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Outdoors and Travel

What is there to say in times like these, except ‘Stay home!

During the years I’ve been writing this column — far more than I care to count — I’ve covered a litany of topics. Shoes. Dressing room mirrors. Feeling fat. Motivational memes. Chocolate commercials. Movies and TV. Feeling fat. Break-ups. Breakdowns. Going out. Staying in. Feeling fat. Cocktail hour. The end to cocktail hour. Dogs. Feeling fat. I’ve shared stories from my social life and the demise of my social life. Advice offered by my therapist and gleaned from bathroom walls. Thoughts on trends, women’s rights, animal issues, awards shows, Facebook quizzes, ...

Hermit dog mom’s hobbies don’t match up

It has become increasingly obvious to me lately that my passions and my lifestyle do not exactly — how should I put it? —mesh. In fact, they seem to be diametrically opposed. On all sorts of mildly ridiculous levels. Take, as one of the more obvious examples, my obsession with rare, hard-to-find vintage stuff. My tastes on the decor end tend to lean toward an eclectic mid-century modern-meets-boho-meets maxilimalist aeshetic — which I promise looks better than it sounds. As a result, nearly every stick of furniture and every decoration in my home has been ...

No time for movies makes Oscars no fun

There was a time when I got excited for the Oscars. That was back in the salad days, when I actually made it to the movies more than, say, twice in a year. Sadly, for the past couple go-’rounds, I’ve seen maybe two or three of the buzz-makers, max — a far cry from that past life, when I’d have watched them all. It’s a bummer for a couple of reasons. A). I like films and miss having the time and energy to go to the theater to see them. And B). It makes being righteously indignant over the Academy’s choices much more difficult. This year, though I have seen ...

The Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council is kicking off cookie season across the state, and beyond, Friday. Samoas, Thin Mints, Trefoils and the remainder of the 2020 cookie lineup — including one brand new cookie — will be available to purchase from Girl Scouts and online at GirlScouts.org. The Cookie Program began in 1917 as a way for troops to finance activities. Today, the program encourages girls to discover their inner leadership potential and use their earnings to create experiences for themselves and their troop — including travel, outdoor adventure, and ...

Path to healing begins with love

Well, we did it, folks. We made it through 2019. It is now, as crazy as it feels to even type it, officially 2020. As for many people, this past year wasn’t an easy one for me. Seeing my boy Pops struggle through his illness and saying goodbye to him in November has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Even though we knew it was inevitable, given the nature of his tumors, having to make the decision to end his suffering is something with which I may never fully come to terms, even though it was the right thing to do. There will never be another Pops, ...

Entertainment listings: Dec. 26 – Jan. 2

LIVE MUSIC 123 PLEASANT STREET Earthride, Hovel, Torrents and Howitzzer play  at 8 p.m. Saturday; Beer and Carols at 6 p.m. Sunday; New Years Eve with William Matheny, Natural Rat, John R. Miller and the Engine Ligths, and Razzle Dazzle at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Info: 123pleasant ...