We humans, for the most part, love our plants. We mist, feed, and espalier them, trim their leaves and even play music to sooth their little green souls. Not only are we omnivores and dependent on them for survival, but they are aesthetically lovely and generally fun to be around. They even clean toxins from the air in our homes.  But just as humanity is comprised of the good, the bad and the ugly, so goes the...

We're constantly amazed at the amount of activity that happens in our communities. Of course, since it's the high summer season, there's a lot more going on now than there was in January or March, when we were all sheltering in our homes hoping the power wouldn't go off again. And there are a lot more people around to take advantage of the opportunities, which creates the traditional double-edged sword: more to d...

Single-family Home Or Dorm? Editor: I was surprised to read about the Chatham Zoning Board of Appeals decision to allow Chatham Bars Inn to convert the 20 Chatham Bars Ave. property into a quasi dorm under the disguise of a “single family dwelling.” I believe the voters and taxpayers in Chatham have always believed that the definition of a “single family dwelling” was just that, a single family dwelling. Pe...

Adrianna is a 19-year-old college student from Romania whom I met while she was working as a clerk/bagger at a Harwich grocery store. She received permission from the U.S. State Department to visit the United States from early June through late September under its J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program under the summer work travel program category, one of 15 provisions that range from professors/research scholars to a...

The holiday we observe this week celebrates ideals enshrined in a document signed 242 years ago which continue to guide our government and society. These ideals are ingrained in the soul of America, and despite trying times, they remain our guiding principle. It may seem that the self-evident truths espoused in the Declaration of Independence – that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with “certain una...

Dear Summer Residents and Visitors: Welcome back to the Lower Cape! We’re glad you’re here again, visiting shops, eating in restaurants, and generally pumping up the local economy. We’re doing our part by avoiding left turns at intersections and trying to stay cheerful in traffic. While you were away, we had huge storms that knocked down trees and limbs. We had town meeting and spent some of the money you cont...

One Person's Treasures... Editor: After recently reading the article regarding new rules at The Treasure Chest, myself and others from Dennis take exception to Lincoln Hooper's comment about "people from Dennis dropping off truckloads of stuff, overwhelming Harwich and volunteers.” We are not your scapegoat. Look to home, Mr. Hooper. Deborah Randall West Dennis   Bursting Their Balloons Edito...

“Oh the shark, babe Has such teeth, dear And he shows them Pearly white………. You know when the shark bites With his teeth, babe Scarlett billows Start to spread”   I debated for a while on whether or not to open my article with the lyrics to “Mack the Knife.” This article is about the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and all the good works they do. Since the Conservancy works so hard to ...

A half century is a long time. Not so long ago, it was longer than average life expectancy. While there are plenty of businesses and companies that have persisted that long, for a local establishment to reach the 50-year mark is extraordinary. To do so under the same ownership is almost unheard of. With events over the past several weeks, The Chatham Squire celebrated reaching the mid-century point under the o...

Losing Sight Of Simplicity Editor: When I read about the scarcity of submissions for the Chatham Preservation Awards this year, I wasn't surprised but was dismayed because award eligible candidates are disappearing. My wife and I will soon be celebrating our 30th year in our home on Shore Road, and have a locational vantage point which provides a view of what's going on in the neighborhood. As is obvious...

“Like an express train going through a tunnel.” That’s how my grandfather, Reuben Hopkins, described the sound of the German shell that screamed by his lookout post 100 years ago during World War I. The action he was seeing was not in the fields of France, but atop the Life Saving Station in Orleans. The artillery was from a U-Boat that had attacked a tug and its barges three miles off Nauset Beach. It was a p...

In the old days, people ate herring. They’re impossibly bony and oily, but they helped make human existence possible on Cape Cod since the beginning of time. The Wampanoags and the European settlers who followed relied on them as a food source during long winters, and as a means of fertilizing crops in the springtime. But what have herring done for us lately? Plenty, it turns out. Atlantic herring and their...