Finding Community in an Independent State

Cautious Optimism and the Hard Work of Real Democracy

2009-01-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Am I happy that this is George W. Bush's last night in office? You bet. Do I think that Barack Obama will be an improvement from the last eight years? Absolutely. Do I think that he will solve all of our national an international crises? Nope. I am cautiously optimistic. I did vote for Barack Obama because I share many of the political and social values, as well as the policy changes, that he spoke to during his campaign: investing in education and reforming No Child Left Behind, investing in alternative fuels, affordable healthcare for all, etc.

So, why am I cautiuously optimistic instead of completely confident that this country is going to become a haven of social justice within the first 100 days of Obama's term? Here's why. Obama has and continues to be deeply entrenched in the corporate government that has left millions of Americans without access to healthcare, led America into the deepest econmic recession since the Great Depression, and allowed a war based on deceit and fear to take the lives of more than 4, 000 Americans and hundres of thousands of Iraqis (at least).

While millions of Americans donated to and volunteered for Obama's campaign, Obama also accepted millions of dollars from corporations that oppose the values he preached. Obama accepted millions of dollars from top Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs -$955,223, JB Morgan Chase-$642,948, Citigroup-$633,418. No matter how well-intentioned Barack Obama may be about restoring the economy by bringing jobs to the middle-class, he will have lobbyists from these Wall Street firms reminding him daily of his debt to them.

So why am I evenly cautiously optimistic? Why am I not a complete pessimist ready to escape the country and take up the life of a disgruntled ex-patriot. I actually believe that at his core, Obama really does want to change policies so that all Americans have access to healthcare, teachers have the tools they need to educate the next generation, and that economy must be restored so that Wall Street does not bully Main Street. I also believe that he is a charismatic and competetive individual that is very susceptible to the thrill of power.

That is why it is so important that Americans who supported Obama with their $25 or $50 dollar donation do not allow him to cave to corporate interests that have already succeeded in dictating his appointments. There are some really great websites that are organizing citizen lobbying efforts. On inauguration day, celebrate your freedom an power by pushing your agenda. The corporate lobbyists are very powerful, but not as powerful as millions of citizens. Before I list these sites, I leave you with this thought by citizen activits Edward Abbey.

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."

My America Project
Center for Constitutional Rights
ACLU

Good luck and happy Martin Luther King Day.

Falling into Winter

2008-10-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's been a while since my last post. Fall in Vermont was beautiful. I use the past tense for this season of colorful landscapes and bountiful harvests because it snowed today. For those of you that do not live in Northern New England or similar climates, you may think that you read that wrong. Nope. It snowed. So, before I touch on the winter ahead in terms of weather and politics, let me just say that this was one of the most beautiful autumns that I have ever experienced. The red, orange, and yellow leaves that mark this season in Vermont seemed to be particularly intense and long-lasting this year. The picture above shows a few of the many trees that I had the pleasure of resting my eyes own this past month. In addition to enjoying this weather on foot, we were able to enjoy it from our kayaks.
So now most of the leaves are on the ground along with a dusting of snow, the long haul of winter is upon us. I don't say long haul in a completely negative way, just the reality of the fact that winter here will last well into April. In preparation fro this long winter, we have put quite a bit of food away, either freezing or canning. We invested $200 in a 7 cubic foot chest freezer and we have it about 1/2 way full with veggies, pesto, soups, and berries. A couple weeks ago, a friend invited us to harvest one row of trees in a nearby apple orchard at the end of the season. Here I am happily harvesting. It is amazing how many apples one tree can produce. The end result was (this is only an estimate) about 700 apples. I have made a ton of applesauce, Robb has baked about 12 loaves of apple bread, and we have had more than our fair share of apple pie and apple crisp. We are supposed to go over to our friend's house and press the remaining apples for cider this weekend. No shortage of fiber in our diet nowadays.

The cooler weather has also motivated me in the knitting department. I cast on and quickly knit the Odessa hat pattern (free ravelry download) in Mirasol's Hacho yarn. The combination of this very colorful yarn with the swirly pattern made it fun to knit and almost as fun to wear. In larger knitting projects department, cast on the lovely Cobblestone sweater for my DH. I am knitting it in O-Wool balance and it is lovely. Since it's a 50/50 cotton/merino wool blend, I think this will be a three season sweater. It has a lovely texture and handsome tweedy look because of the fiber mix. The 17" of primarily stockinette with a little garter stitch that I am currently working on make it a great mindless project for knit night, movies, or other times when I am trying to multi-task.

I was going to write about how the larger world seems to falling into winter, plus what we are doing to prepare, but I think we all know that and a little distraction from this economic crisis is well deserved by all.

Nothing Funny about Funny Money

2008-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember when money was something you had to earn and put away in order to purchase something, especially something big like a house or a car or a million dollar company? At some point we forgot about that little financial crisis called the Great Depression and banks had the brilliant idea that they should lend people hundreds of thousands of dollars that they didn't have so that these people could purchase things they couldn't afford (or usually need) like big, fancy houses with heliports and heated swimming pools. This money could be paid back over up to 30 years at an interest rate that seems fair only if you don't do the math. What a great deal...or not. The mortgage crisis, it turns out, has only been the prologue, to what is turning into an epic financial disaster in this country. While individuals do need to take responsibility for their financial choices, home buyers were really just the pawns in this mortgage fiasco (and pawns are easily pushed around). The lenders, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were the Kings and Queens that were making loads of money while individual home buyers sunk themselves farther and farther into debt. The American government couldn't let the King and Queen go down , it might hurt the position of the pawns that they had pushed around. So, the King and Queen (aka Fannie and Freddie) were rescued from the mess the made so that the pawns would not completely abandon the chess board.

Of course, this mortgage crisis was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of financial disaster. How could banks lend out all that money neither they nor the borrower had? Investments! Yes, take the small percentage of money that the borrower gave to the bank towards their massive loan and make it grow by funding other corporations. Sound risky? While, it was and still is. From what I can understand, investment banks don't work too well if people are not making investments.

The whole system sounds pretty much broken to me. Apparently, the already financially strapped people of Main Street America are supposed to now support throwing another 700 billion of their tax dollars at what seems to be a sinking ship. This seems like a recipe for disaster.

So far, the politician who has the most logical response to this crisis is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who said, "if a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist." So, perhaps it's time to stop propping up dangerously large corporations and figure out how to stabilize the economy by spreading out the wealth.

Just a thought.

Pete Seeger's Message Resonates More than Ever

2008-09-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I had the amazing opportunity to see Pete Seeger perform live at the Brattleboro's Latchis Theater. Seeger was joined on stage by his grandson Tao Rodriquez-Seeger and Guy Davis. At the age of 89, Seeger doesn't perform as often as he used to. His age is evident in his raspier voice, but his commitment to justice and his joyful spirit is stronger than ever. Watching the dynamic between Seeger, his 30-something year old grandson, and Guy Davis was uplifting and heartwarming. Their respect for one another and their shared belief in the power of music to guide social change sprinkled a little hope on this troubled world.

The performance, a benefit for Strolling of the Heifers (a Vermont non-profit that offers micro-loans to small family farms), included many of Seeger's familiar tunes that have accompanied peace activisits for generations. The lyrics resonated more than ever.

Take these lyrics for instance...

To everything,
turn, turn, turn.
There is a season,
turn, turn, turn.

Notice any political, social, or economic seasons changing lately?

Despite what Washington and Wall Street would like the American public to believe, it looks like the season of constant growth for the American economy, particularly the corporate sector of the economy, is coming to an end. The past year has been marked by a downward spiral of corporate America's control over the global economy. Yesterday's events on "Wall Street" punctuated the economic disaster facing the financial industry when another two of largest investment firms, Lehman Brothers and Merrill-Lynch, were forced to admit their own desperate financial situation, Lehman declaring bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch being bought out by Bank of America. Maybe there is a reason this is all happening. Maybe the seasons are changing on Wall Street. Maybe it is time to re-think an economic system that benefits only a very small percentage of the population and leaves the rest struggling to pay their bills.

I am currently reading Bill McKibben's book Deep Economy in which he speaks to the danger and consequences of unrestricted economic growth. He asserts that the economy can not keep growing in this manner without dangerous political, social, and environmental consequences. So, if we as a human species are to survive, this season of greed and growth has to end.

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Thanks for putting things in perspective, Pete. Plus, it was fun to sing along.

To read Robb's perspective of the concert, go to his blog.

Married.

2008-08-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are married-Robb, the sweetest radical this side of the Mississippi (well, either side of the Mississippi, but I like that expression), is now my husband. While we have been together for more than three years and lived together for more than two years, it does feel different and wonderful.

After an incredibly rainy summer, we had a gorgeous day. The mud had a week to dry up (yes, there was a bit of a mud season this summer here in Vermont) and the sun was shining. It was a feeling of an incredible joy and comfort to be surrounded by so many family and friends who have shaped and supported us as we celebrated our relationship.

The picture to the left of the ceremony is (from left to right) my two sisters and me.

Ella T. Dogg was waiting for me with Robb as I walked down the "aisle", but was relocated to the front row during the ceremony. Just to make sure that she didn't feel neglected, one of our reading for the ceremony was a revised version of "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" Robb and I certainly are not of the mind that we really "own" Ella, but this reading was too perfect to pass up. Here's a few favorite stanzas.

On Cold Winter Nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breaths
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn't like being left alone for long
but come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for love,
but you can never be mad at it for long.

