Produced by Maine Poetry Central and Dennis Camire This week’s poem by Michalene Hague of Otisfield playfully explores how the challenging weather of Maine often, in turn, challenges us to dress fashionably.   Yankee Wardrobe By Michalene Hague   Gloves on in October are gloves off in April; our hands say it’s due to steering […]

Columnist Dorie Greenspan recently answered reader questions. Here are edited excerpts from that online chat. Unless otherwise noted, recipes with capitalized names are found in our Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes. Q: When is a nylon rolling pin preferable to another type? What is the advantage? It would have to be worth it to justify the […]

In late November, on the first cold morning of the season, a second-grader at Ducketts Lane Elementary School in Elkridge, Maryland, had trouble breathing during recess.When the school nurse, Veronica DeSimone, examined the girl, she heard wheezing in her chest and determined that the child was having an asthma attack.The nurse would have administered relieving […]

I never expected my sobriety to be an issue at my child’s preschool fundraisers At the first meeting for families at the co-op nursery school we have carefully chosen for our daughter, the food spread includes hummus, a farro salad and mac and cheese. In the coolers are flavored seltzers, cans of beer and bottles […]

Focus, repetition works like meditation for some When I think of meditation, I picture an image of serenity — a wide-open room, a person sitting cross-legged on a mat, eyes closed and mind relaxed. Meditation, to me, conjures up peacefulness, calmness, quietness and stillness. Which is why the sight of bulging biceps, dripping sweat and […]

It’s a bit of a climb from the Old Port, but once you reach the Mountain Room you don’t have to worry about parking. Harding Lee Smith’s newest kitchen has killer views and hearty nosh prepared at 2,100 feet. Open for a month at Sunday River’s mid-mountain North Peak Lodge, the fifth restaurant by the […]

Spices and herbs add delicious variety to the foods we eat. But spices and herbs are much more than flavor enhancers — they are nutritional powerhouses. After all, spices and herbs come from plants, which means they are sources of plant phytonutrients. Many phytonutrients have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or even anti-cancer properties, and in the case […]

Celebrating the basilica of Saints Peter and Paul If the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul looks imposing, there’s good reason. The 80-year-old structure, at 43,060 square feet and 300 feet in length, is the second largest Roman Catholic church in New England. Authorities say only the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston is […]