Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
Schools of Thought
If you have a child who will start elementary, middle or high school in the fall, you may be deciding on where they will go. Here are your primary options
Bring Boston’s Books to You
Storrs Library gives you access to bunches, boatloads, buckets, and bushels of beguiling books and materials. We can even help you get access to the Boston Public Library (BPL) system. Wait! Drop those car keys and take off those boots. No need to drive across any slushy streets to get to Boston. The BPL is as close as your nearest computer.
Education & Empowerment: The Londraville Family
If you haven’t seen the Londraville family, you might need to have your eyes checked - because they are everywhere from the soccer fields, to the hockey rink, basketball courts to Batch, classrooms, author talks, and sidewalks. They’ve been in town for a decade - and they don’t plan on leaving a place they’ve come to love.
Our United Way Makes History: For 100 Years, Northampton Has Been in Good Hands
When Holly Martineau joined the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region last March, the first thing she did was celebrate. That’s because 2022 marked the organization’s 100th year of extraordinary service.
“The 100th anniversary of any nonprofit is a huge event,” says Martineau, director of development for the Northampton-based branch. “But the United Way is funding organizations that serve those most in need, and those needs are constantly changing. So that means we need to evolve as well.”
Holiday Hustle
‘Tis the season for big buys, frequent returns, and, we hate to say it: skeevy scams. We talked to tech expert Scott Haselkorn about what to note before you answer that urgent email from Amaz0n. (And no, that’s not a typo. It’s just more reason to read on.)
Doctor's Orders
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, a board-certified allergist and clinic immunologist in Northampton, gets real with us about covid-19 vaccine injuries, pandemic tee-shirt slogans, and the good old days of Encyclopedia Britannica.
LIVING BEYOND 120 - BUILD YOUR LONGEVITY PORTFOLIO
We are living longer. The average life expectancy in 1860 was 39; today it’s 81!
Personally, I’m planning to live to 148 and my wife Lorie to 156. I often get a reaction of shock from people, as they picture me as a shriveled 148 year old prune in a wheelchair. But I’m talking about living to 148 healthy, active, and vibrant.
Impossible? Think again.
Is Solar Right For You?
Everyone has an opinion…or more like, everyone shares regurgitated facts based on the opinions of those whom have caught their ear…
The facts are that, like most things in life, every scenario is different - not just based on the house, location, shading or even amount of electricity needed. Your goals should be the deciding factor. Ask yourself these questions:
Is this my “forever home"?
What are my immediate and long term goals for my monthly budget?
Is there a home improvement project such as a new roof that I wish I could make happen without bleeding money?
Brush with Grace: Zachariah Vaughan Gives Refugees a New Start
This is a story about grace. Not religious grace, per se, although there’s an element of spirituality. Not Grace Paint and Tile, specifically, although the company plays a large role. At its heart, it’s about a guy who lost his way for a while, who has become a mentor to Northampton High School athletes and Afghan refugees. It’s about his most recent crew of painters, football stars and former soldiers, who didn’t always understand each other but knew that when lunch rolled around, they would lay down a drop cloth, take off their shoes, and share a pot of stew. And it’s about his community, our community, that emerged from isolation eager to merge worlds.
Longmeadow Dad's Club: Creating Connections
Meeting new people and making friends isn't easy. Getting to know people can be even more difficult in communities that pride themselves on families who remain in town for generations. Luckily, the Longmeadow Dad’s Club gives parents the opportunity to settle in, to find opportunities for their little ones, and even to gain some new skills along the way.
Stay Warm & Save: Tips for Heating Your Home
It seems like EVERYTHING is more expensive these days, and while there are certain costs we can cut down on, heating your home is an essential task no matter the cost of energy. However, with a few simple suggestions, you can still heat your home without burning through your budget this season. An added perk? These tips also help to cut down on your carbon footprint - so you’re saving cash and the planet at the same time!
Get Paid to Rebrand Your Business!
Are you a small business owner in Northampton looking to take your business to the next level? Well, imagine if someone paid you $5,000 to work on your personal brand. It sounds too good to be true, but over the past few months, I've helped over 20 small businesses get state funding to improve their image, inject more personality into their website, restructure their business, and wow their target audience.
Are you a Solo?
The short answer: It’s complicated.
Strictly speaking, Solos are defined as adults 65 or older who have neither a spouse/partner or adult children to support them as they age. But the complexities of real life, real people, and real families also come into play. In the real world of serving financial planning clients, we’ve worked with many people who don’t qualify as Solos – technically speaking. Yet in actuality, now or in the foreseeable future, they will be aging pretty much on their own.
Digital Gift Ideas
The holiday season is upon us and if you're struggling with gift giving ideas we've got a few ideas that are not only easy on the wallet this year, but priceless for years to come.
Here at MorningBird Media, we eat, breathe and sleep authenticity, and what better way is there to gift someone you love with something that is just as unique as them? Here are a few ways you can use every-day technology to make memorable digital keepsakes this holiday season.
Community Through Food - The Barkett Family
There’s a good chance that when you walk into The Kitchen, you’ll see Bobby Barkett, dish towel slung over his shoulder or tucked into his apron, and a smile on his face. Moreover, he’ll probably know you, or your order, or your neighbors. If most towns have a local burger joint or a watering hole - a “Cheers''-type situation - then The Kitchen is Longmeadow’s, and that makes Barkett our resident Sam Malone.
Revenge Travel is Real
As I was looking into a Disney World vacation for a local family, I was shocked at how limited the availability was for February during school-vacation week in 2023. No matter how many times I refreshed the page, nada. 2023 seems so far away, but is it? Not when it comes to planning a vacation! March of 2020 brought a halt to travel, and now it is getting a breath of life again. Travel right now is surging as many countries and most recently cruise lines have loosened their restrictions. I am hungry for a vacation, you are hungry for a vacation. Americans are starving for a vacation. What can you do to assure you get the accommodations you want at the price point you desire? Get moving.
Much More in Storrs, Nov. 2022
Many of us here at Storrs Library love reading before going to bed, and we bet you do too. Did you know Storrs offers a digital resource that will allow you to read thousands of ebooks and digital magazines, or play an e-audiobook on nearly any device? If you’re tired of propping up a copy of A Tale of Two Cities on a pillow, you can instead be lulled to sleep listening to it read aloud. Intrigued? It’s time to download Libby.
Comfort Food: Manna Offers Northampton a Recipe for Resilience
Today’s meal is New Orleans dirty rice with a garlic aioli served over spinach. Start with a side salad or some fruit. Room for dessert? How about locally sourced fruit pie.
Welcome to Manna.
To Be Transformed by the Journey
To journey and to be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim.
- Mark Nepo
It is 9 p.m. when my kids and I join my wife in her hospice room. We've come to tell her that her oncologist at Dana Farber has spoken to the hospice medical director and agrees that her feeding tube is only causing needless pain. That it is time to let her body die. Tough as nails, my wife insists that she speak directly to her oncologist. She wants us to call her immediately.
Navigating the Medicare Maze
Medicare can be complex and confusing. It can feel overwhelming just trying to understand all the options. Did you know there are local experts who help people navigate through this maze of information known as Medicare?