We also had a damn good party with yummy local food, including very fresh chickens from Gaylord's Farm, greens from Pete's Greens, prepared and served with love and elegance by Kismet. There was much drinking and dancing under the full moon with celebratory and soulful tunes by the Dave Keller Band.

Much joy and more to come.

Sweaters, strawberries, and summer scenes

2008-08-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post. So, here's a little visual catch up. Right about when the weather turned, I finished my simple cardigan in Fibre Company's lovely Terra yarn. Not to worry, winter will return and I will have plenty of time to wear this sweater. The pattern is A Craving to Knit from Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits. It's a great pattern when you want to really highlight the yarn itself- kind of boring, but very wearable.

About a month ago, I went on a strawberry picking frenzy at a farm about 10 miles from us. I love strawberries and they always seem to be in season for such a short time. So, I decided I would freeze oodles of these delicious berries so I can enjoy year round, while still continuing eat locally. Blueberries are now in season so I will have be heading out for more fruit picking fun in the next week. Nothing like opening your freezer in January (in Vermont) and seeing some colorful food.

Other adventures this summer have included enjoying lots of outdoor dinners with Robb and Ella on our porch, hiking Camel's Hump and enjoying this view, and swimming whenever possible.

In other news,, Robb and I will be "taking the plunge" in a couple of weeks. Here we are literally taking the plunge in the White River on a hot summer day.

Still Here, Less a Working Camera

2008-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post. This is certainly not for lack of activity. My excuse is that my camera is currently out of commission. Luckily, there are plenty of people taking pictures of my beautiful nephew, Oliver. Here he is hanging out with his chicken. I didn't knit that chicken, but I'm trying to figure out the pattern now.

Speaking of knitting projects for Oliver, I have finished 4 of the six squares for the Rocketry Blanket pattern. Of course, I don't have a camera so there are no pictures to show my progress. So, until I have a working camera again, you'll just have to use your imagination. Also on the knitting front I am one button band and five buttons shy of finishing a cardigan for myself. Just in time for the spring.

On another front, we are busy planning our wedding for this coming August, which is turning into a bit of a sociology experiment. The wedding industry is a fascinating one and seems to really celebrate the consumerism that I usually try to protect myself from. Still, Robb and I do want to celebrate our life together with family and friends so we are finding a way to celebrate not only ourselves, but our values. The chicken for our wedding is coming from a farm across the road from the inn we're getting married at. About 95% of the food is coming from farms within a 100 mile radius of where we live. So, this is actually a wonderful way to share the place we call home with the people we love. I'm sure I will have more humorous details as the plans progress and I am exposed to more ads that tell me things like, "This is the most important roll of toilet paper of your life. Why not monogram it?"

I'm an Aunt!

2008-03-10T20:25:00.001-07:00

On February 22nd, my nephew Oliver Daniel was born. Welcome to the world little Oliver! There he is in my arms with my sister, the proud new mama, looking on. OK, since you asked, here are some more ridiculously adorable pictures.

Here he is snuggling with his Mommy. Look at all that hair!
Daddy is a good snuggler, too.

And he is already developing his own little personality. Look at that face. I wonder what he's thinking about this crazy world. Well, he certainly is surrounded by love.

Oh, and for the knitters out there. Yes, Oliver is getting a beautiful blanket from his Aunt Sarah. Of course, it wasn't done in time. He'll just have to get used to all his knitted gifts coming a little late.

Through Their Eyes

2008-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Check out this youtube video above. A friend of mine from Marlboro has been working with this photography program in nearby Brattleboro, Vermont for some time now. They teach teenagers photography skills and send them out into the community to tell their story through this medium. The program, In-Sight Photography has a great webpage with more examples of the wonderful work they do. Seeing the world through adolescents' eyes is very revealing. They have so many the adult skills, but not have all the social editing habits that force so many adults to be less truthful. A big hand for all of the people who work to give teenagers a true voice of their own. I think these voices are the foundation of civic engagement and, ultimately, a real democracy.

Back from Hawaii

2008-01-06T17:22:00.001-08:00

We just got back to Vermont from Hawaii. Hawaii was beautiful, but it also nice to come home to another beautiful place. We spent the first 4 days on Oahu, where Robb's grandmother lives part-time and then spent the rest of the time in Kauai.
Above is a picture of the Napali coast in Kauai. We took a 4-mile hike along this amazing coastline our first day there. Below is one of the few pictures of Robb and I together, rather windswept, but very happy.

The trail was just a little bit muddy.
After our boots were covered, I figured I might as well just take advantage of this opportunity for a free pedicure by removing my boots and squishing my toes in the mud.
One of the most exciting parts of the hike was seeing this beautiful rainbow plunging into the wide open ocean.

I hope everyone had a very happy new year. More stories and pictures later.

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

2007-12-22T17:50:00.001-08:00

Wait those aren't sleigh bells, they're wedding bells. Any sweater ideas?
Robb proposed to me on a snowy evening in Burlington, but I'm writing this from sunny Hawaii. More when we return. Happy New Years!

Update from Winter Wonderland

2007-12-17T17:33:00.001-08:00

So, we got a lot of snow recently. This December is a sharp contrast to last December when we had pretty much no snow.
Remember my tomato plants from this past summer. They are hibernating. I never brought the pots in and I think the various sizes of pots make the snow pile look like a little mountain range.

And yes, Ella is very happy about all this white stuff. I put on my snowshoes and went for a little walk around town and then over to the statehouse lawn. This here dog is having a real good time at the statehouse. Who said politics can't be fun?

In addition to watching the snow fall, I have been doing some knitting. Here are some simple fingerless gloves I made for Robb. They're made from Berocco ultra alpaca. Nothing fancy, but they are the first pair of gloves I have ever made so I am pretty excited about them. I think Ella wants a pair, too.Finally, I cooked some of the purple potatoes I got from the winter farmer's market. Is that a beautiful color or what? Amazing to think that beautiful shade of purple was hiding in the dirt. It changes my whole view of potatoes.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2007-12-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

You guessed it. We got our first real snowstorm of the season. It is beautiful, fluffy snow that looks like a soft blanket over an often hard world.

No one embraced the snow like Ella.

She jumped into the snowy world with leaps of joy. So did I.

Cold, But Colorful (and PIF)

2007-12-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

It is 9 degrees (Fahrenheit) here in Montpelier, Vermont. We have a couple of inches of snow of the ground and a big storm, that is supposed to dump a foot of snow by Monday is headed our way. Actually, I kind of enjoy the cold weather and I love how the snow makes a messy world look perfect. The thing that gets me in the winter are the short days and the limited colors in the natural world. So, I was really excited when I found out that there was going to be a winter farmer's market the first Saturday of the month after the summer market ended. Going to the farmer's market is a Saturday morning ritual that I really look forward to late May through early October. When the last one comes, there is this feeling of sadness, both for the end of the growing season and the absence of a social ritual during the darkest months of the year. So, today I headed up to the winter farmer's market. I purchased these beautiful purple potatoes and cheerful orange carrots. Of equal importance, I got to chat with those acquaintances in town who seem to disappear in the winter. Even if I did have a root cellar or had managed to preserve enough food for the winter, I think I would still go just for the joy of being around people, food, and crafty things on a cold Saturday morning.
Of course, another way that I fill my eyes with color in the winter are knitting projects and stash enhancements. I picked up an abandoned cardigan project that I started over a year ago, abandoned for about ten months, and have finally picked it back up and made some real progress in the last few weeks. The yarn is nothing short of delicious-Fibre Company's Terra yarn in nettle. It is a merino/alpaca/silk mix that makes for a lovely texture and color variations. I am determined to finish this project before the new year. If you don't see it a finished object posted by the end of this month, I give you permission to remind me of this promise.In addition to WIPs, I have also justified light deprivation as a reason to enhance my stash and plan my knitting project the forseeable future. I just purchased this lovely skein of Real Vermonter yarn from Jessie at a Piece of Vermont. It is made entirely from Vermont fiber (romney/corriedale, mohair, and alpaca) and dyed in lovely shades of blue, grey, and a hint of purple. I am planning on making the koolhaas hat from interweave knits holiday issue with this skein. Finally, I am working on my first pair of fingerless gloves. This pair is for Robb. The yarn is Berocco ultra alpaca. I find projects that require new skills, such as a thumb, are best given to people who already love and appreciate you. That way if the thumb is in the wrong place or some other major knitting error is made, the recipient will still wear them and tell you how talented you are. Finally, I have jumped on the Pay it Forward bandwagon. Here is the official wording explaining this crafty gift-giving opportunity.

The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog - this means you must have a blog, sorry blogless readers.

So leave a comment if you want to receive something from me, and post about it on your blog.

