Archive
Besides his books, Bill has written a variety of poems, short stories, opinion pieces, and more.
The Curse of Instruction Manuals
When I was young, cursing was frowned on in our family. I was raised a Catholic and it was a mortal sin to take the Lord’s name in vain. But...
Town Meeting Day is Upon Us
Soon, it’ll be March and Town Meeting will again be upon us. Our venerable system of local government – where it’s still practiced – calls townsfolk together to debate and...
Roads Scholar and Gravel Slalom
I’ve finally reached that mind-body equilibrium we all seek. I’m both a Roads Scholar and a Gravel-road Slalom competitor. You’re probably not familiar with either unless you live at the...
Beware the Mt. Peculiar Jabberwalker
The Mt. Peculiar Jabberwalkers With apologies to Lewis Carroll on the last day of the 2015-16 session ’Twas quiblous in Peculiar Town Rambunction and dysfunction, As Ceres eyed the legisphere’s...
Vermonters are Stingey with Syllables
While today’s young Vermonters favor the glottal stop: mount- ain, import-ant, apart-ment, hunt-in’ and fish-in’, etc., older Vermonters tend to avoid unnecessary syllables, favoring the terser elision. Can you match the...
When is a Tool a Device and When is it the Buyer?
I love to work with my hands. I love tools – the simpler the better. The ratio of a tool’s utility to its simplicity defines a tool’s excellence for me....
The Devil Finds Work for Idle Hands
Facing an editorial deadline and desperate for some way to procrastinate, I decided it was the right time to clean out my spam folder. Since my computer deletes all spam...
Winter Driving in Vermont
I was hurt. I always thought of him as my friend. He couldn’t stop laughing long enough to utter a word. Evidently I had said something funny when I called...
Silverbacks in India
About 30 years ago, I was burned out and needed a break from a 50–60-hour work week. I was seeing a young photographer and, out of the blue, asked her...
Our Children – Our Future
This September, Marian Wright Edelman, a lifelong champion of the wellbeing of children and the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, said, “If we don’t stand up for children, then...
Toilet Paper Hoarding
I went to Costco yesterday during geezer hours arriving just as they opened at 8:00 AM and was surprised to find the parking lot 2/3rds full. The entry protocol was...
President Trump alone in bed at night
I miss my mother, Mary. I always knew she loved me, even though she was a hard woman. I loved my father too, but realized when I was little that...
