Posts made by author 'Paige O. Roberts'
1
Water In The Basement
It's springtime in northern New Hampshire, which means finding water in my basement as the ground thaws and the rain moves through. The sump pump is the real MVP this time of year and always seems to do its job and clear out the water as it makes its way in. I recently came across a TikTok someone posted about their first experience owning a home in early spring in New England, and it involved a wet basement. They were panicking in the video, and although finding water in the basement of my house isn't my favorite experience, it's one I've come to terms with as long as it's not excessive and the sump pump is taking care of it.
I opened the comments to see what people were saying, and one in particular caught my eye. This person said...
30
Time Traveling
Earlier this week, I ran into an old friend of mine whom I hadn't seen since high school. We met when we were teenagers through the local weekend ski program, so I only ever really saw her on the weekends when she and her family would come up north to go skiing and stay at her family's house in town. We've somewhat stayed in touch through social media since then, but this past week was the first time I had seen her in years.
I used to do a lot of house and dog sitting in my early twenties, and a few years back, I actually house-sat at her family's house for a weekend—except it didn't belong to her family anymore. I told her about this when I saw her, and she was intrigued. She had so many fond memories associated with that house from her childho...
9
Yard Laws
Town Meeting Day happened recently, so I heard lots of chatter from folks in the town I reside in, work in, and the others that surround both of those places. I will admit—a bit sheepishly—that I was not well-informed on what was up for vote in my town, but I made a vow to prioritize being educated on it for next year. However, I heard from a friend of mine who lives in the town over that they were voting on some sort of zoning amendment regarding regulations around what could be left out and visible in landowners' yards.
I have to say, I was a bit surprised by this. In the land of Live Free or Die, I kind of just always figured you could keep whatever you wanted in your yard, within reason of course. I suppose the whole "within reason" part is why ord...
27
False Spring
The past few days, the sun was shining bright, and the temps climbed into the 50s, so I kept the door wide open at my store for the duration of my work days. The thermostat read the room at a comfortable 65 with the fresh air rolling in, and it was magical, to say the least. I saw so many local folks and their dogs out for walks, many of whom I hadn't seen for what felt like months, since the cold kept everyone from wanting to be outside for extended periods of time. We all collectively agreed that we're probably in the middle of False Spring, but I can't help myself—I've fallen right into its trap.
Something about days like this reminds me of being a teenager. This time of year, the high school ski team season was over, and spring sports hadn't started yet, so school...
5
Beyond The Trees
Winter is my favorite time of year. Without the bother of mosquitoes or ticks, winter is when I most often spend time outdoors, and that has been true for most of my life. Growing up at the base of a ski mountain in a family of skiers almost single-handedly defined my childhood, and that enmeshment in the culture of skiing continued on into my adult years, where I spent almost all of my 20s working in the world of ski racing.
In the last few years, I have pulled away from skiing, mostly by my own choice as I look to redefine how it fits into my life. My love for the sport began to fade, rather quickly, and as it did, I started to question what that meant for my relationship with the place I've called home my entire life. So much of our existence in the nort...