Friday, May 16 When I was a boy living on the top of the hill on Hall Street, nearly all of the houses had open porches. People sat on them on hot summer evenings to cool off. Passersby stopped to talk. There was laughter and gaiety when someone told a joke or funny story. These people were our neighbors.   Full Story

Friday, May 16 I want to dish a little bit. I realized today as I was staring at the pile of dishes in my sink that life has become more complicated ever since I acquired more things to eat off of. (Or as Winston Churchill would say if he were alive, "More things off of which to eat.") (Or as he'd really say if he were alive, "Help!   Full Story

Thursday, May 15 Gov. Deval Patrick said it's "a dumb idea." He called it "irresponsible" and "foolish." Massachusetts Teachers Association President Anne Wass labeled it "wacky" and "wrong-headed." What is it? It's a ballot initiative to eliminate the Massachusetts income tax, on track for a statewide up-or-down vote on Election Day, Nov.   Full Story

Thursday, May 15 I have long been a critic of global warming and especially so after the harsh winter we just recently endured, with its inordinate amount of snowfall. But I am starting to change my mind. I have in my back yard two mature lilac trees that normally blossom in this area on or about Memorial Day.   Full Story

Wednesday, May 14 Maggie is a family dog -- our family dog -- and she happens to live better than most third-world children do. She eats well and lives like a regular member of the family. She is a dog that truly has her own personality traits, just as other family members do. She loves a good cup of coffee.   Full Story

Tuesday, May 13 We are still hearing those bellicose pundits and politicians calling for Hillary to throw in the towel. From self-professed local liberals in small towns to high profile columnists in Boston, from superdelegates who fear the sky will fall if Hillary stays in the race to those once-great movie actors in Hollywood who flaunt their forgotten faces for the sake of the roving   Full Story

Monday, May 12 Sitting around moping over some delusional event, the phone rang. "Damn, it's my editor; what did I misspell now?" I wondered, looking at the number on the caller ID screen. "Would you care to join me on the links for a round of golf," he asked, sounding like someone named Chauncey from a long-winded and boring Noel Coward play.   Full Story

Monday, May 12 One reason to love sports is that it's usually easy to know who wins. Score more points than the other person or team and you win. Things only get sticky when you use a scorecard rather than a scoreboard. Take ski jumping, for example. Points are awarded by measuring how long a jump is and then combining the result with scores given by judges who evaluate the jumpers' form.   Full Story

Monday, May 12 Every so often we like to look through old city records to see what life was like in the "long ago" when people worked hard for little money. Let's take the year 1908, for example. If you think the mayor was the highest-paid city employee that year, you would be wrong. The highest-paid city employee was the school superintendent.   Full Story

Monday, May 12 Just when we thought we had seen all there was to hamburgers, the recipe for Thai Turkey Burgers landed on our desk. Instead of the usual salsa, red onion and melted cheese that adorns so many burgers, the Asian patty had ingredients from a Thai kitchen: green onion, cilantro, soy and ginger.   Full Story