January 17, 2024: Accruement

Here in the throes of winter when the world slows, it becomes an interesting endeavor to seek out the ways we thrive. Take humans for example, where the accumulation of years is a thing that happens to most, and for which many are ill-prepared. However there’s a recently released documentary that looks at the connection and benefits of art later in life. Originally aired on Twin Cities PBS, “Art + Medicine: Healthy Aging” is getting a local screening at the Northampton Senior Center on Jan.19th. Featured in the film are two recent Florence transplants, actors Candace and Raye Birk, who will be speaking about the film in a post screening panel, and share with us stories about the doctor’s office that inspired the film And although this isn’t necessarily the time we think about growing things, we head up to Hadley to see the fruits of agricultural labor at a farm that is specifically designed to offer produce during these darkest, coldest months of the year. We meet owner Rosendo Santizo about creating a system that gets folx fresh local produce in the winter, their amazing storage system to preserve the bounty, and how the inherent co-operative nature of their farm helps all involved. Language itself is growing constantly, and we love that you have questions about it for our word nerd and resident wordster, Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam Webster. It just so happens that a listener in Shelburne Falls sent us an inquiry about the verb “to gift” and more, which allows us to dive right into that word’s history and the shortcuts we take, and we appreciate them for this.