First published in the Ipswich Local News July 2, 2024 I grew up with air conditioning. It was only when I was in college that I realized sleeping in a wet bathing suit in front of a fan wasn’t technically considered “air conditioning.” Whatever. But this summer, our [central] AC was struggling. The downstairs unit started shorting…
Author: Esther Baird
Pool Season
First published in the Ipswich Local News June 9, 2024 When we first moved to Boston and began searching for a home, I had two rules: I needed a bathtub (not for kids, for me — I take baths). And secondly, I would not tolerate a pool. Pools in the Arctic Circle, where penguins dot our yards,…
100,000 Miles to Go
First published in the Ipswich Local News May 10, 2024 I’m typing this in the White Whoosh. Nothing new there — many a column has been typed from within my second home (my minivan). Regular readers may recall that, in 2020, I had a snap with reality and traded in our first minivan for a Volvo. It…
Fermented at Fifty
First published in the Ipswich Local News April 10, 2024 Regular readers will know that I love a good milestone column. Losing one’s first tooth, learning to ride a bike, the first days of middle school, high school, and college. Driver’s licenses, new puppies, new houses, new jobs — sorry, am I rambling? Fine. This last…
My scuba dive to the bottom of the pool.
First published in the Ipswich Local News. March 6, 2024 This time of year, when you can sense that ultimately winter will lose, I begin to dream of colorful fish and sun shafts piercing through the water. I dream of hearing only my breath deep below the water’s surface. I dream of fruity drinks to…
“Dry” January
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, January 24, 2024 We’ve talked about January before, have we not, Regular Readers? I am aware that I’m not at my most pleasant during this smudge of a month, this dark and cold space where hopes and dreams crawl into the too-early afternoon shadows…
Not Dying Down Under
First published in the Ipswich Local News January 11, 2024. In the summer of 2005 a new mom and fairly new writer, emailed Dan MacAlpine, editor of The Beverly Citizen, about running an eight part series featuring a local family moving to Australia for the winter, with a side jaunt to New Zealand. It would chronicle…
My Little Book Unexpectedly Grew
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, December 14 2023 Well, it’s December. Regular readers know of my need for lots of Christmas lights to escape the pitch-blackness that is this month. I’ll spare you my annual rant about my window candles on a [not functioning] timer, though you should know…
Third Time’s the Muddiest
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, November 3, 2023 I’ve written this column before. It’s almost unfathomable that I’m writing it again. How many times can one get lost in their own backyard while also involving local waterways? Regular readers will recall I’ve washed up on a beach and also…
A Share of a Share
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, October 5, 2023 Recently, my friend, who regular readers know as the Voice of Reason (VOR), asked if I’d like to use two weeks of her farm share while she traveled. “Me?” I clarified against the backdrop of not a single other person. “What would…