By Brett Amy Thelen

In 1989, the Sega company released the SEGA Genesis system in the United States. It would be another three years or so before I would get the system, turn it on and hear “SEEEGAAA” for the first time. My brothers and I had already had the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for some time bef…

By Bill Chaisson

By David Kittredge

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

By Edward Jones

Streaming content and binge watching has become extremely popular among all demographics. There is a part of me that longs for the return of “appointment television, when we would schedule a block of time to watch a specific show. There was a community aspect to watching television at that t…

By Bill Chaisson

As I write, the snowplow just rumbled past the house. We haven’t seen much snow this winter and as we enter the maple season so I am glad to see some. The warm weather of January had us a bit concerned and some buds on the soft maples look a little more full than we like at this point in the…

By David Kittredge

By Edward Jones

Do you know what a harlequin is? Well, in the new “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” Harley Quinn asks this very question.

It was nice to see snow falling on Thursday with the birds gathered at the snowy feeders as the most recent winter storm swept into the area. I am not fond of winter, ice and rain. Nevertheless, my heart was happy to see the white stuff. This has been a very difficult year for any of us reli…

By Bill Chaisson

In our new twitterverse of cybernetic communication, I fear the art of writing love letters to your intended is nearly lost. As Saint Valentine’s Day draws near, with visions of chocolate drizzled strawberry bonbons, pajama grams and heart-laden greeting cards with the endearing sonnets of a…

On Valentine’s Day, you can give your spouse or life partner a traditional gift such as candy or flowers. But once you have done that, why not think about something that can provide longer-lasting benefits for your loved one? Specifically, think about ways to provide a lifetime of financial …

Valentine’s Day is coming! Prepare yourself for an onslaught of Instagram posts featuring bright flowers, sparkling jewelry, and oversized teddy bears. Your feed is about to get blessed. If you get to know me for more than 10 seconds, you know that’s not what I’m about. Heck, my husband isn’…

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Is there such a thing as the modern fairy tale? I would say both yes and no. This is because the modern fairy tale is not nearly what fairy tales used to be.

Whenever I spy a pileated woodpecker traversing the sky, I pause to watch its weird undulating flight. The jerky rise-and-drop movement of this large woodpecker is endearingly gawky – like a mini pterodactyl visiting from the Cretaceous period. This time of year, the bird’s bold crimson cres…

With warm weather plaguing us in this unusually warm January, we are a bit concerned about the prospects for the maple season. Typical years have us tapping the trees in the latter part of February, but we are tempted to pull the start date back a bit and start tapping earlier. We always hav…

By Bill Chaisson

By David Kittredge

Social Security can be one source of retirement income for you and your spouse. To maximize your benefits, you will need to make some key decisions and be aware of some common myths.