Sinus Infections: An Environmental Impact Analysis

2007-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

First, let me preface this post by acknowledging the disgusting nature of the above photo. Second, I would just like to say that this photo was not taken by me or in my home. Thirdly, this photo could have been taken in my home at any point in the past two days. My evil cold from several weeks ago returned this past Sunday, but this time it quickly became a sinus infection. For those of you who are not lucky enough to experience a sinus infection , aka sinusitis, let me tell you the pleasures associated with this condition. It is like having a really bad cold with severe congestion with the added bonus of feeling like you have a piece of granite sitting on top of your forehead. So, I have finally turned to our friend (and foe), western medicine, and started a dose of antibiotics. Still feeling like shit, but hoping I will be able to sleep tonight. At the same time that I have been in this condition, Robb is in the final throws of his first semester in the master's in environmental law program at Vermont Law School. He has been busy working on writing all kind papers in legalease about topics such as land use and zoning regulations. We always share our writing with one another so I have really been trying to be a good listener and editor despite my compromised condition. The picture above of the sick little wolf with the academic-looking racoon reminded me of what Robb and I have looked like over the past few days, only with a little less fur. Robb is a really supportive and loving person so I know it is tough for him to try to balance his studies with my sickness. Still, he has brought me lots of juice, soup, and love. While I sit there looking rather pathetic with my red and runny nose, he "happily" reads his legal briefs and tells me how cute I look (In this case, beauty is really in the eye of the beholder).
As I try to rest, I have been thinking about the environmental impact of this sinus condition. First of all, I have used an obscene amount of tissues and other paper products. I was feeling mildly guilty about this until I learned that you can compost tissues. So, my winter infection could turn into a summer tomato. How cool is that! I have also been taking lots of hot baths and showers and using more than my fair share of the water supply. It is the only way that I ever achieve the feeling that I can breath through my nose for more than a nanosecond so I will just have to ask for forgiveness. On the positive side, I have been spending a lot more time in bed and consequently using a lot less electricity. So, I think it all balances out. So, if you are environmentally minded and suffer from sinus infections, take comfort in the fact, that during this sick period, you just might be carbon neutral.

Kvetching

2007-11-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a rough few days in the land of Sarah (at least according to Sarah). That is why I have spent much of the time kvetching. For those of you who are not familiar with the yiddish term "kvetch," I will translate. To kvetch is to complain incessantly- you know, ramble on about how this sucks or that sucks. This is not a focused argument we are talking about. Mostly kvetching is a verbal expression of excessive self-pity. So, it all started out with a nasty cold that came on Tuesday afternoon, which turned my nose into a faucet the likes of which Atlanta would have been thrilled to see (except there was not water coming out of this faucet). So, then I laid around in bed for the better part of 36 hours in a state of cold-feverish delirium. When I finally pulled myself together to go to work today, it turns out that I probably should have stayed put. Apparently, my psyche had caught the cold that had been residing in my nasal passages. This meant that everything at work felt foggy and irritating. I tried to snap out of it, but all I could think about was how I wanted to go home, sit on my couch, and work on my monkey socks. I realize in the scheme of things, I live a very comfortable life and really should not be complaining about little annoyances that pop up in life, but that's what kvetching is all about. So, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Maybe tomorrow, I will use my chutzpah for something other than kvetching. Oh, and here's something that doesn't suck. I have made some progress on my very own pair of monkey socks. Ain't they pretty in that lovely Schaeffar Anne yarn? Things are looking up already.

Cloudy Day Creature Comforts

2007-11-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

The change in time and temperature have me feeling sleepy and a little grumpy. I love fall and winter, but this in between season, has me needing lots of creature comforts. Luckily, I think I that I live with one of cutest furry creatures on the planet, Ella T. Dogg. When I come home after a long day, there she is jumping up on the other side of the door and wagging her tail. When I am checking my bank account online in a financial panic, there she is just waiting for a scratch behind the ears. When I can't sleep at night, she curls up against me and keeps me company (Yes, she sleeps in our bed). Look at that face. How could you not be comforted?

Quiet Season? Stick Season ? Fiber Season!

2007-11-04T20:04:00.001-08:00

What is this season in between Fall and Winter? The time where the trees are almost bare, but there is no snow on the ground. In Vermont, I have heard this time referred to as stick season and, more recently, as quiet season. While I think stick season is a better sell to the canine tourist industry, quiet season sounds a bit more romantic from the human perspective. To me, this feels like fiber season! I have dug out several projects that were hibernating in the warmer months and I have started working on my spinning. The picture to the left shows my most recent spinning efforts. In honor of this season, I did choose some fiber that reminded of the current landscape. I acquired this fiber at Vermont Sheep and Wool festival back in September. It is a wool/mohair mix from Fantom Farm. I have spun about half of what I have and, in a moment of spinning confidence, decided that I am going to spin the other half on another bobbin and try my hands at plying. I think I may have officially caught the spinning bug.

"I Can't Hear You!"

2007-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks, the United States government and corporate media, which currently seem to be one and the same, have demonstrated their political strategy of selective hearing in terms of current events. I have also observed plenty of evidence that many American citizens seem to be voluntarily plugging their ears to some of the harsh realities that our world is currently facing.
The devastating fires in California, drought in Atlanta, and flooding in New Orleans that have made the headlines over the past several weeks, seem to provide substantial evidence that something with our earth is not right, especially for human habitation. Just when I thought that maybe the politically driven corporate media might begin to publicly acknowledge the devastating toll that human action is taking on our planet, they came through again with another politically driven explanation of these events. Apparently, terrorism may be to blame for the recent fires in Southern California. That explanation seems like a really good way to shift the blame away from climate change, land use policy, or anything else connected to the ever-innocent leaders of the United States.
So, I 'm back to thinking that even if you are screaming the truth in someone's ear, if they do not want to hear it, they will find a way to literally or metaphorically plug their ears. So, perhaps the best way to move forward is to try to work with the public that is listening, particular to the youth in this country, to become critical consumers of a corrupt media.

More positive blog next time, plus knitting content.

Colorful Cuddling

2007-10-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we took a drive up to the Northeast Kingdom, specifically St. Johnsbury. The colors were brilliant. We finally got a bit of rain and the weather had cooled down a bit, which provided the perfect conditions for the green trees of summer to transition to various shades of orange, red, and yellow. It was one of those days that you try to file in your brain for times to pull out and cheer you up during less joyful times. Two other great thing about the fall weather finally arriving is that it motivated me to finish a few knitting projects I had put aside and it means increased cuddling opportunities. Below are Robb's fit adorned in the lovely handknit socks that I made him. I had cast aside his socks a couple of months ago since it was sandel. The combination of his September birthday and the beginning of fall inspired me to pick them back up. Aren't they handsome? Oh, and my feet are adorned in the finally completed socks made out of soft merino yarn in Pippi's gorgeous Jammin' colorway. Now those are four happy feet!

Foliage and Fiber Unite

2007-10-06T18:52:00.001-07:00

First of all, congratulations to Brenda for winning my Blogiversary contest. Brenda informed me that she has been involved in that backbreaking fall ritual of stacking wood and I think she deserves some nice new yarn to sit down and knit with. If she were going to Rhinebeck, one of the Vermont vendors that she would like to visit is Shepherd's Flock, a company that makes lovely slippers. Excellent choice.

It's Vermont and it's October, which mean colorful trees and usually cooler temperatures. The trees have been changing, but the temperatures have been more typical of July than early October. While I am concerned about the unusually warm weather, I have allowed myself to take advantage of it. This past Monday afternoon, I went for a wonderful hike with Ella T. Dogg up Worcester Mountain. It was a little cloudy near the the top, but I was still able to enjoy the view in the photograph above. I have done this hike probably 5 times in the past year and, as the seasons change, it always feels like a completely different experience. Ella, as usual, was full speed ahead, zigzagging across the trail and running off the trail periodically to mark her territory.

Here is Ella considering a little bath and showing a stick who's in charge.

Inspired by the colors and beautiful sunshine of the past few weeks, I decided I would do some outside dyeing. So I gathered my 5 skeins of undyed Sylvan Spirit, which is 50% tencel and 50% wool, and set up a work space in the driveway. I used jacquard dyes, which have a very brilliant color, but muted them by overdying. I had a lot of fun playing with all that color and fiber. When I was done, I had 5 skeins of beautiful yarn (if I do say so myself). I

Blogiversary Reflections and Contest

2007-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries are a time to take a walk down memory lane; to re-trace the steps of your path. My path with knitting began 2 years ago when I innocently went into a yarn store and touched some blue Frog Tree Alpaca. That alpaca became part of my first scarf. That scarf became the beginning of an obsession that would lead to hours of fiber fondling and needle clicking until I learned to turn yarn into hats, sweaters, socks, etc. essentially using sticks to make a series of knots. A true miracle! I joined a knitting group. I am an extremely social person so I figured if I was going to spend hours upon hours doing this hobby, I better find some other people who liked to knit, too. I loved watching other knitters' projects develops, seeing their yarn and pattern choices, and generally having a couple of hours a week where my primary concern was whether or not I had dropped a stitch when I was laughing at a fellow knitters joke.
My knitting obsession grew and I learned that sometimes I wanted those knit night connections when there was no knit night. That's when I discovered knitters in blogland. Oh, the joy! At any hour of day, I could look at and read about the knitting and non-knitting escapades of my fellow fiber fiends. I think one of the first blogs I stumbled on was Pippikneesocks, who also happens to live about 10 miles from me in the real world. Pippi's blog quickly led me to Amy's (aka Spunky Eclectic) blog, and then the snowball just kept rolling, picking up the voices of talented and often hilarious blogging knitters along the way. Before I knew it, some of my blogging buddies became non-virtual buddies as we met up at fiber festivals and other common feeding grounds for our species. Pictured above are Pippikneesocks (aka Symeon North) and Amy (aka Spunky Eclectic) at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. That's Pippi watching over her booth and Amy doing the bunny fingers. I also met up with blogger Jessie Raymond (aka A Pie ce of Ver mont), another Vermont fiber enthusiast and also a really great humor writer.
The list goes on and some of the other blogs I now read regularly include Pam's Flint Knits, Lolly's Lolly Knitting Around, Knit My Dog, Now Norma Knits, and Wool Girl. Of course, that is just the tip of the iceberg because knitters love putting links in their blogs that I can't resist. Knitting bloggers are also stash encouragers and sometimes enhancers. Finally, the work of others inspires me to try new things. I don't know if I would be learning to spin if I hadn't spent all that time reading about and looking at other knitters who expanded their horizons through spinning. The spindle to the left is some fiber given to me by known other than the lovely PippiKneesocks when she heard I acquired a wheel...a very generous and welcome enabler of my growing obsession with fiber in every state.
OK, now for the prizes. Let's see, first of all I am about to get the best prize I could wish for on or near by blogiversary. Yesterday, on my actual blogiversary, I received my RAVELRY INVITE! Yeehow! Woopee! More time to putz around in cyber fiber land.

