By Dom Cioffi Like most people, the year-long lockdown has worn me out. I know I shouldn’t complain since so many others have suffered truly life-altering experiences during the past twelve months, but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t felt an impact. The blending of days is palpable, as is the sense…

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation published a report that found “…financial literacy has significant predictive power for future financial outcomes, even after controlling for baseline financial characteristics and a wide set of demographic and individual characteristics that influence financial decision making.” Financial literacy may be more important today than ever. That’s because the responsibility for…

By Rachael Mirrus In a February forest, evergreens provide welcome color. But look more closely on the bark of trees, both conifers and hardwoods, and you’ll find other bright hues, from sunny yellows to blue-greens. These are lichens, common but often overlooked members of the winter woods. Lichens have varied and intricate growth patterns, but…

Up until now, February has been marked by a kind of cosmic holding pattern. So many ideas filtering through the ether about how things could and should be, but wth  little means for making progress or taking action. Fortunately, this week brings the much-needed break in the weather. Mercury, the planet of communication and logistics,…

By Merisa Sherman It has not stopped snowing for weeks. Every morning, I wake up and look outside the window only to reach for the shovel. Every day, I’m shoveling. It might just be a few inches of fluff, but it still has to get relocated before it freezes solid and makes my walkways a…

By Tony Crespi, The Mountain Journal “A good tune can drive high performance skiing,” emphasized Jed Duke, director of product development at Blizzard Skis. “More than ever tuning is the link between a successful or hateful experience,” added former World Cup tuner Mike DeSantis, owner and tuner of Ski MD, a Boston area shop dedicated…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Recently there has been talk about the possibility of no more snow days in some schools. What a disappointment that would have been when I was a student! Back in the 50s and 60s remote learning would have been considered “science fiction.” If you weren’t in your classroom, education came to…

By Dom Cioffi Like many children across the country, my son has been learning remotely for the better part of a year. Unlike some kids who struggled with staying focused amidst the distractions of home and the ease of slouching off during Zoom meetings, my son’s performance in school actually improved. Of course, it didn’t…

By Kevin Theissen Certain red flags could increase your chances of getting the attention of the IRS. Luckily, the chances that your tax return will be chosen for an audit are very low. The IRS audited less than 0.5% of all tax returns in 2019. The majority of exams were by mail, which means that…

By Tiffany Soukup Last summer I regularly passed a stand of towering white pine trees at Camp Plymouth State Park in Ludlow, where I live and work. Most days I saw at least one hairy woodpecker, a few blue jays, chickadees, a pair of broad-winged hawks, and a multitude of red squirrels around the trees.…

By Cassandra Tyndall This week brings an exceptionally rare lineup of planets. Out of the seven visible planets astrologers consult, six of these will be in Aquarius. A similar lineup hasn’t been seen since 1962. This much cosmic focus will highlight a particular area of your own life. If you’re not sure what that might…

How embracing the word ‘slower’ lead to a new sport: snow swimming By Sandra Dee Owens Have you ever made your own speed limits? After I received two speeding tickets and a warning within six weeks—I realized I had a problem. With an excellent, 40-year driving record before this life “phase,” I suddenly found myself…

By Merisa Sherman We were lost. Well, not quite. I guess it would depend on your definition of lost. If it meant that we had no specific idea where we were or that we weren’t exactly where we thought we would be, then I guess you could say we were lost. But then again, if…

By Dom Cioffi I saw an individual driving on the interstate the other day with a certain representation of the male anatomy hanging from the ball mount on their truck. As is the case in these moments, my curiosity got the best of me, so I sped up to get a look at the driver.…

By Gary Salmon It’s February, a tree’s dormant season between leaf fall, starch storage in the roots, and sugaring season. A time perhaps to dream of green days ahead, to read a good book, or otherwise shorten our dormant season. This line of thought brought me to ship building and the long history of wooden…