On July 16, the FDA approved enlicitide (brand name Lipfendra) to lower LDL cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. For people with very high cholesterol, this is a big deal.             We have known since the late 1950’s that elevated cholesterol was associated with an increased risk of heart attack, but the drugs then available […] Read more »

            I’ve been following my own advice from the last column, and I have to tell you — it’s made all the difference.             I will admit freely that I am a list person. I chart my course for garden and house tasks, perhaps a trickle-down from my father, who writes out everything he intends […] Read more »

            Over a dozen children came to Joseph H. Plumb Library’s lawn with their families on Tuesday, August 18, for a celebration of the library’s 50th anniversary filled with bubbles and music. According to Fuchsia Haskell, the youth services librarian, the bubble celebration was the culmination of the library’s summer programming for children.              Many […] Read more »

            As musicians settled into their chairs at the Robert O. Broomhead Bandstand, concertgoers set up lawn chairs across the grass at Island Wharf in Marion. Within minutes, conductor Tobias Monte had turned the informal Friday evening gathering into a musical trip through Latin America and beyond.             The Marion Concert Band presented “A Latin […] Read more »

            This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in the Thirteen Colonies. Last week, Washington called on all troops in the surrounding regions to force-march to New York as British numbers increased on Staten Island. He does permit soldiers to largely have Sundays off for […] Read more »

            Have you ever caught a hermit crab at a beach? Did you notice that not all claws look the same? Many people may not know that there are two main types of these crabs found on the beaches of Massachusetts.             The first is the long-clawed hermit crab, the smaller of the two, growing […] Read more »

            The Town Coffee Committee met last Wednesday as we do every week, though we have acquired a new moniker, the “ROMEOs” (Retired Old Men Eating Out). It was given to us by a group of the fairer sex who have observed our deliberations from time to time. Anyway, while we continue to solve the […] Read more »

            There was one more reason to celebrate summer reading at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Saturday, August 8. It came with a scoop of ice cream.             Children who participated in the library’s 2026 Kids’ Summer Reading Program gathered with their families for an end-of-summer ice cream social, enjoying a sweet treat after […] Read more »

            It happens every year, around the time when the “dog days” of summer set in. You’ve been absolutely smitten with your garden — watching each new flower come into blossom, admiring those close-to-perfect, beautifully manicured, colorful vistas. And then, almost imperceptibly, everything seems to droop and fade. As the keeper of the garden, you […] Read more »

            Conversation and music filled the air over the Munro Preserve as more than 150 patrons dined at the Mattapoisett Museum and Land Trust’s Annual Great Community Picnic fundraiser on Thursday evening, August 6.             The picnic supports general operations for both groups, as well as trail maintenance and acquisitions for the Land Trust. It […] Read more »