Category Archives: Family and friends

My college to COVID(eo) composite

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Joy Clough

“Don’t forget, be here this Thursday afternoon for composites!” one of my sorority sisters would announce over dinner each spring. First time I heard it, I had a Hill Street Blues moment, wondering why we needed an appointment with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Corona bright spots, Family and friends, Mindfulness, health and healing, Mum & Mac | 7 Comments

Back where it all began (Part Two)

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Joy Clough

NOTE: The following is a continuation of “Back where it all began,” published in June 2017. I was drifting back to childhood, watching the gigantic Snoopy float hover over the Macy’s parade, when the sound of Jim’s voice took me … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Mum & Mac, Rooted In Moosehead, too, Seasonal celebrations and observations | 4 Comments

First deer, lasting lessons

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Joy Clough

NOTE: The following was written by my daughter and first guest blogger, Becky Clough. In early November, while at home in Maine, I shot my first deer. It was a gorgeous, golden fall morning a mere three days into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creatures great and small, Family and friends, Mindfulness, health and healing | 2 Comments

Back where it all began

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Joy Clough

Heading north toward Rockwood, Tom slowed the Subaru to a crawl. I’d been peering out into the steady rain since way before Greenville, picking faded memories out of old landmarks, retracing my way through the steely blues and mottled greens of … Continue reading →

Posted in Creatures great and small, Family and friends, Mindfulness, health and healing, Mum & Mac, Rooted In Moosehead, too | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The signature of summer in Rangeley

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Joy Clough

“Write something that captures this,” Tom urged, taking a deep cleansing breath and waving his palms skyward. It was that turning point last year in May when we were pretty sure winter was gone, when the breeze lifting the last of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Family and friends, Mindfulness, health and healing, Seasonal celebrations and observations | Tagged | 1 Comment

Talking about Toby

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Joy Clough

I knew this time would come. I knew it a few months ago when I taped Christmas bows on Toby’s crate and made him Facebook famous for recovering from surgery “at the Bemis Mountain Home for Aged Beagles.” I knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Beagle Zen, Creatures great and small, Family and friends | Tagged | 7 Comments

Having my moments

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Joy Clough

Somewhere between the shrimp cassoulet, the lobster mac ‘n cheese, and the “perfect pairing” wine, it  happened. I had a moment. I stopped, looked up from the mounds of “I can have turkey any day” stuff I’d loaded onto my plate, and saw Helen … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Mindfulness, health and healing, Seasonal celebrations and observations | Tagged | 2 Comments

A day for Dada cookers, homemade Hallmarks, and lakeside legends

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Joy Clough

Today is Father’s Day and the first day of summer, or so says the calendar. Our Rangeley weather, on the other hand, just isn’t buying it. With every downpour, it says “Go hug Dad. Don’t wait to tell him how special he is. … Continue reading →

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Mooselook State of Mind

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Joy Clough

“What did you call that lake you live on way up there?” my friends Edie and Lewis kept asking. We were in Florida where they’d gone to escape winter on Long Island for a bit, and where I’d eagerly found … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Seasonal celebrations and observations, Songs of Joy and Tomfoolery | Tagged | 3 Comments

Extreme gift wrapping

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Joy Clough

I didn’t inherit any aptitude for gift wrapping. Whatever chromosomal matter it is that makes most women capable of tucking, taping and adorning paper-covered boxes so they look fresh out of Macy’s—instead of frigged up beyond all recognition—bypassed me completely. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Seasonal celebrations and observations | 2 Comments