RUMFORD – When Krista Cote is in the mood to bake, nothing can stop her. “In one day I made four pumpkin pies. Another day, I made 100 cookies – sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chip,” she said. A special occasion? “No, just to eat them,” she replied.Cote learned how to cook from her mother. […]

Here are some ways that I have learned from children.• Children care about pain and feelings. They will ask if something hurts. They will kiss a bruise to make it better. They will say, “That’s all right,” as they pat you.• Children are creative when given ideas, props, time, space and freedom from criticism. They […]

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Raven-Symone, 21; Nia Peeples, 45; Kenneth Branagh, 46; Michael Clarke Duncan, 49Happy Birthday: Take the time to put things in perspective and make wise choices. Travel, educational pursuits and making vast changes in your direction may be daunting and difficult but the end result will be worth your while. A […]

Debra Colleen Daggett, a Lisbon native and member of the Lisbon Historical Society, has released a pictorial history book titled “Images of America: Lisbon.”“Sharing a legacy of work, family, faith, pride and optimism, Lisbon is still one of the best locations in Maine today,” it’s written in the book’s introduction.Capturing that spirit, Daggett’s photographic chronicle […]

NEW YORK – A corkscrew. An affordable set of glasses. A bottle stopper.Those used to be all a wine drinker needed to enjoy a bottle. But in recent years, it’s been all the rage to spend money – sometimes many thousands of dollars – on accessories to help you open, drink, store, even decorate your […]

“Out of Bounds,” by John Corrigan; University Press of New England; 321 pages; $24.95 in hardcover.Golfers whose in-flight entertainment on trips to Myrtle Beach and points south takes the form of murder mysteries will find “Out of Bounds” a great combination of golf and murder.Ever since John Corrigan introduced Jack Austin in “Cut Shot,” mystery […]

NEW YORK – “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay.” So goes a well-known children’s song from the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.A dreidel (pronounced DRAY-dle) is a four-sided spinning top, and these days, toy dreidels are more likely to be made from plastic than clay. But there are also collectible dreidels, designed to […]

Heritage scrapbook with photos and notes makes a treasured gift. You might think your kids or grandkids don’t want to hear about their heritage. But it may be more about the lack of time in their busy schedules to listen than the perceived notion that they don’t care.Someday when you least expect it, little Johnnie […]

“Hi there, how are you doing?”“Great, thanks, how are you?”“Just fine, thank you – uh, and you?”Ugh. Pause. Uncomfortable silence. Crickets. Downward glance. Twiddling thumbs. Rising blood pressure. Now what?Why does small talk have to be such a big cause of stress?While some may be gifted with the ability to gab, many more feel uncomfortable […]

Show up at a holiday party with your gift of wine wrapped in a plain paper bag, and eyebrows are liable to go up. These days, wine is arriving in designer bags and increasingly intricate covers.The winemakers at Ecco Domani have partnered with four emerging fashion designers to offer a wine bottle-bag collection. The line […]