⚲  Open Saturdays 1–3 p.m. · 3216 Main Street, Cabot, Vermont Contact Us
Established for the People of Cabot

Cabot Historical Society

Preserving the history of Cabot, Vermont · Founded 1965

The Cabot Chronicle

October 2012 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the October 2012 pages (PDF)

Text extracted from the original pages and checked for reading order. Advertisements, listings, the calendar and puzzles are omitted. Where part of a story could not be converted cleanly, it is marked and the full story is in the PDF.

In This Issue

Vermont’s Newest Brewery Is In Cabot

An open house in early September celebrated the first release of beer produced in a very small scale “nanobrewery” in a garage in Cabot, which focuses on bringing the wide range of quality flavors available from dark ales. Although technically not yet open, all licenses have been secured. Located at 2211 U.S. Route 2 in Cabot, Ricky McLain is the proprietor, and hasn’t given up his day job, yet. He’s most likely to be available weeknights and weekends to welcome visitors to the brewery, and plans to attend local farmers markets to sell the beer. He offers Growlers (64 ounce glass containers) of beer, and you can buy one of theirs or bring your own. The growler fills are $10, and an empty growler is $5. Ricky is planning a bulletin board at the brewery for other local businesses to use for free advertising—he wants to encourage as much local buying as possible. To take advantage of his advertising offer, see the brewery and buy some beer, it might be a good idea to check before you go. His phone number is 802- 249-4092, and his email address is [email protected].

↑ contents

Headwaters Garden & Learning Center

Little House on the grounds of the Headwaters Garden and Learning Center.

By Ben Hewitt

From the junction of Headwaters Lane and Danville Hill Road, barely a half-mile from Cabot’s Main Street, there’s little indication that one of Vermont’s most progressive communities is taking root on this mostly-wooded hillside. It’s called Headwaters Garden and Learning Center, and once the vision of founder Gwendolyn Hallsmith is fully realized, it will encompass eight housing units perched on 14 acres of common land, each owned and occupied by residents living a low-impact life amongst a tightly knit community of like-minded friends and neighbors. If all this is rather, well, communal, resident Cyrus Pond agrees. Communal, yes; “commune,” no. “This is all about living in a rural community with like-minded people consciously making an effort to step outside the box. Not in a trippy-hippie way, but in practical ways,” says Pond, a 33-year old hardwood flooring installer. “Really, we’re just average blue collar people.” Well, yes, but if so, average blue collar people that inhabit 500-square foot homes that can be heated through a long Vermont winter on only a cord of wood, as does Pond. Or like Matt and Christyn King, who, along with threeyear-old daughter Sage, live in a recently-constructed circular house with foot-thick insulation in the ceiling and walls, a water heating loop through their wood stove, and a floor that is made of clay, sand, and horse manure (the enzymes in the manure act as a binding agent). Like Pond and founder Hallsmith, who currently lives in Montpelier, where she serves as Director of Planning and Community Development, the Kings endeavor to live close to nature and on a low-energy budget. They grow a good portion of their own food in the copious Headwaters community garden, and they appreciate the opportunity to reside in close proximity to people with similar values. “When we first started looking into this, we were thinking of doing more of a homesteader thing by ourselves,” says Matt King, who moved with his family from Oregon to be part of Headwaters. “But the more we considered it, the more it felt isolating and daunting. Here, we can share the work and share tools.” Cyrus Pond agrees. “Like most people, I’ve got a job that keeps me pretty busy. By myself, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish a fraction of what we’ve been able to do together.” Thus far, two of the home sites have been established (there are a total of seven official home sites, plus a model “tiny house” that is available for shortterm rental and guests); five remain on the market. According to Hallsmith, interest has been considerable, in part because a key Headwaters tenet is affordability. “A lot of intentional communities are out of the reach of average people,” she says, noting that other communities often charge upwards of $100,000 for a bare house lot. “We have a real commitment to affordability.” A lot at Headwaters, which includes water and sewer hookups at the road, along with power to the site, costs $30,000. It includes the footprint of the house, plus a 25-foot circumference (See page 2, Headwaters Garden)

Classifieds:

Calendar:

↑ contents

From page 1

The Cabot School Board will hold a meeting on Wednesday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m. to inform interested community members of the findings of a recent assessment of the school's physical plant. If you are interested in learning about the condition of the school's various buildings, please attend this meeting in the Cabot School library. If you have questions, please call Chris Tormey at 563-2842.

↑ contents

As American As Apple Pie?

By Todd Parlo

The term “as American as Apple Pie” arose in the 1940’s, defining a certain wholesomeness and hominess that surrounded the classic American family. It conjured visions of Thanksgiving dinners and character filled diners serving pies with cream after a handcrafted meatloaf dinner. Then came the modern age of food in America. Never has something defined its culture so perfectly, and then defied it so completely. Processed in a chemical stew and pre-packaged in little boxes with plastic windows sits our symbol of America. There is little in this age that escapes the hunger for immediacy, and for the ordinary. There is an oft quoted statistic that 14,000 apple varieties were available (trees for sale) in U.S. nurseries around the year 1900. We have collectively whittled that down to a tiny fraction today. Why is such a large variety of apple trees important? To preserve genetic diversity, promote the cultural importance of each fruit, or maybe it is simply to be able to make the best apple pie. Whose pie gets the vote for the best pie you’ve tasted? Grandpa’s? Aunt Arlene’s? Those pies tasted like no others. The fruit was likely an heirloom variety that they cherished as children. The apples came from the tree you kids climbed when you came to visit. The fruit and the pie were personal, individual and special. You didn’t just have a slice of pie you had an experience and created a memory. Remember? So, with a recipe for apple pie, let’s slow things down…

Plant a few apple trees Have your neighbors do the same Wait several years (no need to stand there the whole time, go about your business) Harvest hundreds of apple varieties with your neighbors and choose your favorites Slice apples, bury them in two blankets of butter or lard slathered crusts Eat, with complete self righteousness and self satisfaction To the point. There are apples that taste like cherries, like bananas, like licorice. Varieties that stand up or ones that get creamy. Cultivars 500 years old or born last year. Seek out this diversity and cook it slow, by planting a tree for yourself, your culture, and future generations. When it is ready, eat what it produces with your family and friends, and for goodness sake, take your time.

