April 2013 Archives

Lilacs and Vermont Real Estate

When home-buyers shop for Vermont real estate, they typically want to know about property taxes and cell phone service*. But in the next few weeks, savvy home-buyers will want to know which properties have the best lilacs (Syringa vulgaris). They’ll be looking for the homes with the oldest, fullest, most fragrant lilac bushes.

Unfortunately most sellers do not list lilacs in their MLS property descriptions. This is a mistake I’d recommend amending before they bloom. Soon enough, though, we’ll be able to open the car windows as we drive through Addison County and simply follow our nosesRead More…

Earth Day Vermont – Today?

Green Living

Monday, April 22 is Earth Day. Here in Addison County, let me rephrase, here on the Internet, it is difficult to find Vermont Earth Day activities. Either event organizers have not honed their Social Media chops, I am barking up the wrong tree, or not much is going on. When I imagined the latter, I was saddened, but then thought about it. It is Earth Day more often than not here in Vermont.

Our state recently won acclaim for topping the Localvore Index, an index that ranks the 50 states in terms of their commitment to local foods. We have more farmers markets and more CSAsRead More…

Earth Day Vermont – Today?

Green Living

Monday, April 22 is Earth Day. Here in Addison County, let me rephrase, here on the Internet, it is difficult to find Vermont Earth Day activities. Either event organizers have not honed their Social Media chops, I am barking up …Read More…

Bad Weather and Really Good Food in Middlebury

Living In Vermont

The intense beauty of Vermont seasons cannot be denied, despite today’s winter weather advisory and yesterday’s headline in the Burlington Free Press: “Weather Rapport: Winter to make another comeback in Vermont.” The weather in Burlington is cold and gloomy; the weather on Lake Champlain is cold and gloomy; the weather here in Middlebury is cold and gloomy. Perfect weather for fireplaces, introspection and poetry…

On Spring days like today when the sun seems to be on sabbatical, some of us search for Spring in other places – like on the plate or in the bottle. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating a week-long binge until the thermometer straightens up, I am merely suggesting a few options for levity.Read More…

The Sound of Spring in Addison County

Addison County

The sound of Spring in Vermont is a beautiful thing. In Addison County, we can hear the sounds of melting snow and rushing rivers, the sounds of amorous robins and red-winged black birds. The air carries the smell of damp earth and promise. But today, there seems to be something else in the breeze – the sound of rumbling. It is the collective sound of 625,741 Vermonters grumbling about the weather.

The reluctance of Spring is a perennial topic. It frustrates everyone except those busy maple sugaring. They are in the throes of their season – the maple sap run in Vermont is usually March and the first week or two of April, weather depending, of course. The best days for sap collection are those before the trees start to form buds when daytime temperatures are above freezing during the day and below freezing at night.Read More…

The Sound of Spring in Addison County

Addison County

The sound of Spring in Vermont is a beautiful thing. In Addison County, we can hear the sounds of melting snow and rushing rivers, the sounds of amorous robins and red-winged black birds. The air carries the smell of damp …Read More…