By Mary Ellen Shaw When I heard that Vermont State University plans to remove books from their library shelves and transition to digital books by July 1st it felt like a magic trick about to happen. Just say “Presto” and the paper books will suddenly disappear. Changes of that magnitude usually happen gradually. I have…

By Mary Ellen Shaw There is talk of building a hotel in downtown Rutland in the same location where the Berwick Hotel once stood. That hotel was destroyed by fire 50 years ago and since then the spot has been a vacant lot, known locally as “The Pit.” Recently there have been both TV and…

By Merisa Sherman It was quiet. A little too quiet. An eerie quiet. No fresh animal tracks on the ground, no wind moving the trees around. It’s so cold, you feel like even the surrounding air must be frozen even though it truly freezes at temps colder than 300 degrees. You couldn’t hear anything from…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Once in awhile during the winter months I like to look forward instead of “back.” So this column will concentrate on flowers and veggies fresh from the garden. I don’t think that I am the only one who misses playing in the dirt this time of year.  Of course, if you…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Winter is not the favorite season for most seniors! We don’t like to walk around wondering if there is black ice underfoot. Nor do we like driving on it. Hearing that a snow storm is coming makes us want to hunker down and stay inside. Whatever happened to our childhood feelings…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Remembering Christmas from the '50s and '60s has become a topic for my column every December. From a child’s point of view downtown Rutland was a magical place with lighted garlands strung across Merchants Row, Center Street and West Street. Santa Claus was waiting for my visit inside the Economy Store. …

By Mary Ellen Shaw I was watching a talk show recently and one of the topics discussed was an article from a 1950 McCall’s magazine. It gave 129 options that women could use to get a date. If you are in the “senior age category” you would be quite amused at some of the techniques…

By Mary Ellen Shaw At some point in our lives we seem to turn into our parents.I guess it’s inevitable as we grew up following their instructions. I thought of my father when someone commented to me that I mow the lawn in a different direction each time. Back in my youth the task of…

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 Mary Ellen Shaw The morning host of a local radio station who is fairly new to Rutland said he sees signs on buildings for businesses that are no longer open. He named a few of them and invited people to tell him what they miss about not being able to go to these places.…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Once you have lived through several decades you will realize that various aromas have a connection to a certain time period in your life. One of the earliest aromas that I can remember was the delicious scent of a pot roast that my Aunt Nora cooked for Sunday dinners. Back in…

By Mary Ellen Shaw When I read that Seward’s Restaurant is closing my mind went to memories that began in childhood. When you have been around for more than of a century it’s rare to have an existing business that has shared that same time span with you. I was 3 years old when the…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Well, how did your garden grow this summer? Did you try anything new? Experimenting with new plants is one of my favorite things to do. When the calendar tells me that Labor Day has arrived I know that the gardening season is coming to an end. Summer goes by way too…

By Mary Ellen Shaw When I submitted my column to Polly recently I added a comment about how much I dislike hot weather. I told her I had much rather have it cold. I also gave her permission to remind me of those words when freezing temperatures come back to bite us! Polly responded that…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Many of us had pets growing up. Dogs and cats were the most common pets but goldfish, turtles and birds also had a place in many of our homes. On my street three of my closest friends had dogs and I had a cat. The dogs wanted to spend time with…