And now, a contest and prizes for the readers. Rhinebeck, aka NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, is coming up in just a few weeks. I know many of you out there in blogland are getting exciting and making your list of booths to hit. So, in a shameless effort to promote Vermont's local artisans, here is how you can win 2 skeins of Green Mountain Spinnery Sylvan Spirit or 1 skein of beautiful Vermont handspun (don't worry, not mine yet).

List 2 Vermont vendors who will be at Rhinebeck, what they are selling, and why you like their "stuff." You can still join the contest even if you are not going to Rhinebeck. It's a good way to find out about some talented fiber artists from the Green Mountain State.

Rules: You must list the full name of the Vendor's business. You need to be specific about what they are selling. For example, a description such , "merino-alpaca hand-dyed roving and yarn" is preferable to "yarn and roving". It is obviously up to you why you like their "stuff"-color, texture, organic, etc. The deadline for entries is Thurday, October 4th at 11:59 P.M. EST

Oh yeah, you wanted pictures. Here is a picture of the 2 skeins of Green Mountain Spinnery Sylvan Spirit and the handspun.

That's it. I will enter all correct answers into a drawing and choose two. Oh yeah, and here's a picture of the prizes.

Surrender to September

2007-09-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

Despite the unseasonably high temperatures here in Vermont, the autumnal equinox has passed and there is plenty of evidence that the seasons are changing- the leaves are starting to turn color and drop from their summer residences, the days are becoming noticeably shorter, and my favorite crossing guard is back at work.

At the beginning of September, I always feel a tinge of sadness and panic. Even though I no longer work as a classroom teacher, I still have that feeling that I need to get my but in gear and start thinking a little less about the water temperature and a little more about work. At the same time, there is something about September that feels like a relief. During the dog days of July and August, particularly here in Vermont, I always feel this need to be outside accomplishing things while there's still plenty of warmth and daylight. I'm sure that when people really had to store enough food to make it through the long New England winters, this feeling of limited time to accomplish summer chores was much more profound. I did do a little bit of canning and freezing this summer, but I certainly did not spend the majority of August in the kitchen ensuring that we would have enough food to make it through the winter. Still, the feeling must be embedded in my psyche from generations past. In September, there is enough daylight to still get out and play, but a sense that it is also okay to take things a little slower. It reminds me a little bit of how I feel about being in my 30's. There is still plenty of time to play, but I don't feel like I have to burn the candle at both ends just because I can.

This past Saturday, we went up to a friend's cabin on Caspian Lake. The temperature was in the 70's, but there had already been a frost. The water was still swimmable and the warm air made a bathing suit seem like appropriate attire, but it also seemed like a good time to pull out an almost finished knitting project. Those are Robb's socks, an overdue birthday present. So, there I am lapping up the September sun with a pile of wool on my lap. It seems like a perfect activity to celebrate the autumnal equinox. Ella enjoyed the water, too.

An Important Message From Bob Dylan

2007-09-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

Peace, No excuses.

2007-09-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

"The world is too dangerous for anything but truth
and too small for anything but love."
- William Sloan Coffin

Why am I dancing (and knitting) on a sinking ship?

2007-09-09T08:22:00.001-07:00

Many of you may have already hear the bad the bad news that the "ship" we all live on known as planet is sinking even faster than we thought. In an article printed in the Guardian last Wednesday, environmental correspondent David Adam, explains the grim situation .

The Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at a record low, scientists said last night. Experts said they were "stunned" by the loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as Britain disappearing in the last week alone. So much ice has melted this summer that the north-west passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and observers say the north-east passage along Russia's Arctic coast could open later this month. If the increased rate of melting continues, the summertime Arctic could be totally free of ice by 2030.

Oh, shit. That's pretty soon. That means I have a decent chance of being around when the earth's sensitive climate that makes it habitable for us humans begins to become a little less comfortable. Despite these grim predictions, I am really an optimist and still believe that if we get our buts in gear as a species and start treating the planet as a non-renewable resource to bet protected, there might just be some land around for our great-grandchildren to live on.

So, you may wonder if I spend all my waking hours trying to save our struggling planet. I am activist, but I am not a martyr. Despite my concern for our struggling planet, I still manage to enjoy the simple human pleasures of dancing, chocolate, knitting, etc. Even in the darkest of moments, I have been known to crack a joke to lighten up the mood or crank up the music and boogie to get those endorphins going. Sometimes you just have to raise your cup and say, "This world is fucking crazy, but we might as well have a little fun." That's exactly what I'm doing in the picture to the left, where I am swilling down a beer as part of interactive tour at the Alexander Keith's brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Speaking of having a good time, I got a chance this past Thursday to see one of my favorite bands, Railroad Earth, this past weekend at Higher Ground. Railroad Earth is kind of raucous bluegrass with twist of Jersey. If you don't know what that means, you should listen here. I spent most of the 3 hour long concert jumping around, stomping feet, and shaking my tushy as though I didn't have a care in the world. For that time, I didn't. That's what music can do...remind us to be just where we are.

After that rocking Thursday night, how could my week get any better. I'll tell you. This weekend was the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. Fibery fun less than an hour from my house. So, I spent Saturday afternoon at the Champlain Valley fairgrounds petting swooning over the beautiful yarn and fiber and hanging out with Pippi, Amy, Norma, Brigette, Lee (blogless). It was good fun and I didn't come home empty handed. Below are the additions made to my stash during this summery September day.

Shine sock yarn by Spunky Eclectic in burning bush colorway. It looked like the perfect summer into fall color scheme and, it is indeed shiny and soft, too.
That there is a big ol' 1 bound ball of beautiful fiber from Copper Moose. The colorway is Mountain Meadow, which is just what it looks like.

Then, I purchased some lovely merino/mohair roving from Fantom Farm. Oooh, Aaah...look at those Autumn colors.

Now, why would a knitter buy all that fiber. Well, guess what, I have a new hobby...spinning. I purchased a used Louet S10 about a month ago and this is a little bit of what I've done. I am still a real fledging spinner, but I'm enjoying the process, which is pretty much how I feel about life in general.

Snot, Socks, and a Book Review

2007-08-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

I am at home sick today, having spent the better part of the past 24 hours suffering from ragweed allergies (see picture of ragweed to left- looks innocent enough) and consequently depleting the nation's supply of any paper product that I deemed appropriate for handling the results of repetitive sneezing and sniffling fits. Needless to say, I am feeling a bit better only because I have had little more than green tea with honey and/or elderberry syrup and regular doses of Benadryl for my past three "meals". I tried the less toxic approach to handling my allergies with garlic, stinging nettle, etc, but once I realized any other herbal or synthetic allergy medicine felt like a placebo pill, I turned to Benadryl. Once I get this initial attack under control, I can probably manage the rest of ragweed season without keeping myself in an allergy medicine coma, but for now I am pretty happy to be a little less alert than usual. Before you bust out your violins, and play me a sympathy tune, I will move on to topics that are slightly more interesting to the general public than the state of my nasal passages.

Onward and upward...or downward as the case may be. I did manage to get a couple of things done today. I am almost finished knitting my second sock out of lovely merino yarn in Pippikneesocks' inspirational Jammin' colorway.
They are very similar to the first two pairs of socks I've made, which I used the basic Yankee knitter sock pattern. The only difference with these is I did a beaded rib pattern and kept the pattern going on the foot part of the sock, too. Next up in the sock department, monkey socks out of yarn from Jessie at A Piece of Vermont. I am also determined to finish Robb's socks that I started last winter in time for his upcoming birthday and my basic cardigan out out of the yummy terra yarn from the Fibre Company. I have lots of fall and winter knitting projects roaming around my foggy brain so I figure I ough to finish some of what I have on needles before starting fall/winter projects.

So, in my somewhat delirious state, I have spent most of making waking hours today reading the book Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry. I read a review of this book in Orion Magazine a while back and have been meaning to track down a copy ever since. My first attempt at purchasing the book failed because I kept thinking the title was simply Red Truck. The only books with the title "red truck" at my local bookstore turned up searches of Richard Scary style board books with pictures of construction equipment for teething toddlers to chew on. Cute, but not something for a 32-year old woman to snuggle up with. I finally thought to look online a couple of week ago and found the book review from Orion Magazine . With the actual name of the book, I was able to go and a copy of my very own. It's a good thing it took me so long to find out the actual title because it just came out in paperback.
So, now for my review. This book, a humorous memoir/biography, reminded me of everything I love about David Sedaris and Ira Glass with a lot more grease and pig shit to satisfy the country girl in me. Perry is a great storyteller, an art not to be underestimated in a climate such as northern Wisconsin that he calls home, where long winters require people to entertain themselves in more creative ways than laser tag. Surely, video games and TVs have made it to these parts, just as they have to Vermont, but luckily for the reader that is not how Perry spends his days. The book parallels two stories in Perry's life: the first, his restoration of his 1951 International Harvester pick up truck; the second, his emerging love affair with a woman he meets at during a reading at the local library. I don't want to give away the story, but let it be said that the pleasant surprises and challenges of love and automobile repair make for a numerous surprising metaphors and several belly laughs. I enjoyed this book so much that I am going to pick up his other book Population: 485 next as soon as I get a chance. I recommend you do the same.

