Ann Silverthorn

Nutmeg and Nora, Cairn Terrier sisters, joined our family about five years ago. We have had our ups and downs but we eventually settled into a comfortable companionship, occasionally marked by complications caused from the Cushing’s syndrome and then the blindness that Nora developed a couple of years ago. We call Nora our special-needs dog, while Nutmeg is sometimes overlooked, sometimes referred to as the…

When I tell people I belong to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), sometimes they ask what the DAR is or what it does. Generally, I tell them that DAR members can trace their lineage back to a Revolutionary War patriot and that its members honor American history. But, there’s much more to the…

While waiting in the grocery checkout a couple of years ago, I regarded a small display of movie DVDs, including Annie (2014). For some time, I had been considering purchasing the movie I had so loved in the theater, so I placed it on the conveyor belt. When I opened the case at home, I found it…

Last weekend, we watched the latest Netflix DVD.com arrival, Gleason. This documentary, about retired New Orleans Saints defensive back, Steve Gleason, is a love letter to his son, and so much more. It’s a story of courage, hope, and grit. Diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2011, Gleason began a video diary for his then unborn child, and…

Will you be watching the 89th Academy Awards Show on Sunday, February 26, 2017, when Jimmy Kimmel hosts the event for his first time? Do you like to see how your judgment and intuition matches up with the nearly 7,000 voting members of the Academy? There are many excellent nominations this season and plenty of…

If you’re like many folks, there’s a point in winter where you hit a wall. The holidays are over, the Super Bowl has been won, and the sun is playing hard to get. Spring seems so very far away. We all know the traditional ways to stay healthy during winter, take your vitamins, get a…

You might be an activist who has been speaking up about issues you feel strongly about. You want to be heard. Or, you might not think of yourself as an activist, and you might be only posting on Facebook, but you want to persuade others to think as you do, or at least, to understand your position.…

Recently, I streamed the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life episodes on Netflix and became intrigued when character Lorelai, single mother of grown daughter, Rory, decided to clear her head by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which would be just like her, when part of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail runs through Connecticut, probably right past…

The other night, I watched a DVD called Hail Caesar, which I had mistakenly placed in my Netflix DVD.com queue, instead of the 2016 version starring Josh Brolin and George Clooney. I decided to watch the 1994 version anyway, which is about a young man trying to win his sweetheart’s hand through a challenge waged by her father. The movie wasn’t…

I’m a movie buff (junkie). I like to be transported into another time and place (escape). I like a darkened movie theater with Surround Sound for a total immersion experience, but there’s something to be said for watching movies in the comfort of your own living room, or home theater, if you have one. Here…