CABOT – The school in Cabot’s District No. 5 was located on the road to South Walden, about three miles from Cabot Village. Over the years, the school was referred to by whatever family either lived nearby or had several youngsters going there. However, why it was referred to as[Read More…]
Columns
Glorious Goldenrod Common but Beneficial
NORTHFIELD − Many common flowering plants growing on roadsides and fields are more beneficial than you might think. One of these plants that you should consider letting flower this year is goldenrod (Solidago spp.). Native to the Northeast, goldenrod is an incredible host plant for caterpillars and a pollinator plant[Read More…]
Arranging Flowers, Visiting Botanic Garden, Putting up Tomatoes
CORNISH, N.H. – Ever year on the third weekend in August, my hometown of Cornish, sponsors a country fair. Not only does it have junk food and rides for the kids, it has ox and horse pulling competitions, woodsman’s events and more. The school is full of photography, art and[Read More…]
Soil Properties of Successful Gardens
MONTPELIER – What makes good soil and what does “good” mean? Most of us would likely answer that good soil is full of readily available nutrients for our vegetables and flowers to uptake and robustly grow. There is, of course, more to good soil than nutrients. Otherwise, why would we[Read More…]
Robotic Milkers Free Workshop, August 19
BURLINGTON – n August 19, the University of Extension Dairy Herd Management Team, in collaboration with Stonyfield Organic, will host a workshop and tour of two Franklin County farms that use robotic milking systems. Participating farmers will share their experiences transitioning to automation, including key decision points, robotic milking unit selection,[Read More…]
Seriously, Get Thee To the Funnery
GREENSBORO – For 27 years, the Get Thee to the Funnery summer camp has served as a home for any and all interested and willing to participate in the longstanding tradition of performing Shakespeare. Established in 1998 by former Craftsbury Academy music teacher Andrea Brightenbach and Peter Gould, the camp[Read More…]
She Lived Through the Chaos
EAST MONTPELIER – In August of 1945, my family was living in a modest bungalow near the southwestern outskirts of Syracuse, N.Y. I was ten. My father was a missionary priest and traveled most of New York State north of Oneonta and Corning to visit his scattered parishes. With the[Read More…]
Seasonable, Mostly Unchanged, Warming Into Weekend
HARDWICK – While Tyler takes the week off, the big news of the last several days is almost perfect Vermont summer weather, with relatively moderate daytime temperatures in the 70s to low 80s and nighttime temperatures getting into the 50s, though one night last week touched the 40s in some[Read More…]
Fresh Air Children Arrive on Special Train
HARDWICk – No more perfect weather could have been ordered on the morning of the arrival of the arrival of the one hundred and a half of Fresh Air Children from the crowded tenements of New York, the great metropolis of this country, than that of last Friday morning. The[Read More…]
What’s the Point? When Work Doesn’t Work
WALDEN – Every morning, many of us wake up, check our phones and feel that familiar pit in our stomachs. Another crisis. Another tragedy. Another reminder that the world feels heavy, chaotic and uncertain. And yet, we pour our coffee and get on with the day. Because what else can[Read More…]
On the Edge, Not on the Brink: Northeastern Bulrush
READING – Twenty years ago, at this time of year, I found myself walking the margin of a marsh in east-central Vermont with Bob Popp, Vermont’s state botanist at that time. We had traveled to that particular site because it showed promise as potential habitat for the rare northeastern bulrush.[Read More…]
Trees are Hard-working Plants
S. BURLINGTON − Trees are among the hardest working plants in the landscape. Even the smallest yard can accommodate at least one or two of these botanical powerhouses. Adding a tree will provide habitat and shelter for many animals and beneficial insects. Birds will build nests in the branches and[Read More…]
