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May 2026 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

May has been a wet month with wide temperature swings.  Measured 4.57 inches of rain compared to the NOAA normal of 3.64 inches.  May has been the  first month this year with above average precip.  Measurable rain on 14 of 31 days.  Year to date my total is 15.36″ compared to the normal of 17.61″ or 87% of the average.

I don’t keep temperature records but there have been days well above 90° and the last day of May (yesterday) wearing a jacket with a little heat turned on.  The month of June is normally the second wettest month of the year with an average of 4.52″.  Shall see.  All numbers are from my location in the S.E. corner of Brattleboro and do vary place to place.

Jefferson’s Wisdom

by RDavis | Activism

Every day we wake up to yet another action by a severely mentally ill president and feel helpless to do anything. The frustration has been building for a long time, and it is causing a type of anxiety never before experienced by people all over the world.

Not enough people in this country, or around the world, are willing to do what it will take to bring him down, so we all continue to suffer and watch as the entire world becomes more and more unstable. Not exactly news, but the frustration level is so high that people are forced to figure out how to preserve their sanity.

Protests make people feel like they have some control, but they do not have enough of an impact on the course of events. In other countries, when a leader becomes an out-of-control dictator, the people rise up and rebel. There are a number of places in the world where civil war has raged off and on for a long time.

Remembering Catrina Nuite

by IsaacEF | Obituaries

Catrina “Trina” Lynn (Brown) Nuite, 62, of Brattleboro, passed away May 16, 2026 in Keene, NH, surrounded by her children.

Catrina was born on August 14, 1963 in Rumford, Maine, to Ross Boothby Brown and Sandra Lee (Spaulding) Kelleher. She moved to Brattleboro, VT for educational opportunities for her children.

She took on life with persistence, courage, humor, determination and grace. These qualities shined through as she navigated single parenting, higher education and her health.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen this Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello Food Lovers,

On the menu at Leda’s Kitchen this week:

Railways Chicken Curry: Free-range chicken cooked in a tomato-onion gravy fragrant with cinnamon, fennel seeds, and other spices.

Chana Masala: Highly flavored chickpeas cooked in a rich onion-tomato gravy with lots of ginger and garlic. Comes with fun toppings: tangy sweet tamarind chutney, yogurt, and sev (crunchy chickpea cereal).

New Frontiers

by RDavis | Living

When I was 35 I decided I wanted to begin a serious relationship with a clarinet I had played very little, and poorly, until then. It was a struggle, and much of that struggle had to do with my age. It became clear that even at 35 my brain was not as sharp as an early learner would be at 10 or 11 years old. After eight years of lessons and daily practice I had established a solid foundation that helped me for the 41 years that followed.

Music has not been the only challenge as I age. One of the realities of aging is that your body often lets you know how old you are. You do the best you can to keep it functional without too many problems. Some days are easier than others. My motto has always been, “Keep moving”. Simple and wise advice.

I have been thinking about the two simultaneous paths that our lives take. Our bodies take us on one path ,and our minds take us on another. Some people might think that this is a false dichotomy and that you can’t separate the two. There is some truth to that. Nothing is black and white.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen this Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello food lovers,

On the menu at Leda’s Kitchen this week (click the link below for the full menu, pricing, and an opportunity to subscribe to my newsletter to never miss a week):

Andhara-Style Chicken Curry: Free-range chicken marinated in lemon and chili powder, then simmered in a slightly creamy, slightly spicy sauce made from tomatoes, cashews, coconut, and aromatic spices including cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.

Creamy Mushroom and Chickpea Curry: Roasted mushrooms and chickpeas in a creamy cashew and tomato based curry.

Saag Paneer & Butter Chicken on the Menu at Leda’s Kitchen this Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello food lovers,

On the menu this week is my top seller, Saag Paneer, and Butter Chicken makes its debut at Leda’s Kitchen. My versions of these well-known restaurant menu items are made from scratch: I cook up 24 pounds of spinach and make paneer from 16 gallons of local milk to yield 100+ cups of Saag Paneer. My Butter Chicken is made with local cream and milk and free-range chicken. Most important, I cook these and all my dishes from my heart. Mexican Pork Chili Colorado, a deeply flavored and colored yet mild pork stew for flavor lovers who avoid spicy food, is also on the menu. I do not post on this platform every week, so the best way to keep in the loop is to subscribe to my mailing list. Click on the link to do so and to see this week’s full menu.

