By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Gemini Moon with the Sun stationed at the 18th Degree of Aquarius. This is what they call the “Dead of Winter.” But in this dimension everything is the opposite of what it appears to be—so what…

By Dom Cioffi My last column was nearly four months ago. That was October and at the time, I could barely focus enough to write a single sentence. While the powerful drugs I was taking were alleviating the excruciating pain that was growing inside of me, they were also making reality a bit harder to…

Vermonters have an advantage. Many Vermonters have built their lives from the ground up evaluating and cherishing what matters most along the way. Those who have chosen to move to Vermont see it as a beacon of freedom and authenticity. “You are not alone.” “We are stronger together” signs at the Women’s March stated. I’ve…

By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul A few autumns ago, one of the frequent visitors to our gone-wild apple orchard was a lopsided, one-point buck. We often see does and young, antlerless deer in the field, and by the end of each fall we’re able to identify many of them by size, appearance, and the company they…

Preparing for the men’s physique category in a bodybuilding competition I have found that I always work better in the gym when I have a date on the calendar to work towards. Late last year it was the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) North East championships in Rhode Island that I wrote about previously. However,…

I have have always wanted children.  This might seem counterintuitive, given my life of fairly wild irresponsibility, travel, and transience, but it is true. I have, however, been very careful to wait to have children until I found a proper host candidate for my offspring. I have been repeatedly  unsuccessful at choosing domestic partners, my…

Following the death of the actress Mary Tyler Moore last month  at the age of 80, many journalists and critics reexamined the second-wave feminist legacy of her eponymous sitcom, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which, in the 1970s, normalized the lifestyle of the single working woman in an American city, presenting it as a full…

By Kevin Theissen If you want to retire with confidence, you need a good plan. As you near retirement age or better yet, decades before retirement age, it is time to start doing some serious financial planning. Retiring with confidence means you developed a logical plan, are executing it, and review it regularly to make…

If you live in the Killington region, you have probably heard of the awesome musician I interviewed this week. If you’re not, get to know him here. Either way, you should head to the Pickle Barrel this Thursday night, Feb. 9 and see Bow Thayer rock out with his modern mountain music band. It’s influenced…

By Mark Bushnell, VTDigger The movie is long forgotten, but the scene is well remembered. It is a classic of the silent-movie era. A young woman lies unconscious on an ice floe as it floats downriver toward a waterfall. All the while, her lover braves the teetering ice sheets, desperately trying to reach her. The…

By Marguerite Jill Dye I hate politics. But I have deep convictions of what’s fair and just and don’t hesitate to stand up for them. I respect authenticity and can spot insincerity a mile away. I’ve always been hyper-sensitive, but have finally reached an age where I’m not afraid to speak out from my heart. It’s…

By Joe Rankin It’s winter. Hardwood trees are bare. But that doesn’t mean the woods are bereft of interest. Winter, when sunlight slants in, is the time when bark comes into its own. Pause to take in the aged-brass bark of a yellow birch, or the hand-sized bark plates on a big white pine. Bark…

In a recent column I mentioned that Rotary Rink in Rutland was a popular place to ice skate during my youth in the 1950s and 60s. However, its history dates back to the 1930s. The Rotary Club turned the property over to the city in 1946 and the Recreation Department began using it year round…

Note: the Democrats’ last four presidential inaugurations have included readings by American poets. Poetry has never been featured at a Republican president’s inaugural ceremony. This poem is tremendous. Believe me: poems don’t get any classier than this— The best words, the smartest rhyme scheme, Big-league prosody. When you take other poets—look at Robert Frost. He…

Every Tuesday night at 9:30 p.m., head over to JAX Food and Games to check out Annie in the Water. Don’t be surprised when you don’t see Annie but you’re welcome to all the water you want, free of charge. I had heard some good reviews of the group and I, too, expected to see…