Discover More from This Category: Columns

Omens sometimes fly, get swallowed

September 8, 2015
It was an eventful week here in Killington, my week starting with an 11 mile run, the basic, Sherburne Pass to Killington Peak and back. It started with me not feeling well…thinking I might only make it about four  miles. But then, a mile in, I inhaled a rather large moth. I couldn’t cough it…

On private school

September 8, 2015
Have you ever had the feeling that, for the majority of the country, rural New England exists primarily as a collection of elite and picturesque yet vaguely sinister private boarding schools? In movies and novels, the New England prep school is not merely a setting but a hermetic, lyrically genteel genre unto itself, with its…

Snakes and toads provide garden pest control

September 8, 2015
By Michael J. Caduto Encountering a snake in the garden causes many people to shriek or even panic. Yet snakes and another often unloved creature, the American toad, are among the most effective forms of pest control. If you tolerate these herpetological visitors–or better yet, encourage their presence–you’ll be less likely to share your garden…

Tasting the difference

September 8, 2015
A few months ago, I made an appointment with the editor of The Mountain Times to discuss some ideas I had for a beer-themed column. She bought into my idea of visiting with members of our region’s craft brewing community and reviewing Vermont-made beers with them. To keep it interesting, we would taste a beer…

The layers of interpretation are endless

September 3, 2015
By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of an Aries Moon, on the Eve of Sept. 1. According to the prophets and the soothsayers the next 30 days are supposed to be one Hell of a time. Many have said that we're not going to…

The gift that keeps on giving

August 28, 2015
By Dom Cioffi I just may be the luckiest man in the world… It started out as a normal Saturday morning with some fresh coffee, the morning news, a little Internet browsing and a quick peruse through my email. I like to utilize my extra time on the weekend to look back through the previous…

The Outside Story: Nature’s supermarket

August 27, 2015
By Tiffany Soukup This past winter I spent three months exploring East Africa, traveling through ten different countries and covering over 8,077 miles. I was continuously impressed with how much local guides knew about their surroundings, in particular the human uses of various plants. In some instances we could not walk more than ten feet…

Progress despite setbacks

August 27, 2015
This week was fun, a long run, a short fast run, and a whole bunch of burpees, and otherwise uneventful, without much to report. The long run was pretty easy, just shy of 12 miles. I ran the Sherburne Trail, up the Hershey Highway to Pico Peak, back down the Hershey Highway to the trail,…

Season war

August 27, 2015
Hey, look, guys: summer is almost over. Does that fill you with sadness or excitement? And if the former—and if you haven’t been enrolled in school in more than a few years—then why? Selecting a “favorite season” is first of all an unnecessary endeavor and, like choosing a favorite thing in any other category (books,…

Virgo, where the mundane becomes sanctified

August 27, 2015
By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Sagittarius Moon, with aspects that include the Sun's entrance into the sign of the Virgin. If you've noticed a slight difference in the way the sunlight feels, over the last few days, it's because the Sun…

The Outside Story: Bees feel flower buzz

August 21, 2015
  By Rachel Sargent Imagine you had a power that allowed you to pick up nearby objects without actually touching them. Imagine this power could help you find and choose the best foods while shopping. Imagine you could use this power to communicate with your family. Bees are thought to have just such a power.…

The Millennials are coming

August 21, 2015
Sometimes, when I read my column in the Mountain Times, I wonder: does anyone actually use the phrase “Generation Y” anymore? It’s been my impression lately that the term “Millennials” has almost completely replaced “Generation Y” in trend-based think-pieces. The actual data, which I looked up today, is not quite so dire, but it suggests…

Thank goodness for cool rain

August 21, 2015
So I am certain that it will be a surprise to no one that I have not in any way, shape or form, stuck to my training schedule. I did, however, do an 11-mile training run from the Sherburne Pass to Killington Peak and back. I also did my longest ever road bike ride, a…

Give yourself permission to space out for a few hours

August 19, 2015
By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's horoscopes are coming out under the light of a late Virgo Moon. The Moon recently turned Void-of-Course, which keeps us in a state of suspended animation until she makes her entrance into Libra. Loosely translated, this means there will be plenty of room for a…

One in a million

August 19, 2015
By Dom Cioffi Every now and then you run across a life story that seems too incredible, too improbable, and too inconceivable to actually be true. The story of Arnel Pineda is a perfect example. Born in the lower class sections of Manila in the Philippines, Arnel’s childhood was disrupted when his mother became terminally…