If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Do you know what you stand for, or are you following the crowd? Safety in numbers. It’s easy to be a sheep. Not everyone is a warrior. Though how do you know unless you find out? Alas! A warrior, like it or not, is what…

I can feel my shoulder blades clenching together, harshly forcing my shoulders open. The tightness extends down my spine, stiffening my back to the point where it’s hard to rotate around my lumbar spine. My arms drop from my shoulders, aching pain, and I can feel the tingle all the way down to my fingertips.…

I purchased my first iPhone nearly 15 years ago. I would have jumped on board earlier, but the product wasn’t available in my little Vermont town. Prior to that, I had several flip phones, but I was always pining for Steve Jobs’ glorious invention.   I just looked back, and it appears that I took…

In the starkness of winter, squirrel dreys reveal themselves in the tree canopy. They’ve been there all along — just screened by trees’ leafy crowns for much of the year. Dreys are shaggy masses of leaves nestled against a tree trunk or cupped in a fork of branches 20 to 40 feet above the ground.…

Network television thrives on three styles of genres: police procedurals, legal procedurals, and medical procedurals. “Grey’s Anatomy” is in the midst of its 21st season. “Chicago Med” is in its 10th season, and new shows such as “Brilliant Minds,” “Doctor Odyssey,” and the comedic “St. Denis Medical” are all focused on the medical genre. Of…

The nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards came out on Thursday, Jan. 23, and any year where four of my top film picks get nominated for Best Picture and Director, I can’t complain. Out of the 10 nominees for Best Picture, I’ve seen eight, and seven of those I’ve reviewed for The Mountain Times since…

The state of Vermont is in charge of transportation restrictions, with one big exception. The state has empowered local municipalities to regulate parking within their areas of jurisdiction, provided the restrictions are posted. Brattleboro does not have overnight street parking anywhere in the city, and the streets are littered with signs declaring the restriction. West…

Some words, once spoken, can’t be taken back. When a piece of information is shared or revealed, it’s very difficult to hide it again. Collectively, we are on a timeline where, for some, the truth is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish. Meanwhile, for others, there’s never been any question about the difference between a lie…

There are three things that can never be hidden – the Sun, the Moon, and the truth. Some truths can be buried for a long time, seemingly forever banished. A hidden truth is akin to a lie. It torments. It infects. It taints. It grows until it becomes a beast that consumes you. Every lie…

The State of Vermont is one of the biggest housing developers in the state. Seven state departments qualify as housing developers, and the University of Vermont is a housing developer. Seven public housing authorities also qualify as housing developers. Add to the list the seven homeownership organizations that are housing developers, and then there are…

When snow arrives and I see cars with skis passing through Rutland, I can’t help but think about my ski days, which began on some small slopes. The areas where I skied in the ‘50s and ‘60s no longer exist. But the memories remain! Like many kids who grew up in the Rutland area the…

There are filmmakers who redefine the movie-going experience and those who reshape it. David Lynch did both. He remains one of the most important filmmakers and certainly one of the most unique, risk-taking, and singular visionaries to ever pick up a movie camera. When critics discuss films that push the boundaries of the medium, Lynch’s…

As the winter sun set on Feb. 3, 2023, the Caribou, Maine branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) was flooded with reports of seismic activity. James Sinko, the office’s hydrology program manager, recounted Mainers calling in from across the state’s Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington counties to describe homes and buildings trembling and deep…

 I recently had to go on a business trip and decided, since my son was available, that I would drag him along for company. The trip involved my own vehicle, so we packed up the night prior and got on the road at 6 a.m. the following morning. If I’m going on a long road…

I pull my hood over my pompom and duck my head down as low as I can. My body is in the lowest squat I can manage with my ski boots on, and I can feel my tips rising off the snow as my weight drops back. Extending my pole grips out in front of…