At first glance the old trailer by the side of the road appeared to be just one more addition to someone’s collection of old vehicles. No one seemed to notice it. Then as I walked briskly down the Fifth Street hill one morning, I glanced up to see that a[Read More…]
Author: Dolly Viscardi
Loose Ends: Dressing for success
One could say that living in the White River Valley requires that one dress for success. This is not the kind of success for which city dwellers strive. It is the ability to outfit oneself capably to deal with the unseasonal weather that seems to appear out of nowhere.
Loose Ends: No place like home
“Did you see that someone found your glasses downtown?” a friend asks before informing me that a sign posted on the corner light post had the information I needed to retrieve them. There was no question in her mind that the specs had to be mine. “I think someone found[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Politics of small-town politicking
Small-town politics never change. Even in the years before the town was established relationships between area residents went up and down with the issues of the day. Looking back at history it is important to note that one of the newspaper’s seasonal editorial columns from 125 years ago talks about[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Let the complaints begin
Fall is officially here, so let the grousing begin. All of the complaints about the cold season to come seem to prepare everyone for winter weather. Winter seems to be the only season that escapes the brevity complaints, as the other three always are way too short.
Loose Ends: Placing only a face
One skill I developed over many years of teaching was remembering names. I prided myself on it and had no problems recognizing students (mine and others, as well) years later. When I had difficulty remembering daily details, where I put my keys or important books or papers, I never forgot[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Opening day in the classroom
It has been a while since I met children in the doorway of my classroom for the first day of school. Retired from 23 years of teaching in elementary schools, I still miss a lot of things about the yearly opening day. This year I felt an especially sharp pang,[Read More…]
Loose Ends: The search continues
For years, the search for buried treasure has been taking place right before our eyes. One never knew when you’d happen upon someone wielding a metal detector, combing over an abandoned or empty lot. This area was never known for precious metals, although a few residents moved here after living[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Premium experience
Putting things by was the wonderful phrase used long ago for preserving the bounty of the garden. Our short growing season made it all the more important that everyone make an effort to can their own fruits and vegetables for the long winter ahead.
Loose Ends: Making small talk
Whenever there are community get-togethers, there is a lot of small talk. Groups of people with something in common, even if it is just living in the same community, spend time catching up with each other’s lives.
Loose Ends: Just a little bit country
“Are you still shooting rattlesnakes?” an old friend inquired on Facebook. Having moved to the Western Slope of Colorado so many years earlier, I’d forgotten my long letters to friends and family regaling them with all of my the zany adventures I’d coined it back-east meets out-west. That first year[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Of house and home …
“Do you know of any place to rent in town?” the woman asked the grandmother pushing a toddler in a swing. “Well, depends on what you are looking for.” She paused as if to ponder the woman’s dilemma. “Lots of houses for sale, but I don’t know of any to[Read More…]
