Author Archive for Ruthie Douglas
Ruthie Douglas is originally from Springfield but has called Chester her home for 58 years, and has been writing the Chester Chatter column for more than 40 of those years. Ruthie is also a longtime volunteer throughout the community.
Chester Chatter: Taking the roads less traveled
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the sweet old Vermont countryside, it is time for shunpiking — a time to hit the back roads of rural Vermont, a time to kick up dust, gravel, stones and some rocks all to take in the beauty of the green, very green foliage, the hillside views […]
Chester Chatter: Cherished hand-written notes
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In this world of electronic devices I have found myself out of the loop. I am perhaps one of the few you might know who does not have a computer, a cellphone or a GPS. I will speak my own mind without hiding behind a text message or […]
Chester Chatter: When owning a car was a luxury
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC My father though himself mighty lucky to have gotten a job at the Fellows Gear Shaper during the early 1940s. He had five daughters to support. His pay did not stretch far enough to allow him to purchase a car and he instead walked to work each day. […]
Chester Chatter: Celebrating 4th with a horse-pull
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC For many years, our town celebrated the 4th of July with a horse pull set up in the Jeffrey’s field, where the Jeffrey barn and the round, brick silo remain on Route 103. The barn became the food court where burgers, hot dogs, fried onions and peppers and […]
Chester Chatter: The days of child’s play
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC As kids, our favorite thing to play in our neighborhood was cowboys and Indians. We began by choosing to either be a cowboy or an Indian. The sidewalks, backyards and nearby woods were our battlefield. Someone would give a war cry and away we went. We made the […]
Chester Chatter: Sights and sounds of summer
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The best things about summer are free. One just needs to be aware, and to stop and listen. Listen to the morning birds greet one another. Listen to them as the settle down in the evening saying goodnight to their friends. Watch the loon silently swim on the […]
Chester Chatter: School friends can last a lifetime
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC All over Vermont, small towns in the hills and down in the valleys, this is the time of year for gathering of high school classmates. Perhaps it isn’t a big celebration at other places. But in Vermont, it is a special time of year. Once it was not […]
Chester Chatter: At home and wrestling with remote possibilities
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Here I am home at last. Stepping into my house after a year of spending it in the hospital and at Springfield Rehab, the feeling was strange. My first day at home, I just sat and looked around. It didn’t seem real. The phone rang and I didn’t […]
Chester Chatter: Settling back home
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ruthie’s taking the week off as she settles back into her routine at home.
Chester Chatter: As I prepare to head home
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Nearly a year has passed since I was last in my home. So I have made Springfield Health and Rehab my home. My first few weeks here were lying in bed and in terrible pain. The staff here was wonderful. They held my hand and listened to me […]
Chester Chatter: The journey winds down
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I’m about to the end of the long journey I have been on for the past year. It began with my impending hip replacement after it had been dislocated. Thinking water therapy would help, I ended up scraping my leg on the stairs to a pool, so I […]
Chester Chatter: Grange was political, social force
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Douglas family belonged to the Grange for many years, being members of the Bartonsville Grange. Soon after I became a member of the family I too became a member. The Grange was formed to help farmers and also provide a time of socializing. We lobbied in Montpelier […]
Chester Chatter: Time to remember Mother
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The makings of one day becoming a mother often begin as a young girl with her dolls. At least that was the case with my daughter Jeanie. She loved her dolls. Her dad made her a cradle and Grandma made her a quilt. Every night the dolls got […]
Chester Chatter: May baskets for kind neighbors
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC May Day, a time for May baskets when I was young. We kids in the neighborhood went to the nearby woods to gather wild flowers, pine cones and moss. My sister Marie and I made baskets out of wallpaper, glue and staples. We line it with fresh green […]
Chester Chatter: Easter surrounded by love
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Growing up, Easter for my sister Marie and me was usually the same. Photos show us ready for church in our new outfits. Always a new hat, shoes and gloves. We had our little purses with money for the collection plate. After church, we changed our clothes and […]
Chester Chatter: Family photos banish gloomy winter-like day
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC It’s another gloomy winter-like day. What to do? Many times I go to my bedroom closet and take out scrap books of photos. In a short time, I’m back to times gone by. My family took many photos of our outings. Learning to walk, then just like that […]
Chester Chatter: Another week of recovery
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Editor’s Note: Ruthie is continuing her remarkable recovery from hip surgery and decided that one more week away might do her a world of good!
Chester Chatter: Off this week
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Editor’s Note: Ruthie will be taking the week off as she recovers from hip surgery. She hopes to be back up and dancing soon!
Chester Chatter: Jumpstarting spring with jump rope tunes
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Spring has arrived! With it comes a touch of warm breezes, melting snow and the singing of birds and, of course, longer days. Kids on bikes dart down the street, skateboards flying by and children run about without their winter jackets. I remember when, out on the playground, […]
Chester Chatter: Where are the boarding houses?
By Ruthie Douglas ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In years past, almost every town had a boarding house. In Chester, we had the Hilton House of Main Street. It is now called the Inn Victoria. During World War II, Chester was very busy. The Survey company made maps for the government and hired several employees, young, […]
