-
2 days ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
As I write this, it’s raining yet again this week — another torrential downpour with more expected throughout the day. It’s a good day to stay in my PJs, snuggle on the couch and read a book — the third one this week. During one of the dry and sunny intervals in the weather — I think there were maybe three — I made a batch of hummingbird nectar (4 parts water to 1 part granulated sugar) — and hung out my feeders, along with some hummingbird perches I received at Christmas.
-
2 weeks ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
I’m happy to report that … spring may be here! And that means my favorite season — summer, with all its heat, haze and humidity — is just around the corner. I had the chance this week to practice the fine art of sitting in the sun on my deck and reading. I even got a slight sunburn one day.
-
1 month ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
How is it that my grandsons are growing up so fast? Guy, who is almost 4, is a chatterbox who knows what he wants — and doesn’t want. He and I had a tussle over eating broccoli, which he declared he didn’t “yike” (he has trouble pronouncing a beginning “L” sound). Gabe, 2, is also a chatterbox, although most of his statements consist of only two or three words.
-
1 month ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
I just got back from my first-ever cruise. It was less than perfect. We left from New York City and it was cold and rough seas the first three days out and the last three coming back. It was so rough it was unsafe to launch the tenders and the captain canceled our day at the cruise line’s private island. Instead, we got an extra day in the Bahamas. The good news is that the prescription anti-seasickness patches I had worked great.
-
1 month ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
Growing up, fast food and ordering takeout were not a part of everyday life — they were basically non-existent. The only food ever eaten outside our house was the occasional picnic and my dad’s daily thermos of coffee when he left for work. There wasn’t enough money for restaurants, so mom prepared three meals daily. By the time I was in junior high school, fast-food places were on the rise. I remember a junior high school church youth group trip to Pittsfield.
-
2 months ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
My youngest grandson, Gabriel, 2, is very proud of the fact that, in addition to knowing where all his body parts are — and I do mean all! — he knows his colors. Right now, he claims his favorite colors are pink, “puhrrple” and “yeh-wow.” I’m pretty sure they are his favorites to say, not necessarily enjoy. His three favorite colors aren’t mine — I don’t think I own a single thing in purple, very few in any shade of pink – most definitely not Pepto-Bismol pink, and only one T-shirt in yellow.
-
2 months ago | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
As I write this, the Berkshires are gearing up for the third snow/ice/high wind storm in a week. (Would someone tell me why everyone flocks to the supermarket at the slightest mention of snow?) Like so many other New Englanders, I am so done with Mother Nature and her temper tantrums. I’ve done all the shoveling, salting and cleaning off my car I ever wanted to do. I’ve perfected my little-old-lady walk on slippery ice and snow — and yes, my driveway is like a skating rink in places.
-
Feb 4, 2025 | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
Last Friday, I hit the road at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. for a weekend visit with my son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. Why 6 a.m.?, you ask. My original plan was to leave at 10 a.m., but Mother Nature, bless her heart, had other ideas. I'm going to be a meteorologist in my next life. I want to be able to be wrong in my professional opinions and not be punished for it.
-
Jan 21, 2025 | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
January is, by far, my least favorite month. The holidays with all their glitz and glitter are over. Sunrise is at 7:15 a.m., and sunset is around 4:45 p.m., roughly 9 1/2 hours of daylight. We’ve been in a deep freeze for a couple of weeks, although as I write this, it’s a balmy 40 F. I almost want to sit on my deck in the sun, but of course, there is no sun. I’m in hibernation mode. I leave the house only when I have to — for work, doctors’ appointments, going to the gym and groceries.
-
Jan 7, 2025 | 
berkshireeagle.com | Margaret Button
After spending a week with my son and his family over Christmas, I have to confess it’s good to be home. Don’t get me wrong — I love my family with all my heart, but after living alone for so long, I like the peace and quiet of being home. It was a good Christmas, I don't think there is a toy my two grandsons, Guy and Gabe, didn’t get. We played with Monster Trucks, sent Hot Wheels down a steep race course, played with Play-Doh and made puzzles.
