Everything I need to know about life, I learned from skiing. Right? Well, I have at least learned enough things from skiing that I should be able to translate those into my everyday life. Skiing teaches us so many things, like respect gets respect, body awareness and how (hopefully) to anticipate the reactions of…

  Well, it’s that time of year again. Another 12 months have passed, and we are now faced with that year-end tradition of reflecting on what’s transpired. Are you a better person on Dec. 31 than you were on Jan. 1 of this past year? Did you improve your health? Did you break a bad…

One winter day, while teaching a winter ecology class, I pulled on waders and rubber gloves, grabbed a catch net, and led my “Minibeasts of the Stream” program, discovering a rich variety of insects in the frigid waters of Kedron Brook in South Woodstock, Vermont. Insects are abundant in winter streams because they are able…

If you were a kid in Rutland back in the 50s, how did you spend your winter? I will guarantee you that it wasn’t spent inside looking at a digital device! We were outside for the majority of the day even if was snowing. There is an expression that goes “There is no such thing…

It all begins with a twinkle, The sun starts to rise, Painting its colorful picture of new year. The shining sun rises, The glowing moon falls, The sky sparkles. The snow glitters, All sparkly and white, The sky paints its picture, For all to see. The beautiful new year begins, With a glistening sky, The…

It’s the week between Christmas and New Year, where you don’t know what day of the week it is nor what you should be doing.  On the one hand, the astrology of this week supports taking it easy and letting the atmosphere of the season take a hold.  On the other hand, you may be…

...and a potluck dinner Saturday, Dec. 30—RUTLAND—The Rutland County Audubon Society  hosts its annual Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 30. Participants may join a group and venture into different sections of the Rutland area to count the birds they observe. If you live within the count area, you can also participate by counting birds in…

Saturday Dec. 30-Sunday, Dec. 31—WOODSTOCK—Directed by Jakub Piatek,  the 91-minute film "Pianoforte," which has been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, is a fly-on-the-philharmonic-wall documentary that takes viewers on a journey through the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The competition, held every five years since 1927, has been…

Rockin' The Region By Dave Hofffenberg    The Pickle Barrel in Killington is kicking off New Year’s Eve weekend with a bang. Friday, Dec. 29 will be a jam-filled evening with Mihali and his friends, with special guests G. Love and Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. I got a chance to speak with G Love (his real…

Sunday, Dec. 31—KILLINGTON—Join in on the fun at the K-1 Base Lodge for a New Year's Eve celebration unlike any other! Inside the lodge, there'll be family-friendly activities including arts and crafts and live music.  Outside, we'll have all the ingredients to make your own s'mores over a fire pit (while supplies last!), plus a…

  Dear Editor, While real estate prices are absurd — and home-buying and renting are an impossibility for many — laying blame for homelessness at the feet of people of means who move here from elsewhere is a trite and glib iteration of a Vermont Old Guard classic: “It wasn’t a problem until these people…

  Dear Editor, Don’t look down, just breathe, I told myself. Breathe. Just admit you’re scared and breathe.  Slowly try to make just one simple move. Just move one foot. One hand. Breathe. Another foot, another hand. Breathe. You’re going to be OK. If you can climb a flight of stairs you can begin to…

By John Gonter Editor’s note: John Gonter teaches cooking, foraging, fishing and hunter safety. He volunteers as an instructor with Vermont Fish & Wildlife. In Vermont, we are blessed with opportunities outside. Direct experience with our mountains, lakes, rivers, fields and forests are restorative, develop our outdoor skills and reduce our stress. Our modern lives,…

  Outside organizations are increasingly challenging the state regulations on religious schools, defending transphobia, and weighing in on local policies and events By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Last February, the girls’ basketball team at Mid Vermont Christian School, a pre-K-12 private school in Quechee, made the state’s Division 4 playoffs.  But instead of playing its first game, Mid…

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