It’s that time of year again when amaryllis, Christmas cactus and poinsettias appear in stores and find their way into our homes. Whether you receive a new plant as a gift or purchase it, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the plant’s needs and any safety concerns it might …
It has been estimated that people spend about 90% of their time indoors during the winter, with doors and windows closed, storm windows down and homes sealed up to keep the warmth in. During this time, indoor air pollutant levels may be many times higher than the outdoor levels. This can be …
What do the following items have in common: the Declaration of Independence, Da Vinci’s notebooks, Bach’s musical scores, Rembrandt’s drawings, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Magna Carta? Give up? These examples, along with countless other documents ranging from the historically important to t…
One of the reasons I garden is that I love to cook and to create wonderful, flavorful dishes I might not get elsewhere. I think many gardeners share that inclination. One of the techniques I have not used much is roasting vegetables, but I recently did some roasting and will do some more. I …
“Can I recycle this?” Who among us hasn’t stood over our recycling bin, clean container in-hand, asking ourselves this very question? When it comes to plastic, the little symbol on the container makes things even more complicated.
Compassion Fatigue is a term coined in 1992 by Registered Nurse Carla Joinson as a specific condition affecting caregivers and their ‘ability to nurture.' The chronic imbalance between the demands of the job and the psychological distress connected to being exposed to the suffering of others…
Dear Mother Earth:
Did you know Rutland Regional Medical Center employees participate in research aimed to improve the health of the community? To support this activity, Rutland Regional developed the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in 2002.
There were a few mornings, mornings back in the day, when I would climb up into a tree stand on opening day of the Vermont buck season for the first time.
The third- and fourth-graders in Jennifer Galusha’s class at Tinmouth Mountain School followed deer tracks last winter. Together, the students and teacher at the elementary school, which is about 15 miles south of Rutland, watched where the deer were coming and going from. They asked themsel…
As we stroll down a forest trail, we pass trees of all types and sizes, with red and orange and brown leaves strewn below, a riot of ferns fading to yellow, and intermittent moss-covered rocks. Among this profusion of forest growth are stumps and fallen logs: What will become new soil for a …
Amy Belding grew up in Proctor on the corner of Grove and Park streets.
New England is known worldwide for its fall color. People swarm here from all over, largely to see the color of our sugar maples. As I senior citizen, I am legally entitled to drive around at 25 mph, holding up traffic and enjoying every brilliant red tree I see. But I rarely do — I’m too bu…
New COVID-19 “Booster” scams are on the rise.
If you have cleaned up the vegetable garden and cut back your perennials, you might be feeling just a little smug — especially since this gardening guy admits he is behind you in completing those tasks. But there may still be tasks for you to do, and important ones for the trees on your property.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness month.
The crew and I shot the last episode, the other day, of this year’s season of “Windows to the Wild.” It was also — to me, at least — the most confusing. It was a competition between at least two of the basic principles of storytelling.
Years ago, I visited two Vermont caves in winter to help biologists count hibernating bats. After descending through a hole into the first cave, I immediately noticed it was much warmer than aboveground. The cave was also more humid, and I could hear the steady drip of water. We walked quiet…
Standing at the top of a mountain, everything can make sense. There is something about an expansive view that puts life’s details into perspective.
Maybe you enjoy using fresh mushrooms in your meal preparations but have opened the refrigerator door and discovered to your disappointment, the “mush” part of mushrooms. Or maybe you’d like something different to satisfy your inner gardener over the winter months (or any other time of year …
It might not look like much from the street, but the house at 70 Library Ave. in Rutland is the first of its kind. Thanks to the collaboration of more than a dozen community organizations, led by grass-roots Rutland’s Promise, the home’s second-floor apartment has a new lease and an even gre…
These are trying days, indeed. Some weeks ago, I made the decision, one I should have made years ago, to stop watching the news on TV.
When we think of Halloween, we picture children laughing in colorful costumes, jack-o’-lanterns glowing in house windows and buckets brimming with candy and treats. Experts warn, however, that this fun-filled night can pose safety hazards. So, if your kids will be going door-to-door trick-or…
Curriculum Vitae at Seventy-Four
Several crops have been cultivated in Vermont for centuries by Indigenous Abenaki tribes. Of great significance to the Abenaki are the “seven sisters:” corn, beans, squash, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, ground cherry and tobacco.
