NEW ENGLAND – Muskrat mating is so sensational that songs have been written about it. Fans of 1970s pop music might be familiar with a certain ballad, written by Willis Alan Ramsey and popularized by bands like America and Captain & Tennille, about two anthropomorphic muskrats falling in love. Though[Read More…]
Columns
Bleeding Heart is Fleeting Pleasure of Spring
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The lady in the bath flower is just one of the common names for bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formerly Dicentra spectabilis). The name comes from looking at the flower upside down. Other common names include heart flower, lyre flower or Asian bleeding heart. There is a bleeding heart[Read More…]
Warming Comes with Thunderstorms, Steady Rain for Friday, Saturday
EAST HARDWICK – Conditions are sunny as of Tuesday morning and temperatures are already in the mid-60s as of 10 a.m. We are on track to reach the upper 70s; a far cry from where we were on Sunday. The pesky low-pressure system that brought us a steady rain on[Read More…]
My Love Affair with Small Boats
EAST MONTPELIER – The tips of my tamaracks are starting to turn green, the coltsfoot is in bloom, and a phoebe is singing in the brook bed below the kitchen. The sun is out, and if the thermometer goes up another five degrees, I’ll fire up old Helga (she’s 27[Read More…]
Make Your Bed and Change the World
GREENSBORO – There are several things living in a monastery and being a U.S. Navy Seal have in common. One of those things is the simple task of making your bed. In the Christian monastic tradition of which I am a part, we follow Integral Life Practices, which are the[Read More…]
Sunday-Winters Acts Fast and Shows Up
GREENSBORO – The Rev. Ed Sunday-Winters, minister of Greensboro United Church, had to act fast when the pandemic hit Vermont in 2020. Within 48 hours of the first lockdowns, he took the church fully remote. Originally, he said, it was just him, his iPad and an organist streaming sermons over[Read More…]
Protected: Area Towns are Handling Emerald Ash Borer
AREA TOWNS – Since the emerald ash borer was first detected in Vermont in 2018, Plainfield has been unlucky in its relationship with the invasive beetle. The town is a hotspot for infestations right now, leaving dry, rotted-out ash trees ready to crash. But Hardwick, just a few towns north,[Read More…]
Spring Early Risers Include Moths
NORWICH — Spring doesn’t just herald the return of birds, frogs, and bees; it also signals the emergence of many native moths, which deserve some of the spotlight. Enter the Infant Moth (Archiearis infans). Also called the First-born Geometer because of its early emergence, these diurnal (day-flying) moths can be[Read More…]
Get Garden Ready with Spring Soil Test
BOLTON – There’s no need to guess what a garden needs for optimal results. Take a soil test this spring to create the right conditions for the garden from the start. A simple soil test will help prevent problems later in the season. By following the recommendations in results, plants[Read More…]
Warming Again With Rain For The Weekend
EAST HARDWICK – This past weekend featured warming temperatures, with highs largely in the mid-60s both Friday and Saturday. We stopped short of 70 degrees on either day, but a soaking rain via the initial warm front Friday night and subsequent showers and thunderstorms during the day on Saturday brought[Read More…]
There’s Plenty to Talk About
EAST MONTPELIER — Both my friend Bea and I have functioning automobiles, which is fortunate, because we live (when you factor in stops for coffee, washroom, or gasoline) about four hours apart. We pretty much trade weekends for travel, and get together about twice a month. She’s still teaching, so[Read More…]
Local Lumps, April 23, 1925
HARDWICK – A telephone has been installed in Wade Benjamin’s home on Cherry Street this week. Work of repairing the suspension footbridge across the river near the Roy and Fulford saw-mill, was begun this morning. Workmen have been busy the past week, repairing the broken cement wall at the rear[Read More…]
