Introducing "Our Towns": A Weekly Care Package of News and Notes from Yankee Magazine

Focus on All Things New England Having trouble viewing this email? [View this email on the web](. MARCH 28, 2020 Dear Readers, Judging by the stories we still tell about the Blizzard of ’78, New England prides itself on bearing up and hunkering down. However, the events of recent weeks are challenging even the hardiest, most independent among us to find new sources of strength and comfort. We here at Yankee hope this new weekly newsletter can help provide that to our audience, no matter where they live. We’re calling it “Our Towns,” but the title is more than just a nod to Thornton Wilder’s classic play inspired by a New England village. It is a celebration of our individual communities — the ones in sprawling cities as well as tiny hamlets, all across the country — and our collective determination to see each other through this difficult time. Letter from Dublin In the first of his weekly dispatches from Yankee’s hometown, editor Mel Allen finds an unlikely moment of grace in a spring snowstorm. [READ MORE]( Wish You Were Here Spotlighting a top regram of the week from the Yankee [Instagram feed](. Annisquam Harbor Light, Gloucester, MA | Photo by [@freddybloy/Fred Bloy]( Inspiration from the Archives Each week, we’re sharing a classic Yankee story whose power to lift readers’ spirits is as strong today as when it was first published. In [“Wil Smith’s Fast Break,”]( editor Mel Allen profiles a Bowdoin College student and single father who “defined resilience and hopefulness” in making a life for himself and his young daughter. [READ MORE]( Cooking at Home Need an easy, delicious recipe you can make with pantry staples and freezer-friendly or long-lasting meats and vegetables? Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso has you covered. This week: [Mac ’n’ Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta]( a comfort-food favorite that’s endlessly adaptable. No spinach? Substitute broccoli, fresh or frozen. In place of pancetta, use ham, sausage, or bacon — or skip meat entirely. Best of all, any leftovers freeze beautifully for future meals. [GET THE RECIPE]( Downtime DIY If you’re tired of staring at all the things in your house that need fixing, grab the toolbox and tap into some Yankee ingenuity. This week, learn how to create [flooring from brown paper bags]( (yes, you read that right!) as an attractive, inexpensive solution for damp, drafty spaces. [READ MORE]( Quote of the Week “Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.” —From Sing You Home, by New Hampshire author Jodi Picoult Dinner-Table Trivia (Photo by Scott O’Neill/iStock) According to an old English proverb, when the pink and white blossoms of the mayflower appear in spring, it’s time to “put away one’s winter clothes and let thoughts rove happily ahead.” Grown throughout Europe, the mayflower — aka the English hawthorn — has always been an emblem of hope, which is why it was chosen by the Pilgrims as the name of the vessel that would take them to the New World. They embossed onto one of the Mayflower’s crossbeams an intricate design of its namesake in full bloom and brought cuttings along with them. And after their first hard winter, an American cousin of the mayflower, the trailing arbutus, was the first flower to greet them. Checking In (Photo by Michael D. Wilson) Year in and year out, Yankee introduces readers to wonderful innkeepers, chefs, artisans, and other entrepreneurs and small-business owners across New England. And having shared their stories in our pages, we find ourselves thinking about them a lot lately. Yankeedeputy editor Ian Aldrich is reconnecting with some folks we met recently to find out how they’re doing. This week: a Massachusetts hotelier, a Rhode Island craftsman, and a Connecticut bookseller. [READ MORE]( Pick-Me-Ups Neil Diamond tweaks the lyrics of Red Sox anthem “Sweet Caroline” to create a [handwashing PSA]( you can hum along to … A small New Hampshire town brings joy into a dark time by [turning on its Christmas lights]( … The 150-year-old [Cog Railway comes to the rescue]( of a hiker on Mount Washington … A Maine man launches “Quarantine Karaoke” from his basement, and Facebook goes crazy … In Burlington, Vermont, residents say “thank you” to local unsung heroes by [banging on pots and pans]( every night … In Andover and Clinton, Massachusetts, teachers [drive by students’ homes to say hello]( (through the windows, of course) to show them they’re missed … Home sewers and crafters [put their creativity to work]( making protective face masks (and [you can, too](. Person to Person In the coming weeks, we’ll be posting questions for the Yankee community about what’s going on in their lives. To get the stories started, we asked some Yankee staffers: What have you watched, read, or listened to that’s brightened your week? “Not only did the new season of Bravo’s [Top Chef Masters]( give me a welcome dose of cooking inspiration, it also features the return of two terrific New England contestants: private chef Stephanie Cmar and award-winning super-chef Karen Akunowicz, both of Boston. (Readers may remember Akunowicz from last year’s ‘Food Town Showdown’ package.)” —Aimee Tucker, senior digital editor “There was a funny piece on McSweeney’s — [‘Effective Immediately: We Are Closing Our Homeschool’]( — that definitely made me laugh and was so needed when the news feels so bleak. I’ve been remote-parenting while my two daughters remote-learn, but that all changes for me when I join the masses and start remote-working this week. I’m hopeful for at least one or two days of blissful coexistence before it all falls apart!”—Heather Marcus, photo editor “The poem [‘Instructions on Not Giving Up’]( by Ada Limón has served as a gentle reminder of the way the world continues to turn. Besides that, I'm largely subsisting on Spotify playlists. Playlists for cooking, playlists for crying, playlists for dancing around the house.” —Katherine Keenan, associate digital editor “Netflix’s second season of [Narcos: Mexico](. You might not think the inner world of the early cocaine trade would provide much relief from the news, but you’d be wrong. I plowed through all 10 episodes in just a few days, and then, suddenly, had to say to good-bye to my friends Pancho, Felix, and DEA Agent Walt (much to the happiness of my real friends and family). —Ian Aldrich, deputy editor Until Next Week… Whether it’s soaking up the calm beauty of a lighthouse at sunset, discovering fun new ways to make the most of time at home, or being inspired by stories of New England resilience, we hope we’ve given you some reasons to linger in “Our Towns.” We’ll be back next week with another care package of news and notes, so until then— Take heart, be well, and happy reading. Your friends at Yankee [Unsubscribe]( [Forward to a Friend]( [Send Feedback]( [Facebook](   [Instagram](    [Pinterest](    [Twitter](   Help us be sure that this email newsletter gets to your inbox. Adding our return address [Today@NewEngland.com]( to your address book may "whitelist" us with your filter, helping future email newsletters get to your inbox. 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