Todd Parlo and his family run Walden Heights Nursery in Walden.

↑ contents

√ YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO ASSISTANCE

• Bring the person of YOUR CHOICE into the voting booth with you to help you vote. (Not your employer or union representative.)

• You can get help marking the ballot. Ask an election official for assistance.

• Two election officials will help you.

• (No one can tell you how to vote!)

• Bring a magnifying glass or other device to help you vote.

• If you are disabled or ill, you may ask the election officials to bring a ballot out to your car

• Bring a list of candidates into the voting booth to help you vote.

• (You may not show your list to other voters or leave it in the booth.)

↑ contents

√ YOU CAN VOTE EARLY OR VOTE FROM HOME

• You can vote at the town clerk’s office or take a ballot home to vote anytime 30 days before the election.

• Call the town clerk or sign a request form and the clerk will send you a ballot by mail.

↑ contents

OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT NOVEMBER 6, 2012

To vote for a person whose name is printed on the ballot, mark a cross (X) in the square at the right of the person's name. To vote for a person whose name is not printed on the ballot, write his or her name in the blank space provided for that purpose.

↑ contents

√ YOU CAN GET A NEW BALLOT IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE

• If you give your first ballot to an election official you can get another ballot to vote.

• You can get up to three ballots.

↑ contents

√ YOUR BALLOT IS PRIVATE

• No one has the right to see how you voted or to ask you how you voted. Cast your ballot by either folding and placing your ballot in the ballot box or by inserting your ballot into the voting machine.

↑ contents

√ PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS

• Election officials are here to help you understand how to vote. They cannot help you decide who to vote for and they may not tell you candidate names or party designations

• If you are not sure that you are being properly assisted, ask to speak to the presiding officer.

For more information please call the

Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-VOTE (8683) or email derossman@sec. state.vt.us.

↑ contents

Haunted Cabot: The River Boy

By Todd Jones Some communities are the last places you would expect to be the settings for stories of the paranormal. However, every town, no matter how serene, picturesque or quaint, holds its own set of unexplained phenomenon. Our own little Cabot is no exception. “The Danville Hill Ghost” is a gossamer woman who may be seen on certain nights at the old Main Street with a knife sticking out of her chest. “Little Feet” are small, photophobic creatures with voracious appetites that are reported to live in the woods of Cabot. “The Doctor, The Nanny and the Child?” involves a doctor who hires a nanny to raise his child, but the child is not what he appears to be. And “The Wailing Sisters” are the ghosts of two crying sisters whose mournful wailing is said to drive those who hear them to suicide. Finally, here we present another legend that worms its way through Cabot. For those of you who have not heard the tale, it begins with a warning.

“If you’re out behind *Butters, on a cold stormy night, and you hear a boy calling who’s just out of sight, Don’t go to the river to seek the boy’s call For the child you’ll find is no child at all.” (*This part of the legend appears to be centered around what is currently Butters restaurant formerly Goldie’s and at one point an inn.)

It was a different time, prior to the invention of cell phones, computers or even television - kids had to come up with their own forms of entertainment. In Cabot, one of the most favored activities during a hot summer afternoon was to take a dip in the river. This continues to be a favorite activity in Cabot to this day. So was the case for the Jonah brothers (No, not the Jonas brothers!). Little William and his older brother Noah were inseparable. They could be seen nearly every day in town and had a reputation of being extremely helpful; carrying messages for townsfolk (there were no phones yet), delivering groceries to older town residents, etc. The boys spent a great deal of time in town to avoid being at home. Home was not always the most pleasant place for them. Their father, a salesman, was away much of the time, leaving his young wife to care for their two sons. As much as the mother doted on William, she held nothing but contempt for the older brother, Noah. Noah would often be blamed for everything, from ‘coons getting into the chicken house to milk spoiling. Noah did his best to cover the bruises and scrapes that he got from his mother, but everyone in town knew what was going on. One cloudy autumn afternoon, the mother discovered chickens roaming the yard, and immediately started screaming for Noah. Hearing the rage in their mother’s voice, Noah sent his brother to the river, where they often played, and told him that he would be down soon. William made his brother promise that he would come. Noah agreed, and hurriedly sent his brother away. Their mother immediately sought out Noah, who was waiting in the kitchen. Before even uttering a word, she struck the boy, as she had done many times before. Noah reeled from the blow, his head struck the corner of the counter, and he fell to the floor. His mother screamed at him about the chickens, but Noah didn’t move. After continuing to berate him for several more minutes, the mother came to the cold realization of what had happened. Meanwhile, William remained at the riverbank. As the clouds grew darker and the wind stronger, William maintained his vigil, assured that his beloved brother would soon arrive. As the rain continued to fall, William remained, calling for his brother. Following the storm, William’s body was discovered far down river, near what is now known as Butters Restaurant, and Noah’s body was discovered by his father at home. As the legend goes, on cold, stormy nights, especially in the fall, you can hear the river boy calling for his brother. It is said that, if you go to the river boy and he discovers you are not Noah, you will never find your way back to the land of the living. So, whatever happened to Noah’s promise? It is also rumored that on those same nights, on the back roads of Cabot, you may find a wandering youth. If confronted, he will not answer, but will instead fade from sight.

