Vermont’s economy is stable throughout these challenging times. Tom Kavel, economist for the Vermont State Legislature, indicates that the state has put away $60 million in stabilization reserve funds and $30 million in the human services caseload reserve. The state is working on a level funding budget for next year. What does this mean for [...]

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Driving through Stowe on my way home, I cannot help but notice the difference in traffic from when I first discovered this gorgeous community 44 years ago. We got around in a 1965 Ford Mustang then. My parents had heard an announcement on the radio about the “quaint little town south of the border”. One [...]

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“I want my paintings to represent the atmosphere around me at the very moment I’m using my brush against canvas. This translates into painting climate, touch, and all the sensory aspects along with the actual scene.” Mehdi Fallahian, author of these words of wisdom, silently set up his easel in the exact spot he knew [...]

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“Owning a house remains central to Americans’ sense of well-being,” begins a June 29, New York Times article. The American Dream is an important part of what we value and we put a lot of efforts into preserving our values. Actually, we put a lot of effort into living our values. According to the same [...]

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The Lamoille River attracts fishermen, artists and photographers, as well as canoe and kayak enthusiasts. In Wolcott, Vermont, Fisher Bridge, an authentic railroad covered bridge, stands as a reminder of history, on the tracks that serviced the local industry when Wolcott was home to several mills and about 1,500 sheep roamed its pastures. Wolcott was [...]

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Ben Hewitt,  author of “The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food” and back-to-the-land activist,  brought great attention to the town of Hardwick, VT with his book. Some senior-level English, Hazen Union High School, students have been discussing Hewitt’s book. They believe there is more to the story. Nancy Demers, [...]

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Real Estate is a fascinating industry, rich with lessons about economic and social trends, lifestyle, choices, transitions, priorities and values. Just as each of us seeks a career path that matches our skills and interests, so do we seek living spaces that match our vision of what it is we need around us in order [...]

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“Our Main Street has a rich history, an authenticity and tremendous assets,” says Revitalizing Waterbury, one of Waterbury Vermont’s most action-oriented non-profit organizations. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the economic, historic and social vitality of downtown Waterbury. Evidence of this vision can be found at every turn. It is “fueled by people power, [...]

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When asked how they would feel about seeing public transportation become a part of their rural community, Vermonters react in various ways. Some welcome the idea. Others, mostly former city-dwellers who do not wish to encounter vestiges of the city life, boldly announce, “If I see one public bus on my road, I’ll hop on [...]

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What was quaint and attractive and featured in Better Homes and Gardens? The 140-square-foot house Gregory Johnson, co-founder of the Small House Society, inhabited from 2003 to 2009. A WalletPop article makes an interesting observation: “As home values sink and utility costs climb, tiny houses have captured the imagination of devotees of diminutive living… Clutter? [...]

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