I love the winter, but by March, I am ready for spring. I usually have some snowdrops blooming in March on a south-facing hillside, but they are subtle, not bodacious, blooms. So I plant lots of bulbs indoors in the fall and keep them cool until it is time to bring them into the warmth of th…
My German mother was a highly superstitious soul, especially when it came to the natural world. Case in point: One day, a “fairy ring” of mushrooms appeared in our yard. My mother became agitated and told me not to disturb the ring, for it was a “hexenringe” — a place, she believed, where wi…
I’m sitting in my snug office, wearing fleece (damned if I’ll activate the thermostats yet!), listening to a cold rain dripping from the eaves, and thinking back about 48 hours to a happy circumstance — a golden apple of a day stolen from the weather gods — and a very distressing phenomenon …
As this year’s gardening season draws to a close, unlike shovels, rakes and trowels, a garden journal is a tool you can start using now. Whether you’re new to gardening or a seasoned veteran, a garden journal is a great way to organize all the information you’ve collected related to your gar…
Fall’s cooling temperatures signal many changes. Among the least visible, but most incredible, is the migration of the American eel.
“Pssshhh, pssshhh, pssshhh,” says Chip Darmstadt, in loud whispering tones. He walks quietly along a path situated between a strip of trees bordering the main road. Behind him, there is an expansive field of native wildflowers and grasses who are displaying their fall colors. The field stret…
Since the pandemic began, stress levels have increased and remained elevated for a significant portion of the population. Social isolation, health restrictions, travel restrictions, political disagreements and losses of loved ones have manifest as increased reports of anxiety, depression, sl…
“Get more exercise.” That’s the advice we all have heard, and it’s great advice. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about half of adults get enough activity to reduce or prevent chronic disease. Regular activity is proven to reduce cancer, heart disease and dia…
Since the beginning of the pandemic, pet owners have noticed it is taking longer to get appointments at their veterinarians for well visits, surgeries and even urgent cases. Appointments usually scheduled in a week now have to wait for two or more at times. What in the world is going on?
Spring is all about planting, but many gardeners overlook fall planting. Now is the time to plant garlic and spring-blooming flowers planted as bulbs. For me, fall planting is a joy: the thought of bulbs nestled into the ground just awaiting spring fills me with hope. And if you pick a good …
One morning in early autumn, I was running errands in downtown Keene, New Hampshire, when I was stopped in my tracks by a flash of yellow. Crouching down, I found a gorgeous, palm-sized bird, olive above, with a belly as gold as sunshine. It was a species I’d never seen before, and it was ly…
Those big yellow school buses have been lumbering along for well over a month now, so you know it is time to start getting your gardens ready for winter. This is a good time to work outside: The bugs are fewer and it’s not so cold that you’ll be miserable in an hour.
There are so many myths when it comes to the outdoors and wildlife. Some years back, at Middlebury College, I was at an outdoor seminar featuring a number of speakers, authorities on the subject of hunting, or so we were told.
Every October, you likely see a wealth of information about breast cancer. And that is a good thing. Awareness surrounding breast cancer is incredibly important as early detection, often through screening, can catch the disease when it is most treatable.
Has your apple tree looked poorly all summer and produced little or no fruit this fall?
Editor’s note: Due to an oversight, last week’s A Yankee Notebook did not appear in print. We publish it here with apologies to our readers and Willem Lange.
The arts and nature have always shared an intersection, with many artists attributing nature as their source of inspiration. Take for example our well-loved poets, like Robert Frost, Wendell Berry, and Mary Oliver, the latter of whom wrote, in her collection of essays called Upstream: “I cou…
Frank O. Duffy, a postal worker from Mattapan, Massachusetts, had been visiting Wallingford for more than 40 years. His friend, Patrick J. Muiry, of Boston, had “discovered” the town back in 1895. And now, the retired Mr. Duffy was staying at Maple Grove Farm for his annual October vacation.…
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