Author Steven Dahill remembers his grandmother in Mattapoisett threatening to make misbehaving children disappear like the Mary Celeste crew.             The often-uttered threat would later serve as a source of inspiration for Dahill, who became an author and a sailor.             “It’s a story I have heard for a long time,” Dahill said.             Dahill […] Read more »

As children, we played Ring Around the Rosie, ending with “ashes, ashes, we all fall down.” When small children fall down, it is fun. When older adults fall down, it is anything but fun. Over the course of my career, I saw many frail but independent elders fall, breaking a hip, and ending up in […] Read more »

            Of all the things Eddie Gonet could have become after graduating with the 2022 class at Old Rochester Regional High School, a Krokodilo was not on anyone’s radar.             The Fairhaven native who attended ORR on school choice has always been up for a challenge. In high school, he helped start multiple clubs, survived […] Read more »

The town of Mattapoisett is home to a number of visual artists whose works are truly outstanding. And now the Mattapoisett Free Public Library is exhibiting a retrospective of stunningly emotive quality from the hand and the mind of Chuck McIntyre.             On view now through January 31, the 20-plus paintings capture a vast range […] Read more »

Books are my preferred Christmas gifts, and this year was no different.             Last year my son gave me a rather large book, nearly 1,000 pages, which is the size of a concrete block and about the same weight. He should have given me a set of barbells along with it because I had to […] Read more »

            Tons of ink have been spilled on the health effects, good and bad, of alcohol consumption. Beneficial effects on the heart were discussed in the 1990s based on “the French paradox.” A paper published in 1995 noted that there was less ischemic heart disease in France compared to the U.S. despite the fact that […] Read more »

If Ma’s issues were being addressed today, her life and that of her children might have been easier. But in the 1950s, women’s issues and emotional wellbeing weren’t a top priority. Her comfort fell to us and Dad.             And so, speaking for myself, I felt responsible for her happiness even at an early age. […] Read more »

            The Marion Institute’s Grow Education Farm-to-School program proves that, if children learn about dirt, seeds and the sun, they will live healthier lives. Some third-graders at Sippican Elementary School already know their way around a garden, thanks to their parents and, in some cases, grandparents.             “My dad has a garden in the back, […] Read more »

            First, some vocabulary. Cannabis is synonymous with marijuana and refers to a plant, the chemicals in the plant and products derived from the plant. THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis. Cannabidiol (CBD) is also psychoactive but does not have the euphoric effect of THC. CBD sold is usually derived directly from […] Read more »

            People ask me where ideas for columns come from and how I became a writer. I always say, the former is a mystery, and the latter was sheer luck. It’s true. I recall I wrote a letter to the editor, then another and another and one day one appeared on the Op-ed page with […] Read more »