A farewell note: Thank you for reading since 2015

Dear Readers,

For a decade I have been writing a column for The Laconia Sun. For those of you who are my readers, you know I treasure books, support libraries and independent bookshops. 

Through my  professional and personal life I have traveled across the globe, from hiking Buddhist trails in Japan to researching food insecurity in Ethiopia.  I feel content when I land at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five and board the train into London.  

New Hampshire is my real home.  An image of the majestic White Mountains covered in white snow, against a luminous blue sky is a constant in my mind’s eye.   Pumpkins under a maple tree adorned in glorious autumn garb.  Sugaring off in the spring during mud season when there is a   pause between winter’s ice and summer’s fire.  I still feel the chill swimming in the spring-fed lakes and shiver when the temperature dips below zero.  I prefer those days when the temperature soars into the 80s. 

Time has slipped away and now we are living in a period of change.  Writing this note I thought to query ChatGPT for help.  In reply it suggested: 

“Writing the last column in a newspaper is a unique opportunity to blend style, tradition, and reflection into a lasting impression. Since 2015, I have approached this space as a canvas to capture the subtle shifts in weather and seasons, using them as metaphors for change and continuity. The column becomes a bridge between memory and moment, where the familiar rhythms of nature echo the enduring traditions of storytelling.”

As we move through this liminal period of transformation, I encourage you, my readers, to keep the impressions of nature, the words of poets, the scent of baking, the joy of seeing the first robin in the spring and the sense of beauty that comes driving through Franconia Notch surrounded by the mountains, in your lives.  

I want to thank everyone at The Laconia Sun for the opportunity to write this column and for making certain the Lakes Region has a local newspaper. Thank you, readers, for the many notes I have received over the years as each one has meant so much to me. 

Perhaps I will see you at the Laconia Public Library or having a coffee at a local café. Please say hello. 

— Elizabeth Howard 

•••

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or through the Arts Fuse. Her career intersects journalism, marketing, and communications. “Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back,” a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of “A Day with Bonefish Joe,” a children’s book, published by David R. Godine. You can send her a note at: eh@elizabethhoward.com.