My nesting instincts have started kicking in again, like clockwork, this month. I can count on this happening every year around January. As the real estate season in the Northampton area winds down (generally this happens before Thanksgiving, and picks up again in late winter/early spring), I find myself finally getting around to household [...]

Many of us Northampton area residents are wondering whether this winter will come close, in snow accumulation, to last winter. So far, it's not looking that way - though you can't seem to go anywhere in town today without hearing conversations about the upcoming Nor'easter (the Emperor's New Nor'Easter?). But, impending storm or no, it [...]

Over lunch with my husband today, I subtly mentioned to him that the credit card bill next month might be a bit higher than usual. Instead of being disgruntled, the way he can be when I don't forewarn him, he said "thank you for letting me know". I was glad to have gotten that piece of news off of my chest, but I am still feeling a bit [...]

I'm not sure about the rest of Northampton, but I am starting to experience cabin fever of enormous proportions. I love a good snow fall as much as the next guy, but coupled with sub-zero and single digit temps, I'm going outside only when absolutely necessary!  A friend posted a link to this interesting article [...]

For those of us who are staying put this President's Day weekend/week, here amid the piles of snow and the cold temps, it's nice to know that we have the 5th Annual Northampton Ice Sculpture Festival to look forward to. While we certainly have more than enough snow to go around, the [...]

In the wake of "snowmageddon", (which turned out to be more of a run-of-the-mill snowstorm in the Northampton area), I've been thinking about how we experience winter here in Western MA. Around this time of year, the topic of winter seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongues. We are growing weary of the cold, the shoveling, the ice, the [...]