My 16-year-old son has announced that his life is officially too complicated and, as such, things need to change. I chuckled when he brought this to my attention. My first instinct was to laugh hysterically, but I held back, knowing that would only alienate him and his feelings. Admittedly, we keep our son busy. This…

By Gary Salmon I have the luxury of having a window just above the sight line of my computer. It is my icicle monitor and I have been waiting for it to change structure now for about a month or more. I like icicles. They look nice in the cold reminding me when to turn…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Well, it will soon be spring… at least that is what the calendar says! For me March is the month to change over the pine garlands on our cedar fence to something with a touch of spring. The weather tends to tease us at this time of year with an occasional…

By Kevin Theissen Many parents encourage their children to work so they can learn the values about work and managing money. But do they need to file a tax return for the money they earn? The IRS does not exempt anyone from the requirement to file a tax return based on age, even if your…

By Susan Shea The bare branches of the trees outside my window seem lifeless in late winter. However, each twig holds many buds — small, wrapped packages of potential awaiting the spring. These buds formed last summer and are designed to withstand snow, ice, and subzero temperatures. By withdrawing water from them before winter, deciduous…

By Cassandra Tyndall “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When you’re only 6 years old and you respond with something wild, crazy and impractical, you’re applauded and celebrated for your ambition and imagination. Then, somewhere along the line, the rings of reality close in on you and you decide to be…

Is your relationship with fear contentious or friendly? By Sandra Dee Owens Throughout my life, I have thought of fear as something I should overcome, battle and conquer. But when I began snow swimming four years ago, I wanted a fresh perspective—so fear would not stop me from doing what I wanted to do. First,…

By Dom Cioffi I was out of town recently and had the opportunity to visit a mall that was open. I don’t think I’ve been to a mall since early 2020, so it felt a bit unusual. I put on my mask and wandered around, admiring the amount of people that seemed to be happily…

By Merisa Sherman We’ve got open water in Killington! It was a bluebird spring day in February, so I had chosen the long way home along the river. There, uncovered by the warming sun, was something wonderful and rare. I felt my heart skip a beat. There was open water in February! The snow had…

By Kevin Theissen The recent short selling activity in GameStop has motivated some to become new “investors” because of the idea of making fast money through such trading. However, many are unaware of the dangers of short selling, along with the tax implications that come along with any potential quick profits. One of the dangers…

By Declan McCabe On a clear midwinter day several years ago, my student Sarah Wakefield and I pulled on snowshoes, donned backpacks, and headed up through Smuggler’s Notch. Our destination was Big Spring, which rises from Mt. Mansfield’s bedrock before flowing east for 100 yards and entering a culvert under Vermont Route 108. When it…

By Cassandra Tyndall People from all over the globe read these weekly horoscopes. Regardless of your location, each of us have endured our own version of extreme weather. For some it’s been a long and arduous winter. While for others, the heat and humidity has been relentless. Collectively, we are each at a point where…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg I, like most people, miss live music. There are many places that have music but most of it is solo/duo stuff. That’s good and all, but I want to go see a band, live in concert or go to a festival. I’m wishing that happens this summer. In the meantime, if…

By Merisa Sherman We paused for a moment, as we often do, to contemplate the potential stupidity of what we were about to do. It looked gorgeous, the snow glittering in the sunlight across the descending waves of the field at our feet. You could just make out the tracks of those who had been…

You know you’re spending too much time at home when going to the grocery store not only sounds like fun, but actually gets you excited. That’s the space I’m finding myself in after a year of working from home, not traveling, and spending my free time rummaging around my yard. The pandemic has worn us…