By Gerrie Russell KILLINGTON—The Killington Arts Guild hosted an opening reception for its new show “Vermont and Me” on Saturday, Aug. 30, at the Gallery on Route 4 in Killington. Family, friends and visitors in the area enjoyed refreshments and the work of many talented artists. Maurie Harrington, a Vermont watercolorist and the featured artist…

By Joe Rankin Living this far north, we’re attuned to signs of a waning summer: shorter days, cooler nights, red maples in low-lying areas turning their trademark color. But when the asters bloom, I know the curtain is coming down on summer. The asters are some of the latest blooming flower species in our region.…

By Kate Robitello Skin is quite amazing; it stretches, comes in all different colors and textures, and protects our bodies from environmental damage. Over the years advancements in technology, chemically created lotions and serums, and of course, the marketing efforts of major skincare companies have created the belief that it is necessary to spend a…

By Todd McLeish It rained heavily the first time I had planned to go on a hawk watch, and the trip to Mt. Tom in western Massachusetts was cancelled. But the rain brought with it a weather front the next day that created the perfect conditions for fall hawk migration in New England. And migrate…

By Cindy Phillips I love making new discoveries. If I learn something new, I feel I have had a productive day. Of course sometimes I feel like a total idiot because I learn something that apparently the rest of the world has known about for years. Last week, a co-worker pointed out that we can…

By Dom Cioffi About a week ago, a notice arrived in our mailbox explaining that a 5K charity road race would be run through our neighborhood over the holiday weekend. The organizers apologized for the hour-or-so traffic inconvenience that would occur, but hoped everyone would take a minute to stand outside to cheer the runners…

By Dom Cioffi Traveling with children can be distressing. I’m not talking about the meltdowns at grandma’s house or the sugar-infused chaos of being at the amusement park. I’m talking about those precarious moments in between leaving your home and arriving at a destination. Now obviously there’s not much involved or very distressing about a…

By Rachel Sargent Imagine you’re an insect cruising through the air. Suddenly, you realize you’re heading straight for a spider web. You’re doomed. But wait – you can still escape by slipping through one of the gaps. Spider webs are, after all, more gaps than web. You aim between the sticky threads – it’s going…

By Kate Robitello Did you know that some of the most he spices in the world are already in most kitchen cabinets? That’s right, there’s no need to trek through the Sri Lankan forests to obtain the healthiest baking spice. Instead, just look for them sitting modestly next to your nutmeg and allspice. Many cooks,…

By Brett Yates I don’t know whether the gifted actor and comedian Robin Williams was himself especially attracted to schmaltzy, uplifting films, or whether his irrepressible stage persona simply conveyed to movie producers such a powerful joie de vivre as to make them insist that he – and only he – could show a bunch…

By Dom Cioffi Last week, as I was putting the finishing touches on my column, I faintly overheard a newscaster announce from the television in a nearby room, “Folks, we have a developing story from the West Coast.” His tone suggested a level of alarm normally reserved for major news announcements so I immediately took…

By Susan Shea Perhaps you’ve caught a glimpse in your headlights of a mouse with a very long tail, leaping across the road at night.  Or maybe your cat has deposited a specimen on your doorstep. This is the jumping mouse.  My orange tabby, Marmalade, seems to specialize in catching them.  The two jumping mice…

By Scott Funk It isn’t so much that I hate this phone as it is that I miss its predecessor. I’d just gotten where I was comfortable with it when they took it away. The guy at the phone store said it wasn’t compatible with the new 4G network. “No problem” he said, “you’re overdue…

By Cindy Phillips Robin Williams was one of us. He was a Boomer. He shared our era in all its wonderment and maybe even more. In fact, I am sure it was more. He grew up with Shari Lewis, Lambchop and Charlie Horse. I am sure he watched the Mickey Mouse Club and had a…

By Dom Cioffi This past Saturday was a bad day. Now don’t get me wrong, I know “bad” is relative. Right now there are middle-aged men in Iraq who are reluctant to let their children go outside for fear that a suicide bomber may annihilate the street corner that they live on; right now there…