Addison County

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…

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…

Vermont Bashing and the Peaceable Kingdom of Addison County

Addison County

A recent Google search for a Vermont-Real-Estate-related term brought me to a stream of Vermont-bashing by some people who cannot wait to leave our beautiful state. Their complaints ranged from how long it takes to drive to Walmart to how …Read More…

Sparkling in Addison County

Addison County

Cheers, Vermont! Middlebury finally has a champagne and sparkling wine bar! It’s called Sparkling and it’s on College Street.

The week after New Year’s Eve opinions about champagne vary from “never, ever again” to “how I love it”. Despite the ferocious hangover produced by too much of a good thing (the bubbles deliver alcohol into the bloodstream much more quickly than the liver can tolerate), champagne is still our drink of choice for celebrations.Read More…

Addison County Home for the Holidays

Addison County

The Vermont economic outlook, according to a recent “Regional Perspectives” white paper published by Chase, “is forecast to strengthen, in lagged response to stronger economic growth.” This is good, if lagging, news for Addison County. The paper sites a low …Read More…

Keeping Addison County Rural…and Cultural

Addison County

From Middlebury College, Vermont’s cultural Mecca, to our rural farming landscape, the legacy of our agrarian heritage, Addison County has the perfect blend of culture and agriculture. And it looks like it’s going to stay this way for some time. …Read More…

Keeping Addison County Rural…and Cultural

Addison County

From Middlebury College, Vermont’s cultural Mecca, to our rural farming landscape, the legacy of our agrarian heritage, Addison County has the perfect blend of culture and agriculture. And it looks like it’s going to stay this way for some time. …Read More…

Giving Thanks in Addison County

Addison County

The Thanksgiving focus on gratitude suits me. I am very grateful to be living and working in Addison County, Vermont. And everybody from Forbes Magazine to the Dalai Lama says that gratitude is good for you (Forbes calls giving the …Read More…

Staging your home in Addison County: STFD

Addison County

Any texting kid in Vermont knows the expression, but in our case, STFD stands for “Shut the Front Door”. It’s time to make our entryways into the arm candy (another fun slang term that refers to an attractive person who …Read More…