have many months of coping and learning under our belts. We’ve become informed about the scientific facts, transmission method, a…

If you’re nervous about your pet undergoing anesthesia, you’re not alone.  Many pet owners are so fearful about anesthesia and sedation that they delay or avoid important treatments for their beloved animal family members.  But it’s often the best—or only—way for your pet to receive high-qua…

As we prepare for our own blanket of snow to descend upon our landscape, I greatly enjoyed reading Snow by John Banville, a new mystery by a Booker Prize-winner author set in 1950s Ireland during a blizzard at Christmastime.  It’s set up as a classic country manor house mystery, opening with…

What is the Christmas Spirit?  The feeling of love and goodwill toward your fellow man - kindness, decency, mercy, forgiveness.  All those things and more.  Ideas and emotions that we don't dwell on too much during the year, but something about Christmastime brings these sentiments to the fo…

Welcoming a new puppy is a very exciting endeavor!  This week it came close to home when my two grandchildren, James and Jonathan, brought their new pet, a mixed breed puppy named “Holly”, to me in a state of euphoric rapture. I am still not immune to the intoxication that comes with the joy…

It is almost like midnight at 4:00 pm these days.  Even if the seconds of daylight increase after the solstice on December 21, the darkness is upon us, NOW.  In the darkness, I’m looking for the light: the decorated houses with window lights that feel like Colonial Williamsburg, the Chevy Ch…

I had a 12-year-old car with only 81,000 miles on it. The first question I get from people is, “did you not ever leave your house?” 

This will be a holiday season like no other, writes Joanne MacInnis, RN and president of Danvers-based Aberdeen Home Care, Inc.  Here are her tips for getting through, safely.

Believe it or not, 5G simply stands for the “Fifth Generation” of mobile wireless networks.  As in, this is the fifth major evolution of the technology that started with the analog transmission of voices via radio wave spectrum (1G) in the 1970s.   

We’ve been living under a weighted blanket of worry and anxiety for eight months.