I’m social distancing like a modern Victorian heroine: Edith Wharton’s Lily Bart in The House of Mirth meets Henry James’ Daisy Miller (except with a happier ending—I’m no fragile flower).

While many athletes dream of going to the Olympics, few ever reach that goal. Suzanne Paxton is one who did. She was 15 when she took up fencing and. eventually. went on to represent the United States at the 1996 Olympic games. In 2006 she founded Point Studio, Inc., a video, television, and live event production company.

As we enter the second month of this unprecedented lockdown, we are having to accept a new way of living that is taking place almost exclusively in our homes. Interior Designer and Lifestylist Joshua Smith shares some ways to lean into the new normal.

Wanessa Anderson, owner of W. Rhythm and Fitness Studio in Kent, hasn’t suffered the panic that most business owners have experienced during the shutdown. Instead the crisis has served as her springboard. Anderson is offering a FREE week of trial classes as an incentive to add movement to our daily routines and to help battle the isolation blues.

Childhood, for many of us, is a “feeling” coupled with a few scattered memories - snippets of stories that usually grow blurry over time. Often, we remember more about how events, people, and places made us feel, than what actually transpired. Land preservation holds space for that feeling, and during the crisis of Covid-19, it should be celebrated. 

The love affair began with a getaway weekend to The Mayflower Inn and Spa in the summer of 2005. I was a full time New Yorker and a young lawyer, recently married and expecting my first baby. After a long, lazy day by the pool, we were off to dinner. My husband held my hand as I teetered over the antique floor boards, making my way through the picturesque country lobby in impractical high heels. As we waited to be seated, I caught my first glimpse of the Tap Room.

Now more than ever, our small businesses need your support. These local restaurants are serving takeout and curbside delivery. While they are taking all sanitary precautions, it's still a good idea to sanitize the containers and then wash your hands once you bring the food home.

This is the first of an essay series that will be published every Monday for as long as social distancing is necessary. All pieces written by Litchfield County residents. If you are interested in submitting an essay for consideration please email Mary Beth at [email protected]. 

While we agree with the local NY Times best selling author Gabby Bernstein’s coronavirus pandemic advice “Do Nothing”, we've come up with a list of 30 things to do when “doing nothing” is driving you and yours bonkers.

In the worst of times, the best in people rises to the challenge of helping others. As business owners, Diana and Robert McIntosh of Morris understand all too well how important it is to “keep things going” during these tough COVID-19 times.

In addition to local produce, The Smithy also offers a range of artisan foods from local providers. The second story of the building features the Loft Gallery where curated local artists works are displayed on monthly rotation.

Amid sandpaper and saws on a high hill in South Kent, Elizabeth Place is carving out a second career. A few years ago she endeavored into woodworking, while keeping her day job as a proposal writer for large federal contracts.