↑ contents

The Ghost Tree

By Joe Rankin When we bought the old farm two decades ago, the Ghost Tree came with it. He was an old sugar maple with a knothole face, tears in the trunk and branch stubs. He looks like one of the Ents, the walking trees in the Lord of the Rings movies. The Ghost Tree stands at the edge of an old pasture, inside a stone wall. Both sides of the road and driveway and adjacent stone walls were once lined with his kin, probably planted at the same time in the decades before the Civil War. It must have looked impressive. Today, fewer than a dozen of these mighty maples are left. Every few years we have to turn one into firewood. We decided early on to leave the Ghost Tree alone. Massive as he was, there wasn't a heck of a lot of good firewood there. He didn't pose a danger to buildings or utility lines. His hollow trunk was home to many creatures. And he was beautiful, despite the decay. There are lessons here in impermanence and equanimity; also, a firsthand look at how trees decay. Kevin Smith, a scientist with the US Forest Service's Northern Research Station in Durham, New Hampshire, told me that it can take a huge sugar maple like the Ghost Tree 60 to 80 years to decompose, from the time it really starts to go downhill until it's a pile of humus. Smith was a student of Alex Shigo, an eminent forest pathologist who developed the “expanded concept” of tree decay: that trees react to injury and decay by walling it off, or compartmentalizing it. Humans repair injuries: bones knit, cuts heal, skin regrows. Trees, faced with a broken branch or a scrape, use chemicals to wall off the injury. Then the tree's outer living tissues grow around it. While the forest often seems peaceful and quiet to us, it can be less idyllic for a tree. High winds, ice storms, gnawing animals, woodpeckers, insects, people with heavy machinery. Rare indeed is the tree that doesn't start collecting injuries as a sapling. Some species, like aspens and birch, are poor compartmentalizers and thus don't tend to live very long. Others, like sugar maples, osage oranges, and giant sequoias “invest a lot in chemicals to resist decay,” said Smith. “But part of the beauty of nature is that eventually some fungus or a group of fungi will be able to break the defenses down.” An unseen cloud of micro-organisms and fungal spores swirls around every tree in the forest, waiting for their moment. First on the scene of a wound are non-decay organisms hungry for sugars in exposed sap. They're followed by bacteria and wood decay fungi armed with special enzymes to break down cell walls to get at the locked-up carbohydrates. Decay can involve many types of microorganisms. Some work at the same time, some follow one another. Some are specific to particular species, others are generalists. They're often aided by insects, animals, or birds. At some point, the tree can't summon enough energy to take care of the living tissues it's responsible for, and an inexorable decline begins. The Ghost Tree has definitely deteriorated in the 20 years since we became part of the scenery. When we first made his acquaintance, he had no top, but did have a couple of living limbs – each perhaps 18 inches or more through – that jutted out from the trunk then up, and looked like arms. Combined with his “face,” he looked like he was perpetually startled by something he saw coming down the road. One arm dropped off a few years ago and the other is now dead. More of the top part of his massive trunk has disappeared. He is only a shell of his former self. The only green he wears is a toga of Virginia creeper. He’s no longer a living tree, since he has no leaves to process sunlight into energy. But he's alive in another sense, Smith told me. “If you count all the fungi, bacteria, and insects, and birds, and whatever else uses a dead standing snag, you’ll find that there's more life associated with a dead tree than there is with a sound, healthy, living tree.” Joe Rankin is a former newspaper reporter who lives in Central Maine, where he writes on forestry topics, keeps 70 hives of bees, does market gardening, and walks his dogs in his 70-acre woodlot. The illustration for this column was drawn by Adelaide Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands and reprinted with permission.

↑ contents

Hardware Store Not Ready To Reopen

On August 15, Harry’s Hardware Store changed hands from Julie and Walter Ackermann to David Spooner. David Spooner is the owner of Spooner Specialties, a full-service shop for woodworking tools and accessories, from glue to air purifiers, for hobbyist to industrial applications. Located on Route 2 (River Street) in Montpelier, it is run by David and his son Lowen. They sell stationary machines, new and used, hand tools, and saw blades. The brands they carry include Festool, Porter & Cable, Powermatic, Delta, and Bosch. Asked about plans for Harry’s Hardware Store on Main Street, Cabot, the Spooners explained they are still in the planning stages. This is the busy season at the Montpelier shop, and a closing date is pending financing. There is still a lot of work to do before they are ready to announce plans for Cabot. Having grown up in Marshfield and Cabot, David Spooner is familiar with the area and this particular store, and knowledgeable about the hardware industry. The Spooners’ love for the tool business shines through, and they are looking forward to developing a Cabot base. They promised to share their plans as soon as possible, so stay tuned.

↑ contents

From page 5

The Cabot Commons offers beautiful apartments for seniors, located at 36 Glinka Road, just a short walk from the Village Main Street. The Commons is comprised of, six one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units. Completed in 2005, these handicapped-accessible units aim to give Cabot residents, former long-term residents or anyone interested in smalltown living, an opportunity to continue to live in a home of their own in Cabot during their senior years. The rent includes electricity, heat, hot water, trash and snow removal and 24-hour emergency maintenance service. For more information contact the Central Vermont Land Trust (802)476-4493 or http://www.cvclt.org/apartments/cabot-apartments/

↑ contents

Doctor Joins Hardwick Chiropractic

Hardwick Chiropractic is pleased to announce that Dr. Allison Bogan has joined the practice. Dr. Bogan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Life Chiropractic College West in California. As the recipient of the Life Chiropractic College Clinical Excellence Award, Dr. Bogan offers heartfelt insight and sincere dedication to helping people figure out the source of their body's symptoms and find effective ways of regaining their health. She is currently accepting new patients at Hardwick Chiropractic. With Dr. Bogan’s advanced training in Bio-Geometric Integration (BGI), she assists people in finding and feeling a greater freedom in their bodies, and thus finding greater health and flexibility in their lives. Hardwick Chiropractic’s founder, Dr. Grace Johnstone, shares, “Allison's background in BGI and Network chiropractic make her a perfect fit for our office. We have been working together for several weeks now, and she has been very well received by our established patients.” Dr. Bogan believes optimum health and vitality in both body and mind are achievable for everyone at any age. Dr. Johnstone founded Hardwick Chiropractic 19 years ago. Presently, the practice serves patients mostly from central and northern Vermont and northern New Hampshire. Doctors at Hardwick Chiropractic use a gentle, low velocity approach called Bio-Geometric Integration. Learn more at www.Hard wickChiropractic.com or call 472-3033 to schedule a visit.

↑ contents

Plainfield Health Center Expansion

On September 17th, Senator Bernie Sanders participated in a dedication ceremony for a $1.2 million expansion of the Plainfield Health Center. "As chairman of the subcommittee on primary health care, I am proud that we have helped lead the fight for more than double funding for community health centers to address the primary health crisis in Vermont and America," Sanders said. Sanders secured $12.5 billion in the Affordable Care Act to expand health centers across the country, deploy more doctors, dentists and other health care professionals in underserved areas and double, to 40 million, the number of patients who have access to affordable primary care, dental care, mental health counseling and low-cost prescription drugs. The Health Center of Plainfield was awarded $988,700 in federal funds to cover most of the $1.2 million construction project. A new building expanded the center's mental health practice from three to seven offices. The federal money also helped build a garage for a mobile dental unit which serves patients in Plainfield and four other community health centers in Vermont. In the past decade, Vermont has gone from having two Federally Qualified Health Centers to eight, including 47 sites where more than 120,000 Vermonters get primary health care, dental care, mental health counseling and lowcost prescription drugs. Nearly one in five Vermonters now get primary care from a community health center. Vermont ranks second only to West Virginia in the share of the states' populations cared for at health centers. Open to everyone, the centers provide high-quality, cost-effective care to patients regardless of their ability to pay, whether they are covered by Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, or no insurance. Payments are on a sliding scale, so people with low or moderate incomes can afford the services.