Grace Paley's Colorful Life

2007-08-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

I opened up the Times Argus webpage today to see the breaking headline, "Writer and Peace Activist Grace Paley Dies at 84". I had heard the name Grace Paley throughout my childhood. I grew up often surrounded by the children of immigrant Jews who shared Paley's left-leaning politics and passion for learning. While I am only half Jewish and do not "practice" in the traditional sense, I have always felt more connected culturally to my Jewish heritage. I feel most relaxed at a table filled with piles of food and the sound of vibrant debate and discussion around topics ranging from poetry to politics. Reading Grace Paley's obituary, I realized that I have a role model that I didn't realize I had. The description of her life and the words shared in the article felt like home to me. One of the Paley's quotes in the article describes so much of what I connect with in the Jewish culture.

"I thought being Jewish meant you were a Socialist," Paley said. "Everyone on my block was a Socialist or a Communist. ... People would have serious, insane arguments, and it was nice. It makes you think the rest of the world is pretty bland."

I always find it peculiar when people stereotype Jews as wealthy or entitled because the screaming socialists is what I was always familiar with. Paley took her exposure to "insane arguments" and applied it to her political activism throughout her life. In the obituary by AP writer Hillel Italie that appeared in the Times Argus, Italie describes a passionate and intelligent woman who was not afraid to put herself on the line for a cause that she believed in.

At the same time, Paley was a self-described "combative pacifist" who joined the War Resisters League in the '60s and visited Hanoi on a peace mission. She was arrested in 1978 during an anti-nuclear protest on the White House lawn and for years could be found every Saturday passing out protest leaflets on a street corner near her New York apartment.

I am very aware that were it not for women like Grace Paley protesting on the White House lawn in 1978 (I was 3 years old or I would have been there), women like myself might not have the freedom to voice our beliefs and pursue our dreams with a fraction of the obstacles that she faced.

Lastly, here is another quote from Paley's obituary about her strong sense of hope, something that us lefty activist could all use a little bit of in this very depressing political climate.

"I happened to like the '60s a lot. I thought great things were happening then and I was glad my children were part of that generation. As an older person in the peace movement, I learned a lot from it. I mean I learned a LOT," Paley said.

"So, I don't know where things went wrong, except, whatever happens in society, the society corrupts, eats up and takes over. ... But at the same time there's always this really small little hill of hope that's right in the middle of this. You see people from that period doing wonderful things, all the things they meant to do."

May Grace Paley's colorful life be an inspiration to all of us who try to make a difference and fight for peace in an often uncompassionate and violent world. Mazel Tov on a life well-lived.

Radiant Red

2007-08-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the theme of color that I seem to have inadvertently started in my recent posts, the past few days have been colored red. No, I have not started a communist revolution. I've been canning tomatoes...lots of them. This is something I have been meaning to do for years, but my reading of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle coupled with my involvement with the Central Vermont Localvores, has moved thought to action. So, this past Saturday, I went to the Farmer's Market and bought two flats of tomatoes from Cate Farm. That is about 25 pounds of tomatoes. Aren't they beautiful? It's amazing to think that on the same land that was covered in snow and frozen solid in March, sprung these gorgeous tomatoes. Now, if I were to really be canning enough food for the winter, these two flats wouldn't just barely scrap the surface of the amount of food needed to ensure that my family didn't starve (or have to eat parsnip soup for 4 months).

After spending a day admiring my tomatoes, I was ready to get to work. First, I of course washed the tomatoes. They are organic, but all of the information that I read about canning gave very strict directions about washing and/or sterilizing pretty much everything involved in the preserving process.
After washing, it was time to get the thin skin off each and every tomato. In order to do this, you bring a big pot of water to a boil, drop the tomatoes in for 30-60 seconds, lift them out and drop them in cold water, and get ready for peeling fun. The tomatoes skin pretty much starts peeling on its own during the boiling/cooling process. The skin then just comes right off with very little effort.
Peeling skin off tomatoes reminds me of a gross hobby I had in grade school that entailed me covering my hands in elmers glue, letting it dry, and then peeling it off. The art teacher did not like this hobby, but it was simply addictive.
OK, back to canning or pre-canning. After peeling all the tomatoes, removing the stem and core, and slicing them in halves and quarters, my kitchen table looked like a tomato shrine.

Now it was time to make the sauce. I threw a little water in a saucepan (do not use oil for sauce if you are canning!). Then, added onions, tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder. I went with simple because I figured I could always add other veggies or spices when I am ready to use the sauce. Then I let it simmer for 2 hours. I know what you're thinking, 2 hours is a long time to watch a tomatoes simmer. During this 2 hours, however, there is other work to be done.
I sterilized all the jars and lids in bath of boilin water. Isn't that picture cool? Kind of spooky, huh? You should do this shortly before your sauce or tomatoes are ready because you will want the jars to be hot when you fill them with sauce.
It is almost time to actually put the tomatoes in the can. Before putting the sauce in, ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF LEMON JUICE PER QUART. This is very important because it prevents spoilage. OK, it's time. Put the sauce in the jar, screw on the lid, place the jars in the big ass pot of boiling water, and put the lid on. The time that you need to leave the jars in boiling water or process varies depending on the state of the tomatoes you are canning (sauce, halves, etc.) and the your altitude. To find out how long to process your sauce and more information on canning tomatoes, I found this sit e and this site very useful.

So, after all this work, I have six quarts of yummy local organic tomato sauce that I can dig into on a cole winter's night. There is nothing efficient about the canning process, but like knitting, I enjoyed the process. Also, in a time when so much of our work is removed from basic survival, it is a pleasure to actually take a few steps other than taking out my debit card to feed myself. Plus, if you think this sauce looks good now, imagine how good it will look when our yard looks like this. Sorry for the reality check, but that winter thing is why people preserve food.

Bravo for Blue...

2007-08-16T14:55:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's the hint of fall that has been in the air for the past 4 days or so that is making me really appreciate all the colors around me, especially the ones that start to dwindle as the temperature drops. Blue is one of those colors that I always associate with long summer days...water, sky, windshield washer fluid (just wanted to see if you were paying attention). Last weekend, Robb and I
took advantage of the bike ferry that connects Colchester, VT and South Hero, VT (one of the islands in Lake Champlain). We biked 14 miles round trip! Much of the time we had views of beautiful blue skies and twinkling waters. We also stopped for Maple Creamies, a Vermont summer must-have treat at a little "farmstand" in South Hero. The place where we got the creamies had a petting zoo with two very friendly donkeys who didn't seem to mind me standing next to tham and making an "ass" joke.
In honor of all the blue of summer skies and waters, I am making a simple lace pattern scarf out Handmaiden s e a silk yarn. The colorway is ocean. If you have heard about this luscious yarn and are still debating whether it's really worth it, IT IS! It is soft, shimmery, and extremely easy to knit with. Oh, and the color! Look at those shades of blue. If you can't go to the ocean, try knitting it. It's almost as good.

Ode to Orange

2007-08-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't used to like the color orange, but then about ten years ago I tasted my first sun gold tomato. If you have not tried these tasty little suckers, I strongly recommend that you go to your nearest farmer's market, grocery store, or neighbor's garden (don't tell them I sent you) to get yourself a handful. They are sweet, but not bag o' skittles sweet. They are sublimely sweet. Did I mention that I grew these in pots? So, if you don't have a piece of land to till, you can still grow your own orange beauties. You won't be disappointed and you might even realize that you like the color orange.

Ella's Summertime Adventures

2007-08-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

This summer I, Ella T. Dogg, have had many adventures. The three best adventures have been camping in Maine (this was first time sleeping in a tent), fleeing the country (I escaped to Canada for a short time), and a big dog party in the Northeast Kingdom. This first picture is me in the tent snuggled in between my two favorite two-leggers. Although I like the wierd house thing that my pet humans live in, I always feel happier outside so I really enjoyed being inside, yet outside at the same time.

After camping in Maine, we took our mobile futon onto this huge boat to get from Maine to Nova Scotia. I had to stay in the mobile futon for the whole boat ride, which was really lame because I was hoping to see some whales. After I got over my disappointment about not being able to watch for whales, I decided to just fall asleep. Apparently, I was better off sleeping. My mommy (aka Sarah) got sea sick and was hanging out on the deck puking for most of the ride. When we got off the boat, we were in another country...Canada. "Freedom!" I thought to myself. I started wagging my tail and my mind was filled with a nation that did not discriminate against canines. It turns out they still discriminate against canines in Canada- I was not welcome in restaurants, museums, stores, and other human establishments, but I did have plenty of other adventures in the always canine-friendly outdoors. We went for a walk along the bay of funny...I mean Fundy. We saw the bay of Fundy from the Nova Scoti side (see the picture above) and the New Brunswick side (see picture of Super Ella in New Brunswick, Canada to the right). Apparently, seeing the same thing from different sides is called perspective. Humans could use a little of that perspective stuff.
My Most recent summer adventure was a visit to Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. We went for a dog party and wow, was it a party! There were lots of treats, but more importantly there were lots of dogs to play with. I love playing with other dogs, especially chasing them and I had plenty of time to do just that. I found another dog to play with that was almost as fast as me so we ran around in circles as other dogs and humans looked on in amazement at our speed. Then , we went to play with the other throngs of dogs roaming around Dog Mountain. I knew about Dog Mountain already from some of Stephen Huneck's books that I have about Sally (the dog). I even got a new book about Sally's adventures, called Sally Goes to the Farm, signed by Stephen himself. I guess some two-leggers are OK. After all, look at all the adventures my two pet humans took me on this summer.

