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Roadside Raccoons

Roadside carrion is a sure sign of spring, and when I saw a raccoon shuffling along the shoulder of the interstate highway in full daylight today, I wondered about its prospects for longevity. After a…

Catherine Tudish

It’s always a treat when one of your alumni makes good. That’s how I felt when I just read a glowing review of Catherine Tudish’s new novel, American Cream. Catherine worked at…

The Poop on Septic Systems

And now, a few words on a topic that might have slipped your mind: your septic system. Despite the temptation to treat your septic system as “out of sight, out of mind,” you need to pay…

For Peat’s Sake

In 1848, workers constructing the railroad line from Bellows Falls to Rutland, Vermont, found the remains of a mastodon buried 11 feet deep in a Mount Holly bog. One tusk was nearly eight feet long.…

Town Forests

A few Saturdays ago, I attended the third annual Vermont Town Forest Project summit. It was held in Hinesburg, Vermont, a town that lies about half in the rising, forested slopes of the Green…

The Scoop on Poop

Veterinarians pay attention to it. So do animal trackers. If you own a pet, you are probably paying attention, too, because you have to clean it up. Yes, I’m talking about poop, scat, feces, or…

The Fine Print

Delivery Time: New subscribers can expect their first issue 10-20 days after receipt of the order. We fulfill new orders in scheduled batches. Merchandise orders get processed the day they arrive in…

Crossing to Safety

Why did the animal cross the road? The yellow sign, familiar to many, proclaims “Moose Crossing.” But, we wonder, how can anyone predict that a moose would cross at this particular spot,…

Forestry Awareness Day

When observers of goings-on at the State House in Albany, New York, recall the events of March 10, 2008, chances are they will remember it as the day the news broke about Eliot Spitzer. They will not…

Hearing a Peep

It’s a warm evening, and the only signs of snow are the eroding piles beside the driveway. Down in the valley, there is a chorus erupting, and up on the hill in a pond, another is just beginning…

Installing a Wood Boiler

As we worked on editing the Outdoor Wood Boiler article in the current issue of the magazine, I began to think seriously about installing such a unit on our farm. We live in the midst of 90 acres of…

High-Jumpers

With winter breaking up and spring on its way, I spied a small pool of water glinting in the sunlight where meltwater seeps across a meadow. The pool’s surface was speckled by hordes of…

Copyright Notice

All stories, photos and art on this website are protected by copyright. Printing for personal use and ease of reading is an expected and permitted use. Reproduction for any other use is a violation of…

The Place You Call Home

When you buy a car, you receive an owner’s manual. When you buy an appliance like a refrigerator, you get an owner’s manual. It makes sense. As the proud new owner of an expensive piece of…

Woodcocks in Mudtime

When mud season arrives, I go out at sunset wearing khakis and a brown-checked jacket. I wait in the brush of a hedgerow that trails down to a wet meadow. The sky turns salmon, then fades to gray as…

The Long View

One sunny day last spring, I was prowling around the land in central New York where my ancestors had farmed. A few years earlier, my brother and my uncle had found the barn’s foundation, or what…

The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring

Coastal northern California, with its rainy, temperate climate and rugged terrain, is home to some of the oldest – and tallest – trees in North America. These ancient trees, mostly…

Mill Prices

The prices reported here are those that log buyers—mostly sawmills and wholesalers—are paying for logs. Because these are prices paid for delivered wood, landowners need to adjust the…

The Singing Life of Birds

Donald Kroodsma began his life’s work while in graduate school almost 40 years ago when he tried to figure out how a Bewick’s wren learned his songs. Does he learn songs from his father or…

New Suspect in Frog Deaths

Kermit the Frog once sang, “It’s not easy bein’ green.” His melancholy was well placed. It is not a good time to be a frog: the world over, frogs and other amphibians are dying…