By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen Nov 28, 2007 “Esther, look at this!” my friend hissed at me. She held up a bag of what looked to be cubed chicken. “Looks like cubed chicken,” I stated and took a sip of my wine. She gestured down at a perfectly formed chicken potpie…
The Baird Facts
Education Environment Proves Contagious
By Esther Baird First published in the Beverly Citizen, Oct 03, 2007 I was lying in chavasana pose at my yoga class. It’s the final, climatic pose where we lie on our backs, in the dark, for five minutes of official, class-mandated, peace. Our instructor spoke in a low, calm voice. ”Breath in, and breathe out. It’s just you…
All Abuzz on Prospect Hill
By Esther C. Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen Sep 19, 2007 Well we’re all abuzz up here on Prospect Hill. Literally. You see a colony of yellow jackets has taken up residence inside the black box suspended on the wires, which hang off the telephone pole outside our house. As a child, there…
These Shoes Not Just a Croc
By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen, Sep 05, 2007 My babysitter walked into the house. She always comes bearing artsy projects for my eldest daughter, but I couldn’t be bothered with what was in her arms. I was blinded by the bright flamingo-pink glare coming from her shoes. “Just be honest. Your shoes…
Learning to Take Life One Step At A Time
By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen, Aug 22, 2007 Recently my insurance company sent me a letter inviting me to participate in a walking program. If I joined, they’d send me a pedometer and give me access to a Web site where I could log my steps. They explained that as my insurance…
A Bridesmaid Dress and the Tale of the Tape
By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen, Aug 08, 2007 Bridesmaid dresses. Any readers still out there? I know if I read that opening I’d run screaming. I’m something of an expert in the subject since I’ve been a bridesmaid a few trillion times. At one point I had four, f-o-u-r, lavender bridesmaid gowns….
Choosing Beverly’s Best Playgrounds is Hard Work
By Esther Baird First published in the Beverly Citizen, Jul 25, 2007 “Ok, go play!” I pushed my 3-year-old daughter towards the looming play structure at Herlihy Park. “Remember you only have three minutes. That’s time for one slide and a run around the jungle gym. Then we’re off to the next playground which is ….
Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Garden
By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen, Jun 27, 2007 I’m typing this from my kitchen where I can see my neighbor’s driveway. She’s pulling her garden hose down to the front of her house where she’ll water her beautiful flowers. It’s 8:30 a.m. I watered my flowers at 7:30 a.m. Before the…
Makeover a Mother in Multiple Shades
By Esther Baird First published in the Beverly Citizen, Jun 13, 2007 Recently there was a makeover contest in a local Boston parenting magazine. To enter you simply had to write an essay about some aspect of your parenting life that needed renovation. It could be anything: Organizing, cleaning, cooking, or perhaps even showering daily…
Getting the Winter Moth to Fly Away
By Esther Baird First Published in the Beverly Citizen, May 30, 2007 May is an unpredictable month. But there is one natural phenomenon that is entirely predictable, other than the fact that it will downpour and freeze the day after I plant my pansies, and that is that our maple trees will get chewed into…