By Mary Ellen Shaw When the pandemic hit back in March I think we will all agree that it changed our lives in a “New York minute.” Fortunately for us, spring was right around the corner and we could focus on spending time in the garden. When you grow flowers or veggies you always have…

When our parents retired, living to 75 amounted to a nice long life, and Social Security was often supplemented by a pension. The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that today’s average 65-year-old woman will live to age 86½. Given these projections, it appears that a retirement of 20 years or longer might be in your…

By Declan McCabe Some of my favorite children’s books describe life cycles as heroic tales of persistence and redemption. From “The Ugly Duckling” to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to “A Seed is Sleeping,” these stories have brought the miracles of growth and maturation to life for generations of readers. I can’t say, however, that I…

By Cassandra Tyndall When you’re in the midst of an emotive situation, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or consumed by it. Emotions can run high and before you know it, you’re not able to see the forest for the trees. Gaining perspective isn’t easy when you’re in the eye of the storm. This week, this…

By Gary Salmon Aging in place, that’s exactly what trees do – from seed to standing dead. Some take longer than others but the difficulty lies in determining just how old a tree is at any point in time. For non-foresters the only way is to count the rings but that leaves you the answer…

By Merisa Sherman With my eyes focused upward, my feet found their places without hesitation. My feet didn’t need my eyes to tell them where the rocks and roots were, they just slid into place like they had so many times before. I felt my right femur swing outward, moving around a larger boulder and…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg In baseball and softball, players dream of winning with a walk-off. Definition: A walk-off occurs in softball when the home team takes the lead in the bottom of the seventh or extra innings. Because the visiting team will not get another turn at-bat, the game ends immediately, with the home team…

By Dom Cioffi When I was in school, I never took a note. Not one. I relied on class memory, my ability to absorb content just prior to a test, and my capacity to BS. My son is exactly like me in that he also has never taken a note. However, his class memory is…

By Sandra Dee Owens Before we begin, let me introduce my new column. My name is Sandra Dee Owens and I am a custom engagement and wedding ring designer, in the lower Champlain Valley town of Benson. Though interested in writing since the second grade, life took other directions until 10 years ago, when I…

by Kevin Theissen Some people in recent weeks may have been feeling that “the stock market seems to be doing so well but I’m not participating.” A look behind the headlines helps tell the story. A CNBC study found that between the stock market high on Feb. 19, 2020—and the new market high on Aug.…

By Susan Shea One summer day I lifted the black plastic top of our composter and jumped back, startled – a large snake was curled up on top of the compost. The yellow stripe down the center of its dark back and two yellow stripes along its sides identified it as a garter snake, our…

By Cassnada Tyndall Like some kind of endurance test, this week you may feel challenged to continue with what you started. It may be a personal pursuit or a professional project that may require more energy, effort or time than you originally anticipated. As the first tense angle between Mars in Aries and Saturn in…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg The playoffs are under way and they started with a highly contested battle between No. 2 seed Rock Warriors and No. 3 seed DTF, the defending champs. The game started with a blast by Tucker Zink, his first home run since game one. That fired up DTF and they added three…

By Kevin Theissen “Will I outlive my retirement money?” That’s one of the top fears for people who are starting to prepare for their retirement years. So I have to tilt my head a bit when I see headlines that say, “Here’s how much money Americans think they need to retire comfortably.” $1.9 million is…

By Mary Ellen Shaw You may not be ready to think about spring bulbs when fall hasn’t arrived yet, but now is the time to do just that! Finding the bulbs you want amidst the pandemic could be a challenge. It’s a good idea to begin the quest now especially if you want a choice…