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On a cold and gloomy afternoon last late November—before the sun had set and the first ice storm hit — I took one last swig from my cold coffee and got right down to work. Pulling on …
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James Loney
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3/28/25
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After living through the tumults of the past few weeks, what a relief it is to live in a place like Bethel, New York. County people hold strong opinions about this and that. In the end, though, we …
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James Loney
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11/15/24
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No two ways about it, folks. These last days of summer glow with a kind of halo both real and imaginary. This summer, whose long days of sunshine easily outspent other recent rainy summers, spread a …
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James Loney
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8/30/24
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Several weeks have passed since I was last able and inclined to sit down and pen another “Smallwoodian” column for the Sullivan County Democrat. As many of you know, I own and run the …
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James Loney
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8/2/24
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Now is the time of warm summer nights: of frogs in the headlights, fireflies in the ferns, of near-full moons and breakfasts on the patio as the sun rides up over yon line of dark hemlocks. The early …
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James Loney
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6/25/24
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One of the glories of Sullivan County in June is that everything, everywhere is rioting in green or, if not yet green, is ablaze with bloom. Drive down Creamery Road or stroll around Mountain Lake …
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6/7/24
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We stand once again on the cusp of another Memorial Day long weekend. Driving over to Middletown last Wednesday, the traffic on 17 was heavy, Sullivan-inbound. The winter was cold and very wet; every …
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James Loney
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5/24/24
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Maybe it was the low rumbling of the Town of Bethel’s sweeper and paving trucks bouncing down my street this week or maybe it was a result of having been seriously ill all winter: I’m not …
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James Loney
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4/26/24
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The glorious sun-splashed weekend which led up to our partial eclipse this past Monday was of course but a feint of hand by the fickle weather god. Damp and cold have returned and it’s back to …
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James Loney
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4/12/24
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A March thaw is upon us and the question now really becomes: has the Snow Man departed these parts for good or is this thaw some kind of cruel joke played on us by a smirking Father Winter holed up …
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James Loney
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3/15/24
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One of the prime pleasures of reading the “Sullivan County Democrat“ is this paper’s utterly lovely, abiding, and seemingly peculiar devotion to our County’s past. I write …
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James Loney
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1/12/24
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One year ago I took my annual vacation and flew off to Berlin, Germany. This year I decided to head north to visit “my Home and Native Land,” Canada, where my entire family (excepting me, …
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James Loney
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11/10/23
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In just a few days, we go into our final quarter of 2023, the year’s final ninety days. Of course, at the end of each year, people ask themselves whether they have had a good year of it, how it …
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James Loney
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9/29/23
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In my experience, the week after a long weekend is a particularly quiet one around here. City folk have departed. They are busy settling kids into school. Sullivan locals are looking for the best …
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James Loney
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9/15/23
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If you read this newspaper and if you are a reader of this column, you will have noticed that I haven’t been contributing as much lately to the Sullivan County Democrat. As most readers …
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James Loney
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8/4/23
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The poisonous pall that drew its oddly beautiful tawny surplice over our heads last week has slipped back to the North this week leaving cleaner, moister air settling in over Mongaup Valley and …
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James Loney
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6/16/23
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In all but name, the Summer of 2023 has arrived. Beer and bags of ice are selling briskly; by late morning motor traffic is heavy on 17B and a line of cars builds quickly whenever a light turns red. …
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James Loney
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5/26/23
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Surely, you, too, Reader, have noticed that this spring’s foliage in Sullivan County has been a kaleidoscope of color, almost as fantastical as the foliage of fall. Right now as you buzz down …
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James Loney
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5/12/23
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Our April days have warmed and lengthened beautifully now to the point that you, Reader, can sometimes sit with a book on your lap or read this newspaper outside until almost 8:00 PM without a lamp. …
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James Loney
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4/21/23
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