By Mary Ellen Shaw One of my favorite things to look forward to each year is the colorful display of flowering trees and shrubs. Although they may be short-lived compared to a garden full of perennial flowers they certainly brighten the landscape. With the world topsy-turvy as we deal with Covid-19 anything that resembles normalcy…

By Mary Ellen Shaw If you are looking for something different to do with the free time you may have right now why not try growing plants from seed? I have been doing this for about 30 years and it’s a great way to obtain exactly what you want for flowers or veggies. There are…

By Mary Ellen Shaw We all need something to look forward to, especially as we navigate our way through the changes in our lives because of the coronavirus. The constant mention of it on TV and in the papers can be overwhelming at times. Mother Nature to the rescue!  She will soon provide us with…

Looking Back By Mary Ellen Shaw Yes, it is I…looking “forward” instead of “back” in my column. Why? Because we all need something to look forward to in a world that has changed in what seems like a “New York minute!” So, for as long as these difficult days last I will attempt to brighten…

By Mary Ellen Shaw When you get into your senior years you tend to spend quite a bit of time looking back. When I take a look back at the friends I have made it covers over 70 years of friendships.  My friends seem to fit into categories: childhood, school days, work days and “new…

by Mary Ellen Shaw As I was visiting with friends recently the conversation turned to the cars we have had over the years. For most of us at the table the earliest memories went back to the 1950s. I remember going to look at cars with my parents in 1952. I was 8 years old…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! It is a day devoted to love, and as one would expect, the majority of greeting cards are romantic. Some are funny and others simply wish you a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” You can come up with your own meaning for those words! Since Year…

The Rutland Recreation Department offered skating in the city as early as the 1940s. My time on skates began in the 1950s. It was a popular activity and one that didn’t come with a high price tag. For awhile Rotary Rink on North Street was the only place for public skating. I don’t know the…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Many young people growing up in my era … the ’50s and ’60s … got their first taste of skiing right here in the city of Rutland. The place to do that was at the Rutland Country Club. The City of Rutland Recreation Department installed a 525’ rope tow there for…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Most of you reading this probably did not go to college in the 1960s. And if you did you were probably not at an all-girls Catholic college. It would probably seem like being in the convent if you could relive that experience today. I spent four years at Trinity College in…

By Mary Ellen Shaw It’s fun to take a look back at Christmas in the ’50s when we lived in simpler times. I don’t think the world was as materialistic back then. Christmas lists that were compiled by me and my friends didn’t have many items on them and those that made the list didn’t…

Well, it’s almost here…Thanksgiving time! For most of us it’s all about the food. Family recipes are used to prepare many of the dishes that will be served. In some cases these recipes are on index cards and are handwritten. Some cards have a line with the words: “From the kitchen of…” I particularly love…

Looking Back by Mary Ellen Shaw There is a transition period for all of us when we stop being considered a “child” by the older people in our lives. We become “adults”, just like them. Our relationship changes with these people and those whom we called “Mr.” or “Mrs.” often tell us to call them…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Not only do I qualify as an “oldie” but apparently my favorite hobby is classified by some as a “lost art.” I am told that numerous times as customers take a look at my items when I do a craft show. My hobby began by doing cross-stitch items. My mother always…

By Mary Ellen Shaw The method for obtaining information on any subject has certainly changed since my school days in the ’50s and ’60s. I remember my mother getting a set of encyclopedias earned with her grocery store purchases. The books had a green, hard cover and they came into our home one by one…