Columns - Marblehead Current

6Dec

By Kathleen LeonardsonNo Comments

Columns, Opinion, Uncategorized

American ideas, ideals and rights…at risk?

Have you ever misplaced a book you were reading? Would you even notice if one book or article disappeared from your overladen bookshelves at home or your library? But what if that book was the one that saved you in your darkest moment? Or if that book opened your eyes to the experiences of unknown others... or held up a mirror to yourself? Or ignited an unquenchable love of literature or science? What would be lost, changed, diminished if that book disappeared? What if it disappeared because someone objected to a word or concept in that book? In America, ideas are the currency of innovation. And innovation leads to change, which can be uncomfortable. Ideas are recorded in books, articles, art, and speech and incorporated into how we live our lives. Our mind-bending Big Bang exploding u...

6Dec

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Business, Columns, Life Style

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Explore Forever A Nomad

The following is an interview with Kristal Ham, owner of Forever A Nomad, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To read about Ham's travel adventures or download free travel guides, go to foreveranomad.com. Kristal Ham, owner and founder of the Forever A Nomad travel website based in Marblehead. She started the site to provide comprehensive itineraries and travel resources, aiming to make it easier for anyone to travel the globe. COURTESY PHOTO Tell us about Forever A Nomad and why you started it. I absolutely adore traveling. I take pleasure in exploring both popular tourist spots and hidden gems. However, many people feel overwhelmed and uncertain about planning their own trips, which can prevent them from traveling altogether or cause them to stick to the same destination repeatedly...

6Dec

By Rick CuznerNo Comments

Columns, Cuzner in Nature, Environment, Top Stories

CUZNER IN NATURE: Marblehead mink takes up residence in Bird Sanctuary

I recently photographed an American mink living in the Marblehead Bird Sanctuary on the Neck. The American mink is a semiaquatic species native to North America, known for its dark brown fur with white patches on the chin, chest and throat areas. It is a carnivore that eats rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs and birds. Minks are found throughout Massachusetts, except on Nantucket. According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, a mink population was spotted on Martha's Vineyard. The mink lives in forested areas near water sources like rivers, lakes and streams. They are skilled swimmers and climbers, able to swim up to 100 feet underwater and dive 16 feet deep. According to iNaturalist.org, mink babies are born in late spring — April or ...

6Dec

By Virginia BuckinghamNo Comments

Columns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: A quiet interregnum

I know that the term interregnum is typically defined as the period of time between royal reigns. But it keeps popping into my head as the right word to describe this brief interlude between Thanksgiving and the start of the heart of the Christmas season. Many, especially those of you who put the tree up the minute the turkey carcass has been picked clean, would argue that the Christmas season is already in full swing, it is December after all. And last weekend’s Christmas Walk festivities in town were a perfect kickoff. But I also think there’s something to be said, at least for sanity’s sake, to make the transition slowly. To metaphorically allow the pumpkins to linger, even as the wreaths are being hung. Our home was full for a glorious five days. There were bumps of...

29Nov

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Art, Business, Columns, Local News, Uncategorized

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Tracy Finn: Staying true to her artistic vision

The following is an interview with Tracy Finn, local artist and owner of Tracy Finn Fine Art & Stationery, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To see Finn’s original artwork, as well her greeting cards, invitations, prints and desktop calendars, visit her studio at 51 Atlantic Ave. (by appointment only) or go to TracyFinn.com. Tracy Finn has worked from Idaho to Manhattan to Atlantic Avenue. Tell us about Tracy Finn Fine Art & Stationery. My art practice is more than a business for me, it’s an integral part of who I am. I started taking art lessons at the King Hooper Mansion in the second grade and have been creating ever since. I enjoyed many years as an art teacher before shifting my primary focus to my own work. I strive to make my work accessible to a broad audie...

