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A Yankee Notebook

—my weekly column which appears in several New England newspapers.

2024

Mar. 17, 2024
Travel Anxiety
Mar. 10, 2024
Ageism in Journalism
Mar. 3, 2024
Back Bay Reverie
Feb. 25, 2024
North to Greenland
Feb. 18, 2024
A Toast to Sir Ernest
Feb. 11, 2024
New Car Confusion
Feb. 4, 2024
Poor February Second!
Jan. 28, 2024
My Inanimate Pals
Jan. 21, 2024
A Not-Unpleasant Interlude
Jan. 14, 2024
The Notebook
Jan. 7, 2024
My Godnose Terrier

swimmers

2023

Dec. 31, 2023
A Midwinter Vacation
Dec. 24, 2023
Thwarting Thor
Dec. 17, 2023
A Christmas Message
Dec. 10, 2023
The Devil in Cyberspace
Dec. 3, 2023
Christmas Vespers
Nov. 26, 2023
Bring It On!
Nov. 19, 2023
Compromise
Nov. 12, 2023
At the Omni
Nov. 5, 2023
Daylight Saving Time
Oct. 29, 2023
A Sunny Weekend!
Oct. 22, 2023
Carpe What’s Left
Oct. 15, 2023
Old Voyageurs
Oct. 8, 2023
A Road Trip in the Rain
Oct. 1, 2023
Bring It On!
Sept. 24, 2023
The Brownies Arrive!
Sept. 17, 2023
Picking Apples in a Hurricane
Sept. 10, 2023
A Lot Happened Here
Sept. 3, 2023
The Worst Worst Trip
Aug. 27, 2023
Trials of the Conspirators
Aug. 20, 2023
Hit Me Easy Next Time, eh?
Aug. 13, 2023
The Washington Gerontocracy
Aug. 6, 2023
Lost? Never! Confused? Yep.
July 29, 2023
My Little Shadow
July 22, 2023
The Donald’s Soap Opera
July 15, 2023
The Heat Is On!
July 8, 2023
A Great Getaway
July 1, 2023
Ticks!
June 25, 2023
Old Folks and Falls
June 18, 2023
A Tourist at Home
June 11, 2023
Canada Jay – A Bad Neighbor?
June 4, 2023
Building Jerusalem
May 28, 2023
Wisdom of the Ages
May 21, 2023
Down the Rhone to the Sea
May 14, 2023
Going Through Hell to France
May 7, 2023
Through France with Friends
Apr. 30, 2023
The Rites of Spring
Apr. 23, 2023
Home of the Brave, Eh?
Apr. 16, 2023
The Blessings of Healing
Apr. 9, 2023
Science, History, and Opinions
Apr. 2, 2023
The Aviation Gods
Mar. 26, 2023
The Essential People
Mar. 19, 2023
Futility of Prohibition
Mar. 12, 2023
One Thing At a Time!
Mar. 5, 2023
Out of the Woods – Carefully!
Feb. 26, 2023
Light in the Tunnel
Feb. 19, 2023
Ups and Downs…and Ups
Feb. 12, 2023
Living in a Mini-Space
Feb. 5, 2023
We Can Do This
Jan. 29, 2023
Falling Toward Spring
Jan. 22, 2023
No Ether, Please!
Jan. 15, 2023
Elégance Québécoise
Jan. 8, 2023
Another New Experience
Jan. 1, 2023
A Most Unusual Christmas

