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Since the time of Aristotle and the Greek philosophers, humans have debated just what the good life is. Champagne and caviar? Solitude by Walden Pond?

A place to call home

Looking at this photo taken outside the Jane Hotel in New York reminds me of a time when I was at home in a city I haven't been to since the week before the US lockdown in March 2020. I lived around the corner with my then partner, and we had seen the effects of extreme weather the autumn before, when Hurricane Sandy flooded lower Manhattan. We were unable to return to our building for nearly a month. Here's what I wrote at the time: 12 November 2012 The need [...]

June 12th, 2021|Categories: The Search for Community|Tags: , , , |

Walking to the shops makes life better

It often takes an outside eye to help one see things close at hand. Last night, a friend came to my house for supper. I'd made a rhubarb crumble, and mentioned that it really should be served with ice cream. Everyone agreed, and my daughter said, in the most ordinary way, "I'll go get some at the coop." The Berkshire Coop is a small version of Wholefoods and it's about five minutes' walk from my house, straight down the hill and across Main Street. She picked up her purse and [...]

June 27th, 2012|Categories: Home Ecology|Tags: , , |

The walk to Main Street

Berkshire Publishing used to have offices on Main Street and my walk to work was down Castle Street - the prettiest and shortest commute in the world, I often thought. It's still my most frequent walk because I'd do just about anything to avoid driving and have the good fortune to live in a neighborhood within a few minutes' of a small-town downtown with hardware stores (yes, that's plural), groceries, library, restaurants, and one of the best cheese shops in the United States. I used to go into Covent Garden [...]

May 25th, 2012|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |