By Steve Faccio The life cycles of the three species of stream salamanders native to New England – northern two-lined, northern dusky, and spring – are closely tied to the small streams where they are found. All three species belong to the Plethodontidae family, which are lungless salamanders that breathe through their skin. Stream salamanders…

The Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) would like pet owners to be aware of the risks of marijuana use. While marijuana may produce pleasurable affects in people, for pets, the substance can be dangerous and even lethal. Though marijuana use is not new, its use for recreational purposes is more recent, and the increased accessibility…

By Mary Ellen Shaw If you have been waiting for color in your gardens that time is here! It will only get better as the weeks move forward. The first blossoms we see are from bulb flowers. They offer wonderful and varied colors. They begin to pop up and bloom in April and continue into…

By Kevin Theissen It may turn out that 2022 ends as one of the most volatile years for bonds in many years. The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index has been down nearly 10% this year. The downturn in the bond market has challenged conservative investors and a widely held belief that bonds are “safe” investments.…

By Merissa Sherman I was at a bonfire party, staring at the beautiful clear sky. The stars were starting to come out, just a little twinkling and the wind had noticeably evaporated. It was weird, and almost unnoticeable except for the fact that the wind hadn’t stopped roaring for the entire month of April. And…

By Dom Cioffi When we look back on the “Great Pandemic of the 2020s,” we’ll undoubtedly remember it as a two-year halt to normality. There’s no doubt that things got weird on multiple fronts once Covid-19 entered the picture. From politics to religion to healthcare to education to sports, it seems like every facet of…

By Sandra Dee Owens Once upon a time, I was 52 years old. One morning, as I bent over to sock a raised foot, I noticed I was less steady than the day before. And just like that, I felt a new and lesser level of balance try to insert itself into my life. I…

Did you know that the Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) offers a “Spay The Mom” program? Even better, the program is simple and free! If you’re a Rutland County resident, and have a mom dog or cat with babies, you can bring the whole litter of kittens or puppies to us! In exchange, RCHS will…

By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Every spring, after the last of winter’s snow has completely melted and as I start the wonderful, dirty work of turning the soil of my vegetable beds, I find myself gazing often to the just-greening-up ground beneath the old apple tree behind the garden. It’s a rather unruly tree, sprouted at…

By Kevin Theissen Foundationally, what most people want is to maintain their standard of living now and into the future. This is especially true in retirement which could last several decades for many. While there are multiple potential risks and every situation is unique, the most common concerns include stock market downturns, outliving one’s money,…

By Gary Salmon This has been a cold spring without many consecutive days of similar weather so the first half of March was spent looking at the world around us from the windows surrounding us. The invitation to actually get outside and away from the looking glass would come, I thought, when consistent warm weather…

By Dom Cioffi Many, many years ago, I was ushered into the Christian faith as an altar boy at my local church. It was a rite of passage along with catechism classes and Sunday services. I started out carrying ritualistic items like candles and chalices and eventually graduated to performing more important tasks for the…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="194740" img_size="full" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1582852508329{margin-top: 40px !important;}"][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_raw_html]JTNDc3BhbiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyaWNvbmlmeSUyMiUyMGRhdGEtaWNvbiUzRCUyMm1kaS16b2RpYWMtYXJpZXMlMjIlMjBkYXRhLWlubGluZSUzRCUyMmZhbHNlJTIyJTNFJTNDJTJGc3BhbiUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_custom_heading text="Aries" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1568082984251{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}"] March 21 - April 20 [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Things look set to get shaken up for you financially. A sudden boost in profit or income is possible and so is a sudden increase in expenses. More often than not, one seems to arrive to…

Mercury is the most active planet this week, highlighting what may be a flurry of ideas or information, and in some cases, too many options to make a hard decision about. In just over a week, Mercury will hit the brakes and embark upon another retrograde phase. The upside to this is that you’ll get…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="194740" img_size="full" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1582852508329{margin-top: 40px !important;}"][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_raw_html]JTNDc3BhbiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyaWNvbmlmeSUyMiUyMGRhdGEtaWNvbiUzRCUyMm1kaS16b2RpYWMtYXJpZXMlMjIlMjBkYXRhLWlubGluZSUzRCUyMmZhbHNlJTIyJTNFJTNDJTJGc3BhbiUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_custom_heading text="Aries" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1568082984251{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}"] March 21 - April 20 [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]You’re not one to shy away from change or a challenge, but when it comes to your finances, you’re surprisingly conservative. That said, there has been change on the scene for quite a few years now.…