Quebec City!!! It's beautiful and not too far from the NEK.

Does it have to be a regular sit-down restaurant? If not, my favorite food establishment is Mirabelle's. Consistently great pastries and desserts, some of them mind-blowingly delicious. I go every Saturday.

I'm a warm-weather person and feel much more comfortable when it's not cold and snowy, but it's freaking January, it's supposed to be bitterly cold! Temperatures this warm for this many days in a row are concerning and have some shitty consequences for the local ecosystem. I hope everyone wanted lots and lots of ticks this spring...

Got it! I've read Beowulf and Canterbury Tales this way. It's helpful for comparing Middle English (Canterbury Tales) and modern English - as a native English speaker, I can understand the gist of Middle English, but it's super helpful to have the side by side version for all the different vocab and grammatical structures so you don't always need to be glancing at footnotes or endnotes. I try to just read the Middle English and glance at the translation as needed. As far as Old English (Beowulf), much, much fewer words are understandable to a native English speaker, so I read the modern translation, but it's still really cool to have access to the Old English to get a sense of the sounds and poetic rhythms.

As far as books where the writer uses multiple languages, the best example I can think of is Finnegans Wake. It's nominally written in English but contains a mishmash of other languages to create multilingual wordplay. I've heard you need to understand 4 or 5 languages to really understand it without copious footnotes. Also, a lot of non-French classic novels have a fair amount of French in them because at the time most educated Americans, British, and other Europeans knew it. For instance, War and Peace has a lot of French dialogue.

What do you mean by a bilingual book? Do you mean one that uses multiple languages in the writing, or one that's a side-by-side translation, or just one that's not in your native language? I've read all three, but my answers would change depending on which one you mean.

Worst-case scenario: you start it and don't get through it for some reason. That's it. Nothing bad, you could just set it aside and try it again later. No biggie.

Best-case scenario: you read the whole thing and freaking love it, and you get to feel proud of yourself for tackling something so big after such a long break!

If you're into skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding, or winter hiking, then January is a great time to visit! But if you're not into outdoor activities, then be prepared for lots of cold and not a lot in the way of festivals or other events.

I think this is one of those things that's more about individual preferences. I'm kind of the opposite from you and care more about the writing quality/style than plot. IMO, a really great writer can make any story worth reading for the beauty of their prose or the depth of their message. In contrast, if the plot is great but the prose is awful, I wont read it because it makes me too irritated! To each their own.

None so far. Sure, I have favorites that evoke feelings no other book can, but I don't see why that would ruin all reading. It's possible to like books for different reasons and enjoy books even if they aren't your very favorite! My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but that doesn't mean I don't love plenty of other books as well.

Soups are good one-pot meals that only require a flat cooking surface. My favorite soups to make are Thai curry-style, broccoli cheddar, and good old chicken noodle.

I think you're stressing unnecessarily. Yes, branches can fall off and go through the roof, but the chances are small, and 50mph gusts really aren't that bad. Chances are huge that the worst that will happen is a few smaller branches in the yard.

When I was a kid, we had a particularly snowy winter (maybe the winter of 1993-94?) and I built a big snow cave to hang out in, which was pretty cool. Also, there was an old track through the woods that used to be a rough road up our very long, steep driveway before my family made a new one right next to it, and one year we had snow followed by freezing rain, so the track formed a super hard crust and basically turned into a luge run. Best. Sledding. EVER.

Sadly, the first snow memory that popped into my head for my adult years wasn't as fun: when I was living in MA, we got a couple feet in one storm and I had to wade through the snow to my gas station job and then shovel for hours. Woot.

I loved it!!! Favorite thing I read in 2021. I've always been into long books and historical fiction, and the mood was so vivid and encompassing that I don't think I would have enjoyed reading it in winter because I would have been cold! It also made me really, really happy I have access to vitamin C. 🤣

Skiing, skiing, and more skiing!

Do you have a favorite so far?

Lord of the Flies, although books with child characters might be cheating.

I buy books for mad cheap at library book sales. Best of both worlds! About 60% of my reading material lately has been through library sales.

I don't know if I'd call it positive, though. Typical romances aren't usually supposed to be massive tearjerkers.

Some trails near Waterbury that I've heard good things about are Perry Hill and Stowe Pinnacle. There's also Camels Hump if you're up for something bigger, but it would definitely take more time, possibly be wet, and definitely chilly.

No hiking yet? It's not a true Vermont trip without some kind of walking/hiking trail.

I got one too. What a sad fucking waste of paper.

He has an interesting platform and I agree with a lot of it (not all), but I agree with a much higher percentage of Balint's platform. I like the other comment that said he would make a good addition to her team.

As others have said, not really worth it for groceries, but don't let that stop you from visiting Canada for other reasons! It's so nice to get out of the country once in a while and see things from a (slightly) different perspective, and Montreal and Quebec City are awesome. You do need a passport or passport card.

It doesn't have a chapel, but my cousin had a winter wedding at West Hill House B&B in Warren, and the whole thing was lovely.