↑ contents

Loyal Citizens

By Bill Cobb

Subducting, like the Earth’s crust with far wider devastation the floor of life’s promise has been slid out from under our feet. Loyally have we answered every call for dues or service. Not perfectly, but honestly and simply we’ve tried to construct balanced lives of work, hope and prayer. Imperceptibly at first now in feeding frenzy the trolls, who live under the bridges of our decency, Have chosen to ignore our foundational bargain of fairness, honesty and transparency leveraging, cranking, sliding the floor, our founding communal compact into the insatiable fires of debilitating debt. Momentarily warming themselves around the burned up lives and dreams of those who’d given them the freedom to deceive, while we now huddle under the rusting bridges of their Godlessness, greed and arrogance.

↑ contents

VOTING DEADLINES October 31 (Wednesday)

Last day, until 5:00 p.m., to apply for addition to the checklist in order to vote in the general election. Town Clerks’ offices must be kept open from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to receive applications (17 V.S.A. § 2144(a)). November 5 (Monday) Voters, family members, authorized persons, or health care providers may request early or absentee ballots until 5:00 p.m. or closing of the town clerk’s office (17 V.S.A. § 2531(a)). Voters unable to vote on Election Day—Tuesday, November 6—for any reason may request an early or absentee ballot. Contact the Town Clerk’s office at 563-2279 or stop in at the Willey Building.

↑ contents

Where in the World is the Chronicle?

Lela Jones and the Chronicle visit our nations capital in Washington D.C., and are seen here in front of the Lincoln Memorial with the reflecting pool and Washington Monument in the background.

↑ contents

Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom Annual Fall Foliage Festival October 1-6, 2012

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1,

Join us for Walden’s Country Fair! Our day begins with registration at 9:00 a.m. at the Walden Methodist Church with coffee and donuts. Enjoy the signs and sounds of country life, the small town friendly atmosphere, and the display of traditional action exhibits, crafts and interacting with a myriad of farm animals, large and small. The folks of Walden will share country music and small home businesses nestled in the wooded hills. A homemade soup and sandwich lunch will sustain you for an afternoon of tours to a dairy farm, horse farm and our rural school, with a little dancing and a snack thrown in. A family-style Barbecue Beef Supper will be served with mashed potatoes, veggies and home baked pies, beginning at 5:30 p.m., $12. For supper reservations call 802-533-7122. For information, contact Judy Clifford, 802-563-2777 (evenings).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, CABOT

Welcome! Coffee Hour begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Cabot School Gym. Make a day touring old school houses, craft shops, the Public Library and Cabot Creamery. Crafts available in the gym from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In the afternoon, enjoy a hayride to a sugarhouse, afternoon musical and play performances, and hike to Nicols Ledge. Corn chowder and chili luncheon (adults $6, children $2.50) at Cabot Church at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. Turkey dinner at 5:00 and 6:15 p.m. (adults $10, children $5) at the Cabot School. Ticket reservations for luncheon and dinner can be made at the same time by calling Rose Bothfeld at 802-563-2715. For details contact Blanche Lamore at 802-563 -2457 or Tara Rogerson at 802-917-2992.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3,

A full day of activities begins with Coffee Hour at 9:00 a.m. and registration at Grace United Methodist Church. Foliage tours available at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Tours telling the history of the Barre granite quarries, see glass blowers at work, taste wine at Grandview Winery, scenic spots and a hike to Owls Head with a bag lunch. Other points of interest will be offered throughout the day. Crafts, baked goods and jewelry will be for sale, along with other items of interest for everyone. Cafeteria-style luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for $5. Entertainment in the afternoon. Barbecued Chicken, Mostaccioli and Baked Bean Supper at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. for $12. For reservations, contact Joanne Martin at 802-454-7301 or Joyce Fowler at 802-454-8306.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4,

Registration and arts and crafts sale 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Peacham Town Hall. Tickets for lunch, ghost WALDEN PLAINFIELD PEACHAM walk and dinner can be picked up. Exhibits at the Blacksmith Shop and Historical House (Homemade treats served). Peacham Library book sale from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Scenic bus tour at 10:15 a.m. $3. Lunch at Peacham Elementary School 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. $6. Northern Skies Observatory open 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ghost walk at 2:00 p.m. $4. Harp music in Church sanctuary 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dinner at church, seatings at 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. (Spaghetti supper – vegetarian and meat sauces, salad, garlic bread, homemade apple crisp with ice cream) adults $10, children $5, under 6 free. Tickets available at door. Coordinators are Marilyn Magnus, 802-592-3320, Sally Goss, 802-563-3113, Sharon Fuehrer, 802-592=3326.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, BARNET

Come to the Barnet Center vestry at 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon for pancake breakfast including Vermont maple syrup and sausage. Arts and crafts will be in the vestry and surrounding grounds all day. Wagon rides starting at the vestry will be given, weather permitting. A bus tour between Ben Thresher’s Mill, the Sunset Alpaca Farm, the Walter Harvey Meeting House and traveling scenic back roads. Arts and crafts are also at the McIndoes Church, with a soup and sandwich lunch served starting at 11:30 a.m. A European Coffee Hour will be from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the West Barnet Church. Enjoy a Ham Dinner at the Barnet Center vestry, starting at 4:00 p.m. and continuing until all are served ($10). For reservations, contact Bob Gibson at 802-633-2242. For information the day of the event, call 802-633-4397.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6,

Join us in Groton for our Festival Day. Start with a Lumberjack Breakfast at the Methodist Church from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. Visit our Library, where there will be a book sale throughout the day. McLure’s Band will perform at the Bandstand at 11:00 a.m. Boy Scout Troop #702 will serve a light lunch at the Food Court. Our Annual Parade starts at 1:30 p.m. Browse in the Peter Paul Historical House anytime during the day. Participate in the Old Fashioned Hymn Sing at the Methodist Church at 8:00 p.m. to close the day. Serving times for our World Famous Chicken Pie Supper at 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets available at $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12. You must make reservations. Contact Peter Lyon at 584- 3020. Takeout reservations are also available. For more details or lodging list, contact Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-639-6379, 802-748-3678 or www.nekchamber.com, or nekinfo@ nekchamber.com.

