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 Kevin Theissen It is not difficult to understand that with the Covid-19 crisis, we all should know the value of having an established emergency cash fund. Beyond this crisis, have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing, and your family ends up on a first-name…

by Olivia Box I love that time in spring when the hills around my house change from gray and brown to shades of yellow, green, and red. The trees have not yet leafed out, so what’s painting the forests these wonderful colors? The answer: most of our northern hardwood trees are flowering. It begins with…

By Cal Garrison This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of an Aries Moon. The Sun entered Taurus on April 19, which puts us in the last hours of the “Old Moon.” This means we will be wrapping things up, dealing with elements of endings and completion, until the Moon turns “New” at…

By Merisa Sherman My internal alarm clock woke up a little bit extra that morning and I could feel the change in the air even from inside our house. Instead of pulling the blankets back around me, I quietly snuck out of bed and down the stairs. The curtains were down in the main room,…

Tradeoffs when taking care of business by Dom Cioffi I told my son at the start of mass quarantine that this was not going to be a vacation, that we — individually and as a family — would be getting things accomplished throughout the duration of our home confinement, no matter how long it lasted.…

By Kevin Theissen The American Public Education Foundation recently found that Vermont schools are woefully short in helping prepare students to be financially literate. With a grade of “D,” many students are not learning to handle their finances smartly, avoid debt, better understand the economy and learn to make good decisions about their life and…

The Outside Story By Olivia Box One spring-like afternoon this winter, I was skiing near Middlebury, Vermont. The trail followed Otter Creek, weaving through cedar patches, hemlock groves, and past the occasional hardwood. It was one of those days where you can shed a few layers and still break a sweat when the sun spills…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out in the wake of the Easter rituals, under the light of a Capricorn Moon. This week, I decided to keep it simple and look at the aspects that will be in play for the next seven days. This approach paid off…

By Merisa Sherman I have a nook in my house where there’s a chair there, just out of the morning sun, where I can see the tree tops. They descend in a steepish yet skiable pitch down toward the valley on the right, kind of like Highline. There’s a second bit of dull greenish-brown peeking…

Woulda, shoulda, coulda by Dom Cioffi I was supposed to be heading to Saint Martin in the Caribbean tomorrow for a spring break week of sunshine, fun, and cocktails with tiny umbrellas. The trip was also doubling as a celebration of my son’s 16th birthday. Obviously, that’s not happening. Instead, I’ll be sitting at home…

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…

By Kevin Theissen The COVID-19 outbreak has put tremendous pressure on stock prices, prompting some investors to blindly and indiscriminately sell positions at a time when the entire market is trending lower. Worried investors believe “this time it’s different.” When the market drops, some investors lose perspective that downtrends, and uptrends, are part of the…

The Outside Story by Susan Shea Thump. Thud. Something was hitting our window! It was a bright red cardinal flying at his reflected image in the glass – which he perceived to be an intruder in his territory. The bird kept it up for an hour, until I covered the window. On other occasions that…

By Cal Garrison This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Void-of-Course, Virgo Moon that will remain in that mode until it crosses the Libra cusp, at 5:16 p.m. The Moon turned full at 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday night. By the time Good Friday rolls around it will be in Sagittarius, and…