One of my college roommates called me up to tell me that he died recently. He’s a bit of a jokester, so I laughed off his initial statement. But then I sensed an air of forlorn seriousness in his voice.  It turns out he wasn’t kidding.  I’ve known “Phil” for 35 years, and if I…

  If you take a walk through a thick, broadleaf forest on a cool summer morning, you might recognize the cascading, metallic song of a thrush called a veery. It is an ethereal sound that echoes through the understory, like the ring of a haunted cell phone. You might even see a veery, with its…

  By Katy Savage After suddenly closing last winter, Baja Burrito is coming back to Kilington. Owner and chef Thomas Bartlett is reopening the restaurant June 21 at the former Taco X building at 2841 Killington Road.   “I’ve never been open in the summer so we’re going to try to put some summer foods…

  Legislative committee listened, delay implementation until July 2024 By Alden Wicker and Emma Cotton/VTDigger In May, a group of builders and architects took a somewhat unusual step: They asked Vermont lawmakers and state government officials to increase regulation and oversight of their own industry.  Requirements created by a new proposed building energy code, they argued,…

  Most Vermont gardeners realize warm-season vegetable crops like peppers, corn, tomatoes, basil and cucumbers aren’t safe in the garden until May 31. Luckily, this saved a lot of vegetables from the frost and freeze damage we had on May 18 around the state. If you did have some warm-season crops planted, they are likely…

  “When you are afraid, do the thing you are afraid of and soon you will lose your fear of it,” Norman Vincent Peale (author of The Power of Positive Thinking) famously said. Around in circle my feet go, through the phases of the pedal stroke. I pull the pedal backward and upward, my sticky…

  When I was a child, I was always contemplating what I might do if I had one (or several) wishes bestowed upon me. My desires for these wishes changed over time, but they all had a thread of consistency about achieving some level of renown in the disciplines I was interested in. For the…

  Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,  And here on earth come emulating flies,  That though they never equal stars in size, (And they were never really stars at heart Achieve at times a very star-like start...  —Robert Frost, “Fireflies in the Garden” It happens on a warm June evening: in the…

  In a column written back in May by fellow Mountain Times columnist, Dom Cioffi, he told about the various friends throughout his life. That got me thinking about the friends I have made over the years. Some remain in my life but most do not. The word “friend” is used rather loosely by many…

  With the beginning of summer and anglers fishing from shore, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds people that open fires and swimming are prohibited at all Vermont state fishing access areas.  Open fires and their remnants, create unsafe areas for other anglers and boaters to use and enjoy.  The remnants of these fires…

By George Fjeld Editor’s note: Dr. George Fjeld is a retired physician. Summer’s almost here and it’s time to get outside! Fun things like walking the dog, going for a hike, swimming, and paddling in the lake or playing a round of golf are a few of my favorite options.  However, nothing ruins an outdoor…

It’s the earliest day of the season (for my family anyway). We were in line an hour before the lifts started, with Bloody Marias and breakfast sandwiches in hand, way earlier than we would get there for any powder day. We won’t even wait on line on opening day, choosing instead to start the season…

  Evelyn Adams loved playing the lottery and dreaming about the day she might finally win big. Initially she spent $25 a week on tickets, but over the years her growing passion to play drove her spending to over $100 a week, hinting at the first signs of a burgeoning gambling problem.  Adams was in…

  On a foggy morning walk, it may seem as if the spider webs on your path have turned into jeweled wonders, every thread a string of gems as smooth as pearls and as sparkling as diamonds. Each of these “jewels” is a drop of water the web has collected from the misty air. As…

  Jordan Lee Allard, Merrimack College, Marketing and Communications Emma Halpin Allegretti, Villanova University, Environmental Studies & Communication Meghan Jennifer Bailey, Gap Year Cody Edward Bartlett, Army National Guard Austin Robert Bloch, Plymouth State University, Business Administration Christopher Morrill Bradley, Gap Year Jacob Jonathan Carey, College, Exercise Science Nicholas William Champine, Carpentry Jared Lewis Clark,…