EAST MONTPELIER – The New York Times, according to a friend of mine, advises us not to read or watch the news first thing in the morning. The resultant depression or confusion, apparently, can affect the rest of our day and our general affect. I concur. In old age, I’ve[Read More…]
Columns
Pattern Shift in Forecast Favors Warming; More Snow
HARDWICK – Both ends of last week’s forecast period show just how significantly conditions can change in a short time. The coldest conditions of the season were observed Wednesday morning, with reporting stations experiencing temperatures as low as -21 degrees. By Monday, high temperatures started to peak just above freezing,[Read More…]
“You Can Just Come and Be Here”
HARDWICK – As head librarian, Diane Grenkow tries to cultivate a welcoming environment. With its accessibility issues, the historic Jeudevine Public Library hasn’t made it easy. “You can’t get in here if you can’t navigate a set of steps,” Grenkow said. “Once inside, everything is too close together, and the[Read More…]
From The Hardwick Gazette, January 29, 1925
Factory in Lower Cabot Village Goes Up in Flames CABOT – One of the old landmarks, the old Haines Woolen factory, burned between eight and nine o’clock Tuesday morning. The factory was used as a shop for making butter boxes and was owned by Harry Clark and gave employment to[Read More…]
More than a Nest: Squirrel Dreys
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the starkness of winter, squirrel dreys reveal themselves in the tree canopy. They’ve been there all along, just screened by trees’ leafy crowns for much of the year. Dreys are shaggy masses of leaves nestled against a tree trunk or cupped in a fork of branches[Read More…]
Frost Quakes: Groans of Old Man Winter
NEW ENGLAND – As the winter sun set on February 3, 2023, the Caribou, ME., branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) was flooded with reports of seismic activity. James Sinko, the office’s hydrology program manager, recounted Mainers calling in from across the state’s Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Washington counties[Read More…]
Growing Citrus Trees as Houseplants
SOUTH BURLINGTON – Imagine having sunny orange, bright yellow and luscious green fruit growing at home, especially during this gray, cold time of year. There are several varieties of citrus plants that can be grown as indoor/outdoor houseplants. Native to Southeast Asia, citrus plants have been cultivated for over 4,000[Read More…]
How 1975 Sparked the Vermont of Today
VERMONT – Fifty years ago, Interstate 91 was still under construction, Bernie Sanders couldn’t win an election and Ben & Jerry had yet to split the $5 tuition for a correspondence course in ice cream making. Then everything changed. When 82-year-old George Aiken retired to his Putney home in 1975 after[Read More…]
She’s Doing the Best She Can
EAST MONTPELIER – Living alone, as I do, and being an extrovert, which I am, I get a little lonesome at times. Not the hand-wringing lament sort of thing, but rather the recognition that it’s been a day or two since I’ve experienced human interaction. Kiki’s great, and a constant[Read More…]
100 Years Ago This Week, January 22, 1925
The terrible cold snap of Sunday night and Monday morning caused another hot water front accident, in which the lady of the house had a miraculous escape from almost certain death. When Mrs. Norman Michaud started the fire in her kitchen stove Monday morning there was an extra nice bed[Read More…]
The Ku Klux Klan In and Near Hardwick
HARDWICK – Vermont and Hardwick were not entirely outside the sphere of influence of the Ku Klux Klan, but the organization appears not to have gained any significant foothold by its efforts. More than a dozen references appear to the Ku Klux Klan in The Hardwick Gazette in 1924 alone.[Read More…]
