By Madeline Bodin In the photo, the mountain lion lies on its side on the shoulder of a Connecticut parkway. Taillights shine in the distance. A Connecticut state trooper snapped the photo after a motorist had struck and killed the animal on a June night in 2011. Wildlife biologists quickly confirmed this mountain lion was…

All girls probably remember the first time they danced with a boy. And all boys probably remember the first time they danced with a girl. How could one forget? The adjective “awkward” is probably an accurate way to describe the event. My first dancing experience occurred in the basement/auditorium of Christ the King School. I…

By Brady Crain My old workhorse boots are Scarpa T-2 (a three buckle duckbilled telly boot); my new boots are Scarpa TX-Pro boots (Scarpa’s four buckle NTN/AT boot — it has a telly bellow, but it also has the little AT binding nubs on the side of the boot). I just want to offer some…

Ponder with me one of the great mysteries of the universe: how can it be that the 2012 romantic drama “The Best of Me,” starring Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden, has an average rating of 4.3 stars out of five on Netflix? A little information to help you understand why this is a serious question:…

By Dom Cioffi This past Saturday, my son and I were driving around in my truck talking about life. He was curious about the different jobs I had over the years so I gave him a brief review. He listened intently, asking various questions as they arose. Ultimately, he seemed unimpressed. Apparently, nothing I had…

Courtesy of Dave Hoffenberg ALMOST EASY Almost Easy is making its Wobbly Barn debut this Friday night, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. If you can’t make that, no worries because you get two nights with this great New Jersey band. It may be named after the Avenged Sevenfold hit song and also popular in Singapore…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a waning, Leo Moon. Two days past fullness, it will enter Virgo at around 10:45 p.m., on the East coast, and at around 8:45 p.m. out here in the West. In the meantime, Mercury turns direct; after three weeks in…

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…