Happenings

There is something so special about a live theater performance – the intimacy, the sense of risk, the not knowing what is going to happen next. And, with a comedy, there is also the opportunity to laugh fully and wholeheartedly.

It has been an interesting morning having my coffee while listening to the morning news on the radio and at the same time listening to Robin battle with the blue jays. He is convinced that they are complete hogs and carry off vast amounts of birdseed, so he has taken to running them off however possible.

As an economist, I am a data junkie. I constantly peer over scads of numbers and other information to assess what is going on and how our economy might evolve.

New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, features rich color highlights in the late season of early frost and colorful trees. The blue-purple blossom is eye-catching with its yellow-orange center. This large and showy aster, like most asters, blooms late in the season and provides a critical fall nectar source for pollinators, especially monarch butterflies as they stock up for their fall migration to Mexico. It is the larval host for pearl crescent and checkerspot butterflies.

The Papah likes it when I keep my columns warm and fuzzy. I have a large readership among folks my age who remember how things used to be years ago. These same folks are the ones who are going to be affected by the monkey business going on with Social Security. We remember when there were shoe factories in Richmond, a baby clothes factory in Gardiner. We remember when there were local stores.