Helga

2022

Dec. 18, 2022
The Spirit of Dickens
Dec. 11, 2022
Sankta Lucia
Dec. 4, 2022
The Sun’ll Be Back – soon.
Nov. 27, 2022
Thanksgiving by the Sea
Nov. 20, 2022
Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 13, 2022
Here Come the Kids!
Nov. 6, 2022
A Sybarite in Maine
Oct. 30, 2022
Peace at the Center
Oct. 23, 2022
The Scenic RailRiders
Oct. 16, 2022
Living with a Snuggler
Oct. 9, 2022
Leaf-Peeping in the Rain
Oct. 2, 2022
It Could Happen Here
Sept. 25, 2022
Where am I, Siri?
Sept. 18, 2022
The Emergency Room
Sept. 11, 2022
Paradise on the Missouri River
Sept. 4, 2022
Saving America
Aug. 28, 2022
Peanuts for Genius
Aug. 21, 2022
My Happy Days as a Pedagogue
Aug. 14, 2022
Home at Last!
Aug. 7, 2022
Nuclear Insanity
July 31, 2022
On the Sidelines
July 24, 2022
Fact or Fiction?
July 17, 2022
Over Smugglers Notch
July 10, 2022
Too Much to Ask?
July 3, 2022
In the Valley of the Cross
June 27, 2022
Getting Ready to Go
June 20, 2022
A Return to Hurricane
June 13, 2022
Cruising the Islands
June 6, 2022
A Life-Changing Dip
May 30, 2022
Two Solutions Left
May 23, 2022
Cassie and Me
May 16, 2022
A Modest Proposal
May 9, 2022
Ireland Rising
May 1, 2022
The Emerald Isle
Apr. 17, 2022
From Grief to…What
Apr. 11, 2022
An Old Man in Traffic
Apr. 4, 2022
It’s Just Stupid
Mar. 28, 2022
The Arkansas Traveler
Mar. 21, 2022
Stuck in Mud Season
Mar. 14, 2022
The Boss
Mar. 7, 2022
The Lesson of the Sugar Maple
Feb. 28, 2022
Vladimir’s Mistake
Feb. 21, 2022
…And Not to Yield
Feb. 14, 2022
The Pathless Wood
Feb. 7, 2022
Title IX
Jan. 31, 2022
Displacement on Skis
Jan. 24, 2022
The Old Bobsled Run
Jan. 17, 2022
Reflections on Snow and Cold
Jan. 10, 2022
Me and Thor
Jan. 3, 2022
The Peace of Wild Things

A bunch of the boys chomping on snacks at Whittakers' place at the mouth of the Coppermine River after a lovely canoe trip.

2021

Dec.27, 2021
My Constant Companion
Dec.20, 2021
A Silver Ear Worm
Dec.13, 2021
Light – Brightest in Darkness
Dec. 6, 2021
The Fault Is in Ourselves
Nov. 29, 2021
Thanksgiving in Arkansas
Nov. 22, 2021
The Price of Admission
Nov. 15, 2021
A Vermont Hobbit
Nov. 8, 2021
Fall Back into Darkness
Nov. 2, 2021
Remembering Sign Language
Oct. 25, 2021
Ha! You Missed Me!
Oct. 18, 2021
Don’t Trash the Kids!
Oct. 11, 2021
Old Gold
Oct. 4, 2021
Visiting My Trees
Sept. 27, 2021
A Lifetime of Memories
Sept. 20, 2021
Falling Behind
Sept. 13, 2021
Just the Two of Us
Sept. 4, 2021
The Union Forever
Aug. 30, 2021
On the Road Again – with GPS
Aug. 23, 2021
When Will We Learn?
Aug. 16, 2021
Saving the Life Savers
Aug. 9, 2021
Giving Way to the New
Aug. 2, 2021
A Classroom at Sea
July 26, 2021
Cuba Libre!
July 19, 2021
The Heat Is On
July 12, 2021
Reality Hands Me My Hat
July 5, 2021
The Final Judgment
June 27, 2021
After the Cyclone
June 20, 2021
Bairns Are a Blessing
June 13, 2021
Principle vs. Data
June 6, 2021
The Slow Death of a Killer
May 31, 2021
Loving the Differences
May 24, 2021
Forty Years of Progress
May 17, 2021
Eye for an Eye
May 10, 2021
Balancing the Scales
May 3, 2021
Among Friends
Apr. 26, 2021
Tucker Mountain
Apr. 19, 2021
Running on Fumes
Apr. 12, 2021
Irreversible Decline
Apr. 5, 2021
Aches, Pains, and Joy
Mar. 29, 2021
The Fantasy Weapon
Mar. 22, 2021
Call This a Gummint?
Mar. 15, 2021
Why Not?
Mar. 8, 2021
Quarantining with a Dog
Mar. 1, 2021
Coffee
Feb. 22, 2021
The Age of Emigration
Feb. 15, 2021
The Attic of the Mind
Feb. 8, 2021
Skiing in Memory
Feb. 1, 2021
Signing up to Get Shot
Jan. 25, 2021
A Walk, a Talk, and a Farewell
Jan. 18, 2021
The World in a 30-Foot Boat
Jan. 11, 2021
The Green Mountain Bubble
Jan. 4, 2021
Just go away – please!

