Elizabeth Licata

2 weeks ago | buffalonews.com | Elizabeth LIcata |Elizabeth Licata

You can’t go home again. A character in the Thomas Wolfe novel by the same name said that, going on to explain that time has washed away the experiences of a certain place at a certain time. That existence is gone forever. Many Western New Yorkers who never moved too far away from where they were born and grew up are living that truth. They’re still home, but home as they knew it is very different now. That is one reason we so often wax nostalgic.

1 month ago | buffalonews.com | Elizabeth LIcata |Elizabeth Licata

Oh, Canada. Oh, dear Canada. I try not to be too political in this space, but the uproar over our prospective “51st state” and the trade war that’s happening in real time are too close to home. For all of us. Raise your hand if you have regularly crossed the border a good part of your life for:Visits to Crystal Beach, 1.0 and 2.0, or other Ontario beachesToronto concertsChinese foodSwiss ChaletCampingThe Shaw FestivalBeerI did not mention the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

1 month ago | buffalonews.com | Elizabeth LIcata |Elizabeth Licata

Thousands of Western New Yorkers found refuge in nature during the pandemic. The question is: Did those habits continue when the threat of infection began to fade? It might be difficult to assess. How much do any of us remember from the peak years of Covid, especially pre-vaccine? It was a strange time and much of it is a blur for me. Time spent outside tends to stand out a little more sharply.

1 month ago | buffalonews.com | Elizabeth LIcata |Elizabeth Licata

It’s not the kind of advance notice you want, even for a journalist. My husband and I were among the first to hear of the deaths of Mickey Harmon and his partner, Jordan Celotto, on Tuesday. An artist friend of ours – also a close associate of Harmon’s – came by their apartment and saw a man brandishing a knife through the window. It sounded like a scene from a horror film. That friend called the police and waited for them to arrive. Harmon and Celotto were found dead.

2 months ago | buffalonews.com | Elizabeth LIcata |Elizabeth Licata

Don’t hate Valentine’s Day. It’s a good excuse to buy flowers. Living things full of color and scent can help you forget the bitter winds and lethal ice of what feels like the 250th day of winter. Valentine’s Day is also an opportunity to get creative with flowers in ways that, until recently, weren’t always available in Buffalo. There is nothing wrong with a deep red rose surrounded by a white mist of baby’s breath. Many of us would be happy to receive this offering on any day. I know I would.