The town of Milford will be rolling out its annual Memorial Day parade this coming Monday. It will begin at 10 a.m. from Stop & Shop and continue on East Main Street, stopping for a short ceremony at Calzone Park and continuing up Main Street, concluding at the Draper War Memorial. This year’s Grand Marshal is  Lt. Colonel Alfred Abbondanza (Retired), a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Everyone should be there. I am going to hold my tongue about my opinions of war on this most important holiday. No matter where you stand on military action in the United States, there is never a doubt …

If you recognize the riff of my title, you already have an idea of what this column is about. If you don’t, I can only assume you soon will. I hemmed and hawed about how to write my column this week in this sort of community forum. I’ve never been known as someone with a great ability for censorship, if I think it, I usually say it. So, if you are easily offended, this is an early warning to click away now. I make no apologies if you continue reading and then decide I am out of bounds. Americans love lurid. It’s why we watch The Bachelor and Bachelorette and The Real World and all those …

I clearly remember the day my Realtor opened up the front door of what is now my home. It was during the real estate bubble and every listing proved how much of a sellers' market it really was. The houses we’d been looking at were overpriced and not especially well taken care of. It didn’t seem to matter. If you didn’t buy it, it was gone. You didn’t have time to be choosy about location, condition or square footage. For first-time home buyers, getting into the market was more important than the investment you were ultimately making. We’d looked at some real dumps. I’m not kidding, there was …

I take things for granted. I go to Stop & Shop and expect to buy fresh fruit and milk. I flinch when I pull into full serve but I assume the gas will be there to fill up my car. When I turn on my faucet, for the most part, I assume clean, clear water will be there for me to use. You know another thing I take for granted? Walking. When I wake up in the morning, I stand on both feet and shuffle my way around the house. I walk to my car. I walk my dog. I walk around the market. Sometimes, when I’m feeling good, I even run. Slow and steady wins the race. After spending a week on vacation with a …

Dear Welsh Corgi Lady,For the better part of this past year, I have seen you and your furry companion, walking around my neighborhood. You have probably been walking these roads much longer than I have been paying attention. Now that I am aware of you, it seems I see you at least once a week. When I haven't spotted you in a while, I find myself wondering where you might be.I remember the first time I took note of your routine, I was walking my own dog on Congress Street and the two of you were up ahead of us. You had a bag with you that I assumed was for your dog's business, but that wasn’t …

Congratulations to all of Milford's newly elected or incumbent public servants. I hope you stick to your convictions and keep your ears open to the constituency that elected you. Thanks for throwing your hat in the ring and don’t let the anonymous online bullies get you down. There are few things that inspire me with the same patriotic feeling I get heading to the Milford Senior Center, parking my car, and strutting (yes, strutting) into my polling place. I get a more intense rise of emotion whenever I hear Taps. Whether it’s at a parade or a funeral, there is something about the singular …

  I have to be honest. I’m sort of a book snob. I prefer Charlotte Bronte over Jodi Picoult. I’d rather read about great characters than ramble around a ridiculously stitched plot. I like Shakespeare. I have NO interest in Twilight. And although my daughter has invested the last four years reading, rereading, collecting and watching all things Harry Potter, I have not jumped on that wagon with her. I’m sure I sound like an irritating literary type. And I realize that I’ve missed out on a wide variety of excellent reads based on my quirky selectivity. My loss. That brings me to The Hunger …

I am a total sucker for live theater.When I was in high school, I was cast as the “tallest one,” whatever role that happened to be. In Oliver Twist, I was Nancy and in The Sound of Music I was cast as that horrible nasty woman, The Baroness, not even deserving of a name. They were never glamorous roles, but man, was it fun. Back when Broadway was affordable, my mom used to pop me in the back of our station wagon and make the long trek to NYC so we could go see musicals and plays. I remember seeing Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly. I might have been about eight but it left such an impression on …

Recently on Patch, the editors have been giving readers polls about favorite places and issues. Some of the polls have been national and political, others much more local. Last week, a near riot broke out regarding the best sandwich shops in Milford. There was a high level of enthusiasm from respondents, and even challenges of the results. Who knew people were so passionate about sandwiches? I’m partial to Purchase Street Market, not only for their excellent pre-made dinners but they also sell local eggs. But whether it’s Gene’s, the Tradesman, Oliva’s or any other on the list, there were …

Reading Milford Patch over recent weeks, I was beginning to think that there were only two possible topics to discuss. Pick your poison: Immigration or Conspiracy Theory Du Jour. So, coming back from hiatus, I decided that I would absolutely NOT be starting there. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are other things going on in the world. I’m not sure if my column this week is a rant or a rave, but every now and then it’s good to stop being so angry and remember the little things. The little things make it worthwhile. This is mine.Sunday was cleaning day. Not top layer cleaning like …