A Little Hope Amongst the Chaos...

2007-07-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

When we went away on vacation, I did not listen to or read the news. This is very unusual for me since I usually listen to the radio news in the morning and/or afternoon, as well as checking in on-line. Since we don't get any TV reception, I am somewhat protected from the disturbing and overwhelming visuals that accompany many of the headline stories. When I returned, I found it a rude reawakening to listen to Morning Edition on public radio during my morning my commute. While I was tooling around Maine and coastal Canada, it seems the world did not take a break from war, flood, famine, or other episodes of devastation.
On a more cheerful note, when we pulled into our driveway last Sunday, it seems my tomato plants had also not taken a break from their summer growth spurt. It was almost dark out, but I could see those orange and red little beauties plus what looked like a billion little green spheres just waiting to catch up to their already ripe neighbors, glowing in the headlights. I went to take a closer look. These tomato plants marched on. Despite dramatic climate change leading to inconsistent weather they blossomed and bore fruit. It's inspiring to see this resilience and I can only hope to emulate it in my humanity.

The U.S. Constitution? I was absent the day we covered that...

2007-07-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

I just have to spread the joy about some terrific news I heard from Freyne land.
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy has subpoenaed Karl Rove. Makes me proud that one of the only people on Capitol Hill that actually feels obligated to honor the U.S. constitution in any remote way is from Vermont. Maybe there is a tiny glimmer of hope that we could actually restore some sense of democracy. Democracy...is that what our country is supposed to be. Well, color me happy. I was starting to feel like a serf in a gated Kingdom. Want to read, hear, or watch Leahy's speech on the senate floor regarding this subpoena? Here's the link.

Cute, Cuter, Cutest...and I knit too!

2007-07-24T04:09:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a very short and picture-filled post. We just got back from our 8-day whirlwind adventure to Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick (Canada, not New Jersey).

Ella T. Dogg will be writing her own post about our adventures.
In the meantime, have a look at the pictures of her on vacation. I couldn't decide which one was cutest so I just put them in a random ord er.

Isn't she the sweetest? Check out that bed, a.k.a. mobile futon, that we set up for her in the car. Oh, and that fancy hotel room. What a life!
Oh yeah, on the subject of other cute things, I finished the baby sweater for Robb's godson Sean. It fits him perfectly. At least it did 3 weeks ago on his first birthday.

Keeping up with the Jones' (even when they're drowning in their own garbage)

2007-07-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

After a four-day trip to the garden state to visit friends and family this past weekend, I was already plenty riled up about the runaway consumer culture, unrestrained development, and political complacency that I witnessed in the land of my youth. Granted there are bubbles of liberalism in the garden state (I grew up in one), but these bubbles are either popping or getting smaller every day. The ridiculously high cost of living put the almighty dollar at the top of the food chain and things like the environment and humanitarian efforts get gobbled up like some helpless prey. In order to 'keep up with the Jones' (or even to simply not foreclose on your mortgage), moral values are put in the pantry and only the checkbook and gas tank get to sit at the kitchen table. With that kind of company for dinner, no wonder the divorce rate is so high.

So, after driving on the Garden State Parkway (see picture to the left-This road resembles neither a garden nor a park) and other potentially life-threatening activities, we made it back to Vermont at about 1 AM last night/this morning.

This morning, Robb and I dragged ourselves out of bed to go to the "town meeting" on global warming with Bernie and activtist/author Bill McKibben at Montpelier High School. There seemed to be a good showing. I'm not very good at estimating numbering, but it was a full house, especially for a Sunday morning in July. Bernie and the rest of the Vermont delegation is certainly pushing legislation to cut carbon emissions, but after seeing a car dealership dedicated exclusively to the sale of Hummers during our recent visit to NJ, I think that we need to push harder.

Environmental activist and author Bill McKibben, who has been sharing his knowledge and concern about the issue of global warming with the world for over twenty years had some excellent comments and responses to questions. Recently, Bill McKibben has written the book Deep Economy that I mentioned in a previous blog post. This book really focuses on the role of localism as an effetive strategy for reducing carbon emissons. He made a great comment about the way Americans eat, explaining (this is not word for word) that 'we order take out from 2,000 miles away every day.' This is referencing the distance that food travels to get on most Americans' dinner tables. Most Americans assume that they can drive through a snowstorm to go pick up a fresh pineapple. Strange, huh?

Several of the "townspeople" at the meeting offered suggestions about how indivduals, towns, states, and the nation might move foreward in terms of reducing carbon emissions. The idea that reducing our dependence on foreign oil could help not only the enviornment, but also the economy by creating "green jobs" was one great point. Nothing like some dollar signs to create a nation of environmentalists.

In addition to dollar signs, the other thing that people seem to be obsessed with in this country is status. They want to 'keep up with the Jones'. Americans have tried so hard to 'keep up with the Jones' that they make illogical and clearly immoral decisions like building houses so big that they can't even afford to furnish them or driving cars that are economically and environmentally unsustainable. They use credit cards to charge things that they do not need and can not afford so that people will think they are important. If we can get people to do things that do not benefit them simply so that they can 'keep up with the Jones', then surely we can get people to do make sound environmental decisions, like investing in renewable energy and efficient cars, so that they can 'keep up with the Jones'. If hanging your clothes on a line and biking to work was a status simple and made you look important, people would do it. So, in the future, maybe the term will change and people will try to 'keep up with the McKibbens'. After all, if the Jones' yard starts to fill with with all the electronic and plastic crap that they bought, but can not fit in their 4,000 square foot house, maybe the McKibbens' wind mill and solar panels won't look so bad.

Oh, and more importantly being environmentalist is cool. We were treated to a performance by the rising Vermont rap group X-10, who are "famous" for their "802" video. Now they have a new rap about global warming in Vermont. Have a look.

This is what happens when students have an education that teaches critical thinking and civic engagement. They actually know the name/number and contents of the Vermont Energy bill (H-520) that Governor Scissorhands vetoed. They even know that this Wednesday, July 11th, the legilature needs a 2/3 vote to over-ride the veto. Plus, they can rap about it and make learning and activism look cool!

It isn't being green...or red...

2007-06-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

,but it sure is yummy. Long time, no blog. I have continued to enjoy the earth's bounty. Look, I have little green tomatoes. Maybe I should fry them up and make a movie about it called "Fried Green Tomatoes". Oh, turns out someone already did that. My plans are always being foiled by copyright laws. What if I called the movie "Fryd Greene Tomatos"? Misspelling one word of popular products and selling it as your own seems to work with other generic spin-offs.
In addition to watching my garden grow, I have been eating the fruits (literally) of other people's labor. The strawberries in this picture are from Littlewood Farm in Plainfield, Vermont. Thank you Joey and Betsy. They are delicious. I have been eating local strawberries morning, noon, and night. They are a great addition to cereal, salads, ice cream, or just own their own. Did I mention that I love strawberries. I have already frozen 2 quarts. It's hard to remember right now that Winter will come and if I want to eat something other than Turnip stew in February without depleting the oil supply, I have to start planning now.

Today was an absolutely perfect day weather-wise. After the heat-wave earlier this week, which brought temperatures in this area to 95 degrees with massive amounts of humidity, I welcomed a day when the temperature didn't rise about 75. I met up with a friend from college, her beautiful baby Georiga, and husband at Shelburne Farms. I saw a 1 hour old goat, piglets, donkeys, the sweetest Swiss Brown calf, and lots of other animals. It's baby time in the barnyard and they sure are cute.

I have about 8 million other things to write about including my response to Michael Moore's new movie Sicko that we saw tonight, but I will have to save them for another post. It's 11:52 P.M. and I have to get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin.

Pesto, Poultry, Party...

2007-06-11T16:18:00.001-07:00

The days have been long (literally) here in Vermont, offering lots of opportunity for the plants and animals (including myself) to grow and run free. In that strainer is my first "pesto harvest", including green and purple basil and a little parsley. Add some grated cheese, nuts, olive oil, and garlic and preso...pesto! I did freeze quite a bit of pesto from last summer for this past winter, but I love this stuff so much that I think it was gone by January.
In addition to pesto, local chicken is in season here in Vermont, thanks to the passing of the "Chicken Bill" (aka H522-The Viability of Vermont Agriculture) this past legislative session, small family farms producing less than 1,000 birds are now able to sell their poultry to restaurants and at farmers markets without going through the costly process of state inspection. My partner Robb worked with Rural Vermont, a farmers' advocacy organization, and helped to get this bill passed! Ironically, he has not eaten chicken for almost 3 years, but he did enjoy some poultry-topped pizza at American Flatbread at Chicken Event 2 last Friday. Here's a picture of him enjoying the fruits (or sho
uld I say meat) of his labor.
Since he was doing something out of the ordinary, I thought maybe I should try something new so, along with nine other brave humans, I dressed up as chicken and did a victory dance. I'm at the front of the flock, with a purple dress under my chicken outfit. These outfits were provided thanks to Bread and Puppet, an awesome political theatre group that has been making people think and laugh for longer than I have been alive.

