By Dave Mance III The blast of a gunshot: a deep bass roar she feels in her chest, followed by a treble ringing in her ears. The buck drops. The hunter remains in her crouch, watching the animal’s last breaths through her scope. When he is still she rises, trembling from the cold and the…

One of the specifications included in late summer completion of the Cold River Road relocation project, thanks to engineer Mark Youngstrom, required the planting of trees where the original Cold River Road was. Otter Creek Engineering prepared the road project plan, M&M Construction did the road relocation, and Youngstrom with Tree Warden Gary Salmon got…

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…

Band on the run This past weekend while I was sitting in our living room watching a football game, my son came bouncing down the stairs and then flopped onto the couch. He glanced over at me and in an upbeat voice asked, “How’s it going, dad? How’s your day?” Now, as most parents know,…

Some of us share a common experience. You’re driving along when a police officer pulls up behind you with lights flashing. You pull over, the officer gets out, and your heart drops. “Are you aware the registration on your car has expired?” You’ve experienced one of the costs of procrastination. Procrastination can cause missed deadlines,…

British soldier lichens are among the first wild things I remember being able to identify as a child. I loved spotting this lichen during forays into the woods – on a giant boulder or atop a decaying stump – its tiny, bright red caps seemed whimsical and somehow happy. I still love to find British…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Leo Moon. Over the last week I have done charts for four or five people, ranging in age from 19 to 65. Every time I do a reading I come out of it loaded with compassion…

I never had a tree house as a child and was not exposed to the view from a tree canopy until tree stands entered my life. The look of a forest is completely changed when one is actually in the forest canopy and to go from the land of the root flare and tree trunk…

If I were a rich man We should all look at jury duty as an honorable civic exercise that plays an integral role in our nation’s democratic process. However, it almost always feels like an insufferable burden. That was the case for me last week when I was required to show up bright and early…

By Mark Bushnell Editor’s note: Mark Bushnell is a Vermont journalist and historian. He is the author of “Hidden History of Vermont” and “It Happened in Vermont.” This column was published in VTDigger Nov. 10. Lucy Martin wasn’t mincing words. Her marriage was failing and she wanted the world to know why. Her husband, she wrote in…

Everyone loves a winner. If an investment is successful, most people naturally want to stick with it. But is that the best approach? It may sound counter intuitive, but it may be possible to have too much of a good thing. Over time, the performance of different investments can shift a portfolio’s intent — and…

The Outside Story by Susie Spikol I fall in love easy. I’ve been mad about river otters and star-nosed moles, and of course the venomous short-tailed shrew. But my first love was a creature that is almost mythical, a shadow lingering on the edges of time. There wasn’t much of it, merely bones, teeth, scraps…

by Cal Garrison This week’s horoscopes are coming out under the light of an almost full Taurus Moon. Every week I think about how I want to spin this introduction way in advance. It’s usually the case that I draw inspiration from things that I learn in my conversations with my clients. This last week…

by DJ Dave Hoffenberg Thanksgiving weekend marks the return of the Killington Cup where some of the fastest women in the world will race down the trail Superstar, but skiing is just one part of it. The party it becomes is the other and good music is needed for that. This year Recycled Percussion, DJ…

Tree Talk by Gary Salmon The only November foliage color is provided by the oaks, beeches, aspens, larches and Norway Maples. Yellow and brown are the colors of November with the oranges and reds gone until next fall. If you plan on planting trees next spring that you have dug up yourself it is always…