There was a brief period during my childhood when my father stopped commuting to work. He set up a crude office in the basement of our suburban home and called himself a consultant, which perplexed me.
I was about 6 years old and had understood that my father was an engineer, although - alas! - not of the Casey Jones variety. In addition to a large desk, swivel chair, and black telephone, he had a sign posted on the wall, which I didn't understand.
It read, “If I had my life to live over, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner.”
Drilled from an early age to come up with an answer to “What are you going to be when you grow up?” - the incessant question adults always posed - I inevitably developed the misconception that one grew up to be something definite.
With the opening of the Three Stones Restaurant, lovers of authentic Mexican food have access to handmade tortillas, passed down by generations of Mayan-Mexican women with strong hands. It is like tasting the history of maize, the source of creation and the love of humanity all in one bite.
One thing is certain: Windham County legislator Peter Shumlin, president pro tem of the Vermont Senate and one of five Democrats running for governor in November, believes in Vermont exceptionalism. The crises that confront the nation every day, that litany of challenges rolled out in and on the news...
The baby was 12 months old. His caretaker told us that the reason they were here was for his diaper rash. Lori the nurse looked it over, and suddenly it was clear the diaper rash was the least of this kid's worries. I offered to clean his diaper area and put some cream on it to help while she did an exam. When his diaper was removed, we got a better look at this poor child's body. He was emaciated.
By Nov. 1, according to the text of legislation introduced into the Vermont House of Representatives, merger with adjoining school districts shall have been discussed by every school board in Vermont. By Dec. 1, voting on whether to pursue a merger - whether “to perform a more comprehensive analysis of potential merger,” according to the text of the legislation - shall have been completed by every school board in Vermont. Representatives and senators usually introduce bills during the first month...
Vermonters pride themselves on being independent. Regulations are few and frequently ignored. For the most part, a live-and-let-live attitude rules. Drive a few miles south, and you will find yourself in a strange land. A security camera sits atop a sign near the Massachusetts border. This is the first of many cameras you will see on a trip to the Bay State. They are everywhere. Most of them are atop traffic lights but, if you look carefully, you will see...
The Selectboard has voted to allow Vernon Fire Association, Inc., to continue operating as the fundraising arm for the Vernon Fire Department and other area emergency services after having questioned the appropriateness of VFAI's fundraising strategies. Fire Chief Tom Fox and Assistant Fire Chief David Andrews appeared at the March 15 Selectboard meeting to address the board's main concern: the use of taxpayer money to generate income by an organization that was not legally associated with the town. In one...
Town Meeting representatives have voted to deny permission to sell the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, countering the Selectboard's Jan. 19 decision. The facility, in need of repair, provided municipal water beginning in the 1880s, and the town disconnected the reservoir from the municipal water system approximately 35 years ago. The Selectboard had voted 3–2 to sell the reservoir, a measure that needed final Town Meeting approval. Representatives killed that strategy by a voice vote at the March 20 Annual Town Meeting.
George Clain, president of Local 300 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said it all: “We thought this was the jobs session, not the fewer jobs session.” The Vermont Senate, with the exception of four worthy individuals (Dick Mazza, Peg Flory, Phil Scott, and Robert Starr), is now on record as wanting to cut 1,300 jobs, $93 million in payroll, and $10 million in state revenues. I, personally, will never again take seriously any of the senators who voted...
Make your own scones 3 cups unbleached white King Arthur flour ½ cup white cane sugar 1 Tbsp. fresh, double-acting baking powder pinch of salt 3 fresh eggs 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter ¾ cup fresh cream ½ cup dried fruit, candied ginger, or 2 teaspoons each dried orange rind and fennel seed Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. You have a bowl of dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder. You have a bowl of wet...
The Selectboard has authorized the Town Manager's office to send letters supporting Vermont Telecommunications Authority's efforts to make Vermont one of Google's ultra-high-speed broadband network test sites. The “Fiber to Communities” project is Google's plan to build and test such networks in trial communities nationwide. According to Google, the network would deliver fiber-to-the-home connections of 1 gigabit per second to “at least 50,000, and potentially up to 500,000 people.” Google intends to operate a wholesale network for other providers, like...
Acting in their capacity as liquor commissioners, members of the Selectboard approved a first-class liquor license and entertainment license for Richard Ticino, who plans to open Rocky Top Tavern at 97 Main St. According to Ticino, of Bellows Falls, the tavern will have pool tables on the first floor and serve food on the second. It will host live entertainment Friday and Saturday nights, with a possible open-mic night on Thursdays. Open six days a week, the tavern will serve...