To the editor: A couple of weeks ago, Raymonda Parchment wrote a wonderful article on the St. Norbert’s Community Handbell Choir. I am a 15-year member of the bell choir and enjoy playing. In the article, Raymonda stated that the bells and chimes will be headed to Pennsylvania for repairs[Read More…]
News
No paywalls ever, thanks to reader support
Many newspapers have retreated behind paywalls, requiring subscriptions to access their content. Recently, Forbes Magazine profiled a billionaire with a plan to “save America’s newspapers” that will include paywalls around all the content his papers produce. Seriously, have we learned nothing from Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post? That will[Read More…]
Naming household objects and speaking to them
EAST MONTPELIER – Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of my wife’s death. I remember the day well, even though through a fog, as if I were watching from a distance what was happening only an arm’s length away. Other people, mostly family, took charge of things I couldn’t have handled.[Read More…]
Library celebrates Poetry Month
HARDWICK – I have written previously of the variety of events that have been held in the Parker Ladd Community Room since it first opened last year. This month yet another first will take place there: the “All Acoustic Anything Goes Poetry Slam,” hosted by Vermont’s reigning Slam Master Geof[Read More…]
Chance encounter on State Street
MONTPELIER – As I walked across the street in Montpelier, I noticed a little old lady standing on the corner, staring at me. As I got closer, I could see she was fixated on me. “Are you a senator?” she asked. “No,” I replied, “I’m a representative. Can I help[Read More…]
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
MORRISVILLE – On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a set of new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These updated guidelines leave out some important recommendations and information included in previous versions, including any mention or guidance on alcohol consumption by people under 21. In[Read More…]
“April,” a VerseVillage poem
Every muddened pothole laden with water, slamming tires, Looks less intense from afar, and even if slow going, we’re jolting from our seats. Again, the back road dirt life is heightened, puddled heavier than those on pavement, squelching deeper and more insistent on trapping wheels within. Soon, enchanted by peepers[Read More…]
A VerseVillage poem
With limbs reaching out, does the hemlock see itself in the lake’s mirror? In her snug small nest, does the chipping sparrow dream about her children? On his morning walk, does the black bear praise the sun for warming his fur? SURELY.
“Ash Bucket,” a VerseVillage poem
March thaw revealed the ash bucket’s cinders strewn into my daughter’s rock garden, dead coals squashing tender moss, staining her cherished hens and chicks. Had I carried the bucket three steps further, set it on the barn’s cement ramp: none of this damage, no repair needed. Ahead lies April’s tedious[Read More…]
Weeks Gone By
100 years ago in The Hardwick Gazette Thu, Apr 15, 1926 ACADEMY NOTES The date of the Annual Bam Boozle Bazaar has been set at May 7th, this year This event has come to be a big part of the school activities outside of their regular course of study and[Read More…]
Spring garden chores, planning for more
CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – This was supposed to be my very last gardening column, but (spoiler alert) it is not. I started writing a gardening column in 1998 and wrote weekly for 25 years. Then in late 2023 I dropped down to once a month. I liked the extra time[Read More…]
Paddling floodplain forests for hidden highlights of mud season
MONTPELIER – By early April I start to get impatient for full-blown spring. I’m ready for the treetops to be full of warblers and the understory to be crowded with blooming flowers. But when mud season lingers, I pick up my paddle. Kayaking and canoeing in floodplain forests is a[Read More…]
