When my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2010 and then another rare autoimmune disease last fall, several well-meaning people said to me, "It could be worse. At least it's not cancer."

I know how much it hurts to hear that, because when you're in the middle of a personal crisis, it doesn't really matter if it could actually be worse. It's bad enough in that moment.

So I won't say that to the hundreds of people who have lost their jobs with the closure of North Adams Regional Hospital, and their families, who now face an incredibly uncertain future. I know they are all hurting right now. All I can do is offer some fun ways to encourage

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National Library Week is not until the middle of April, but I'm celebrating it this week with a column highlighting some cool library programs for families.

First up on Friday night, March 21, head to Great Barrington from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an evening of star-gazing at the Mason Library. A word about the Mason Library: I became familiar with this library during my time working for the Girl Scouts, as it was a good central location to meet with volunteers in South County. I have found the atmosphere, accommodations and staff to be wonderful here. As a bonus, whenever I visited the Mason Library, I would run into a cousin of mine who nannies for two kids who love to hang out

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Can warmth really be far behind?

That's how I ended last week's column. Now as I sit here on Thursday morning watching the snow fall and listen to the wind howl, I believe the answer to that is yes. Yes, warmth can really be far behind. Spring is never coming. We're all doomed.

OK, I got that out of my system. I'm not going to complain about the weather this week. Instead, I'm going to talk about something fun this time of year that is all about the changeover from winter to spring: the maple sugaring season.

So this morning as the snow was falling and the wind was howling (sorry, old habits of complaining about the weather die hard) my

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My aunt who lives in Maine posted the following on Facebook on the 41st birthday of her middle child this past Tuesday, March 4: "When my daughter Debbie was born in Holyoke, MA, in 1973, it was a beautiful spring day with temps in the 70s. This morning in Bridgton, Maine, it was 17 BELOW ZERO."

On Wednesday, my friend Jean posted this on Facebook: "Ha. We're getting a few flurries and the snow is falling in a weary, unenthusiastic way, as if even it's tired of itself."

Well said, my friends.

Here we are, the second weekend of March, and it's time to set the clocks ahead on Saturday night. This is the worst weekend of the year in my

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