CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

The Bigger Story

March 7, 2013 | by CJ Woods III

Steve Meneely’s e-mail to the paper gave a link to the National Maple Syrup Festival and while doing my research I felt that, within the story of the festival, there was a bigger story. The festival, in its fifth year, is not just a fun weekend of tree-tapping and maple … Read More

Memories Hide In Corners Of My Mind

March 6, 2013 | by CJ Woods III

“I think I’m getting Alzheimer’s” my mother said, peeling potatoes at the pass-through window in her tiny kitchen. I was startled, but asked her why she thought so. “Because I forget things,” she said. I smiled. “You’ve been doing that since I was five,” I told her. Which was true: … Read More

Don’t Sicky, Be Happy

February 28, 2013 | by CJ Woods III

I was removing the paper from a mentholated, cough suppressing oral analgesic when I noticed a message written on the wrapping: “High five yourself.” What? I had gobbled a ton of those drops without once reading the wrapping. When I spread it out, I found other sayings. This past December, … Read More

Running Errands

February 21, 2013 | by CJ Woods III

I was on the phone with a friend, catching up on things after a short time out of contact when she told me that she had to hurry home from running errands. She has recently retired from teaching grade school children. She tutors children two days a week to keep … Read More

Matters of the Heart

February 14, 2013 | by CJ Woods III

(Columnist’s note: those of you sick of hearing about happenings on “a social networking site” should stop reading now. But not really.) “When I was little and mom would take you back to the airport after Christmas, I’d spend most of the night watching airplanes trying to guess which one … Read More