January 26, 2026 Probate lessons, property taxes, and why town budgets matter I’ve been using gallows humor lately — threatening to create a coloring book for grown-ups titled What to Expect When Your Loved One Dies. I’m currently navigating my aunt’s estate in one state that was managed by my brother in another state — who passed away in September. I now know more than any civilian should about HOAs, probate court, legal retainers, and municipal tax offices across multiple t

January 21, 2025 How do you answer the question, “Where do you live?” Why do so many of us say we live in one place—but write “Rochester” when speaking to a broader audience? How is it possible to live in a town that surrounds a village? And what, exactly, is a hamlet? (Out, out, damn spot.) Day one of new-elected training opened with that deceptively simple question: What is a town? It turns out the answer explains far more than geography. As communities grew, services didn’