Tell your dog to get ready for quinoa kibble. Pet food trends are following their owners’ tastes. Even the meat-loving brands are marketing plants, the very ingredients they once sidelined-just not the plants the industry has historically relied on, like the high-protein soybean and corn-gluten meals. Instead, Blue Buffalo Co. Ltd. offers a Chicken & […]
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Lifestyle news from the Sun Journal.
Welcome to my Nightmare on the Ridge
Jeff Strout seems like a very nice man. He’s got those kind eyes, that fuzzy mustache and a generally mild way about him. Nice fellow, Strout. And then autumn rolls around and a kind of madness overtakes him; a madness he is happy to share with the rest of us. He can’t help it. Maybe […]
In verse: Maine places and people
Produced by Dennis Camire This week’s poem is by Julia Bouwsma of western Maine. Her most recent book is “Work by Bloodlight,” published by Cider Press Review. Elegy as Dusk Rising in the Road By Julia Bouwsma It’s the fact of the ground. My arches braid the arced ruts each evening, light blistering […]
Want your kids to be resilient? Here's what not to do
Amy Morin knows a lot about resiliency. A licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist and foster parent, she has devoted her life to helping others resolve problems and conflicts. But she also has personal experience with building resiliency. While in her 20s Morin faced the unexpected loss of her mother and, three years later, the sudden […]
Gummy Bear juice cleanse — from joke to 'real' gift
The gummy bear cleanse sounds like a joke, and for one day, that’s all it was. On April 1, 2016, Rosie O’Neill, co-founder of the boutique candy brand Sugarfina, decided to play an April Fools’ prank, sending an email to customers advertising the brand’s newest flavor: green juice. It was funny because although green juice […]
The best bell pepper for stuffing is anything but green
We’re nearing sweater weather, which means we’re nearing stuffed-pepper weather. I have a soft spot for stuffed peppers, because they were in my mother’s weekly dinner rotation: Hers were green bells, as was the fashion in the 1970s, and stuffed with beef and rice, covered in tomato sauce and baked. I liked them, but I […]
Magical Earth: Taking stalk … and other end-of-season exploits
The sun shines brightly as I survey this year’s vegetable garden. There’s still corn to be harvested, some green tomatoes that must be brought in to finish ripening before a frost, and a few root crops that can wait until later in the month. Each year is different. This was the year of herbs, beans […]
An enduring wedding destination
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Not only has the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul been a center of spirituality and community over the years, but it has served as the religious genesis for thousands and thousands of couples and families. Four different buildings on the site of the current Basilica have […]
A pillow that knows when you're snoring
And other interesting innovations for sleep We’ve all been told that unplugging — putting our phones away and turning off the television at least 30 minutes before going to bed — is better for our sleep, productivity and overall health, but many of us are ignoring the recommendation. We aren’t just sleeping in our beds; […]
Face Time: Kerry Irish, oncology social worker
Kerry Irish was in graduate school, planning to become a school guidance counselor, when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Her family’s oncology social worker was a resource and a comfort. She was also an inspiration. Irish changed her career path. Fifteen years later, she helped found the Dempsey Center in Lewiston, a nonprofit that […]