By Dom Cioffi When I was in college, I took an art course that had me sketching and painting on a weekly basis. I loved the act of creating in this way and took joy in most of the assignments. On one occasion, the instructor asked the class to paint a picture of something we…

By Anna Morris Last autumn, around the same time I was laying the winter quilt on our bed, my cat became very interested in the space beneath the kitchen sink. Unsurprisingly, a mouse was huddled down there, seeking shelter in the warmth. Though I was sympathetic, and all wildlife is welcome in our yard, I’d…

  It’s titled, “Things I Know Now...” and Nikki McCallum will teach you everything she wished she’d learned before reaching adulthood, in song. McCallum described the show and said, “It’s an hour of stand-up comedy infused with original comedy songs.”  I love this kind of comedy so I’m really hoping to make the show. I’ve…

By Dom Cioffi Several months ago, I bought my father-in-law tickets to see Frankie Valli in concert. Valli, along with his backup group, The Four Seasons, peppered the charts with hits during the 1960s and '70s. From teenage chart-toppers like “Rag Doll” and “Sherry” to pop classics like “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and…

By Gary Salmon When you are 75 and have seen fall from the same house in the heart of foliage country for 50 years, it can become a little jaded. "Seen it all before" was unfortunately my mantra and same colors/same views was my viewpoint. What I needed was a fresh set of eyes to…

By Merisa Sherman It’s hot. I mean, not like Arizona hot but way too hot for November hot. Like, who are we kidding here with the crazy non-snowmaking weather? These consecutive and beautiful sunny warm days that don’t seem to stop. I am kind of confused as to whether or not our entire state has…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg Doors open at 7, Chris Pallutto opens the show at 8 p.m. and the Outlaws will take the stage around 9-9:30 p.m. This is the first concert of the winter season and it should be a rocking good time. I had the pleasure of interviewing founding singer/songwriter/guitarist Henry Paul. The Outlaws…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Shopping for food in Rutland back in the ’50s was an entirely different experience than it is today. The Rutland Directory for 1955 has 50 listings under the heading of “Grocer.” Only two of those stores were large chain stores. One of them was the A & P (Atlantic and Pacific…

By Sandra Dee Owens What direction is your dial set to? There is one thing I do in order to improve anything in my life. One single thing. I keep moving forward. I love how simple that is. But as we all know, simple is not the same as easy. No matter how sucky things…

By Jen Weimer For many of us, this season involves hunting, gathering, and preparing for a long, cold winter. This often includes stacking (or restacking) the firewood that’s been seasoning while we enjoyed the laid back warmer months of summer. Humans have used wood as a source of heat since they learned to control fire…

By Conrad Baker Swift and apparently silent, a lone bat traces the contours of the woods’ edge at dusk, floating through canopy and meadow. In the last daylight, a sharp-eyed observer might catch a glimpse of white armpits, indicating that this is no barn bat or attic bat. This is an eastern red bat. Eastern…

By Dom Cioffi I was a collector as a child. At first, I collected stuffed animals and picture books. Then I moved on to army men and Matchbox cars. Later, it was baseball cards and record albums. Along the way, I found a bevy of other items that I felt I needed to hoard into…

By Merisa Sherman I adjusted the mask on my face for like the 15th time that day. The hard plastic kept scratching my face and I knew, I just knew, that I would have a big mark for, like, the next few weeks. My dad and I had cut a mask so it worked perfectly…

Asking the hard question: Are we better together or apart? Years ago, when our children left our nest to build their own, my husband and I sat down and asked ourselves a very hard question. Are we better together—or apart? Our marriage is, and always has been strong, solid—and scrappy. It seems that two people…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann As we navigate the return to in-person work, stricter dress codes, business travel and meals with clients, I’m hoping that the importance of being respectful to colleagues hasn’t disappeared entirely. But, considering the past few years of social isolation, it’s reasonable to expect that we all could benefit from a refresher…