mercury dime friends

2020

Dec. 28, 2020
Stop the Hurt!
Dec. 21, 2020
A Pandemic Christmas
Dec. 14, 2020
Thanks, Ronnie!
Dec. 7, 2020
Seeking Peace and Perspective
Nov. 30, 2020
My Window to the World
Nov. 23, 2020
The Fire Bell in the Organ
Nov. 16, 2020
Making the US United Again
Nov. 9, 2020
Keeping My Head Down
Nov. 2, 2020
An Annual Pilgrimage
Oct. 26, 2020
After This, What Next?
Oct. 19, 2020
Surviving with Music
Oct. 12, 2020
Survival Mode
Oct. 5, 2020
The President’s Got It
Sept. 28, 2020
Two Shoots in the Sunshine
Sept. 21, 2020
The Quiet Space Inside
Sept. 14, 2020
The Shaker Forest and Ponds
Sept. 7, 2020
The Joy of Working
Aug. 31, 2020
It’s Happening Here
Aug. 24, 2020
Kiki’s Point of View
Aug. 17, 2020
Completing the Quest
Aug. 10, 2020
One More Wow – Please!
Aug. 3, 2020
Respect for the Hobo
July 27, 2020
Keeping Up – Barely
July 20, 2020
The Perfect Storm
July 13, 2020
The Worth of Our Word
July 6, 2020
Freedom Is a Chance
June 29, 2020
A Great Idea Come True
June 22, 2020
Equal and Opposite
June 15, 2020
The Lost Art of Policing
June 8, 2020
Useless Information
June 1, 2020
The Washing Bear
May 25, 2020
Coping with Change
May 18, 2020
Simulium damnosum!
May 11, 2020
Got Any Corncobs?
May 4, 2020
Halcyon Days at the Movies
Apr. 27, 2020
Will We Come Out Changed?
Apr. 20, 2020
The World Needs a Dog
Apr. 13, 2020
The Quiet Life
Apr. 6, 2020
Essential People
Mar. 30, 2020
Train Songs
Mar. 23, 2020
A Viral Test
Mar. 16, 2020
Waiting for the Virus
Mar. 9, 2020
Hermit Lake
Mar. 2, 2020
The Great Labrador Loppet
Feb. 24, 2020
Boy Scouts – RIP
Feb. 17, 2020
On Any Page the Least Display…
Feb. 10, 2020
Just an Old Boat
Feb. 3, 2020
Place Looks Familiar
Jan. 27, 2020
Casting Off
Jan. 20, 2020
Crippling Ourselves
Jan. 13, 2020
Data-Driven Decisions
Jan. 6, 2020
An Elderodyssey

Will and Dudley

2019

Dec. 30, 2019
Grampa in the Sky
Dec. 23, 2019
Looking Back in Joy
Dec. 16, 2019
Modern ROMEOs
Dec. 9, 2019
Light Shining in Darkness
Dec. 2, 2019
The Scrooge in All of Us
Nov. 25, 2019
Lying
Nov. 18, 2019
Prayer and Dissonance
Nov. 11, 2019
Veterans Day – Snow
Nov. 4, 2019
The Joy of Running
Oct. 28, 2019
November Blues
Oct. 21, 2019
What a Great Job!
Oct. 14, 2019
Ausable Club
Oct. 7, 2019
Divisions and Mediation
Sept. 29, 2019
Of Trout and a Trumpeter
Sept. 22, 2019
Drifting the Bighorn
Sept. 16, 2019
A Week in Scotland
Sept. 9, 2019
Voices of the Earth
Sept. 2, 2019
Packing to Go
Aug. 26, 2019
Laughin’ Places
Aug. 19, 2019
Once More into the Breach!
Aug. 12, 2019
You Want Change?
Aug. 5, 2019
Beating the Heat
July 29, 2019
Who’ll Bell the Cat?
July 22, 2019
The Wind or a Tiger?
July 15, 2019
The Bugs of Hellgate
July 8, 2019
A Roadster, a Dog, and a Notch
July 1, 2019
Lettuce and Brass Knuckles
June 24, 2019
Air, Fuel – and Spark
June 17, 2019
A Weekend Zoomie
June 10, 2019
The Wise Ones
June 3, 2019
Tornadoes and American Art
May 27, 2019
Old Man and the Earth
May 20, 2019
A Rising Tide
May 13, 2019
Visceral Memories
May 6, 2019
Confused in the Woods
Apr. 29, 2019
Do Justly, Love Mercy…
Apr. 22, 2019
Once More into the Breach!
Apr. 15, 2019
A Weekend with Ghosts
Apr. 8, 2019
Cockroaches in Washington
Apr. 1, 2019
Lying
Mar. 25, 2019
Dog Party!
Mar. 18, 2019
Not Going Quietly
Mar. 11, 2019
The State of Vermont
Mar. 4, 2019
The Iditaski!
Feb. 25, 2019
Uphill Skiing Into a Time Warp
Feb. 18, 2019
Dogs – In From the Cold
Feb. 11, 2019
Socialism?
Feb. 4, 2019
Ever Looking Forward
Jan. 28, 2019
A Priceless Metaphor
Jan. 21, 2019
Ka-Boom!~ and It’s Done
Jan. 14, 2019
Cold Noses, Warm Memories
Jan. 7, 2019
Embracing the Future