GROTON

↑ contents

CABOT FIRE DEPARTMENT Emergency Flood Damage Grant

By Walter Bothfeld, Jr., Fire Chief

The Cabot Fire Department received a grant for $5,000 to repair damage to a pond in which the department has a dry hydrant for water supply. The pond is owned by Tim and Gail Greaves, located on VT Route 215 North, close to the Cabot-Walden town line. It is a very important water source for the department, covering the north end of Route 215 and the Bayley Hazen Road. The pond received a lot of sediment from the heavy rains of tropical storm Irene. With this grant, we were able to clean out the pond and repair the dry hydrant strainer and inlet pipe, which were not working because they were covered by silt and mud. When the pond refills itself, the department should have a bigger and more reliable water supply. The grant was made possible by the Vermont Rural Fire Protection Task Force, part of the Northern Vermont Resource Conservation and Development Council. Thanks to the Task Force for all their help. They have provided resources to improve water supplies for fire fighting in many Vermont towns in the past 15 years.

↑ contents

Minutes of the Cabot Select Board (SB) Meeting September 5, 2012

The Cabot Board of Selectpersons did meet as warned at the Willey Building on September 5, 2012 at 7:00 pm. Attending were: Caleb Pitkin (Chair), Fred Ducharme (Vice-Chair), Ted Domey, Dan Dunham, Tara Rogerson (Town Clerk), Jan Westervelt, Ben Davis, John Cookson, Bill Walters, Rusty Churchill, Karen Deasy, Dexter Lefavour, Peter Dubray, Ron Forant Jr. and Kate Chatot. Agenda Item (AI) 1 –Call Meeting to Order. Caleb called the meeting to Order at 7:04 PM. Agenda Item (AI) 2 – Adopt the 9/5/2012 meeting agenda. Agenda item was passed over. Agenda Item (AI) 3 - To approve the meeting minutes of July 30, 2012 and August 1, 2012. Fred made a motion to amend the minutes of July 30, 2012 to include the liquor license for a wine tasting event permit from Joe Buswell. Ted Seconded. No Discussion. Amendment passed unanimously. Fred moved to approve the minutes of July 30, 2012. Caleb seconded. No Discussion. July 30, 2012 minutes approved unanimously. Fred moved to approve the minutes of August 1, 2012. Dan seconded. No discussion. Minutes of August 1, 2012 approved unanimously. Agenda Item (AI) 4 – Public Comment. AI 4 a. - Ben Davis, Cabot’s NEKSWD representative, update the select board on the following: Vermont mandatory recycling goes into effect in 2015 and Town should think about expanding current facility size. Discussion ensued about combining it with a new Town garage. Site drainage by the door needs work before winter and John Cookson is applying for a UDAG grant to do this work. Town may want to consider a locked gate at both drives of the facility. AI 4 b. - Dexter Lefavour, candidate for Washington County Senate, introduced himself. Discussed contractors insurance and was looking for other hot topics in the area. No other public comment. Agenda Item (AI) 5 – Administrative Duties AI 5. a. ATV Ordinance public survey and postcard. Peter Dubray and other land owners on Dubray Rd. expressed interest to allow the use of ATV’s on Dubray Rd. for both the Class III and Class IV portions. Suggestion that ordinance contains language that land owners and invited guest have use of road only in ordinance. The SB asked Ted to draft up a letter and postcard for mailing to receive public input. Caleb and Tara to work on merging a mailing list. No further discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. b. Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) – meeting and membership. Karen Deasy asked if ZBA has enough members for a quorum. Newly appointed members by the SB make a quorum. Previous permits were discussed awaiting ZBA action. Meeting was tentatively set of 9/17/12 at 7:00PM but would depend after contacting all of the ZBA members. No further discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. c. Status of Dog Complaint. Richard Scheiber sent a letter to SB Chair regarding Gary Smith’s dog excessive noise. Caleb read the letter to the SB. SB instructed Town Clerk to send Gary Smith a letter regarding the Dog Ordinance and associated penalties which may be waived if owner registers dogs with the Town Clerk. No further discussion.

AI 5. d. Mack Mountain RD. Structures Grant. Original State grant amount has been reduced due to the Town not currently having an Environmental Assessment. VLCT provides these for towns upon request. No further discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. e. Personnel Policy Review by VLCT. SB decided to have VLCT review the Town’s personnel policy and make recommendations. No further discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. f. ICS Training follow-up. SB passed over this agenda item. No discussion. No action taken. AI 5. g. Town Audit – Possible Bid 2012 - SB passed over this agenda item. No discussion. No action taken. AI 5. h. Lister’s Errors & Omissions. Dan moved to revise the tax bill of Parcel 11-035.00 due to lister’s error. Fred seconded. Discussion ensued regarding to combing of the parcels but a tax bill had been generated for two individual parcels. Motion passed unanimously. No Further Action Taken. AI 5. i. Sheriff’s hours/funding/management. The budget for this item is over budget. Discussion ensued regarding the need for law enforcement in Town. SB instructed Ted to call the Washington County Sheriff and get something set up for the rest of the FY. No Further Discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. j. Well closure request – follow-up on final closure. ANR and Johnson Company recommended that the request for a final test be rescinded due to the data values showing a steady decline and no available data since 2007. Cost of $800.00 for the testing was considered. The SB determined that no further testing was necessary and that the 4 monitoring wells will be closed in the spring of 2013 as soon as they are accessible. No Further Discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. k. Jill Alexander hearing request – discussion. The Town received Cabot Creamery’s minor adjustments ACT 250 hearing request documents from Jill Alexander. No Discussion. No action taken. AI 5. l. November 2012 Election and Special Warning. The Town Clerk presented the Special meeting Warning for November. SB discussed it contents and decided to postpone this agenda item until the next SB meeting on 9/19/2012. No Further Discussion. No further action taken. AI 5. m. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Ted moved to have the SB sign the HMGP document. Fed seconded. Discussion ensued regarding the content and responsible parties. Motion passed unanimously. SB signed HMGP document. No Further Action Taken. AI 5. n. Road crew workers rate of pay and benefit. SB to set rate of pay for new hire on road crew. Fred made motion to set rate of pay for Keith at $14.84 per hour. Caleb seconded. Discussion ensued regarding pay rate. Motion passed unanimously. No Further Action Taken. Agenda Item (AI) 6 Administrative Duties (ongoing). AI 6. a. – 2012 Budget – Town Clerk handed out copies of the current 2012 budget. SB decided to postpone this until next meeting on 9/19/2012. No Action Taken. AI 6 b. – Public Works Ordinance – SB determined that this was a major

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 8 onward.

