by Michael J. Caduto READING – In mid-winter 1988, I went contra-dancing at the Congregational Church in Lyme, N.H. During intermission, I joined other dancers who stepped out of the overheated hall into a star-studded night alive with shimmering waves of color, from blue to pinkish-red. We stood in awe,[Read More…]
Columns
You Get Your First Pinch Hitter
EAST MONTPELIER – Clack, clack, clackety, ding, zzzzut, clunk. Clackclack clackety-clack… That onomatopoetic rhythm is tattooed in my memory of the 1970s more clearly than the Vietnam War, the Peanut Farmer President, or even the Beatles. Up in the attic loft there was a man possessed of ideas, a primitive[Read More…]
American Tree Sparrows: Hardy Winter Visitors
by Susan Shea RANDOLPH – Most winters, a few sparrows visit my yard, feeding on the seeds I scatter on the ground near my bird feeder. These particular sparrows have long tails, rusty crowns and eye-lines on their gray heads, and a distinctive dark breast spot. Looking more closely, I’ve[Read More…]
Garden Helpline open this Winter
by Debra Heleba, Extension Community Horticulture Program director, University of Vermont BURLINGTON – As we begin a new year, many Vermonters may have lingering questions about their garden’s performance this past year or new questions as they plan to start or improve a garden in 2024. The University of Vermont[Read More…]
Thundersnow: A Rare Type of Winter Storm
by Colby Galliher NEW ENGLAND – It’s deep in winter, and a nor’easter is dumping snow outside. In between the howling winds you hear a boom! Maybe a heap of snow fell from the roof, you think, or a giant icicle crashed from the eaves. A few minutes later, another[Read More…]
Remembering Tasha Tudor (1915-2008)
by Henry Homeyer CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – Tasha Tudor, one of America’s favorite children’s book illustrators and writers and a great gardener, died peacefully at home on June 18, 2008, at the age of 92. She sold her first book, “Pumpkin Moonshine,” in 1938 by going to New York and[Read More…]
A Year in the Garden
by Henry Homeyer CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – As we begin 2024, I think it is good not only to look back on the year we have just concluded, but also to plan ahead. We can’t know if we’ll be facing hot and dry or wet and soggy this summer or[Read More…]
Thor was in a Charitable Mood
by Willem Lange EAST MONTPELIER – The narration, a modern version of the second chapter of Luke, began the old familiar Christmas story. Mary and Joseph shuffled down the church aisle on cue, Mary cuddling a bundle clearly intended to be the baby Jesus, and Joseph strangely empty-handed. The mother[Read More…]
The Potential for Screw-ups is Forever Before Me
by Willem Lange EAST MONTPELIER – You know you’ve reached the age of mental saturation when, in spite of everything that’ll be happening between now and New Year’s Day, your major concern isn’t whether or not you’ll take the Polar Plunge into the sea to welcome in the new year,[Read More…]
Six-Legged Creatures of the Winter Stream
by Michael J. Caduto READING – One winter day, while teaching a winter ecology class, I pulled on waders and rubber gloves, grabbed a catch net, and led my “Minibeasts of the Stream” program, discovering a rich variety of insects in the frigid waters of Kedron Brook in South Woodstock.[Read More…]
USDA Hardiness Zones Provide Vital Information
by Deborah J. Benoit, Extension Master Gardener, University of Vermont NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – There are countless things that can go right or wrong in a garden. Some of them are obvious: too much or too little water, diseases, pests and critters that nibble on our plants. Other things that[Read More…]
Don’t Try This at Home
by Henry Homeyer CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – Over the years I have come to realize that not every pretty flower deserves a place in my garden. Some bring more trouble and aggravation than they are worth and require constant vigilance to keep them from completely taking over the garden. As[Read More…]
