Kathy D'Agostino

When most people think about October, they think about the leaves changing color and cooler temperatures. But did you know that October is National Seafood Month?

I may be showing my age, but I remember The Brothers Four singing "Try to Remember" on television years ago. Whether it was on "The Ed Sullivan Show" or "Hootenanny" I can't recall.

The humidity is off the charts. My garden is overgrown and the buds on my flowers are begging for consistent sunshine. I have read a lot — so much that the librarian knows me by name when I run into her at the supermarket.

I sometimes sit and think about the people I have met, the recipes they have shared with me, and the interesting roads folks have taken to Harpswell.

"Someday you will all miss this." That was my dad, speaking to my siblings and me at supper the day after a harrowing night. We all looked down at our food and rolled our eyes, thinking he was out of his mind.

It's May. Spring has sprung and summer is coming. The days are becoming warmer and it is definitely getting greener outside. May is National Barbecue Month, which is fitting, as Memorial Day is on the 29th and many of us will host cookouts.

I don't know about you, but for me, April is the official start of spring. I know it was slow to arrive, but we now have longer days with warmer temperatures.

I wanted to approach March with an open mind. Daylight saving time starts on March 12. The spring equinox is March 20. Opening day for the Red Sox is March 30. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to turn the page on winter and think spring.

There is a lot to be said about macaroni and cheese. Thomas Jefferson fell in love with it when he visited Paris and brought the recipe back with him. He liked it so much that he had it served at a state dinner in 1802.

Nothing warms the soul in January more than comfort food, like Donnette Goodenow's shepherd's pie. (Kathy D'Agostino photo)