Submitted   OKEMO VALLEY—Following the 2023 summer flooding, grocery stores around the region have gone above and beyond, demonstrating exceptional dedication and community spirit. The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce selected six grocery stores as the January 2024 Members of the Month to honor their commitment and the work that they do to…

Submitted  Anthony Russo   By Victoria Gaither French Painter Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.” It took a lifetime of courage for Painter Anthony Russo to find his brush stroke as a painter and artist. “I always liked painting, but getting a regular job got in the way, and I had three boys,” said Russo.…

  Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. —CHITTENDEN— Barstow PTO’s Annual Fundraiser, Paint and Sip, returns, from 3–5 p.m. at The Barn at Mountain Top Resort, 195 Mountain Top Rd., Chittenden. This year’s theme is “For the Love of Art Hearts” and is led by extraordinarily talented art teacher Jennifer Hogan. The Barstow Memorial School…

Happy New Year to all.  I usually start the January newsletter with Oprah’s famous quote, ”A new year and another chance to get it right.”  I still like the thought of that. A second chance is always good. Every year I get a book for Christmas from my daughter, Paige. This year’s choice was  “The…

  It is quiet. Almost eerily so if you aren’t used to it. All I can hear is the squeak of my skins as they slide across the snow and the sometimes random clicking of a binding or a boots here or there. The forest is so quiet I can even hear my pole planting…

In 1950, a young George Martin, having been educated at the acclaimed Guildhall School of Music and Drama, joined the British record label EMI as a producer. Five years later he became the head of Parlophone Records where he specialized in classical and comedy recordings. Martin, however, was always on the lookout for ways to…

  In mid-winter 1988, I went contra-dancing at the Congregational Church in Lyme, New Hampshire. During intermission, I joined other dancers who stepped out of the overheated hall into a star-studded night alive with shimmering waves of color, from blue to pinkish-red. We stood in awe, while luminous curtains of light performed a pas-de-deux across…

“We are stars wrapped in skin. The light you are seeking has always been within,” said Rumi, a  13th-century poet. When winds of change stir up our world, we often feel unsteady and confused. But these strong winds are ushering in a new era for the human race and a new psyche for us. We’re…

  Mounds of snow, Pile up high, Getting taller and taller, Reaching the sky, Falling to the ground, Without a single sound, The snow falls, Piling up, Its sparkling crystals, Glitter so bright, Just as the sun hits them, Shining and glistening, Just like a star, Floating down to the ground, Slowly drifting, Down, Beautiful,…

When something is seen, it can’t be unseen. When something is known, it can’t be unknown. Some words, once spoken, can’t be taken back.  This week brings something truly unique. Something that in years to come, may turn out to be your “sliding doors” moment. It may be something you see, speak or hear. For…

  Winter memories from the ‘50s and ‘60s My classmate from first grade through high school, Pat Maroney Embree, shared some wonderful winter memories with me from the ‘50s and ‘60s. As I read her email it prompted me to ask a couple of other old friends what they recalled from that era. It was…

  My dad always kept a chapstick in the driver’s side door of any vehicle he ever owned. And he must have kept one in a pocket somewhere, because I can vividly remember him being able to pass me a chapstick whenever I asked him for one. No matter where we were, my dad was…

In the summer of 1816, Mary Shelley, along with her future husband Percy Shelley and a few friends, spent time at the beautiful Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. This was known as the “year without summer” due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora (which disrupted global weather patterns), so they experienced less…

 Most winters, a few sparrows visit my yard, feeding on the seeds I scatter on the ground near my bird feeder. These particular sparrows have long tails, rusty crowns and eye-lines on their gray heads, and a distinctive dark breast spot. Looking more closely, I’ve noticed buff-colored patches on the sides of their pale breasts,…

    Mountain Meditation By Margeurite Jill Dye There’s something about the mountains That calms a troubled soul. The air is fresh, the sky is blue, serenity, extolled.   Red foxes, bears and coyotes, squirrels and beaver run, Hunt and play in meadows and fields, On peaks and ledges in fog or sun.   Honking…