By Dom Cioffi This past Sunday, my son and I stayed up late to watch the Arizona vs TCU [Texas Christian University] NCAA men’s basketball contest. It was one of those nail-biter games from beginning to end, where either team could have grabbed the win. But in true March Madness fashion, this game ended in…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Well, we are inching closer to seeing some blooms on plants, shrubs and trees. When they appear it will mean that garden season is just around the corner. Every March I look for the first blossoms in my garden and snowdrops never disappoint me. Their green stems poke through the snow…

By Kevin Theissen Many people assume that when retirement rolls around, they should draw cash from their taxable accounts first. Generally, this is a good idea, but not always. A fundamental of tax planning is to put off paying taxes for as long as possible. By investing money rather than turning it over immediately to…

By Cassandra Tyndall A new week  brings a new season with the sun’s entrance into Aries, thus, marking the astrological New Year and the vernal equinox.  New beginnings are promised as the sun reaches its highest point in the northern sky in preparation for summer. While in the southern sky, the nights creep up on…

By Susan Shea One late winter day, I heard our dog barking fiercely from the yard. I went outside to find him standing about 6 feet away from a hawk that was on the ground beside our house. I grabbed the dog’s collar, brought him in, and observed the hawk through a window. It was…

Did you know that you can drop off your redeemable bottles and cans at the Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS), as a way to help the animals? Thanks to generous volunteers, there is a dry and secure shed for supporters to drop off redeemable bottles and cans. The shed is located at the back of…

By Brooke Rubright I am sure that by now you are sick and tired of hearing about how the pandemic has affected everyone’s lives. Surely, your life has changed, too. Personally, the horrific virus struck mid-way through my junior year at Castleton University. I was sitting in my Intro to Sociology class when the email…

By Cassandra Tyndall The annual Virgo Full Moon generally denotes a time to get organized and attend to practical planning. You might feel inclined to draw up a to-do list, feeling a sense of accomplishment as you mark each task as completed in your home or office. Tidying up and streamlining systems is perfect for…

By Dom Cioffi While I didn’t realize it at the time, on a warm summer day in 1984, the seeds of a lifelong cult worship were irrevocably sown. I was visiting a neighborhood friend when he mentioned that his parents had just bought him a computer. In today’s world that would be equivalent to someone…

[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]When people think of Spring cleaning, they often think of stuff. That spare cupboard you’ve been meaning to clean out or those clothes you’ve had in the trunk of your car for months have finally been…

By Rachel Sargent Mirus On a winter day, I drove down to a nearby wetland bisected by a town road and walked carefully onto the ice. I was looking for cattail heads to dissect so I could meet the caterpillars who overwinter inside the seed fluff. Many of the cattails I found that day had…

By Merisa Sherman We gather quietly at the peak to mourn, staring out at the Green Mountains below. The memorial service is complete, the sounds of whispers can be heard amongst the constant sniffles. A snowball vigil, a moment of silence, and so, so many tears. Someone shares a memory and another shares a simple…

Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) is so lucky to be part of such a compassionate and caring community! We are so appreciative of the variety of donations made to the shelter for the homeless animals, including pet food and supplies. If we receive donated pet food or supplies that we may not be able to…

By Declan McCabe Earlier this winter, I took to the pond ice — not to skate, but to peek below the surface. Although lake ecologists once considered the plankton in frozen lakes to be dormant during winter, recent studies reveal that the plant-like, microscopic phytoplankton (which move with the lake’s currents) and animal-like zooplankton remain…

By Mary Ellen Shaw I was listening to "The John Tesh Radio Show" recently and one of his topics was phrases that were used “back in the day.” When I heard some of them I realized that I still use a few. A young person probably wouldn’t know the meaning of many of them. I…