As you read this, 2016 is over. 2016 is roaring to a close, taking nearly every talented person with it, Pat Harrington, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Dan Haggerty, Glen Frey, Abe Vigota, George Gaynes, Tony Burton, George Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Robert Horton, Joe Santos, Joe Garagiola, Ken Howard, Peter Brown, Garry Shandling, James Noble, Patty…

Hey guys, do you remember the 90s? I sure do: the Pogs, the Beanie Babies, the Reebok Pumps, that Sears commercial where the deadbeat suburban husband finally submits to his wife’s entreaties to order a new air conditioner for their home, vowing to “call now”—and, most of all, the usage of the word “Not!” as…

By Marguerite Jill Dye The winter solstice arrived, promising the coming of light in our darkest hours. The other celebrations in this season also honor illumination: Christmas worships the love and light of Christ and our highest, truest selves; Hanukkah, the festival of light, hails the miracle of purifying the temple when a day’s supply…

By Patrick White You picked it out, maybe cut it down, brought it home, watered it, and decorated it. But do you know what species of tree that is, surrounded by presents in your living room? If you purchased your Christmas tree rather than cutting it out of the woods, chances are it’s either a…

By Kyle Finneron Did you know you can rip someone’s beard if you put too much shoulder pressure on their jaw? I didn’t, but I do now. After my first eye opening attempt at jiu-jitsu I decided, even though I was steamrolled, that I could see myself enjoying this new sport. Jiu-jitsu in my eyes…

Merry Christmas to me! I got my new helmet and goggles! I shed a bit of a tear when I put aside my old faithful helmet, with its dents, and well … more dents.  Up to now I have only had one helmet, my first, and I have had it for 13-14 years.  The funny…

Millennials aren’t found of talking about age because they are “as young as they feel.” They are the age they are and, at any point, that is the right age to be. Such is the confidence of youth. It is among older folks one hears the talk of how aging feels, or how one feels…

On Dec. 16, Netflix released to streaming audiences the new film “Barry.” Purchased by the scarlet-hued home-entertainment colossus following its September premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, “Barry” marked 2016’s second indie drama about the early years of Barack Hussein Obama, who, by the looks of it, poses a threat of displacing Abraham Lincoln…

There are many worthy options for quality music in this area so it’s great when a new “local” arrives and adds to that. David Soltz is starting to make a name for himself in the Ludlow/Killington region. Soltz moved up here last year from Massachusetts and plays every Friday and Saturday night at Santa Fe…

  By Marguerite Jill Dye I confided to my friend that in spite of the holidays, I’ve felt down about our nation’s current events and guessed I should read “Mein Kampf” to better understand the mind of a dictator. She said “Get out of the raging river and find a different path. You can’t see…

By Madeline Bodin Mention carpenter ants, and Declan McCabe, chair of the biology department at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, thinks about the time he got a lungful of formic acid. He had taken a class into the field to survey insects. He saw a huge ant and sucked it up into his aspirator. Yes,…

I got my first taste of winter fun in the 1940s when I was bundled up and placed in a wooden sleigh that was made for a small child. I still have that sleigh today. It has a back to lean against, a wrought iron handle for pushing it and metal runners. My mother was…

Aside from a total bitch of a cold that has settled into my lungs for a long winter nap, this has been a kickass week. Great skiing, great snow, great skiing, and more great snow. I’ve been super impressed with the skiing and the snow, did I mention that? I have some new equipment too,…

Shortly before Thanksgiving, internet content farms began releasing articles about how to avoid contentious political discussions with relatives during the holiday season, as if, in the absence of clever techniques of distraction, the carving knife intended for the turkey might soon turn into a weapon. In late November, we were fresh off a nightmare election;…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Virgo Moon, on the cusp of the Winter Solstice. The Solstice falls on Dec. 21, this year, but these days leading up to it are pregnant with life. To top it all off, Mercury goes retrograde…