By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, August 30, 2023 I guess summer is over. Christmas decorations are back at Costco, Starbucks has dropped its fall menu, and, despite my protests, it’s back-to-school season. Back-to-school with teens and college kids isn’t quite the thrilling event of yesteryear. I have no idea what…
Category: The Baird Facts
Navigating Floods With No Navigation
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, July 30, 2023 Brace yourself, dear Ipswich and charming Hamilton-Wenham. Try to stay calm, Boxford and surrounding towns. But there is a whole world out there where cell phone service actually works … always. No, really. Our family recently spent a week in Europe…
Memories of Amnesia
by Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, June 14, 2023 In recent days, there have been a handful of articles about “event amnesia” amongst those who attended Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. Apparently, the concert created such a frenzy of emotion that memories flew off into the night like so many pieces of giant confetti…
Happiness in Dog Years
by Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, May 11, 2023 They say that owning dogs makes you calmer and happier and provides better immunity against germs. And surely, as I sank onto my couch covered in dog … everything … that’s what I was feeling: happy and healthy (perhaps with a tiny side…
Blowing Through March
by Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, March 30, 2023 Well, it’s March. The season of sand. Road crews scatter it like tiny beaches around our inland towns to deal with that ever-tricky late-season snow. The sand — maybe more than the snow — threatens to break me. Perhaps in solidarity, our snow blower,…
The Tricks of the Travel Team Mom
by Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, January 25, 2023 I’m typing this from the White Whoosh which, as regular readers know, is the name of my minivan. I’ve long written about how it’s merely an extension of myself. Where does Esther end and the Whoosh begin? Some days, it’s hard to tell. …
Out, out, damn spot
by Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News, January 25, 2023 I’ve written a lot about teeth over the years. Regular readers will recall the girl’s first tooth losses … and then the second through one billionth losses when the Tooth Fairy didn’t quite live up to expectations, (the expectation being that…
Dreams of naps for the New Year
By Esther C. Baird. First published in the Ipswich Local News, January 5, 2023 Well, here we are again, staring down another New Year with all our hopes and dreams for world peace, no global pandemics, a calm election cycle, or — look, I’d settle for just a nap. I’d also settle for a car…
Twinkle twinkle little candle
By Esther C. Baird, First published in the Ipswich Local New 12/2/2022 Regular readers know we are early Christmas decorators. Out with the blah browns and dead leaves and in with the festive colors and sparkling lights. Speaking of light, my entire yuletide purpose, if distilled down to its essence, is to illuminate my tiny part of…
Coloring with reason
By Esther C. Baird, first published in the Ipswich Local News on Nov 3, 2022 Regular readers may recall that in the early pandemic days, I created an “art block” for our daily home-bound schedule. We expressed our hopes and dreams and growing claustrophobia through landscapes and still lifes and an unfortunate incident painting (“Bunnies…