To top off my weekend, I celebrated the opening of L.A.C.E. (Local Agricultural Community Exchange) in Barre, VT. Ariel Zevon, a friend from Marlboro College, had a vision about a farm fresh market in downtown Barre and on Sunday, her vision became a reality. As part of the festivities, I went to the Jackson Browne benefit concert on Saturday night at the Barre Opera House. Sunday, I spent much of the day hanging out at L.A.C.E., eating yummy local food and enjoying the festivities.
On the knitting front, I have been finishing up this
baby sweater for Robb's godchild. It is a minnowknits pattern and the yarn is Mission Falls cotton. So cute. One other knitting note, is that my friend Symeon (aka Pippikneesocks) has a great article in the summer 2007 Knitty about the dying yarn using a solar oven. Have a look.
I guess all this activity explain my lack of blogging. There's just a short period of time in these parts with this much sunlight and you have to take advantage.

Localism...An Old Idea Making a Come Back

2007-05-29T18:23:00.001-07:00

Everywhere I turn recently, whether in the "real world" or cyberspace, the importance of re-discovering the value of strong communities and a locally based economy seems to be emerging. A couple of weeks ago, Robb and I went to Little River State Park in Waterbury, Vermont on a history hike. The hike goes through a community of hill farms in central Vermont that no longer exists, due largely to a huge flood in 1927 and the building of a dam in the 1930's. If you went to this site 200 years ago, however, you would have found 40 or 50 homesteads within a 5-10 mile radius, whose members relied almost exclusivley on their own farming and some help from their neighbors to sustain themselves. The picture to the left is my reflection on this landscape. The sap bucket was in a cellar hole abandoned over 100 years ago. Wow, they made things to last.

About a week after this hike at Little River, I had the chance to hear Bill McKibben speak about his new book, Deep Economy. Bill Mckibben is a long-time environmental activist who is perhaps best know for his book The End of Nature. Long before Hollywood decided to give Al Gore an opportunity to place global warming in the front row seat of America's popular culture through the film An Inconvenient Truth, McKibben was trying to convey the harsh realities of climate change through his writing and activism. When I heard him speak at Bear Pond Books to a packed house, he focused not on the complex scientific equations necessary to address the current environmental crises, but rather the vital role of strong community relationships in caring for our overburdened planet. We need to actually talk to our neighbors to solve global problems? We need to look at the weeds in our own backyard before we try to go around weeding the yards of every other nation.
The problem is we don't see the weeds in our own backyards becasue they are smothered with pesticides. This brings me to the book that I am currently reading, which is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle . I have enjoyed Kingsolver's fiction so when I heard that she wrote this book about a year of her family eating locally, I thought it would be a great combination of beautiful writing coupled with an issue that I am very interested in...local agriculture. I have not been disappointed. Here is a little sample from the beginning of the book. She does not mince words.

When we walked away from the land, our knowledge of food producton fell away from us like dirt in a laundry-soap commercial...When we give it a thought, we mostly consider the food industry to be a thing rather than a person. We obligingly give 85 cents of every food dollar to that thing, too-the processors, marketers, and transporters. And we complain about the high price of organic meats and vegetables that might send more than three nickels per buck to the farmers: those actual humans putting seeds in the ground , harvesting, attending livestock births, standing in the fields at dawn casting shadows upon our sustenance... In the the grocery store checkout coral, we're more likely to learn which TV stars are secretly fornicating than to inquire as to the whereabouts of the people who grew the cucumbers and melons in our carts.

Well said, Barbara. Especially, that cucumber and melon part.

So, this said, I am still learning how to eat more locally. I am lucky to live in a place where there are plenty of farmer's markets where I can purchase fresh produce during part of the spring, summer, and fall. I also grow a small amount of food on my own. Pictured is my small plot of land with herbs and flowers, as well as potted tomatos and more herbs. Still, I have yet to spend an August canning vegetables for weeks on end to ensure that I do not have to depend on our oil sucking food industry to keep me from starving in January. I'm working on it, though. This summer I am going to make my first attempt to can. It may not get me through the entire Vermont winter, but it's a start.

Springtime in Vermont: Flowers, Fiber, and Frolicing

2007-05-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

The green mountain state is actually living up to its name this week. Spring does not emerge slowly in these parts, but rather explodes like an energetic toddler waking up from a long nap. One day, the world is a frozen tundra and you feel like there is no way that any of the plants that are drooping with the heavy wet spring now could possibly offer a feast of chlorphyll filled colors. Then, seemingly overnight, you wake to find yourself diving head first into purple lilacs in the hope that you might be able to take that smell home with you. Then, there are the bleeding hearts. Every spring I look at these amazing plant and can't believe that nature could create something that looks exactly like a heart. Perhaps, the symbol of love was inspired by these plants instead of vice versa.
In addition to staring at all the new flowers, I have been enjoying some other spring adventures. I got a chance to visit Jessie, creator of beautiful yarns that you can find at A Piece of Vermont and peacock owner. I picked up some beutiful hand-dyed bamboo/merino/nylon and an additional skein of Weybridge (all vermont fiber yarn), which I am planning on dying myself. It was one of those perfect Vermont days when hanging out on the porch of an old farmhouse chatting is really the only reasonable thing to do.
In other knitting news, I am working on a scarf with a lacy eyelet trim. Look what happens if you follow directions. All YO, PSSO, stuff isn't as scary as I thought. I used the stitch pattern from June 14th of the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year: Perpetual Calendar. This yarn is also from Piece of Vermont (50/50 merino tencel). Not bad for a first try at lace. There's lots more in non-fiber fiber/flower news, but I'll that for another post.

Staying in My Habitat

2007-05-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a hilarious article from the Onion that I think many of you will appreciate, entitled,

Swelling Hippie Herds Pose Threat to Delicate Freakosystem

Here's the first paragraph to give you a taste,

WASHINGTON, DC–The indigenous North American hippie population has expanded to the point that its teeming herds are endangering the planet's fragile freakosystem, warned a Department of the Interior report released Monday.

Earth In Crisis: An Onion Special Report

According to the report, over the past 20 years, the wide-ranging, largely migratory hippies have more than tripled in population, insidiously infiltrating nearly every other U.S. subculture while venturing far beyond their natural Vermont and Colorado habitats.

As cited in the first paragraph, the hippie species is apparently native to Vermont and Colorado, which means I am not endangering any fragile eco-systems since I live in Vermont. This is a great relief because I would hate to be responsbile for destroying a perfectly respectable suburban neighborhood with my free-spirit.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Shear Fun!

2007-05-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

That's me dipping my hand into some prize-winning blue-face leicester fleece at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool festival. Pippi and I ventured out of the green mountain state Saturday in search of shear fun! (get it? shear-as in shearing a sheep. Clever puns abound after a long work day). The perfect spring weather made the fiber fest fabulous!
Pippi found a fleecy friend that she had to leave behind, but not before some serious bonding. I think she may have been giving the wool directions to her house. There were so much beutiful fiber and yarn that I didn't know where to begin. You see, here's a little secret, this was my first sheep and wool festival ever. I was a fiber festival virgen! It's all downhill from here (or uphill?) I did not leave empty-handed. I purchased this skein of handspun wool-tencel. I also purchased 4 skeins of yarn from Buckwheat Bridge Angora-3 beautiful deep purple and another gorgeous handpainted with that deep purple in it. The fiber content is 20% mohair kid, 60 % Cormo wool, and 20% llama. As if the beautiful yarn wasn't enough to make me giddy, I looked on the label and it said, "produced entirely with solar power". It turns out that they have a small solar-powered mill. Sold to the tree-hugging pinko commie hippie in the blue pants. I am planning on making a purple vest with a multi-colored trim. Well, that's the fiber report for now. You can view more photos of adventures from the NH sheep and wool festival on my newly created flickr account.I have been busy enjoying the spring weather and digging in the dirt so you can expect a garden report shortly.

Color Me Happy!

2007-05-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally really here in Vermont. In fact, today it felt more like summer. The temperature climbed into the 80's today. My surge of energy led me out of the office and straight to the nearest greenhouse/plant nursery to feast my eyes on the colors that mother earth has to offer this season. So, I came home and got to work or play, depending how you look at it. So, I keep reading about project spectrums. As I was walking through the greenhouse and looking at all the different colors, I thought about how similar the process of picking out and planting flowers is to choosing yarn and knitting it up. I had the same focused, but spaced out filling choosing and planting my flowers as I have when I choose yarn and knit a project. No wonder so many knitting enthusiasts are passionate gardeners and vice versa.

Speaking of color enthusiasm and knitting, I had my first yarn dying experience last Sunday. I took a class with my Vermont comrade Pippi, knitting Mentor Bridgette of the Knitting Studio, and two other women. As a young child, I always loved looking at color in art. I loved using color in art. Perhaps because I lack traditional drawing or painting skills, I have not picked up a paintbrush or stood in front of a canvas for some time. It was so exciting to have yarn as a canvas and not have to stay in the lines! My accomplished are pictured here.
I loved playing with the different color ways and I'm pretty sure I have developed a new addiction. Pippi wrote me about the class in a recent blog entry. There's also a rather scandalous picture of me.

Adventures of Ella

2007-04-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

This post will be written in the "voice" of my dog Ella, pictured above. We adopted Ella last July 4th weekend and I have developed this habit of "speaking" for her so I thought I would write for her. Isn't she the cutest?

Adventures of Ella

by Ella T. Dog

Spring has sprung and my pet humans have been taking me on a lot of different adventures to the city, the mountains, the beach, and all sorts of other places. This past winter, I went on all kinds of snow adventures in the mountains with my pet humans. They had to wear funny shaped huge shoes to walk in the snow. These springtime adventures are special because last spring I didn't have any pet humans. That's me, in the picture to the left, at canine-american activism day at the VT statehouse. Some of the humans will tell you that this event was part of nation-wide effort called step-it-up to bring attention to the issue of global warming, but us pooches had our own little meeitng. The issues discussed were licking rights, protection of land, and of course the whole human dilemma.

