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Ramona's Ramblings
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The Tracy Files
You may have noticed that my March 17 online column, Spring, Shovels and George Harrison , began rather mysteriously with the words: “The Tracy Files.” I certainly noticed. Immediately—in the … more
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A flying saucer instrument lands at the library
In Callicoon, we are lucky to have one of those small-town institutions that quietly does a lot for the community: the Delaware Free Branch of the Western Sullivan Public Library. Most of us simply … more
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Spring, Shovels, and George Harrison
Tracy’s folder 3/17 Ramona’s Ramblings by Ramona Jan Even though it’s St. Patrick’s Day, this column has nothing to do with leprechauns, green beer, or finding a pot of gold. … more
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Google Drive to Google Docs using Google Maps
Some days I open Google Docs thinking, “This will be easy,” and other days I realize technology is secretly plotting against me. Today was the latter. The tablet flickered to life. Docs opened… … more
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Hazel Scott, After the Calendar Turns
Black History Month just ended. The banners have come down. The themed playlists have drifted back into the algorithmic sea. The grocery store has replaced its February display with pastel promises … more
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Love at first sound
Life rarely announces a vocation in advance. More often, it slips in sideways, disguised as curiosity, chance, or a strange sound you can’t shake. That was certainly true for handpan maker Jenny … more
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Friends of Floyd
I learned of Floyd’s passing the way one learns most things now: on Facebook. The world felt instantly less rubber-chicken-shaped. If you ever watched The Uncle Floyd Show, you know what I mean. … more
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Cupid, Cake, and the Curse of the Combo Holiday
Valentine’s Day has always been… complicated. Not emotionally complicated, logistically complicated. Like trying to parallel-park a unicycle. First, a disclosure: Valentine’s Day is my … more
The Ant That Reads the Room, and Then Burns It Down
The ant in question is Lasius umbratus, a creature so socially aware it could moderate a panel discussion. This ant does not conquer with violence. It does not build tiny weapons or issue ultimatums. … more
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You’re under arrest
When I was in the fourth grade, a classmate named Jeffrey Simpson chased me after school and, when he caught up, stabbed me with a paperclip he had DIY’d into a lethal weapon. I had heard of … more
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A million-dollar movie
Fade in: A dimly lit Berlin salon, 1820s. Candle flames flicker like nervous confidants across polished mahogany. Two children—barely teens—sit shoulder to shoulder at a grand piano that seems … more
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Between the holidays
There is a special hush between Christmas and New Year’s. The calendar exhales, clocks loosen their grip, and time becomes something through which you can wander. In the Upper Delaware River … more
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Santa Claus of the psyche
If you grew up any time between the late ’60s and early 2000s, you probably had two constants in your young emotional universe: Santa Claus, and a man in a cardigan who spoke softly enough that … more
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Gabba Gabba Hey, a Teakettle Explodes
If you hang around long enough, you start to realize that history isn’t made in the spotlight; it’s made in the cramped backstage corners where teakettles hiss, hot plates wobble, and the … more
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A turkey, a town, and a Blue Fox Thanksgiving
I’ve cooked a turkey exactly once in my life, and that was enough to convince me that the Pilgrims owed us all an apology. No one warns you that the bird must be defrosted for roughly the same … more
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A life between the lines
Paris, 1925. The lights of the Left Bank shimmered like champagne, and in the middle of it all was Pauline Pfeiffer—thirty, stylish, fluent in French, and happily self-sufficient. She wrote for … more
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When seeing is believing
At the optician yesterday, while ordering glasses, the young eyewear expert commented, “I can tell by just talking to you that you shouldn’t get bifocals or progressive lenses. Stick with … more
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Legend in 2.5 x 3.5 inches
Once upon a time, kids traded bubblegum-scented baseball cards as if they were gold bullion, flipping and swapping them for players whose faces were as familiar as family. I never made it into that … more
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Sound Sauceress
Perhaps you’ve seen me at the Callicoon Farmers’ Market—or maybe you caught my recent performance at the Arts Nest in Narrowsburg, hosted by the ever-gracious Kathy Geary of WJFF … more
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Whatever You Do, Never Make Eye Contact With Your Snake Plant
If you’ve ever owned a snake plant, you already know it’s not so much a plant as it is a silent, judgmental roommate. It doesn’t ask for much—just a little light, a drop of … more
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A squirrel, a platypus, and a waterbear walk into a bar…
Have you ever looked at a squirrel and thought, “That’s one emotionally intelligent rodent”? Me neither, until I learned that Mother Squirrel apparently runs an adoption agency and … more
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I like words
One of the best job applications ever written came from the hands of Robert Pirosh in 1934. Here it is: Dear Sir: I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, … more
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Waxwings Gone Wild
As winter approaches, be warned: Cedar Waxwings and Bohemian Waxwings, both birds found in Upstate, NY, are tipplers, known for tipping, meaning partying too hard.   They’re gorgeous … more
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The Green Thing
I came across this anonymous post and couldn’t resist sharing it here. It begins with a story that says a lot about how times have changed. Checking out at the store, the young cashier … more
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A chair-and-a-half
I slid into a corner seat by the window, nursing my coffee, and found myself unable to look away from the bright, insistent conversation at the next table. They didn’t know I was listening, but … more
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