All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category
Left in Andover: Hope in the Book of Job
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the biblical Book of Job, Satan bets that Job, the archetypal “billionaire” of his time, will not remain true to God in the face of misfortune. God gives Satan permission to visit any tribulation except death upon Job, to test him. Against all odds, in the face […]
Chester Chatter: Four Corners Club had the corner on friendship
By Ruthie Douglas © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The Chester Four Corners Women’s Club was in existence from the 1930s to not so very long ago. The club was formed so that women could be informed on topics that helped them run their homes. Keep in mind that this was in the days before TV […]
Henry Homeyer: When you enjoy it so much, it doesn’t feel like work
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ruth Stout, born in Topeka, Kansas in 1884, lived to the ripe old age of 96. She was an early proponent of organic gardening and was also (as seen from her writing) a sweet, funny, intelligent and common-sense person. I recently read her book, Gardening without Work, from cover […]
Three young local snowboarders to compete in Burton Open Junior Jam
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Snowboarders Sumner Orr of Weston, Connor Cavanagh of Windham and Tommy Okesson of Connecticut will be representing Southern Vermont as they head to Vail, Colo., next week to participate in the Burton U.S. Open Junior Jam. This is the first time the Junior Jam that three riders from Southern Vermont […]
Left in Andover: The carrot and the bun
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC March 2012, a historically warm month, I floor my gas pedal to climb the steep mountain road. High atop Finn Hill in Andover, my daughter, who is in her early 20s, has set up housekeeping in a rented apartment. I am on assignment, delivering a first batch of […]
Chester Chatter: Drawing friendship over tea
By Ruthie Douglas ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Eve Dawson came to Chester from New York City some time in the 1970s. Eve had bought the Grist Mill on North Street by the bridge, where she set up an art studio and gallery. I went there on assignment for the Springfield Reporter. Eve and I clicked. […]
Henry Homeyer: the global impact of your green thumb
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC There is much talk these days about global warming. It’s easy to feel hopeless and to think there is nothing we can do, but a few small steps can add up to a big difference. A gardener can do a lot to help the environment. Start by growing […]
Weston community offers free ‘pop-up university’
Several residents in the town of Weston have created what they are calling a “pop-up university” to entertain, bring the community together and offer learning opportunities to residents of the town and from throughout the area for the month of March. Classes, events and workshops will be led by people from the community – your […]
Left in Andover: Living simply in Gandhi’s shadow
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC While Dad had always managed to stash a certain amount of “junk” in the breezeway, in the tractor sheds and in our hayloft, when we got rid of our farm animals there was no holding him back from filling up the whole barn. As a by-product of our […]
Chester Chatter: Lifelong strength in small town friendships
By Ruthie Douglas ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC What is it about growing up in small town America? Making forever friends in our first years of school happened to many of us. Some 30 of us who started first grade at the same time often get together once a month for lunch. Over the years, many […]
Henry Homeyer: Spring birds signal seed orders
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ground Hog Day has come and gone. The big, fat rodent has made their proclamation about the arrival of spring, and of course, I paid no attention. I think the birds are better about announcing spring, but so far the cardinals are not singing their spring songs, and […]
19th century comes to Taylor Farm; early registration open for Chester LEGO contest
Chester LEGO Contest seeks early entrants The 2020 LEGO Contest will take place on Saturday, March 14, with organizers urging early registration by Friday March 6 to qualify for the discount entry fee of $15. The entry fee afterward is $20. Click here to download the registration form. Printed forms are available at the […]
2020 Chester Winter Carnival schedule of events
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The 2020 Chester Winter Carnival will take place on Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb. 16 in various locations throughout Chester. Below is the schedule of events, courtesy of the Chester Recreation Dept. Saturday, Feb. 15 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Children’s snowmobile demo rides sponsored by the Chester Snowmobile Club. […]
Left in Andover: Tragic end to search for home
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Dad loved reciting his story about hawking apples in Springfield in 1950. After personally picking them each morning, he knocked door to door at Southview Housing District, reasoning that housewives stuck at home with young kids and no transportation would be likely buyers. Sales, even at his very […]
Chester Chatter: Becoming a puppet master
By Ruthie Douglas © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Our fourth grade teacher kept us busy with fun projects. One morning she announced we kids would be making puppets. My heart sank. I was not good at art or any kind of handicrafts. We would start making puppets the next day and, she added, “wear old […]
Henry Homeyer: Flower shows to get into spring swing
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In Lewis Carroll’s poem, The Jabberwocky, the hero exalts, after killing the ferocious mythical beast, “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” That’s the way I feel when I think about the upcoming spring flowers shows. Thinking about the shows I am known to exclaim, “Oh Boy!” at random moments, […]
Left in Andover: A search for an ideal home
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I lusted after the mug, coveting it for my very own. Henry Little, our hired man in 1956 and ‘57, brought it back to Andover for us from one of his many sojourns south of the border.Each side was more brilliantly glazed than the other. A wave of […]
Chester Chatter: Skating down the Black River
By Ruthie Douglas ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC As a young couple, my grandparents left Three Rivers, Canada to start a new life in Springfield. They bought a newly built apartment building on Union Street, which grandmother turned into a boarding house. They soon got jobs and met new people. A group those new friends would […]
Henry Homeyer: getting rid of invasives
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC My mother used to say, “The road to hades is paved with good intentions.” That is particularly true for gardeners and plant collectors. Most of those nasty invasive plants we struggle to eliminate from our landscape were brought here from abroad by people who didn’t know better. They […]
Left in Andover: Keys to the past, and the future
By Susan Leader ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last summer, relatives who were about to purchase Popplewood requested I play the role of “inspector” during the final walk-through of the premises before the sale was finalized. Never having bought or sold a house myself, I had to ask for clarification as to the nature of my […]
