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Columns

Butterfly magic

It’s a typical evening in the Peer house. Bill is at the table, doing schoolwork on his Chromebook. Phoebe is dividing her attention between the show she is streaming and the social media on her phone, and I am sprawled on the couch awkwardly typing this column. If one of the older children ...

Stories and oral history

My father’s birthday was a few days ago, and though he passed many years ago, I sent my children the annual note reminding them of a few of their grandfather’s stories. Some of the events I share are not from my memories but accounts he shared with me about previous generations. I never ...

March is National Nutrition Month

It’s March. Spring is coming early. Sap is flowing. Snow is gone. Ducks swim in the pond. Crocuses are blooming. Robins and red-winged blackbirds have returned. While enjoying the sun and warmth, I’m worried about what this changing climate means for our future. It is Lent — a season ...

Intelligent speed assistance pushed by IIHS and others

A November 2022 “Safety on the Roads” column was about Intelligent Speed Assistance and described its potential to save lives by warning drivers when they exceed the speed limit, or even controlling the speed in some cases. Now the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and other ...

When the Irish settled in Alder Brook

What better time to look back at our Irish heritage than this day before St. Patrick’s on March 17. So much of the population of Saranac Lake was increased over the years by the Irish that migrated from Alder Brook. I can’t tell how clear the accompanying photo will reproduce. It is ...

Clean and Green

When I was in my 30s, given the arrogance of Youth, I thought all the good things in my life would last forever, the bad things would be gone as soon as they came, and I had an infinite amount of time left. As I said, arrogant. Now, 40-plus years later, my attitude has changed more than a ...