↑ contents

TWIN VALLEY SENIOR CENTER

By Rita Copeland, Executive Director Our Editor in Chief for the Twin Valley Seniors Newsletter & Facebook page is Betsey Bolt. Words cannot tell you the deep appreciation that we have for the fantastic job she does getting our news and other information out to you. The work that Betsey does is all volunteer. She spends many hours a month coordinating the monthly news, researching important information that relates not only to the elderly in our area, but information that may assist you in many different ways. Betsey uses her computer to the fullest, right down to submitting the newsletters electronically to Copy World in Barre from her home in Plainfield. Betsey is a pleasure to work with and a great asset to the center. She attends weekly, participates in exercise programs, uses the WiFi and gives a helping hand in the dining room, assisting where needed. Betsey communicates with me regularly regarding any opportunities or information that may help the Center. Her volunteerism and donations to the Center are so very much appreciated, and when it is said “You can make a difference”, then that is Betsey!

ANNOUNCEMENT: TVSC has begun selling raffle tickets for an Echo CS- 550P chainsaw with either a 16” or 18” blade. The tickets are $5 and the drawing will be October 12. The saw is graciously donated by Guy’s Repair of Barre. TVSC thanks him for his generosity.

Help Wanted!

Volunteer Fundraising Chair: The fundraising chair is responsible for overseeing the organization's overall fundraising projects, and can work alone or set up a fundraising committee. To accomplish this, the Chair should work with staff and the Board of Directors to establish a fundraising plan to raise money for TVSC, a non-profit organization. The Chair would solicit involvement of all people necessary to carry out the fundraising goals, including but not limited to telephone calls, support at the function or selling of tickets in the case of raffles (etc), securing items for events, making posters, securing advertisements on the radio and in local papers.

Other aspects include monitoring fundraising efforts, ensuring donors are acknowledged appropriately and that fundraising events are cost-effective for the organization. In place already are some annual events, such as: Hunter’s Breakfast, Twinfield Christmas Fair, Perennial Plant (and now Food as well) Sale, 4th of July Flea Market, Lasagna Dinner, as well as raffles which, in the past, have included firewood/pellets, firearms, quilts and now a chain saw. There is already some leadership inherent in these annual events, including the Hunters’ Breakfast & Perennial Plant & Food Sale. Energy & attitude (and a place to store stuff!) are key. Part-Time Bookkeeper: If you have a couple of hours free weekly, then please contact TVSC at 426-3347 and speak with Rita. This person should have the following skills set: basic bookkeeping utilizing software, as well as preparing payroll and some tax background. This is the perfect part-time job for someone who wants to work from home and earn some extra money. Hospitality Volunteer: Please call Rita at 426-3447 if you could spare two to three hours on Wednesdays and wo uld be intere sted in volunteering at the Center in our Volunteer Dining Room. Host/Hostess: Position involves setting up for lunch, helping people get their snacks upon arrival, pouring beverages, serving those who can’t manage self-serve and being welcoming and friendly to all: old, new and those just testing the waters.

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 9 onward.

↑ contents

Hiking With Dogs: New Educational Videos Released by Green Mountain Club

The Green Mountain Club released a four-part educational video series with expert advice on Hiking With Dogs. With cooler weather just around the corner, many hikers will want to take their dogs with them when they hit the trails this fall and the club wanted to provide practical information. In addition to basic tips, such as what to bring on a day hike and when to leash a dog, the series covers training, what to do if you lose your dog on the trail, protecting your dog’s health, and how to take longer backpacking trips with a dog along. “For people who have been thinking about bringing their dog with them when hiking, we provide a lot of helpful information to get them started,” says Richard Windish of Reading, Vt., former Green Mountain Club president who hosts the video series with his dog Jack. “The videos also have plenty of tips for people who have some experience hiking with a dog, but would like to get into more advanced aspects of it, such as staying at Long Trail shelters overnight, and trail etiquette for dogs and dog owners.” Interviews in the series include veterinarian Paul Alfarone of Bear Swamp Veterinary Service in Middlesex; dog trainer Kasandra Fleury of the Central Vermont Humane Society in East Montpelier; and Grant Gunther of the Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, who discusses outfitting your dogs with appropriate gear like fleece jackets and backpacks. “In the video series, the experts who we interviewed are all hikers themselves, so their advice is trail-tested and very practical,” says Windish. “We also talked with several Green Mountain Club caretakers about what they see out on the trails every day, and what dog owners should be doing to both protect the environment and make hiking with dogs enjoyable for everyone.” “This video series is a very important educational resource for hikers,” said Will Wiquist, executive director of the Green Mountain Club. “Believe it or not, we might get more questions about hiking with dogs than any other – with the exception of how to get to the trailhead. We encourage all hikers who have dogs to view this informative four-part series.” The videos are available now on the Green Mountain Club’s YouTube channel, at http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenMountainClub/featured. Contact: Will Wiquist or Megan Duni (802) 244-7037

↑ contents

Advice From The Tree Warden: Pruning Trees

By Roland (Slim) Payne, Cabot Tree Warden

Fall is here, and it is time to care for your trees and shrubs. Here is a little information on pruning and how to make the cuts without damage to the tree. Be careful not to spread disease or insect infestation. Wash your tools after you finish one tree and before you start another one, using denatured alcohol. WHY WE PRUNE TREES Properly pruned trees are not only more aesthetically pleasing, but stronger. Pruning young trees can significantly reduced the likelihood of limb or structural trunk failure as the tree matures. This means a longer life span for the tree and a better return on your investment. Before you prune, always have an objective in mind. Consider the following reasons to prune your tree:

Safety: Remove branches that could fall and cause injury or interfere with utility lines, roads.