The Cost of War

by RDavis | Activism

The war in Iran is merely an expression of the deranged ego of the United States President. There may never be such a thing as a good or justified war, but the military action in Iran makes no sense from a military, economic or political perspective. Then there is the obscene amount of money that this country is spending to do something that very few people believe should even be happening.

The U.S. has spent $51 billion in the first 28 days of the Iran war. Where is this money coming from and how will this ridiculous spending affect other government programs? According to the Institute for Policy Studies, “Daily operations in and around Iran for these major military systems are costing taxpayers an estimated $59.39 million per day. That $59.39 million a day could instead cover the daily costs of Medicaid for more than four million Americans, or SNAP (food stamps) for more than 9.5 million Americans. Both programs were subject to significant cuts under last year’s H.R. 1, with millions of Americans at risk of going hungry and without healthcare as a result.”

April 2026 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

April ended a little drier than average and with large temperature swings. My rain gauge recorded 3.30 inches compared to the NOAA normal of 3.85″.  Measurable precip on 15 of 30 days but most were small amounts. Year to date my number is 10.79″ compared to the norm of 13.97″, and Water year to date (the past 7 months) the total is 21.49″, more than  5″ below the average of 26.57″.

There was snow in April (2.5″) but all melted within a few hours of falling.  Season total of 57.4″ compared to my moving average of 62.4″.  A couple of mid eighty degree days in mid month brought fiddleheads out early.  I picked some then we had a couple of 20° nights and some froze and fell over.  Same with  a few early asparagus stalks in my garden.  Just started harvesting asparagus 2 days ago.  Put the hummingbird feeder up yesterday so I am ready when they show.

Taking Solace Series: After Death Care and Green Burial – May 6

by CenterforSolace | Questions & Answers

Please join Center for Solace staff on Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 pm in the upstairs Community Room at Brooks Memorial Library.

Learn about safe & legal options for caring for a loved one after their death, and local, accessible ways to access green burial. Topics will include: What is after death care and who can do it? What are the benefits and challenges? How can I plan ahead? What is green burial and how do I access it?

International Face Painting

by ann.newsmith | Family

Au pairs from Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic will be offering free face painting for kids at Brattleboro Gallery Walk on Friday, May 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Ann Newsmith, local coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair, will also be available to talk with parents about the benefits of hosting an au pair and the process of applying.

Cultural Care is the largest au pair organization in the U.S. and works through a local representative in southern Vermont to help families assess whether the program is a good fit and to assist in matching families with just the right au pair. Families provide room, board, and a welcoming environment to a young person from another country in exchange for flexible, live-in childcare. Not only convenient, hosting an au pair is often more cost-effective for families with multiple children, compared to daycare or a nanny.

Free Trees for Brattleboro Residents

by oakgeorgia | Home & Garden

Free trees for Brattleboro residents, through Community Canopy, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation. Four species are available: flowering dogwood, red maple, red oak and river birch.

Residents can reserve up to two free trees at vtcommunityforestry.org/trees.

The online sign-up process guides participants to the best locations to plant trees. Residents can also sign-up by phone by calling the Arbor Day Foundation at 855-234-3801.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen

by LedaS | Food

Hello Food Lovers,

It is a dream come true to cook the food I love and to share it with you. Thank you, fellow flavor seekers.

This week’s menu includes Ghee Masala Chicken (Dede C. called it “the best thing I’ve ever eaten”), Palak Rajma (Kidney Bean & Greens Curry), and Austrian-Style Pork Stew. Click the link below to see the full menu, place an order, and/or subscribe to my newsletter if you wish. I don’t post every week’s menu here, so the mailing list is the best place to stay connected.