There’s nothing like getting a puppy, to know that you’re capable of taking care of something other than yourself. Lucky little Izabella, at five weeks old, said “Woof!” to her 9 brothers and sisters on Broadford Road and headed up town to Warm Springs, where she’s happily thrashing our home....

When you’re living in a ski town, there’s no better time than spring, when it’s cold, snowy and miserable, to take a vacation to a destination that doesn’t require a parka. So that’s what I did. I packed my flip-flops, sunscreen and bikinis and high tailed it to Costa Rica for a week of palm...