Health: Remove disease or insect infected wood, improve structure, and reduce likelihood of damage during storms.

Fruit Production: Increase light and air circulation.

Appearance: Control plant size and form, enhance views. WHERE TO MAKE THE CUT? Pruning cuts should be made outside the branch collar. The branch collar is made up of trunk tissue and, if left intact, will seal off the pruning wound. The cut should start at the branch bark ridge. The photo illustrates where to make the proper cut.

For large branches, make a threepart cut to prevent bark ripping. This photo illustrates the three-cut pruning method for branches larger than one inch in diameter. The first partial cut is made from below to prevent the bark from tearing. The branch is removed with the second cut. The third cut removes the stub cleanly and without damaging the branch collar or any bark on the trunk. WHEN TO PRUNE? The ideal time to prune trees is during the winter months when trees are dormant. Avoid pruning just after leaf emergence and just before leaf fall. Although branches that are dead, diseased or damaged can be removed anytime. To reduce the stress on newlyplanted trees, pruning should not begin until three years after planting. Spring flowering trees and shrubs, like lilac, redbud and dogwood, should be pruned immediately after flowering to preserve this year’s flower crop. I will have more on this next time. Enjoy the fall; it will be winter before we know it.

↑ contents

FROM THE CABOT PUBLIC LIBRARY

By Kathleen Hoyne and Anne Walker

What is Universal Class? Recorded Books’ Universal Class is an educational service providing high quality online courses for patrons (generally high-school age and older) interested in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Patrons register online, participate in the classes online at their own pace, correspond with instructors online and have up to six months to complete an individual class. Universal Class supports lifelong learning and enhances not only social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, but also employability. Class content covers a wide range – from hobbies (arts and crafts, dog training, photography) to job skills (writing improvement, medical billing, computer programming, domestic violence counseling) to education and test preparation (writing for children, general science, Algebra, Homeschooling Strategies) – and much more! Our library is now able to offer more than 500 online courses to patrons. To register for a class, go to: vermontstate.universalclass.com/register. html and type your patron barcode in the format of: 205647000XXXX in which the XXXX’s represent your patron number. Call us if you have any questions.

Looking Back at Vermont: Farm Security Administration Photographs in Vermont, 1936-1942 – Tuesday, October 2, 10:00 a.m. - A Vermont Humanities Council Program for Cabot’s Fall Foliage Festival This abundantly illustrated talk by historian, author, and editor Nancy Price Graff examines this famous government project in Vermont. Over a seven-year period during the Great Depression, nine photographers working for the Farm Security Administration’s Historical Section visited Vermont to document its rural culture. Each had a unique assignment, and each had a unique way of looking at Vermont. This slide lecture presents some of the 1,600 photographs taken by these artists from the perspective of the times and from the perspective of Vermont’s evolving image.

Cabot Library Open House Fall Foliage Festival– Tuesday, October 2, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Come visit our library and see a display of favorite reads from the 1920’s to the present day.

A Gathering of Poets – Tuesday, October 9, 7:00 p.m.

Poet’s choice – come listen to a selection of poetry from each of the following local artists: Fran Cerulli, Barry and Lorrie Goldensohn, Bob Greneer, Sherry Olson, and Ellen Bryant Voight. There is sure to be something for everyone.

Book Discussion Group – Monday, October 15, 7:00 p.m. Every three weeks, beginning September 24, the Vermont Humanities Council sponsored Book Discussion group will meet to discuss the new series, Canadian Cultural Diversity, facilitated by Cynthia Russell. Please visit the library to pick up a copy of these books.

• Roy McGregor, Canoe Lake

• Alistair MacLeod, Island this month’s featured read

• Antonine Maillet, Pelagie- La- Charrette •Alice Munro, Lives of Girls and Women

Yoga & Wellness Classes – Mondays at 6:00 p.m. Welcome the changing seasons! Nourish your body, mind and spirit! Yoga is an amazing practice to help with the transition of changing seasons! Please contact Alicia Feltus for info about yoga. 802-563-3220 or [email protected]

Dungeons & Dragons – Fridays 3:00-5:30 p.m. Join the group, conquer the obstacles, and get out of the dungeon alive! All are welcome.

↑ contents

Cabot School Board Meeting Minutes September 4, 2012

Call to order: The regular meeting of the Cabot School Board meeting was called to order at 6:05 on 9/04/2012 in Cabot School Library by Chris Tormey, Chair.

Present: Board members: Chris Tormey, Paul Stecker, Sharon O’Connor, Ry Hoffman, Absent Jacki Folsom. Administration: Nancy Thomas, Superintendent; Karen Stewart, Principal; Pat Johnson Knoerl, Curriculum Director, Peter Ackermann, Facility Director Consent Agenda

The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.

Reports:

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 10 onward.

↑ contents

Cabot’s After School Program Enjoys Final Days of Summer

By Anthony Willey and Lucy Remington The kids at TLC, Cabot School’s After School Program, are taking the opportunity to enjoy the last few weeks of warm weather. Students and instructors put their photography skills to the test by taking beautiful photos of flowers and other interesting objects around town (see photo by Julia Hoffert). Hiking has also been on the agenda the last few weeks. TLC students are regulars on the backwoods trails that circle the town of Cabot and beyond. With binoculars in hand, students traverse the trails carefully and quietly in hopes of spotting wildlife.

We are all very excited to start the new school year at TLC. We have many fun and educational activities planned, and we hope that more students will join us as we enjoy the several great opportunities that TLC offers. Also very exciting this year: TLC will provide care for TLC and non-TLC enrollees on

early release days, which occur approximately once per month throughout the school year. Contact our office at 802-563-2289 ext. 233. We are located in the Cabot School cafeteria to the right of the kitchen.

↑ contents

What’s Next for Cabot Community Theater?

