Poet’s Corner: A song for winter

Winter’s Delicate Solitude   This is the closing-in time of year: The weary earth rests, leans back and retires; Pine-quilted hills guard the brink of the world, Horizons now strangely attainable. The sky yawns, heavy-lidded and colored With sleep, and lowers on the lazy creek. As wind chimes silence their icy tingle, The streets gather closer; the village curls, Like a mouse, into itself to preserve A vital warmth in a long night so still With cold, so brittle, an unkind word or A wayward careless thought … (read more)

VERMONT — A couple of decades ago, I spent several winters living in Crested Butte, Colo., where I learned to peer into the cottonwood trees between Route 135 and the East River on the rare occasion when I needed to travel south to the closest “big” town. … (read more)

Winter is here and it is important to prepare animals you keep outside for the colder weather. Most large animals are kept outside in winter and there are certain steps you should take to ensure they stay safe.  For animals kept in a pasture, ensure posts … (read more)

ADDISON COUNTY — Every year dozens of birders head into the fields and woods of Addison County, while dozens more bird enthusiasts watch at their birdfeeders in December to spot and identify the number and variety of bird species in the region. The Christ … (read more)

Dear Homeward Bound, It’s starting to get cold and I’m worried about my neighbor’s dog. He seems to live outside and I don’t know if that’s okay in the winter. Curious (and worried) Dear Curious and Worried, Thanks for caring about your neighbor’s dog. Un … (read more)

VERGENNES — The LuLu Ice Cream shop in downtown Vergennes will host the Vergennes Farmers Market a half-dozen times on Saturday mornings this winter, starting on Nov. 23. The markets will be monthly with the exception of December. During the run-up to the … (read more)

When late October arrives, lots of people are planning this year’s Halloween costumes, buying candy for trick-or-treaters, or otherwise filling their days with happy anticipation of a sugar-filled holiday. Not me. I am thinking about the time. Every year … (read more)

Click on the link below for the printable version of the Winter Coloring Contest.

It’s happened again. Leaves are getting crispy, flowers are going to seed and the air is beginning to cool. As hard frosts become a reality, it is almost time to start thinking about cutting back our perennials and putting our gardens to bed. I’d like to … (read more)

I remember the cold coming on when I lived in the Northeast Kingdom. Seeing the first of the early morning frost and hearing trucks backing up to homes and dumping loads of cut logs. The logs were split into manageable sizes and tossed down bulkheads into … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — The Charter House Coalition (CHC) has hired additional staff and is putting the finishing touches on major upgrades to its Middlebury warming shelter at 27 North Pleasant St. in anticipation of serving a steady stream of homeless clients that … (read more)

Winter is a terrible time of year. It’s cold. It’s dark. You have to spend a half hour putting on heavy clothing just to walk to the mailbox. We all have chronic seasonal depressive disorder. And many of us flee to Florida to escape. I do not. I would not … (read more)

Winter is a terrible time of year. It’s cold. It’s dark. You have to spend a half hour putting on heavy clothing just to walk to the mailbox. We all have chronic seasonal depressive disorder. And many of us flee to Florida to escape. I do not. I would not … (read more)