All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category
Chester Chatter: Kindness abounds in our community
by Ruthie Douglas ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Here I go again. Do you realize how lucky we are to be living here? I am now very familiar with the emergency room, hospital and rehab facilities nearby. Working in these facilities are the staffs. Those folks are some sweet people. The kindness they show their patients […]
Henry Homeyer: Building your garden library
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I know that many people, especially gardeners under the age of 40, use the internet to find the answers to their questions. That is fine, but the internet is full of “fake news” and spurious assertions. I do use the web, but if I want to learn about […]
Weston’s free ‘Pop-Up University’ restarts; Free screening of ‘Coded Bias’ on facial recognition
Pop-Up University restarts for classes in March The Weston Pop-Up University is returning in March with four weeks of classes, events and workshops led by local residents, all held virtually because of Covid-19 pandemic rules. This year’s Pop-Up schedule includes nine on-line classes and workshops offering a wide variety of topics from Italian cooking lessons […]
Left in Andover: Home Dem meetings were
a lifeline for rural women in the 1950s
By Susan Leader ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC When I was a child, my mother looked forward to Andover “Home Dem,”or Friendly Club meetings. Open to all, they were held at a different member’s home each month. Each meeting included a practical educational topic of discussion as well as time to socialize. The Home Demonstration movement […]
Chester Chatter: Rewarding friendship spans age
By Ruthie Douglas ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC A house in our neighborhood in Springfield stood vacant for some time. Then one summer day, a moving truck backed up. We kids crept near behind some bushes to see: Would there be any kids to play with? No, it turns out. Just two old people, Henry and […]
Henry Homeyer: mid-winter care for your houseplants
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Are you suffering from the mid-winter blahs? More importantly, are your houseplants? We can’t be in our gardens outside now – except for a few stalwarts who are pruning, I suppose – but we can take good care of our houseplants. Although I have not the passion for […]
Chester parish sells ‘Bernie Mittens’ Feb. 19-21
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19-21, the First Universalist Parish of Chester, 211 North St. (Route 103) in Chester, will sell “Bernie Mittens” made by parish members as a fund-raiser for the church. The sale will take place at the church at from 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday and Sunday and 10 a.m. […]
Collaborative hosts pianist, recovered addict Benjamin Lerner
The Londonderry-based Collaborative’s Refuse to Use program is offering a virtual evening of recovery and music beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25 with guest artist composer, writer, radio host and recovery advocate Benjamin Lerner. Lerner, who lives in Vermont, will share his personal experience and struggles with addiction – as well as his […]
Londonderry community to set action priorities on Feb. 25
All members of the Londonderry community are invited to participate in the second phase of the One Londonderry process to set direction for the future of the town. The meeting, to be held virtually (on Zoom via computer, tablet, or phone) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 25, will follow up on the […]
Grace Cottage hosts Cabin Fever Online Auction
Too much time stuck at home? Ready to dream for the future? Grace Cottage’s Annual Cabin Fever Online Auction, held now through Feb. 24, offers a chance to bid on Caribbean trips, an African safari, local foods, outings to local restaurants and inns, fun outdoor venues, arts & crafts and more. Included are an array […]
Chester Townscape offers trees, shrubs for sale
Chester Townscape has released its selections for this year’s Tree and Shrub Sale to support Townscape’s public landscaping projects, such as the flowering planters and bridge boxes and other seasonal decorations that beautify public places around town. CT’s annual Tree and Shrub Sale provides landowners with the opportunity to beautify their own properties with good-size, […]
Left in Andover: Grandma Freda’s determined life
By Susan Leader ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC After Mom died in 2012, I inherited my maternal grandmother Freda Freund Bergman’s intimate diary in a box of mementos I brought back to Vermont. The fraying, soft-leather five-year journal holds Grandma’s unexpurgated entries from when she and the 20th century were both in their 40s. I doubt […]
Chester Chatter: Remembering Johnnie Walker
By Ruthie Douglas ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Johnnie Walker had come up from working in a foundry in New Jersey to work with horses at a boys’ school in Jamaica. He was extremely talented in working with those horses, but he didn’t know how to read or write. With the closing of the school, he […]
Henry Homeyer: A winter soup for you, from your garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC There is something about a bowl of warm soup on a cold winter day that warms the heart and soul as well as filling the tummy. And if the ingredients are from your own garden, the soup tastes even better! Here is a soup I made largely with […]
Left in Andover: Correspondence with mother
By Susan Leader ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC From the late 1930s when she left home through her years as a 1950s housewife in Andover, my mother showered her mother with chatty, revelatory letters and postcards. At times, the correspondence was almost daily. Grandma saved it all. When my parents bought Popplewood Farm in 1950, Grandma […]
Chester Chatter: Happy Valentine’s Day to all
By Ruthie Douglas ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Love is in the air. Can’t you hear it? Can’t you feel it? It’s time to let those we love really know it. Right now is the perfect time to make some memories since the Covid-19 pandemic rules say that we should be staying at home. Gather up […]
Henry Homeyer: Winter arbor favorites, as shared by readers & experts
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I recently asked a few readers, garden friends and tree experts a question: “What is your favorite tree in winter?” It’s not easy to pick just one, any more than most of us would be willing to name a favorite child. I invite you to think about the […]
Left in Andover: The singular steps of Martha Hennessy
By Susan Leader ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., honoring his call to action against “the triple evils of militarism, racism and materialism,” Martha Hennessy along with nine other non-violent Catholic activists, the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, entered the premises of the […]
Chester Chatter: Navigating life in a wheelchair
By Ruthie Douglas ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC I now know what handicapped really means. For instance, many stores have doors that are too cumbersome to open if you are in a wheelchair. Walking paths are often too narrow for wheelchairs. Tables at restaurants are many times too high for comfortable dining for those who must […]
Henry Homeyer: starting at the seeds, now we’re here
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I hate to be the one to give you bad news, but some seed companies are already running out of seeds. Don’t panic: there are, in fact, plenty of seeds out there. And if one company doesn’t have your favorite tomato or zinnia variety, chances are that some […]
