Don’t Retire, ReFire: Getting through the winter months

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times One thing is for certain, in the winter months, the days are short and the weather is cold and unpredictable.  That combination can lead to the “winter doldrums”.  It would be very easy to give in to that and “wait out” the time in hibernation, doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. Productivity and purpose are essential to living.  Nothing good...

A February SuperSix just for Valentine’s

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! Not that we ever really need an excuse to shop…but, a holiday does ramp up the intensity. I have found some fun ideas, all under $100! Here we go… JCrew Ruffle Neck Pullover (on sale for $60!) :    Send article as PDF   

On Your Table: Groundhog Day leaves us between seasons – a great time for soup

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Versatile soups such as Vietnamese Pho bridge the gap between winter and spring. Well, will he or won’t he? I’m referring of course to whether Punxsutawney Phil will pop back into his burrow after seeing his shadow.  This is considered to be a predictor that spring isn’t coming soon.  Or, if he enjoys a cloudy day we can hope for its arrival...

Home improvement: our twisted idea of fun

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times My husband and I have renovated several houses over the course of our twenty four years together. I’m talking top to bottom gut jobs. And, surprisingly, we’ve remained married through it all! I think we work well together during the process because we’re aligned in our “big picture” vision and it carries us through the chaos. We laugh (now) when...

Not enjoying a new ‘Frontier’ of air travel

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times I am writing this article from seat 32E on Frontier Airlines. I’m on my way to Florida (sandwiched in between my two sisters) to surprise our mother for her birthday. FYI, we are not flying first class. I know this because I can see the cockpit door from where I’m located, midway on the aircraft. Frontier is a no nonsense operation. They are here to transport...

On Your Table: With the Eagles in NFC Title game, make sure you eat to win!

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times New Mexico Beef Chili packs a wallop and warms eaters right down to their toes. Well the Eagles remain competitors for the Super Bowl, with one playoff game left — Sunday night’s NFC Title game against the Vikings — and we might watch the Bowl regardless of whether the Eagles are playing or not, just to watch the commercials.  No matter...

A ‘Blush and Bashful’ Super Six for January

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times Whelp. All that posturing about writing meaningful content in the new year is on hold. Because, after conferencing with friends, it seems that most people hold my fashion picks in higher regard than my opinions on life. (sigh). Am I not as profound as I think I am? Alas, I do love the excuse to shop in the name of journalism. So, I’m kicking off 2018 (a...

Smile, it’s a new year

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times In the last few days the extreme cold temperature of the northeast has frozen pipes, chilled the soul and made people with sensitive teeth frown. When even smiling in the cold is too much for the teeth it’s a real concern. So many times we are asked what can be done. This month I am going to go over some tips to help keep those winter smiles. It’s...

Local chefs make 2018 predictions; spoiler alert it’s all about local

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent , The Times Cooking and eating local will continue to be a top trend in 2018. Well, it’s that time of year, time for prognostication concerning foods we will or should hunger for in 2018.  The national associations and food producers have all weighed in on what’s hot for the coming year, along with what’s passé from 2017 – think main courses in Mason...

Happy New year!

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times I hope that everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday break. For my family, it was a time filled with fun and (copious amounts of) food. It is always a little jarring to be thrust back into the reality that is January 2nd. Add some snow, frigid temperatures, and a 5am wake-up call from school to the mix and it’s enough to make us all want to go back...