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Functionally fluid

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that adaptability makes life easier. Of course, any Rochesterian who has experienced the transition between summer and autumn knew that already. Few places on Earth demand you wear a tank top layered with a fisherman’s sweater because even though it’s forty degrees right now, 4 p.m. could be a …

Staycation surprise

Caribbean Heritage 719 S. Plymouth Ave. 270-4994 Remember vacations to places you couldn’t drive to? The dread of packing followed by the intimate pat-down courtesy of the TSA, a day of travel, and then, finally, your destination! I reminisce about setting foot onto white sand beaches or tearing into a warm pastry on a side …

Killer of the cloth

Snagged on a log was the body of a dark-haired woman, bobbing and weaving with ironic grace in the water, like a barefoot ghost of hair and cloth. It was Saturday morning, April 23, 1949, and ten-year-old Leslie McMahon, a fourth grader at Ballantyne School, was fishing in the Genesee River near his home in …

Fresh fashion daily

Darlyne Truax is the owner of the three Chandeliers Boutique locations—in Pittsford, Webster, and Canandaigua. These boutiques specialize in comfortable, stylish, and well-made clothing for women. Truax was a stay-at-home mom for nearly twenty years before opening the boutiques, all the while creating and making accessories to sell to the owners of the original Chandeliers.  …

Houseplants 101

The Royal Horticultural Society in London conducted an experiment. They wanted to see if talking to plants boosted growth, so they attached headphones to some tomato plants’ pots (adorable) and played voices reading scientific literature. Sure as shrubbery, these experimental plants grew faster than the control group. Researchers aren’t sure why this is. Maybe vocal waves stimulate certain growth genes. Maybe plants get lonely. In any case, it’s not a one-way …

Walking on the wild side

This past June, medical emergency services noted a spike in calls originating in Brighton. Fearing for their sanity, panicked Brighton residents reported strange and wondrous creatures rising from their neighborhood sidewalks. Here, a luminous lime green snake winding its way along a chocolate-hued branch. There, an impossibly bright-tangerine-and-white-colored clownfish ensconced in a royal blue and fluorescent green anemone. Nearby, a delightfully delicate monarch butterfly disarmingly dines …

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