illustration for this column was drawn by Adelaide Tyrol By Laurie Morrissey Last night, the floodlights were on at my favorite skating lake. Several children wearing plastic skates and shiny helmets were gliding on the ice, shepherded by young parents. A father pulled a Nordic-looking sled with upturned runners, his bundled-up cargo insisting, “More!” each…

After a few years on some frustratingly unresponsive BD Warrants (it wasn’t BD’s fault, they were just the wrong skis, I bought them without trying them), last year I bought a set of the previous years Head Motorhead Rock n’ Roll skis (named for a great old metal band). They were on the shelf at…

Kirstie Alley What she’s famous for: a sitcom about alcohol abuse, a series of movies about talking babies What she said about Trump: “I want someone that will rev us up and make us pay attention. Donald Trump, whether you like him or you don’t like him, is waking this country up. And I think…

By Dom Cioffi When you go to the movies every week for 20+ years, you’re going to see some interesting things. I’ve witnessed inebriation on all levels and in all ages. I’ve seen food fights erupt between unruly teenagers. I’ve even helped break up a brawl between two patrons. Because I’m at the theater so…

By Carolyn Lorié I’m an enthusiastic, if laid-back, bird watcher. One of the things I love most about spring and summer is the effortlessness with which I encounter a wide variety of birds. Sitting in my backyard, I’ll catch sight of an indigo bunting in the apple tree or watch a pair of phoebes flying…

Have you guys noticed anything different about Barack lately? Doesn’t he seem a little more confident—not just politically, in his State of the Union addresses and gun control efforts, but socially? A little more willing to “put himself out there” and try to make new friends? I saw him hanging out with Bear Grylls and…

Back when I was a young child in the 1950s you could downhill ski in Rutland City. The Rutland Country Club on upper Grove Street was the spot for this unique opportunity. Many of the local kids had their first experience on skis at this location. I was one of them. I remember going to…

This week I am grateful for some very nice powder turns — it was unexpected, and much appreciated. Grateful for the awesome groomers and snowmakers — I have been skiing every morning. Thankful for my new stationary cycle trainer so that I can keep my legs moving without pounding them on the pavement. Thankful for my…

By Dom Cioffi I had the opportunity to eat something bizarre recently when a good friend offered me a handful of chocolate-covered crickets. We were sitting around his kitchen having a cocktail during the Christmas break when he pulled out a small plastic bag. The package was opened, but looked to be mostly full (I…

  By Tim Traver During a mild winter in northern New England, there are those of us who rejoice over our lower heating bills and those who scan the forecast, hoping for cold and snow. In a classic El Niño year like this one, when we often get unseasonably mild weather well into February, there…

I missed Adult Swim’s initial December airing of the five-part miniseries “Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter,” but when I found out that the show was set in Vermont, I hastened to catch up. An absurdist melodrama about a gun-toting, neon-clad vagabond and the werewolf-plagued small town that commissions him as a bounty hunter, the show is…

This week finds me in a contemplative mood, approaching 60 days of skiing (I’d have more, but had to go to my family reunion in Dallas) and having a very good time with Pip the Impaler (my guinea pig), who seems to be settling into a far less aggressive (if still highly energized) role in…

They don’t have revenge on their minds because these Nerds are grateful for the success they’ve enjoyed the past 30 years. This Sunday, Jan. 17, you will have a fun day if you head to the Pickle Barrel to see the Nerds, who are the ultimate cover band. There is not a genre they don’t…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of an Aquarius Moon, with a bunch of aspects that make me feel really good about the coming week. There's a beautiful trine running from Jupiter to Pallas, Mercury, and the Sun, that means we will be doing…

By Dom Cioffi My 11-year-old son has been displaying a remarkable lack of intellect lately when it comes  to money. It all started over the last year when several fateful events brought me great pause. The first “situation” involved an overnight school trip where he was corralled into a card game in the back of…