Jaguar

2018

Dec. 31, 2018
The Best Gifts of All
Dec. 24, 2018
First Christmas Alone
Dec. 17, 2018
The Inuit Shuffle
Dec. 10, 2018
Scrooge on my Mind
Dec. 3, 2018
Love Is on the Way
Nov. 26, 2018
Can We Just Get Along?
Nov. 19, 2018
Old Cabin, Old Guys
Nov. 2, 2018
A Perfect Day and Dogs
Nov. 5, 2018
Into the Unknown
Oct. 29, 2018
Saga of Minik
Oct. 22, 2018
A North Woods Getaway
Oct. 15, 2018
Armistice Day
Oct. 9, 2018
All God’s Critters
Oct. 2, 2018
Last of the Old Guys
Sept. 24, 2018
Lessons from Norway
Sept. 15, 2018
Islands
Sept. 8, 2018
Packing for the Trip
Sept. 5, 2018
The Elusive Mercury Dime
Aug. 27, 2018
A Trail of Islands
Aug. 20, 2018
A Mount Washington Wedding
Aug. 13, 2018
Nurse Kiki
Aug. 6, 2018
A Defense of Journalism
July 29, 2018
Ometepe Kids
July 22, 2018
A Northern Refuge
July 15, 2018
Old Guys on a Porch
July 8, 2018
Open Boats and Youth
July 1, 2018
The American Neverland
June 25, 2018
Beware the Child
June 18, 2018
Building Jerusalem
June 10, 2018
Seeing with a Child’s Eyes
June 3, 2018
Black Fly, the Little Black Fly…
May 28, 2018
Defining Patriotism
May 21, 2018
Growing Into It
May 14, 2018
Time to Grow Up
May 7, 2018
Politics, Dogs, and Trout Lilies
Apr. 30, 2018
My Favourite Foolishness
Apr. 23, 2018
Saving the Colorado?
Apr. 16, 2018
Bye, Bye, Sweetheart
Apr. 9, 2018
The Moribund Colorado
Apr. 2, 2018
Quotes from Dad
Mar. 26, 2018
Advice from Grampa
Mar. 19, 2018
Dogs, Late Winter
Mar. 12, 2018
Mother Takes on the IRS
Mar. 5, 2018
The Kids Are Coming!
Feb. 26, 2018
Bobrun Days
Feb. 19, 2018
Cowboy Culture
Feb. 12, 2018
Beating Our Chests
Feb. 5, 2018
Xenophobia Lives
Jan. 29, 2018
Winter Poetry
Jan. 22, 2018
Getting to Know You
Jan. 15, 2018
How Many Enemies Do We Need
Jan. 8, 2018
Sixty Years a Chef
Jan. 1, 2018
Out of Ammunition

guideboat

photo courtesy of klementovich photo

2017

Dec. 25, 2017
Eighty Christmases
Dec. 18, 2017
Time for Amateur Hour
Dec. 11, 2017
A Long-Lived Obsession
Dec. 4, 2017
Old Age: A Cavalry Charge
Nov. 27, 2017
Rising Tides
Nov. 20, 2017
Thanksgiving Changes
Nov. 13, 2017
Kiki Goes To Camp
Nov. 6, 2017
November Sleep
Oct. 30, 2017
Saving The Condors
Oct. 22, 2017
A Hidden Gem Of A Park
Oct. 15, 2017
Smart-Ass Car
Oct. 9, 2017
Afro Outdoors. 'Bout Time
Oct. 2, 2017
An Unspoken Bond
Feb. 6, 2017
What A Game!
Jan. 30, 2017
The Vanity Of Walls
Jan. 23, 2017
Call This A Winter?
Jan. 16, 2017
Bard Of The Yukon
Jan. 9, 2017
A Little Patch Of Old New England
Jan. 1, 2017
Elwood P. Dowd

Photo by Willem Lange