Disconnect in Vermont

[democrank]

Yesterday morning my concern about potholes changed to an early-spring checklist as I made my way between two little villages here in Vermont. I searched the woods for sap lines, hoping to see smoke rising above the sugar shacks. Who would win the Joe’s Pond Ice-Out guess this year? How old is that red barn? Any red-wing black birds back yet? Wind damage to that snow fence over there. Snow still halfway up those truck tires. I saw a few old bird nests, some crows snacking along the roadside. I saw the first signs of mud which meant I’d soon be able to switch to my bright yellow $5.00 thrift shop boots and maybe put the shovel away. Someone a couple hours from here reported seeing a crocus and the chickadees are a lot more chirpy. I enjoyed every one of those thoughts.

Things got more serious as I arrived at a favorite local grocery store. As usual, folks were gathered around the standing blackboard where contents of the six soup pots were described.There was chatter about recent town meetings, more pothole talk, snow-depth comparisons. The parking lot was jam-packed with logging trucks, delivery vans, works vehicles and regulars. The store was equally packed with homemade bread, new canning jars, motor oil, cheddar cheese, beans on sale for 78 cents. The butcher is friendly, the cashiers hilarious, the atmosphere down-home.....northern New England at its best. Finest kind, as we say.

I love where I live. I love the people, the seasons, the clapboards on the old houses, the red barns and rolling pastures. I love the sense of community, the store jars filled with donations after a fire or upon learning someone’s child is sick. I love seeing kids hold store doors open for their elders, the post mistress who wears some kind of sparkle dust on her face. I love the old snowplow guy who always has his wife with him, the practice of having Free Piles outside your house with stuff for anybody and everybody. I love the simplicity of it all. I love all the good will and kind hearts.

The trip to the store was like a gift, but just a temporary reprieve as my car radio reminded me. I felt like I was sinking, inch by inch, as I drove home. At least the radio reporting was a bit more accurate. Trump’s “gaffes” are now recognized as permanent behaviors. Trump’s “supporters” more closely resemble dangerous enablers. I forgot about the maple syrup lines and thought about all those children in cages.I didn’t see any crows on the way back, but I did think about Lindsey Graham and the hypocritical garbage he spews.

How disturbing, this disconnect between what was and what is. Even more disturbing is the disconnect between what is and what is. Donald Trump consistently chips away at everything I believe in. He doesn’t even try to hide it anymore.

[Heartstrings]

1. Your last sentence nails it....

And none of this is "normal"....we're all just going through the motions, trying to hang onto some semblance of hope.

Many a mornings, the first text to my best friend will be, "has trump killed anyone yet?", her answer is always the same, "not yet"....

Sad....

[Vinca]

2. I know exactly what you're talking about. The other day I spotted syrup buckets on trees!

It made me smile and brought back childhood memories of sugar on snow. Somehow those darn hoses they run from tree-to-tree just don't. I've been watching the wildlife appear more often now that the snow is going. We've got a couple of possums who have been hanging around the bird feeder all winter. Now they've got names: Ollie (the small one) and Oaf. My husband spotted Ollie in the cellar the other day. That happens with a house from the 1700's with a stone foundation. Apparently they eat mice, so it's like having a cat that earns its keep (unlike the pikers on the quilts). No sign of any crocus yet, but they should appear soon. Spring is my second favorite time of year (autumn is first). I plan to start getting the garden organized soon and stay far away from the television for much of the day. I refuse to let Trump dominate my life.

[The Mouth]

8. Thank you for being kind to the possums

They eat all sorts of nasty stuff and if you've ever seen a baby possum, there is nothing cuter.

[Vinca]

11. Actually, they were living large during the coldest part of the winter. Every night I took a

container of seeds, bread, any odd meat leftover and some grapes outside and spread it under the bird feeder. They always turned up for dinner. I felt bad cutting them off, but we're getting close to bears waking up and I don't really want them hanging around close to the house. The possums are still frequenting the garden compost pile, so they're still doing okay.

[Atticus]

3. Very well done. Thanks. nt

[voteearlyvoteoften]

4. East Calais checking in 🍁 nt

[4dog]

5. I know your neighborhood a little

Former summer Greensboroite, since I was born. A long time ago I finally gave away the last of the barn-red painted handmade maple syrup buckets my father had bought up there before the war, but somewhere I still have a couple of spiles, a metal one and a hand-carved wooden one. Be well.

[Karadeniz]

6. Such fun to read your essay! You're spot on!❤

[BarbD]

7. How to survive mud season --with hope.

Spent 17 glorious years living in Vermont and appreciate your eloquent words.

I learned that every year has a mud season, but it eventually gives way to light, warmth and hope.

[Totally Tunsie]

9. You've painted such a beautiful picture of one of my favorite states.

How fortunate you are to revel in it everyday, while I must settle for the occasional visit. I applaud that you maintain your appreciation for the beauty and lifestyle Vermont has to offer, and haven't become so accustomed that you no longer see what you have. Lucky you!

But you've also highlighted what is perhaps the greatest negative of the tRump presidency - that his failure as a president, his failure as a man, destroys what we value in our society. The idea that his actions are becoming normalized is the scourge of our time. We are all so body slammed on a daily basis by his inappropriateness that the best we can do is get ourselves off the ground and shake off the residue of his latest attacks. We deserve better, and we need him gone.

[PatrickforO]

10. Beautifully written.

Yes, the contrast is enormous, but that is misleading. Unless we begin to plan as a species for the next generations, and put aggressive policies in place to mitigate climate change, none of us will be having much maple syrup. Among many other things.

We really need to get our act together so our grandchildren can enjoy wonderful, idyllic drives like the one you're describing.

I don't mean to be the skunk in the garden - your post really IS beautifully written. I mean, I'm a Coloradan, but when I was reading, I felt that Vermont nostalgia.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. crocuses are closed, daffodils are everywhere

There are deer tracks within 50 ft of the house. The box elders are finally catching up with the elms and red maples with buds. Multi-flora roses have tiny leaves. The temperture matches the calendar for the first time this year.

The thing in our White House will not last forever.

[Chellee]

13. No crocuses,

but I do have snowdrops blooming.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. Beautifully written, I feel that way too

I don't live in Vermont, but I have friends who do, and your description was perfect, reading it I could picture it so clearly. I'm in NE NY, just across the way. And I know what you mean, no matter how things are going on any particular day now, this Trump horror show casts a pall over everything.