r/westernmass

Hello. I am a 20F from western mass looking to make some friends on here. Some of my hobbies include writing and singing songs (please hit me up if you would ever want to sing music together) , playing video games, fishing, poetry, art, cars, watching UFC and more. I enjoy good conversations, and going out however I do enjoy quieter spaces. I’d preferably like more female friends, but no preference. Just be 18+ please.

Please feel free to message.

Hey all, we lost our last sugar glider today. He was an older cranky lil dude, and I'm missing him terribly.

But I'm posting because I have a bunch of frozen sugar glider food and a newly opened package of vitamins. (We fed The Pet Glider recipe, to be specific.)

If this would help anyone out, they are free to pick up. We've also got pouches, cage toys, and other sugar glider related materials.

Shoot me a message if you're interested. (We're located on the CT line, if that helps.)

We're looking for someone to replace and paint the wood siding on our historic home. Everyone I find online seems to just do vinyl siding which we're not interested in. Any recommendations are appreciated! We're about halfway between Northampton and Greenfield

We live on a farm and had 4 young sibling cats dumped on us that we've been trying to manage, on top of my wife's health challenges, my FMLA status, and everything else.

I called a local vet and the cost of getting them all shots and getting them fixed would be close to $3,000. The woman on the phone said to mention that they were dumped on us at the appointment and they might work with us.

That's still too much money up front to get involved in this process, we just don't have that on hand to spend when we have so many other obligations.

Does anyone know of any organization or person, or anything, who can help facilitate taking care of the cats the right way? I have heard there are programs for this type of thing but I don't know. We are very overwhelmed and don't know what to do here. Any feedback or guidance would be greatly appreciated. We are located near Greenfield.

Hello, if this is not the right place to post, feel free to delete.

I (25F) am moving to Western Mass from New Jersey in the next month. I'll also be starting graduate school in the Fall. This is a fresh start for me. What is it like making friends in the area? Is there anything I could do to put myself out there?

Edit: I am moving to Agawam and attending UMass Amherst. Thank you for all the feedback so far!

Final Edit: Hi everyone, hope you all are having a great weekend. Firstly, thank you all for the feedback, truly. I did not expect to get so many responses, so I am a bit overwhelmed with thoughts. I have been reading everyone's comments intently. I will answer some common questions and provide some further context. This will likely be my last update on this thread.

- I understand my decision to move to Agawam is a controversial one in the thread, but it is one I cannot control at this time. I am from NJ, so I'm used to commutes being 25-30 minutes on a good day. My usual commutes are 45+ minutes for work because I travel. I would have loved to be closer to school, but it's what worked with the parameters I'm used to/could afford.

- For those asking about my major and work, I am a classical musician doing graduate performance work at UMass. I play the saxophone professionally in symphonies, so being close to Hartford is a plus for me. I do dabble in original songwriting [more of a gothic vibe], and my day job is working in treatment centers as a board-certified music therapist. I love what I do, so feel free to PM me with questions.

Lastly, thank you all for the recommendations about friend-making and places to visit. I took note of them all! <3

Feel free to PM me with questions or just to chat, I know this update was long!

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Hi all, I've been looking into two significant votes coming up this year that will affect Franklin County taxpayers and wanted to get a sense of what people actually know and think about them.

The first is the Montague Public Library project — a new $23.7 million library proposed for Turners Falls, with Montague responsible for approximately $12.4 million. That vote is June 24th.

The second is the Franklin County Technical School building project a proposed new school building currently priced at approximately $236 million, it's been up in air for a few years now, but the 19 member towns are collectively responsible for somewhere between $129 and $135 million after state reimbursement. That vote is expected in October across all 19 member towns.

A few questions I'm genuinely curious about.

Do you know about either or both of these votes? Do you support one but not the other, or both, or neither?

If you're in one of the 19 FCTS member towns, are you planning to vote in October? Do you feel like you have enough information to make that decision?

Does the combined financial picture concern you or does it feel manageable in your tax bill?

There's a lot of money on the table affecting a lot of small towns. It's important we talk about it.

Looking for recommendations (or anti-recommendations/places to avoid) for sleep medicine doctors for help with chronic sleep issues. I'd especially love to hear from people who've dealt with issues other than sleep apnea because that's likely not my issue.

Chicopee here but willing to drive anywhere in an hour radius! Would love to find a book club that meets regularly. Am open to pretty much any kind of fiction.

My most recent reads: Song of Achilles, Southern Reach Series, The God of the Woods,  James, Circe, Piranesi, ACOTAR, This is How You Lose the Time War, Hummingbird Salamander, Poppy Wars, Project Hail Mary.

About myself:

39yo guy, living in Chicopee with my wife and 3 cats. Avid reader but also write as well. I am currently in the query trenches with my debut fantasy novel.

I am closing on a house in Conway, Ma. Getting exciting! I am into cycling, hiking and flat water kayaking. (Calm water kayaking). I also enjoy going to thrift stores and flea markets. I don't like to spend money at restaurants, but when I do it is usually pizza or a burrito.

When I was at UMass Amherst more than 1/2 my life ago I visited nearby Chapel Falls in nearby Ashfield on a nice spring day. I actually slipped down the falls and nearly killed myself, It was a miracle that I missed all the big rocks that were near the waterfall's bottom.

Looking forward to seeing it again!

hampshirenext.org

Hi! Does anyone know of any restaurants that offer kosher or halal options?

I know many grocery stores around here have kosher meats available, but I am not much of a chef haha.

Maybe there aren't any but, doesn't hurt to ask. Thanks!

Anyone on here in the Springfield/ Western Ma area into MiniTruckin? Lookin for fellow MiniTrucker.

I was once at a chocolate factory in Ohio and they made this delicious snack called "bark". They called it that because it looks like tree bark. Anyway, it is pretzel, chocolate, & caramel all baked into a bar that tastes very good.

Any candy or chocolate stores that make it around here?

Thanks for any suggestions if you've had some.