I was raised by a mother who is a proficient Thank-You-Card-Writer. My Aunt is the Queen of the Thank-You-Card-Writers-Club. Each letter is like a tiny novella. Hand-written. Specifically personal. Highly thoughtful. I cringe with guilt at the fact that I am possibly the WORST person ever in the history of Thank-You-Card writing. I really should have turned out better considering my upbringing. However, in my defense, I’m excellent at the verbal “thank you." I use it early and often. And when I say it, it is because I am truly thankful, truly moved. I am of the belief that really being …

I’m going to start my public relations push for Halloween with another embarrassing story from my childhood. Some time ago, let’s say the early 80s, when costumes were still handmade or sometimes only masks, my mom decided I should be Olympia Snowe. Now, for those of you NOT from Maine, which is probably ALL of you, Olympia Snowe is now one of Maine’s two U.S. Senators, but back then she was only a state representative from Androscoggin County (think potatoes). She was a big deal even then and is now one of the major political players in Washington. But you can understand how dressing up like…

When did saying whatever you think, as loud as you can, as often as possible, become a way to communicate with other people? Has it always been this way? I don’t think so. Children interrupting adults? My mom would have kicked me under the table. Often, I didn’t need the kick, she just shot me that look. You know the one. Adults interrupting other adults? What? Never. My mom would have said firmly ... ”Excuse me, I was still speaking.” This was all part of the fairytale etiquette of long ago. It's almost folklore at this point.Granted, in the 70s and 80s social media was only a sparkle in Al …

Over the past 10 days, while many are still ranting about only one Milford issue, other things have been going on that should be cause for consideration and discussion. First, there was the letter that went home to Brookside Elementary parents, informing them the school had not met its requirements for the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The letter offered insight on how Brookside planned to remedy the situation and offered Brookside parents the choice to transfer their child to Memorial Elementary.Next, Woodland Elementary had the bullet scare. Not a lock-down, but a “stay-in-place." A …

Summer, I hardly knew you. You with your beautiful beach days and camping fun. Your lazy mornings and warm bright evenings. Cookouts, water parks, sunscreen and bug spray. The best day of the year, by a long shot and especially if you have school-age children, is the first day of summer. For me, it’s as though I’ve been holding my breath for 10 months and am finally able to exhale. I’ve checked off holidays and events, projects and homework, practices and birthdays. No more reminding the same reminders to the kids in the chance they might hear me. Did you shower? Have you brushed your teeth? …

There are some moments that are so fleeting, I can simply wash them off in the shower. What I had for breakfast yesterday. What movie I went to last weekend. The name of a person I just shook hands with. And then there are other personal memories, because of their pain or joy, that sink in so deeply they remain under my skin and inform my opinions about the world, and who I become. When I write, I am always conscious of trying to tap into these memories, because they hold the most insight. When I create a story, I try and imagine how all the characters are reacting to an event , even if they …

The family of Matthew Denice is only one week removed from a tragic loss. Emotions are still raw and the pain, especially for those who knew and loved him, is at the very surface. I think we can all agree that this crime should be punished with the maximum sentence allowed. And as a town, I have hope that his shocking death will be a call that mobilizes action on multiple fronts. The crime and the criminal are not in dispute, nothing can be undone, so the question becomes ... what now?For me, there are two separate issues: The first is a discussion about how we continue education regarding …

I’m sitting in the left lane at the Wendy’s intersection, coming from the direction of Target and headed onto Dilla Street. There is a black Hyundai SUV-type thing in front of me and some other cars next to me in the right lane. We are all headed straight across. Any of you who drive this route on a regular basis, know about the impending Zipper. A Zipper, you ask? Two lanes merging into one, alternating from one side and then another, to form one seamless lane heading up Dilla. It is our ability to Zipper that separates us from animals—well, that and opposable thumbs. The light turns green …

I don’t want to alienate half of Patch’s readership and I hope you make it through this column, but seriously, what is going on with some men these days? Seemingly intelligent men committing monumentally stupid acts. The list includes politicians, athletes, actors. I don’t want to mention them by name because frankly, they don’t deserve the ink, but I know you can think of a handful in less time than it took you to read my opening paragraph. For sure, not all men are “bad” (i.e. my husband) and not all women are “good.” For every Jack there is a Marilyn, but no one voted for Marilyn. It’s the…

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt Milford Hawks,I literally learn something new every day. Just yesterday, I learned that plantar fasciitis makes your heels feel like they’ve been beaten with a baseball bat. Don’t worry, you’re still young; put that tidbit in your back pocket and save it for after you turn 40.For sure, my greatest discovery this year has been you, seniors. Milford High School's Class of 2011. I wrote one of my first Rants columns in November about how much you impressed me and how severely I had underestimated your …