Focus on All Things New England
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MARCH 28, 2020
Dear Readers,
Judging by the stories we still tell about the Blizzard of â78, 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. Weâre calling it âOur Towns,â but the title is more than just a nod to Thornton Wilderâs classic play inspired by a New England village. It is a celebration of our individual communities â the ones in sprawling cities as well as tiny hamlets, all across the country â and our collective determination to see each other through this difficult time.
Letter from Dublin
In the first of his weekly dispatches from Yankeeâs 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, weâre sharing a classic Yankee story whose power to lift readersâ spirits is as strong today as when it was first published. In [âWil Smithâs Fast Break,â]( editor Mel Allen profiles a Bowdoin College student and single father who âdefined resilience and hopefulnessâ 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 ânâ Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta]( a comfort-food favorite thatâs endlessly adaptable. No spinach? Substitute broccoli, fresh or frozen. In place of pancetta, use ham, sausage, or bacon â or skip meat entirely. Best of all, any leftovers freeze beautifully for future meals. [GET THE RECIPE](
Downtime DIY
If youâre 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
âAnxietyâs like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesnât get you very far.â âFrom Sing You Home, by New Hampshire author Jodi Picoult
Dinner-Table Trivia
(Photo by Scott OâNeill/iStock)
According to an old English proverb, when the pink and white blossoms of the mayflower appear in spring, itâs time to âput away oneâs winter clothes and let thoughts rove happily ahead.â Grown throughout Europe, the mayflower â aka the English hawthorn â 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 Mayflowerâs 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 theyâre 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 âSweet Carolineâ 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 âQuarantine Karaokeâ from his basement, and Facebook goes crazy ⦠In Burlington, Vermont, residents say âthank youâ to local unsung heroes by [banging on pots and pans]( every night ⦠In Andover and Clinton, Massachusetts, teachers [drive by studentsâ homes to say hello]( (through the windows, of course) to show them theyâre 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, weâll be posting questions for the Yankee community about whatâs going on in their lives. To get the stories started, we asked some Yankee staffers: What have you watched, read, or listened to thatâs brightened your week?
âNot only did the new season of Bravoâs [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 yearâs âFood Town Showdownâ package.)â âAimee Tucker, senior digital editor
âThere was a funny piece on McSweeneyâs â [âEffective Immediately: We Are Closing Our Homeschoolâ]( â that definitely made me laugh and was so needed when the news feels so bleak. Iâve 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. Iâm hopeful for at least one or two days of blissful coexistence before it all falls apart!ââHeather Marcus, photo editor
âThe poem [âInstructions on Not Giving Upâ]( 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.â âKatherine Keenan, associate digital editor
âNetflixâs 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 youâd 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). âIan Aldrich, deputy editor
Until Next Weekâ¦
Whether itâs 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 weâve given you some reasons to linger in âOur Towns.â Weâll be back next week with another care package of news and notes, so until thenâ
Take heart, be well, and happy reading.
Your friends at Yankee
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