By Barbara Mackay I love the fact that there is always something new to observe in nature. Take goldfinches, for example. I have often watched them devour milkweed seeds from an acrobatic, upside-down position. Recently, I spotted several bright yellow males perched atop dandelion stems, plucking the seedheads at a frenzied pace. Previously, I had…

By Marguerite Jill Dye Exactly one year ago I wrote my first weekly column in the Mountain Times when a Canada lynx kitten was perched outside our home upon our return from Woodstock. The magnificent creature appeared during the annual Bookstock literary festival and seemed like a fitting event. It blended the genres of mystery (to…

By Brady Crain Things are going really well with the back surgery recovery. Now that I can move my arms about and twist my spine, even trips to the chiropractor are easier, and it feels good to get back to the morning routine I have had forever, where I tumble out of bed, do a…

By Mary Ellen Shaw In the heat of summer I can’t help but think of the many days back in the 50s and 60s that I spent at the Rutland City pool. It was located on the west side on North Main Street where there is green space today. Its history goes back to 1929…

By Brett Yates When I read about the fiasco that ensued when the South Burlington School Board decided to change the nickname of the local high school’s sports teams, I had a moment of déja vu that took a few minutes of Googling to resolve. In case you missed it, the racially insensitive moniker of…

By Kevin Theissen America Saves, a national campaign that promotes savings, notes significant differences in savings between men and women. A survey showed that women displayed a greater interest in savings, but there was no greater savings effort or savings effectiveness compared to men. But just two years later in the same survey, the gender gap leapt off the…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg It is hard to beat three teams in one night but Mother Nature did just that and reduced the number of games played for the top three teams. It didn’t matter to the Killington Resort team because nobody could catch them in first place. It did matter to Clearly Moguls and…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye  This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the Light of a newly birthed Leo Sun, and a brand new Leo Moon. With a double dose of Leonine energy vibrating in the ethers I think we’d do well to talk about the sign, and give ourselves a chance…

By Dom Cioffi This past Saturday I announced to my wife that I was headed out to do some errands. I then took a quick shower, gathered some snacks for the ride, and jumped into my truck to leave. But while it was true that I had a few errands to knock out, I also had an…

By Susan Shea My dog watched intently as an area of soil in our backyard vibrated and formed a slight ridge. Suddenly he began digging, revealing a mole below ground. Before Cody could pounce, I grabbed his collar and pulled him away. This was not the first time I’d rescued a mole. When I lived…

By Kevin Theissen If you live in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, or Finland, then you’re among the happiest people in the world. On the other hand, if you reside in Sierra Leone, Bulgaria, Egypt, Palestinian Territories, or Tunisia, you’re among the least happy, according to the United Nation’s World Happiness Report 2017. The report relies on six…

By Brady Crain I have spent a lot of time since this lumbar surgery (left side L3-4 foraminotomy/facetectomy - didn’t need a laminectomy because the disc was already gone) walking, swimming, icing, and stressing about what was going to happen if I spent $3,000 or so (my out of pocket maximum) on a surgery that…

By Marguerite Jill Dye Watching presidents Macron and Trump at the Bastille Day celebration on the Champs Elysées in Paris took me back decades to standing on the wide boulevard’s sidewalk on the Fourteenth of July during studies and travels in Europe. A little over two decades ago, my husband Duane and son Danny gaped, wide…

By Brett Yates The Nickelodeon-produced major motion picture “Good Burger” debuted in theaters on July 25, 1997. Two decades later, it feels more popular than it was at the time of its release, when it met modest box-office success and critical revilement. With the children who saw it, it made a lasting impression, and now…

By Mary Ellen Shaw In the heat of summer, I can’t help but think of the many days back in the 50s and 60s that I spent at the Rutland City pool. It was located on the west side on North Main Street where there is green space today. Its history goes back to 1929…