Summertime and the living is easy. Unless, of course, you live in Maine, and then someone is always stopping by for a visit. It’s life in “Vacationland” and you’re the host of somebody else’s vacation. How do you prepare for the unexpected guests who drop in while driving by? If you’re Heidi Klingelhofer, the owner […]

Twin Cities native Ayumi Horie has been around the world sharing her artistry and expertise in pottery. She was recently awarded a $50,000 Distinguished Fellow grant from the United States Artists; given to the most accomplished and innovative artists in their field, only three other Mainers have received the award. Horie, who now lives in […]

No longer ‘on the clock,’explore your own rhythms  When Solomon Noy retired from his nearly 20-year career as a correctional officer, he was used to 12-hour days on the job. His typical schedule was 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In the decade since he retired, he says he has […]

My ninth-grade biology teacher would wipe his chalkboard with a smelly wet rag that he only washed when it stuck to the wall. He had other eccentricities as well. When we dissected squid, he pre-emptively fired up the classroom Bunsen burners. Once we had popped open the ink sac and sketched the tentacles, he told […]

Travis Springer, an English teacher at a Washington language institute, was outside drinking coffee with a friend the other day when he was asked an unusual question, but one that divides folks nationwide: Which is better, automatic or manual flush toilets? Springer criticized automatic-flush toilets on the basis of their “weird timing.” The indictment was […]

The Fourth of July is one of America’s beloved holidays. Combine the abundance of food, great company and the celebration of the United States as a new nation, and you have the perfect makings for a memorable party. And there is one more element in the July 4th merriment not to forget: drinks. Elaine Spugnardi […]

‘Weird.’ ‘Devastating.’ ‘Liberating.’ Readers share their deep feelings on selling the family home For most people, the idea of home is fundamental to our identity, to our memories and to our sense of comfort and security. It’s the place where we spend the most formative, if not the majority, of our years. For many, home […]