By Mary Ellen Shaw The morning host of a local radio station who is fairly new to Rutland said he sees signs on buildings for businesses that are no longer open. He named a few of them and invited people to tell him what they miss about not being able to go to these places.…

By Merisa Sherman Brrr, it has been getting chilly lately. I know, because I am sitting here snuggled up in my favorite down puffy coat getting warm by the remnants of the Killington Block Party bonfire. It’s still going strong this morning after reaching to the treetops last night. Whereas last night, it was surrounded…

By Merisa Sherman We let the dogs lead the way, frolicking and bouncing as is their want when they are just 10-month-old black labradors. A full zest for everything they can possible sniff along the way but always wanting to keep mom in visible range. This young gentleman never ventured further away than a retractable leash would…

I got a call from a coworker a few months ago that started a chain of events that I have oddly become accustomed to. The coworker is someone I have known for several years but don’t normally conduct business with. He’s close to my age, holds a high corporate position, and is well-respected in our…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the form students need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for higher education. Each year, over 13 million students who file the FAFSA get more than $120 billion in grants, work-study, and low-interest loans from the…

By Rachel Sargent Mirus If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then surely the friend of my enemy is my enemy. This inverted cliche is one way to characterize the tangled relationship between ash trees and the ash-tree bolete. The ash-tree bolete (Boletinellus merulioides) is a fan-shaped brown mushroom with an off-center stem.…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann If you’re the ringleader of an energetic family that has sampled every maple marvel known to humankind, plus scoped out more autumn selfie scenery than you ever could have imagined, you’re probably looking to, ahem, turn over a new leaf. Coming to the rescue with plenty of other Autumn options are…

The reds are popping, the yellows are vibrant and the greens are glittering. Even the locals cannot get enough of the beautiful transition that turns Vermont from the Green Mountains into a symphony of nature’s beauty. Vermont becomes a postcard state, where tourists run around with cameras attached to their faces, stopping their cars in…

By Dom Cioffi I traveled to Europe last week for a work event — my first trip abroad since the craziness of the pandemic. The outbound flight was uneventful for me other than being fortuitously bumped into business class, which allowed extra legroom and a wider, more comfortable seat. Business class also comes with a…

By Elise Tillinghast During a late summer walk, I noticed that the common milkweed in our back field is becoming not-so-common. Once vigorous patches of the milky green plants have dwindled, engulfed in a sea of Canada goldenrod. Goldenrod is a habitat rock star, and during this walk, I counted at least 13 moth, wasp,…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Once you have lived through several decades you will realize that various aromas have a connection to a certain time period in your life. One of the earliest aromas that I can remember was the delicious scent of a pot roast that my Aunt Nora cooked for Sunday dinners. Back in…

When buying local art, you get more than just the thing It was a classic Vermont autumn morning, with just enough chill in the air to remind you to stand in the sunshine to soak up the warmth. After an almost frosty evening, the perfectly blue sky was a welcome sight and the few trees…

About a year ago, Polly Mikula, editor and publisher of Mountain Times, graciously agreed to meet with me about work I was doing for several nonprofits. She was warm and enthusiastic, especially as she shared poignant stories about leading a thriving media enterprise during the struggles of Covid. I took a leap and pitched her…

Carpenter is one of many up-and-coming artists that will perform at the Rivershed Songwriters Festival, Oct. 1 The Rivershed Songwriters Festival is coming to Killington for the very first time. The festival is put on by owner Kara Tondorf and will take place on Oct. 1 from 7-10 p.m. at the Rivershed located at 747…

Sunlight glinted off the water as we paddled our canoe along a winding channel which led through a marsh of tall grasses and wild rice. Two white, long-legged birds – great egrets – stalked the shallow water, poised to spear fish with their pointed bills. A bald eagle landed in a tree, squawking as it…