Discover More from This Category: Columns

Running barefoot in mud after the Vermonsoon

July 7, 2021
By Merisa Sherman The mud oozes through my toes as I take another step along the soaked path. I can feel how slippery the soil has become, the ball of my foot sliding back a bit with each step. My heel wiggles somewhat as I place it down, the ground moving all beneath me. But…

The Garage Years Part 1: Logic & Reason

July 7, 2021
How personal challenges can break, then rebuild you—stronger By Sandra Dee Owens When I was 29 I lost my mental health. It took nearly three years to get it back. Though a nervous breakdown was the most painful thing I have ever endured, I learned so much about myself, that I am grateful for the…

Weekly Horoscopes for July 7–13, 2021

July 7, 2021
[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]They say a problem shared is a problem halved. As the zodiacal warrior, you’re used to fighting battles alone. You could continue to do this, but if you’re beginning to feel battle worn, another approach may…

A fluctuating sky

July 7, 2021
By Cassandra Tyndall There is so much happening in the sky right now that it can make it difficult to really tease out what is going on. That said, late June and early July has been plagued by tension and frustration that may have led to angry outbursts and explosions of literal or figurative kinds.…

Rockin’ the Region at the Basin Bluegrass Festival

June 30, 2021
By DJ Dave Hoffenberg The best and most affordable festival around is the Basin Bluegrass Festival in Brandon, next weekend July 8-11. It’s back after the pandemic break and now in its 26th year. I attended the 25th in 2019 and was blown away by all it had to offer.  A weekend pass with camping…

Featured Pets for June 30 – June 29, 2021

June 30, 2021
5 year-old. Spayed female. Hound mix. Tri-color. I am an affectionate Southern lady looking for her forever home.  Rutland County Humane Society, 765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT • (802) 483-6700 • Tues. – Sat. 12-5p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. • www.rchsvt.org Hi! Our names are Prima and Vera, we are spayed female, 3-year-old sisters. We…

Maligned and misunderstood, the Eastern milk snake slithers in the dark

June 30, 2021
By Lee Emmons Walking down my road on an early June afternoon several years ago, I spotted a snake attempting to cross into the underbrush. Covered in colorful splotches, it quickly slithered across the pavement and out of sight.  I knew this wasn’t a garter snake, a familiar visitor to my garden, and later identified…

Who is your trusted contact?

June 30, 2021
By Kevin Theissen Investment firms have a client service feature that may be a benefit to certain investors. They will ask you whether you would like to provide the name and information of a trusted contact. You do not have to supply this information, but it may offer some advantages. The request is made with your…

Drifting, swaying the day away suspended in mid-air 

June 30, 2021
By Dom Cioffi I told my wife not to buy me anything last Christmas because I knew exactly what I wanted as a gift. I then sent her a link to the precise product I was interested in with instructions on the size and color to order. On Christmas morning, I unwrapped a large box…

“Fail State” review

June 30, 2021
By Bruce Bouchard “Fail State” is a high-end, seriously endowed, uber-professional product that could easily be on Prime Time. It has had a prior life at 10 film festivals, a sleek piece of brilliant, carefully and thoroughly researched documentary filmmaking — this film is first-rate and is a gut punch.  The subject is the corrupt…

From horses to cars!

June 30, 2021
By Mary Ellen Shaw Those of us who are in the “senior” category are often amazed at all the changes that have occurred during our lifetime. My friend Mary Jane said that she and a college friend were discussing whether the changes that their parents had experienced were on the same level as what our…

Messy circumstances

June 30, 2021
By Gary Salmon It’s been 30 years or so since gypsy moths were last here in any numbers and what a mess they made. The population was so large that they not only ate the leaves off their preferred oak trees but also other hardwoods like maples and then even to pines. It was easy…

Becoming an American in red, white and blue

June 30, 2021
By Merisa Sherman His red, white and blue T-shirt hangs almost to his knees, with his little white shorts peeking out the bottom. Once long hair is now shaved short for the heat of summer, and the little boy looks around trying to gauge his surroundings. Too young to understand the ramifications, all he sees is…

Sticky wicket

June 30, 2021
By Cassandra Tyndall In the sport of cricket, they refer to a term known as a “sticky wicket.”  Let me explain.  The main area of the cricket field where all the action happens is called the pitch or wicket. The rectangular shaped pitch, of around 60 feet, is where the grass is carefully curated to…

Rockin the Region with actor Matt Vita

June 23, 2021
Top actors, actresses, producers, writers and a model descended on Killington to film last week By DJ Dave Hoffenberg You might have seen some filming around Killington the past two weeks and that was for a yet to be named dark comedy based in Killington that will be out in 2022. Local resident and comedic…