The woods are lovely, dark and deep—Robert Frost Mt. Equinox looms over the Vermont Valley at 3,816 feet, the highest point of the Taconic Range, a finger of the Appalachians, and the oldest mountains in the country: Mother Myrick Mountain lies to its north, and Red Mountain to the South, the place we call home. Everywhere are … Continue reading Snowless Winter: A Walk in the Woods
Winter
The Wrong Side of Every Door: Finding Paradise
The Rum Tum Tugger is a terrible bore: When you let him in, then he wants to be out; He's always on the wrong side of every door, And as soon as he's at home, then he'd like to get about.—T.S. Eliot The oppressive heat of high summer in Memphis, Tennessee reaches its fingers across … Continue reading The Wrong Side of Every Door: Finding Paradise
Howdy, 2016. I already miss you, 2015.
New Year's Eve 2015, a street corner in Saratoga Springs, NY. My boy Bentley and his friend Billy have been with us for a week, headed back to their respective homes in Tennessee at an obscene hour tomorrow morning. We've had a great time together. I am always amazed how you can blink and it's gone: … Continue reading Howdy, 2016. I already miss you, 2015.
Winter Workouts: Pouring Myself Nice Glass of Endorphins
I let the original version of this post sit in the queue and marinate for a while, and then I scrapped it. It sounded way, way too Eeyore-ish, and that is not how I wish to be thought of. But I admit to struggling with a heaping case of the blues lately. I always look for … Continue reading Winter Workouts: Pouring Myself Nice Glass of Endorphins
Vermont Spring Sunday: Modern Sugar House
Winter came back to us a few days ago, and we woke up to a new inch of snow on the ground yesterday, dang it. The desire to be outdoors is palpable everywhere you go. Funny that I've lived through my third Vermont winter without the singular experience of visiting a maple sugaring operation, 'til … Continue reading Vermont Spring Sunday: Modern Sugar House
Somebody call the decorum police. Please.
That was the view out the front door earlier this morning; seems last week's moderating temperatures and dry, sunny days were just a tease. Figures. My erstwhile home state of Tennessee has had a rough winter, I understand. (Vermonters feel your pain after one of the coldest winters on record here.) But this post is … Continue reading Somebody call the decorum police. Please.
March 1, 2015 Vital Signs: A Letter Home
That was a recent winter morning here in the southwest quadrant of Vermont, USA, rare sunlight dappling the woods behind the house. Lately our days have started with temperatures at or below zero, typically without sunshine. Nights have been much colder. One morning last week my car would not turn over without convincing, and then … Continue reading March 1, 2015 Vital Signs: A Letter Home
Weekend Wandering
worryworryworryworryworryworry
Can't help it, pretty sure it's in my DNA. The only thing anybody is talking about is the weather. If there is one thing that is sure to send me into a tailspin before you can say Bob's your uncle, it's weather. I get it from my dad. (Sorry, Dad. You know I speak the … Continue reading worryworryworryworryworryworry
Now, if I can just…figure out…how to…work this…thing.
About a half inch of packed ice covered Vermont's Route 7A between Arlington and Bennington on Monday morning after a tricky storm last weekend began with snow and ended with rain. A half-hour commute to work stretched into roughly fifty minutes, not bad considering. I still do not understand winter road conditions in New England, … Continue reading Now, if I can just…figure out…how to…work this…thing.
Sycamore Stories 