During the autumn months, many birds migrate from their summer breeding grounds in the Northeast to warmer wintering areas south of our region. Migratory birds include many species of raptors and waterfowl, which we often notice because of the birds’ large size and their tendency to travel in groups. Sometimes, as is the case…

Generosity and outreach: opportunities abound in November November: The awkward middle child between Halloween candy and Christmas cookies     As the transition from fall to winter, November is for change and preparation. That means it is time to give your rooms, wardrobe, body and mind a de-clutter. Get rid of things you don’t need,…

  Snowflakes, They shimmer, They shine,  Oh so tiny, Oh so many, Thousands and thousands, Cover the ground, Swirling and twirling, Dancing in the sky, Blanketing the ground frosty white, It looks like some magical land, Powdered sugar falling, Marshmallow clouds, But no this is earth, As beautiful as can be, Outside in nature, Is…

  Whether you’re a scroller of Instagram or TikTok or whether you’re watching the talking heads on mainstream media, it’s all just flickering shadows on the wall. The Allegory of Plato’s Cave is as real now as it ever was. As long as you keep your mind and your soul chained to the wall, you…

  Of all the non-native, invasive plants in the Northeast, buckthorn is among the most hated by forest stewards. There are two types of invasive buckthorn in our region: glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), also called European buckthorn. Both plants grow quickly, have prolific seed spreading habits, and have become so…

  If you’ve ever wondered about the most tumultuous relationships in history and then decided to scour the history books for information, you’ll likely land on the romance between Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Their passionate and dramatic love affair played out against the backdrop of political intrigue, power struggles, and intense warfare in the 1st…

  We did not want to miss a moment of the pregame festivities this year, so we pulled into the parking lot around 8 a.m. Barely able to sleep, we were there two hours before the lifts were scheduled to start. But we were not the only ones with our eyes on the prize, unable to…

  When my husband returned from the Killington dump, he was excited and shared his surprise. “Guess what I encountered on River Road?” “A bear? A beaver? Canada geese?” Something MUCH bigger. “A moose!” he exclaimed. “When I turned on River Road, I couldn’t believe that a bull moose with a full rack or antlers…

  Frost, Shimmering, Swirls and twists, Of little shards of ice, Making beautiful designs, Little snowflakes join, Twirling in the air, Making everything so stunning, For all to enjoy, Shimmering frost.

  In an ideal world, we’d all like things to go smoothly. To go the way we want, the way we imagine and the way we aspire things to be. Progress of any kind is never linear. So why is it we beat ourselves up, get ourselves in an emotional state or even worse, play…

  Natural motivator "Every day, you should do something that scares you a little and excites you a lot." -Eleanor Roosevelt I was ready to wander. My completed book manuscript had been sent to the printer. I packed for a solo trip that I was afraid to take. As a happy, busy grandmother for 10…

  My husband, Peter, and I are fans of both men’s and women’s professional tennis. When the US Open is over in September there is a sharp decrease in the number of matches that we can watch on TV. But after New Year’s Day they return as players get ready for the Australian Open later…

  You could feel the air changing. Even inside the house, I knew that this morning would be different. The air was just that much thinner and my hands were cold as they lay outside my blanket. I could actually feel my fingers stiffening up and had to pull them back inside when I woke up for a…

   On several occasions when I was a teenager, my parents gave me the option of either going on a summer trip to a foreign country or attending a weeklong basketball camp. I always chose the basketball camp. Looking back, I may have been shortsighted with those decisions since my parents took fantastic trips to…

  In late autumn, well past the showy blossoms of summer, even after fall’s late bloomers have faded and the trees have dropped their leaves, there is one shrubby plant still putting on a flower show: American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Four slender, wrinkly yellow petals, about ¾ of an inch long, adorn each of…