Category Archives: rural

Obey the Sign

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i'd tap that shoe oddity biggerMy own weird example of asking for (and receiving) a sign is how I landed in L.A.  I had abandoned NYC after 1 too many psychotic boss & boyfriend let-downs and was living in VT. The ponies! The lakes! But I was fraternizing/knitting with people twice my age. Knowing I could relocate back to VT, a retirement/casket state, I asked the Forces one day while driving: “Forces, where should I move?”

Exactly then, the Killington radio station WEBK (The Peak) played Randy Newman’s I Love L.A.  [Who would spin that song at a New England ski resort — DJ Jungle Jane?]  I laffed. I left.  “I got it; I’m gone.”

While snowshoeing today, a cloud formation looked suspiciously like the I’d Tap That t-shirt maple tree. Clearly it means I should tap that.

Obey the sign, even if you didn’t ask for it.

I’d Tap That

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i'd tap that - redIf you love innuendo ~ and I know you do ~ behold my favorite t-shirt on Earth.  A male friend says this in public to rankle me, so I dig that their ads show chicks wearing it.

I kick myself daily for not buying one at the Tunbridge World’s Fair. Happily, Independent Vermont Clothing has restocked so I can order online…just in time for spring skiing, the only kind of skiing I do. Why else I need this shirt*: the colors, gr8 cotton, price, made by actual Vermonters weary of the same old krep you see at every tourist stop…plus, it’s sugaring season!

Stuff: hand printed in VT.  Motto: “Spreading Vermont Pride, Worldwide.” Ethic: when Hurricane Irene hit, they designed a shirt and sent all the proceeds ($26K+) to the VT Red Cross. I don’t know them. But I lerv them.

*or hooded sweatsi'd tap that long-sleeve blondehirt made of heavy sweatshirt fabric I personally wouldn’t call a “hoodie”, one of my favorite words to hate, ever.

@indievtclothing

If This Doesn’t Blow Your Mind Wide Open ~

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sarah kay~ whether you like photography, metaphysics, New York City in the snow, non-combative spoken-word poetry, young people with insane talent, or Ted Talks ~ if this piece by Sarah Kay doesn’t blow your mind wide open, you are already dead.

And I say that with utmost respect, from the sticks, well on my own way to Kepler 22-b.

Vermonters Don’t Wear Bikinis**

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Silver Lake SP in snow

*Today’s post is brought to you by the letter “S”.

As a modern Vermonter, you know that for the real snow, you’ll have to move to New York, Baltimore, or DC…Hell, even Fairfield. Welcome to the New Climate. So after a good dumping here, you’d better git out and play ~ whether that’s shoveling, snowman building, skiing, snowboarding, or shoeing.*

This is the entrance to the Silver Lake State Park. Hard to imagine that in a few months we’ll be there in our bikinis. Oh, wait…**

Jack Frost Nipping at Your…

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frost largerRegardless of what part he’s nipping, nibbling, or gnawing at, we’ve had just about enough of it. Enter cabin fever.

Disclaimer: The above link will not take you to a Wikipedia discourse on the history of cabin fever, a term first recorded in 1918, but to the IMDb coverage of a 2002 movie by this name about five 20-somethings in a cabin in the woods who “fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.”

Given a choice, I’d go virus. But I just don’t think I’m going to see this fine work, much as I like the poster.

Ice Fishing in Vermont in 30 mph Winds

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ice fishermanI asked this congenial nutter why he was ice fishing in 30 MPH winds. The answer? Power out at home. Due to 30 MPH winds. Gone fishin’.

Below is your typical Vermont ice hut. They come on wheels or skis, for hauling. Tempura batter recipe for fish here.

The point is you’re fishing, and drinking, inside. ice hutMan is resourceful.

While You Were Making 7-Layer Dip for Sooperbowl

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mouse truckin' thru snow

Click to see sparkles.

…I was out snowshoeing in a world of sparkles. Photo doesn’t do the sparkles justice, but it does show how Mousy-mouse made his way thru the snow.

Here you can see where he thought, mouse about face in snow“Going this way, going this way…nahhhhh, that’s no good; gonna go this way.”

It only sparkles when it’s bloody cold out. I want your dip.

The Call of the Wild

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Hoping little Jack London grows into those ears.

…is apparently not that strong. A new wave of mice moving indoors has set the Freedom Chronicles back in motion.

Only these guys don’t want to leave their Tomkat “Live Catch” Torture Box once in the wild. Stockholm Syndrome? Too chilly out? Who knows. Never try to get into the head of a mouse.

Snow Falling Off Cedars

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shoeing at the 3SI

The X-country trails are much wider than this snowshoe trail.

In Vermont, we make hay while the sun shines and make tracks when the snow falls. In between, we get indoorsy.

Find places for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing here and especially here. The charming Three Stallion Inn, located in cozy Randolph (the geographic center of Vermont), is where I took this photo today. The only sound was snow falling off cedars and the birds. They have a nice Valentine’s weekend package and it’s quite near I-89; use of their densely wooded, hilly, underpopulated trails is included. I recommend also the ski touring center at the Woodstock Inn, which will run you more but has a gym, indoor pool, and hot tub. It is more of a hike off the interstate, 30 minutes from Killington. There is a cool-looking concert that Saturday night in Randolph’s Chandler Music Hall, favored by musicians of all stripes including “fiddlers” Natalie MacMaster and Midori.

Not Winning Any Beauty Contests

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snowman - VT giantBut every snowman deserves his due.

What’s noteworthy is that this was made quietly by a muscled young man, by himself, on a Sunday afternoon, for no seeming purpose other than itself.

And to think he could be inside, Gaming in a darkened hole.