Editor’s note: This is part 6 of a series by Margeurite Jill Dye.  Two days before my surgery, I was aware of more chirping in our yard. Birds have been scarcer than usual lately so I searched trees and shrubs for the source of the chirps. Then I remembered that groundhogs chirp, also grunt,…

Be stronger than the vines Vines, They crawl up walls, Covering everything, Soon the vines take over, Covering windows, Blocking the light, Darkness only remains. But don’t let the vines put you down, Don’t let them cover your window, Blocking your light. Push the vines away, Allow the light to come in, Hold on to…

  No matter how cold the winter, spring always comes. While this may not be true in the North, it is in the Southern Hemisphere. Regardless of your location onthe globe, the ethos remains the same — that time is circular, rather than linear. The seasons turn. The tide comes in and it goes out.…

  This will be an adventure, I thought as I pulled into the boat launch. Well, it looked like the boat launch but there was no water to be seen anywhere. Not like that commercial where the water is drained from the ocean because a tidal wave is coming. No, a great fog had settled…

   In the late 1970s, when I was in junior high school and first getting into music, I preferred New Wave bands like The Cars, Devo, Squeeze, and The Vapors. I found their songs to be upbeat and fun, which correlated well with my love of skateboarding and hanging out with friends. Plus, New Wave…

  On a recent hike up Eagle Mountain in Milton, Vermont, we climbed to a ledge overlooking Lake Champlain. Turkey vultures soared overhead, tilting back and forth on the breeze. A sheer cliff dropped to the forest below us, a lush variety of plants clinging to its face. Cliffs are defined as areas of exposed…

  For decades every summer and fall I’ve admired the loon couple on Kent Pond from a distance through my husband’s binoculars. When we bought a kayak I was excited to discover what I see from the water. So I put in off Thundering Brook Road with my husband and neighbor who has two kayaks.…

Seals, They’re adorable, They make you laugh, And then they, too, Laugh along with you. It may not seem that way, But they do. They have a silly spirit, And love to make others laugh. It’s an important feature to have, Silliness. It keeps you feeling happy and free. It lets your heart stay light.…

  The last Full Moon at the end of August, certainly brought things to an emotional climax. Since then, it’s been about assessing the damage as the dust slowly settles. New boundaries and limits meant new rules about communication, logistics and planning. As emotions shifted and new desires emerged, September so far has been about…

Walking in the woods reveals truths, connections I’ve been here many times before, but today it’s a secret adventure. I slide my foot through the ferns, trying to find a solid placement for my foot. The ground is still quite a bit muddy even though it’s been dry out lately. I find a solid bit of…

  I take the same route to my office every day. I’ve done this for a long time and only once have I been forced to detour. On that occasion, an 18-wheeler had been trying to avoid an accident and, in turn, caused a massive pile-up that blocked the entire highway.  I came upon the…

  Until 65 million years ago, huge reptiles dominated our planet – and every summer I think they might be making a comeback. The sight of a snapping turtle hauling herself onto a sunny log or lifting her incredible bulk on mud-colored legs always fills me with prehistoric daydreams. Turtles have roamed the Earth for…

        My husband Duane and our Black Lab Luke had a magical experience years ago near the boat ramp in Kent Pond. A female Mallard was caught in a fishline. Duane fetched his trusty Swiss Army knife then told Luke to “stay” on the shoreline. He waded out. The ducks swam away…

  Otters, They are cute little playful animals, They always take time off to play, To do something for themselves, But at the same time, They take time to play with other otters, Maybe the animals have been trying to teach, Us humans, How to live, How to have fun, How to be kind, To…

  This week, you may catch a glimpse of how life is changing. How you may be able to move forward, at long last, about something that has hurt your heart or made you revaluate everything. Just when you may think all hope is gone, a piece of news or information changes everything. This isn’t…