I grew up in rural Westchester County, New York (well, it was rural then not so much now) and suburban Connecticut–I challenge anyone to have had a better childhood than mine running out the door and into the woods, kickball on the dead-end street, hiking the Hudson Valley mountains most weekends of spring, summer and fall. In New York, my
Read moreHooray, hooray, first day of May! And according to the forecasters, we might actually have real spring day–not the blustery chill of the last week. The leaves of trees are in their golden green phase now–popping out into the sweetest tiny versions of their future selves. The trees which remain full grey still–the two oaks that fill my yard with
Read moreIf you’ve been reading along with the Owl, you will know that my favorite spring flower is the daffodil. A symbol of hope and rebirth, alive with sunny warmth, there is nothing like seeing their waving little dance along the borders of walls, roads, and ponds. Last fall, on a cold day in November, the Country Garden Club and volunteers
Read moreAs many of the Owl readers know, I moved to Weston from Brazil almost eight years ago now, after six years living in São Paulo. Mr. Owl is Brazilian, the Owlets have dual citizenship and two native languages. In total, I have lived nine years in Brazil, and am fluent in Portuguese after many a painful experience as I gained
Read moreLast weekend I spent a couple of hours walking around Somerville and Cambridge with one owlet while the other was recertifying as a soccer referee in Somerville. The walk took us down busy streets, past restaurants that looked appealing (Juliet’s in Somerville, who has been? Thumbs up or down?), to Harvard Yard where we ran into Brazilians instantly recognizable by
Read moreThis winter public school break for the Owls has been an interesting glimpse into the return to tourism and an old stomping (scuba-ing, really) grounds, and a first time at an all-inclusive resort. Requested by an owlet who was “tired” of our usual travel to museums, historic sites and wandering the streets, it was the much-needed February warm-up for this
Read moreThis morning the loveliest of fluffy snowflakes are swirling down, frosting the white pines and birches. It is my favorite kind of snow, the kind movies and memories are made from. Today it is also snowing inside, as I give my new snow globe a shake, smiling as the flakes cover and uncover the yellow lab and red cardinal. My
Read moreLast night, the Owl family re-watched Ted Lasso (third time) because we wanted to question our house guest about its similarity to “real” professional soccer locker rooms. Our guest, Jordan, is a former professional soccer player and current coach–arriving in the US a week ago to work with an owlet’s club team. Our family had volunteered to host him until
Read moreThis is the Weston Owl’s anniversary week. One year ago, the idea of creating a news page for Weston (which I had been contemplating for six months before that) turned into a decision on name, a “branding” with the talented folks at Fiverr, and an ongoing Gen X battle with WordPress. Today is about gratitude for the group of people–or
Read moreYou couldn’t have asked for a more perfect snow than Friday’s. Arriving as it did in the middle of the night, the Owl went to sleep in autumn, and woke up in winter, a gorgeous blanket over the brown scruffy grass and leaves. And it just kept coming down. Next door I could hear the elementary-school-aged kids already up and
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