29Nov

By Pam PetersonNo Comments

Columns, Local History, Opinion, Pam Peterson

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: Marblehead and the American Revolution: 1775

The year 1775 was a significant turning point for the Revolution in the American colonies. Events built steadily throughout the year, each step leading to the final, inevitable break with England and war. The Trevett House at 65 Washington St., built by Samuel Trevett's father. COURTESY PHOTO / MARBLEHEAD MUSEUM In February, Redcoats marched through Marblehead on their way to and from what became known as Leslie’s Retreat in Salem. In March, the city of Boston was occupied by British troops under the command of Gen. Gage. At that time, Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. In April, the concerns of British officials about growing unrest and Colonial stockpiling of weapons and gunpowder resulted in the plan to march on and capture munitions ...

29Nov

By Jo Ann Augeri SilvaNo Comments

Columns, Opinion

I BEG TO DIFFER: One of the best two weekends of the year

Would I stay in a place I didn’t love for more than 50 years? I’m fortunate enough not to know. We moved here when rents — and then home prices — were relatively reasonable. Even as a single mom, I could find a fixer-upper two-family I could (barely) afford, and when my husband and I were married in 1985, we bought this house built by Barry and Lee Weed that we still live in. How long ago that seems! We have so many reasons to stay here in Marblehead, and we hope we can stay here for years to come. We love our home, we love our neighborhood, we love our town. Though we’re avid travelers, we’ve never returned from a trip sorry to be home. One walk downtown to look at the harbor, absorbing the history emanating from the largest concentration of 17th-century homes in the USA, and we know ...

29Nov

By Court MerriganNo Comments

Columns, Court Merrigan, Local News, Opinion

MY MARBLEHEAD FIRST TIME: ‘Private’ street guide leaves unanswered questions

I have in my possession papers titled “Private Edition of the Ancient Streets and Ways in Marblehead,” dating from 1937, expanded in 1971. A kind and anonymous soul gave them to me. In keeping with the aforementioned injunction to privacy, I will not quote from the document directly, even though a number of the author’s scurrilous observations are highly amusing. And I will not reveal the author’s identity. As it turns out, Google Maps knows about Prospect Alley, but why it was once also known as ‘Liz Tibbet’s Gut’ is more of a mystery. COURTESY PHOTO/COURT MERRIGAN Now, these papers call themselves fossilized fiction and explicitly promise no accuracy. Therefore, I read them with an eye toward amusement, not fact. That said, if they are even vaguely correct, then the streets of ...

29Nov

By Evans SlepianNo Comments

Columns, Environment, Opinion, Viewpoints

The power in our hands: Direct climate action through curbside composting

These days, I often feel powerless. In the face of accelerating climate change, apathy curls protectively around me. Confronting ever more climate crises, it is emotionally safer to check out. It is easier to shirk responsibility onto some collective other; to convince myself that I am as powerless as I feel to change things. Yet there is no catharsis in this. The forces behind our conundrum are as far outside our control as the tides, but I feel increasingly moved to take hold of what I can. I volunteer for causes I believe in, try to build community in town and live my values beyond lip service. In service of the latter, I am shrugging off the apathy of inaction. I am composting. It is a small change, and unexpectedly easy. When I cook, my scraps go into a small, lined and covered...

29Nov

By Wendy Tamis RobbinsNo Comments

Columns, Health, Life Style, Opinion, Uncategorized

ENDING THE STIGMA: On healing, hurting and gratitude

I was waiting in the line in the post office recently, which can feel like falling into a time warp some days. As I scrolled through my phone, I overheard a gentleman say to a female acquaintance he’d clearly not seen in a while, “You’re way too thin. I just told my wife the same thing.” To which she replied in a shaky voice, “I’m fine. I’m fine, really.” She was clearly taken off guard and struggled to find an appropriate response. Yet he persisted to tell her she didn’t look good and should “gain some weight back.” She remained flustered and put off, then eventually said, “Well, I’m sorry but I feel good.” I looked up at her, smiled and said, “Don’t apologize.” It was difficult to watch and I couldn’t let go of the interaction for hours afterward. First, I think we ca...