https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Thu, 08 May 2025 12:00:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/looking-at-the-masters-renoir/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/looking-at-the-masters-renoir/#respond Thu, 08 May 2025 12:00:54 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=184059 Pierre August Renoir was born in 1841 in Limoges, France. The town of Limoges was the center of the famous hand-painted porcelain works. Renoir’s parents were members of an active artist and artisan community. His father was a tailor and his mother a seamstress.  The family moved to Paris in 1845, and they lived near […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/looking-at-the-masters-renoir/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/02/food-friday-fiesta/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/02/food-friday-fiesta/#respond Fri, 02 May 2025 15:00:16 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183985 Cinco de Mayo is coming already. There will be tacos, and maybe some good Mexican beer. I have to confess that I came to the taco party late. When I was growing up our cooking spices were limited to Christmas egg nog nutmeg, cinnamon for cinnamon toast, black pepper and baking powder. Garlic was an […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/02/food-friday-fiesta/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/25/food-fridaytender-spring-veggies/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/25/food-fridaytender-spring-veggies/#respond Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:00:17 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183807 May Day is upon us— that should put a spring in your step. I want to retire the crockpot, stash the Dutch oven, put the lasagna pan out to pasture and start digging into light, healthy, crispy fresh green salads. With crusty French bread and sweet butter and a glass or two of cool Chardonnay. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/25/food-fridaytender-spring-veggies/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/looking-at-the-masters-madonna-and-child-in-a-garden/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/looking-at-the-masters-madonna-and-child-in-a-garden/#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2025 12:00:22 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183508 Images of Mary and Christ are plentiful, as are images of them sitting in a rose garden. Since most of the population from the Middle Ages onward through the 17th and 18th centuries could not read, religious painting and sculpture served to educate the congregation of believers. Iconography was a significant aspect of painting and […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/looking-at-the-masters-madonna-and-child-in-a-garden/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/04/food-friday-radishes/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/04/food-friday-radishes/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:00:12 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183392 Early spring brings us delicious young vegetables: peas, asparagus, garlic, and radishes. Radishes are the pink darlings of early spring. Cherry red, fuchsia, magenta, hot pink, carmine, crimson, scarlet, carnelian, vermilion, coral, cardinal, cerise – I could go through my art supply catalogues picking out the names of vivid reds and pinks all day long […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/04/food-friday-radishes/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/21/food-friday-egg-substitutes/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/21/food-friday-egg-substitutes/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:00:50 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/21/food-friday-egg-substitutes/ Eggs are the great equalizer: everyone needs them, and everyone has the same horrified reaction to their current sky-high prices. Yikes. I look forward to the days when I can push the shopping cart past the Food Lion’s refrigerated case, and keep on tooling down the aisle, past the eggs, toward the yogurt and the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/21/food-friday-egg-substitutes/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/07/food-friday-broccoli-2/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/07/food-friday-broccoli-2/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2025 16:00:20 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182858 Ah, broccoli is having a resurgence in popularity. Every where I turned this week I ran into another story, another recipe. It’s probably food writers yearning to be set free into the garden – we crave greens and sunshine again. This morning Mr. Sanders commented that even the New York Times was going to town […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/07/food-friday-broccoli-2/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/food-friday-fat-tuesday/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/food-friday-fat-tuesday/#comments Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:00:20 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182727 Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday, is the last opportunity to use all the precious eggs and fats before starting on the Lenten fast. Pancakes are a perfect way to use up these ingredients. Choose your pancake wisely, as it’s 40 long days until Easter. Are you all fattened up for Mardi Gras? Lent […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/food-friday-fat-tuesday/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/from-and-fuller-the-state-of-resistance-is-washington-the-new-moscow/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/from-and-fuller-the-state-of-resistance-is-washington-the-new-moscow/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2025 18:07:12 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/from-and-fuller-the-state-of-resistance-is-washington-the-new-moscow/ Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, From and Fuller discuss the muted resistance in Washington as the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency  (DOGE) make sweeping policy changes in the federal government. This video podcast […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/from-and-fuller-the-state-of-resistance-is-washington-the-new-moscow/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/13/from-and-fuller-the-real-impact-of-doge/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/13/from-and-fuller-the-real-impact-of-doge/#comments Thu, 13 Feb 2025 16:47:55 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/13/from-and-fuller-the-real-impact-of-doge/ Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, From and Fuller discuss the political and financial impact of the Trump Administration’s use of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk. This video podcast […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/13/from-and-fuller-the-real-impact-of-doge/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/12/listen-to-the-music-by-roger-vaughan/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/12/listen-to-the-music-by-roger-vaughan/#respond Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:55:51 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/12/listen-to-the-music-by-roger-vaughan/ “Music is a mistress of order and good manners [who] makes the people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable.” Martin Luther King, Jr. There seems to be a controversy over the suspicion that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Some say it was propaganda released by his enemies. Others say it’s true, representing Nero’s cruel disregard […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/12/listen-to-the-music-by-roger-vaughan/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/#comments Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:00:38 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/ As the women’s movement was unfolding in the late 1960s, all across the country women gathered in small, informal groups called consciousness raising (CR) groups—conversations that helped us identify the societal origins of problems we were facing in our individual lives. Domestic violence, rape, job discrimination, illegal abortion, the lack of birth control—you name it: […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/feed/ 5 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/31/food-friday-home-baked-carbs/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/31/food-friday-home-baked-carbs/#comments Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:00:07 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182195 Timing is everything. We have figured out how to cope with winter temperatures – we have been fueling ourselves with home-baked carbs. And next week, just in time for the mercurial temperatures to hover in the 50s, we’ll be smug and satisfied, schmearing good Irish butter across the firm crumb of our rustic boule bread, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/31/food-friday-home-baked-carbs/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/looking-at-the-masters-hendrick-avercamp/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/looking-at-the-masters-hendrick-avercamp/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:00:02 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182008 A 17th Century Dutch artist, born in Amsterdam, Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634) specialized in winter landscapes.  His father Barent Avercamp was the town apothecary of Kempen.  Hendrick was deaf, and he may not have been able to speak. He was known as the Mute of Kampen. He suffered frequent illnesses. Winter landscape became his most popular […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/looking-at-the-masters-hendrick-avercamp/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/from-and-fuller-a-middle-east-cease-fire-and-the-legacy-of-the-biden-years/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/from-and-fuller-a-middle-east-cease-fire-and-the-legacy-of-the-biden-years/#respond Thu, 16 Jan 2025 18:27:44 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/from-and-fuller-a-middle-east-cease-fire-and-the-legacy-of-the-biden-years/ Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, From and Fuller discuss the political ramifications of the recent agreement between Gaza and Israel for a cease-fire in the Middle East. Al and Craig also trade thoughts about Joe Biden’s […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/from-and-fuller-a-middle-east-cease-fire-and-the-legacy-of-the-biden-years/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/chicken-scratch-god-freakin-help-you-by-elizabeth-beggins/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/chicken-scratch-god-freakin-help-you-by-elizabeth-beggins/#respond Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:00:32 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/chicken-scratch-god-freakin-help-you-by-elizabeth-beggins/ I was at Walmart, at the customer service desk. Two peopl messing with the printer, and a woman helping another customer. The woman had to leave the desk to help a customer out in the store. As she left I heard her say, “God freakin’ help you, hon.” So, I stood there, with my mouth […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/chicken-scratch-god-freakin-help-you-by-elizabeth-beggins/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/08/the-future-of-radio-on-the-mid-shore-how-one-station-has-provided-what-was-missing/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/08/the-future-of-radio-on-the-mid-shore-how-one-station-has-provided-what-was-missing/#respond Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:54:08 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/08/the-future-of-radio-on-the-mid-shore-how-one-station-has-provided-what-was-missing/ The Mid-Shore area has always been an underutilized option for serving the community at large. For the past 30 years, the area was typified by the following stations: WCEI, WCEM, WTDK, and WAAI. WINX serves St. Michaels and Easton and is affiliated with WCEI. Before the choices were broadened by a rising technology, most of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/08/the-future-of-radio-on-the-mid-shore-how-one-station-has-provided-what-was-missing/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/03/food-friday-2025/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/03/food-friday-2025/#comments Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:00:07 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181672 Happy New Year, gentle Spy readers! I’m feeling optimistic about the upcoming year. I should probably check back in about three months to see how these new 2025 rules of austerity are still ringing true. It’s easy today, three days into the new year to be proud of my new approach to life. But as […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/03/food-friday-2025/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/looking-at-the-masters-a-victorian-christmas/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/looking-at-the-masters-a-victorian-christmas/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:00:59 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181490 Christmas traditions we cherish were established during Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901).  Others are as old as the ancient Roman Saturnalia celebration held on December 17, still others were traditions from the time of the Tudors. Decorating Christmas trees was one of the earliest and most important traditions.  Germans brought cut fir branches into the house […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/looking-at-the-masters-a-victorian-christmas/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/17/chicken-scratch-all-the-way-in-and-back-out-again-by-elizabeth-beggins/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/17/chicken-scratch-all-the-way-in-and-back-out-again-by-elizabeth-beggins/#respond Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:19 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181443 “I stand at the window looking out, trying to remember the truths that nature always brings home. That what lies before me is not all there is. That time is ever passing, and not only when I notice. That strife and pain are no more unexpected than pleasure and joy. That merely by breathing I […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/17/chicken-scratch-all-the-way-in-and-back-out-again-by-elizabeth-beggins/feed/ 0