By Karen Mueller-Harder

What sort of play are you hoping Cabot Community Theater will do this year? What would entice you to get involved? We will be reading some plays on Saturday, October 21, and deciding on our next production and would love your input or even just your reading voice! We have now done a children's show, and an adult murder mystery, with great success. We are considering various possibilities, including comedies and more serious fare, with smaller and larger casts. Our goal is high-quality, inclusive, affordable theater, with community participants of all ages. Auditions will be held in December, with performances in early spring. If you want to be notified of the time and sen and typed, my fingers frozen in a hotel room, my mind dashing around itself, mired in chaos– those words had apparently developed legs and run away. Naturally, I was pretty upset. When I wrote those words, they had been important, my link with this one-in-a-lifetime experience. They were going to help me remember what I did while I was exhausted and my memory worked only enough to get me off at the right metro stops. They were important! But everything happens for some reason; whether it’s good or not is debatable. Because now, several months later, I realize that the words and phrases that wandered back to me were actually fictional. The things I remember from the trip, the important things, weren’t written into that lost photograph. Those important words were sterilized for the public. Any emotions I felt were written into three layers of snark, so as not to display any weakness. I thought that words might be able to capture the experience better than a camera, but the words I wrote were only photographs of what I might have felt. Photographs only show things on the outside.

↑ contents

The Lost Photograph

by Kassandra Morse The lost photograph was not actually an image. Contrary to popular belief, it was just a bunch of words. There were about a thousand of them, all strung together into a story that made sense. Not a fictional account, either. It was a story of me, a story of an experience that would stay with me forever, in more ways than one. I kept seeing it, lying around, staying where I put it, smiling vaguely and waiting for me to put it somewhere else. Preferably the corner of my computer’s hard drive labelled “Travel Writing.” A place where I’d forget about it, but where it could be found if I wanted or needed to have it back. But for now, it was safe enough where it was. Still smiling, its title mysterious and a little annoying, so that nosy hackers just had to look at it. Until I went through the necessary process to make the smiling story safe, it just stayed there in the little yellow document. Waiting. Waiting, I found out a month later, to escape. The words I had so carefully cho-

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 11 onward.

↑ contents

An Adventurous Start Back To “School”

by Kassandra Morse, Kyle Celley, Brooke Ann Foster, Mark Schumacher, Billie Jean Rowe, Megg Colbeth, and Seth Herrick

Cabot High School students started out the school year with a three-day overnight leadership retreat at Siskin Ecological Adventures, based at Coutts Moriarty 4-H camp in Derby, Vermont. Devoted to building a better school community, the trip provided students with opportunities for leadership and allowed for a smooth transition from summer back into the school year. From August 29 - 31, students confronted challenges such as the high ropes course offered by Siskin, as well as workshops offered by their peers and teachers. James Haugland, the new high school chorus and theatre instructor, dropped by the campfire the first night with a bag of props and improvisation games. The next day, Geof Hewitt, Vermont’s reigning Slam Champion, came for the day to run several poetry and writing workshops. In the evening, Cabot students and teachers gathered ‘round the campfire again for a poetry slam, a lively contest in which competitors perform, in no more than three minutes, their original work. (See sidebar for samples.) Retreat facilitator David Schilling says that the retreat was “far from a ‘summer camp’ experience. The skills learned at an intensive retreat such as this are essential for college and beyond. I firmly believe the Siskin retreat contributes to creating prepared citizens who are better equipped to handle realworld challenges.” “The purpose of the retreat was to build relationships and visualize the school year in order to make it a great one,” commented Bill Tobin, the high school math teacher. “It went really well, and everybody had a great time.” The retreat also featured discussions about what the students wanted the school year to look like as students establish a leadership group that speaks with the combined voices of students and teachers. “The retreat helped all of us realize we are all human, and no one is just ‘a teacher’ or just ‘a student,’” Ella Malamud, a high school science teacher, said. “I got to know the students a little better.”

“It eliminates the awkwardness of the school year,” senior Maelily Robison says. “I personally think the purpose was to help us students have time to catch up with each other, have fun, and help us build the community. Hopefully, the school will keep doing this every year.” Workshops introduced students and teachers to many different skills and games, from Scottish country dancing to a rousing game of Werewolves, a traditional Russian game, and students and teachers alike expressed almost unanimous approval of all aspects of the retreat. “Everyone was together working in groups to solve problems at school. We also shared the chores equally,” junior Olivia Bellavance said. “I thought the purpose of the trip was to introduce us to the themes and expectations of the year to come.” When asked her opinion on the retreat, principal Karen Stewart commented that she “was very impressed with the maturity level of the students. They built relationships and formed a stronger community. It was just a magnificent way to begin a new school year together.” Students and teachers also found that the retreat was an excellent way to introduce new students to Cabot School. Through the leadership opportunities, workshops and campfire activities, students learned to trust each other and take advantage of the many skills, talents and interests that exist within the school community. “I think that this was a very positive experience; it was a fun and educational way to get us back into the school mindset without going straight into classrooms,” commented sophomore Lyrica Stelle. “This trip brought us closer together as a school community and gave us a chance to get to know everyone better.”

↑ contents

I Don’t Want to Be in a City Nature’s Gift

I don’t want to be in a city, all the non-stop noise piercing my ears, the blinding light that never gets turned off, the sirens that never stop.

I don’t want to be in a city. I would much prefer miles of untouched woods full of free-roaming wildlife, a place where I can hear myself think, without the distractions.

I don’t want to be in a city car horns honking people yelling from windows far above. Every step I take, I’m plowing through a never-ending sea of unfamiliar faces.

I don’t want to be in a city.

Walking through thick brush, the only noises are the twigs breaking beneath my feet. I stop and sit on an old rock wall and listen. Nothing. Nothing but pure and uncontaminated silence.

This is where I want to be.

– Kyle Celley The willow creaked, its branches moaned and groaned in the breeze.

Leaves were rattling, the sun was shining, the clouds were glowing.

I listened and watched, Nature in her splendor, her glory and her beauty.

My eyes that had been unveiled watched the butterfly land on a delicate wildflower.

The deer that grazed in fields next to mine, raised her head, huge eyes shone.

The sun was setting in hues beyond compare, as the bright moon emerged.

Night came on. the cool air crept over the sleeping, the restless.

The day was short, the night long, as the stars were overhead.

As all must end, so I lay down my pen, and follow the call from my bed.

– Megan Walker location of the play readings, or if you want to be part of the conversation, please send your name and email address to [email protected], or phone Karen Mueller-Harder at 563- 2669 if you don't have email.

↑ contents