We also went on this thing called "vacation" to Maine. Humans have these things called jobs that get in the way of them going on adventures whenever they want. Poor humans. When we got to Maine, the sign said, "Maine...the way life is supposed to be." I was a little offended because I really like Vermont and I have a philosophy that I have developed that life is not "supposed to be" anything and you are not "supposed to be" anywhere." OK, enough with my deep thoughts. Back to my adventure in Maine. First, we went to this huge city called Portland. We stayed in a big building called a hotel. There were way too many two-leggers there. The best thing about the hotel was the gigantic bed that me and my pet humans could all fit on very comfortably. I didn't get kicked at all. I walked all over the city and smelled thousands of dogs. The picture to the left is me hanging out in front of a coffee shop with Robb (isn't he handsome?) enjoying the sun and looking cool. The bad part about the city was I couldn't figure out where to go to the bathroom because there was hardly any grass. Sorry to be so frank, but this is an important issue and I feel the need to share my dilemma.

After we left Portland, we went in the mobile dog bed and we ended up at the ocean. I've been to the ocean before, but since we live in the mountains I'm not used to it and it was very exciting. I ran around like a wild woman and drank some extremely salty water (note: Do not drink salt water. It looks pretty, but it makes you sick) As you can see from this picture, I can run extremely fast and my pet humans can almost never catch me once I get going. You have to let them catch you every now and again, just so they keep trying. It's this whole ego thing that humans have going on.

Well, that's all for now. I hope all you pooches and pet humans are enjoying springtime. Summer is just around the corner and you know what the means... more adventures. I'll keep you posted.

Flowers in the Mud

2007-04-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

I had about 5 different ideas for what I wanted to write about over the past several days, but the horrific events at Viriginia Tech today have muddied my mind and heart. I first saw the news on-line this morning that 2 students had been killed by a gunman in a dorm at Virginia Tech. My heart sunk at the thought of another innocent young life. Then, this afternoon I read that, more than 30 people had been killed by a gunman on the Virginia Tech campus. Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that a country that has spent the last 4 years "fighting terrorism" by sacrificing over 3,000 young Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilinans, is now facing a surge in violence at home.
The weather today seemed to match the news; the late spring snow that fell yesterday was melted by a heavy rain. The snow covered ground began to turn into a muddy mess. It often seems like the earth/weather are reflecting what is going on in my own life. Perhaps it is just that nature offers metaphors for every kind of human emotion and we just notice the metaphors in nature that match our current mood or thoughts. The shootings at Virginia Tech left me with a heavy and unformed sadness that is comprable to the mud that comes after a late spring nor'easter. The thing about spring mud is that flowers always follow. So, out of this mud, both human and natural, come flowers. It is my hope that instead of just a media blitz of horror, the massacre at Virginia tech, will bring some positive changes, that will lead to a more peaceful world. For now, my thoughts are with the families and friends who lost loved ones to this senseless violence. It is our responsibility to plant flowers of peace in their place.

Weaving in Loose Ends

2007-04-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

Weaving in loose ends. That's what I have been up to lately, both literally and metaphorically. I finally finished my mom's Christmas present (Christmas 2006). While I still need to block it, but everything else is done. It is "The Kimono Vest" from Cabin Fever. I used Cascade 220 for the main color and Berocco Trilogy for the contrasting color.This is largely due to a very patient and determined knitting mentor, Bridgette from the knitting studio, who I hung out with for about 3 hours yesterday at the store while I finished the vest. She said I wasn't allowed to leave until I finished and she meant. When I said I was hungry, she just told me to eat some of their snacks. When I got frustrated, she reminded me to sit back down and finish so that I wouldn't have to pull this vest out of the bottom of my bag anymore. Having been a fifth grade teacher who has forced (encouraged) many students to finish projects that they wanted to abandon, I feel like I got a taste of my own medicine. Since she had to wait 3 1/2 months for her finished Christmas present, I think she deserves a matching purple top to wear underneath.
Now that I have completed the "Christmas" vest, there are plenty of other pieces of loose yarn hanging out in my bag of knitting tricks. I did start working on the second sock made of the Cherry Tree Hill and Louet Gems I posted earlier. I would have turned the heel, but my #3 dpn's are occupied with a basic brown and red sock of Louet Gems that I started for Robb. Robb's sock is pictured to the left. For those of you second sock cynics out there who think I didn't post a picture of the aforementioned second sock because I didn't really start it, I am going to post the completed pair later this week.

In addition to loose ends of yarn, there seem to be a few other loose ends out in the world. For one, Winter is a very loose end here in Vermont, that I would like to bind off. We got at least six inches of wet, heavy spring snow today. While I am not usually a complainer about the weather, I have had enough of the white stuff and am ready for the green chlorophyll decorations that spring usually offers.

There also seem to be some loose ends in Washington D.C. world of cyberspace. It seems that those responsible for the firing of U.S. attorneys have lost the e-mails that were related to this matter. While, guess what, Uncle Sam, I think I accidentally lost all the records that show the income I earned this year. Oops. I hope they will be as lenient and forgiving with me as they are of the Bush administration.
That's all for now. I hope that next time I write it is about planting seeds and prancing around barefoot on the green grass.

Morality: Shopping Spree or Daily Investment

2007-04-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

It being the week of Passover and Easter, I have noticed an unusual number of bloggers that do not traditionally reference their religion, reflecting on this high traffic week of religious traditions. Before I offend anyone, I would just like to preface this post by letting you know that since I am the product of a minister (mom ) and rabbi (dad), I have decided that I have some level of diplomatic immunity on this topic.

I imagine, having made this comment about my parent’s religious background at other social gatherings, that a few ears may have perked up. So, let me explain. I had a rather confusing religious upbringing. My mother and father met when my mother was at Union Theological Seminary studying to be a minister and my father was at Jewish Theological Seminary studying to be a rabbi. They had a class together. I think it was Hebrew. Anyway, my mom ended up converting to Judaism for my father, but she tells me that she never felt Jewish. When I was 3, they separated, and my mom did not continue to follow the Jewish tradition, but looked for a community in which my sister and I could learn about both traditions. So, she found the Unitarian Church and that seemed to make sense to her. Then, my father went to court to make sure that I was raised Jewish (I know, I don’t understand how the whole separation of church and state allowed for such a trial). The court ordered that I should be raised Jewish, but be raised by my mom in a Unitarian home. To make a long story short, I was raised Jewish in the sense that I went to Hebrew School and had a Bat Mitzvah, but I also celebrated Christmas and other Christian holidays with my mom and her family. My father is no longer alive and my mom is a Unitarian minister. The story is even more complicated, but that gives you some clue about why I might have some mixed emotions about the whole religion thing.

So, in terms of Passover and Easter, there is always an unusually high number of people who seem to suddenly decide to become observant Christians or Jews this week. When we walked to breakfast this morning, the streets were bustling with church-goers. Since we go to breakfast almost every Sunday morning, the markedly higher number of churchgoers this morning was very apparent. My major issue with this sudden rise in religious observance a few days a year is that I am concerned that some people feel that by going to church or synagogue on a couple of “important” holidays every year, they do not have to abide by any moral code during the rest of the year. I know that, for some, religion is a way to strengthen their daily moral efforts and integrity; it allows them to make the effort to be a good human being on a daily basis. The “important holiday” type of religious observance is what I will call “shopping spree” morality (kind of an oxymoron). Unfortunately (or fortunately) religion is not like going clothes shopping. You can go to the store and buy all (or most) of the clothes you need for the season in one trip. I do not believe this is the case for morality. I think being a compassionate and moral human being takes “daily investment”.

Just to clarify, I do not think you have to go to church or synagogue every week to live a moral life. In my opinion, I do not think you ever have to go to church or synagogue to demonstrate or prove your morality. You just need to make a daily effort to be thoughtful and compassionate towards other living things. That is hard work. It takes discipline and effort. If going to church or synagogue gives someone strength to live their daily life in a moral way, then so be it. If, however, organized religion becomes a way to excuse immoral behavior in daily life, then that becomes what I call, “shopping spree morality.”

One additional clarification, I realize that there are other reasons for participating in organized religion other than for moral guidance or approval. Religion is very connected to family and community traditions, some of which have become almost secular. In a world that is obsessed with individualism and progress, religion does offer many the comfort of community and tradition.

Spring has Sprung...Kind of

2007-04-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

April in Vermont is technically spring, according to the calender, but you are just likely to be shoveling as you are gardening. A couple days ago, I looked at the flower bed in front of my house and there was no snow. Images of purple pansies and yellow tulips came into my mind as I began to imagine the possibilities of an earth warm enough to support flowers. Yesterday, snow began to fall and my flowerbed (see picture to left) became a repository for snow instead of a vacant plot of earth just waiting to support a menagerie of flowers. I have spent enough winters in Vermont to know better than to think that the snow would be over after March 21st, but being the optimist that I am I fell hard for the beutiful spring-like weather last weekend. To my defense, this is my first spring living back in Vermont in eight years and it is easy to forget about April (and sometimes even May) snowstorms. When I woke up this morning, there was at least six inches of fluffy snow and our yard looked more like a winter wonderland than a potential garden. People like to complain about the weather, especially when there is snow in April, but if you step back and try to forget for a couple of days that it is "supposed to be spring," you can actually enjoy the beauty of a spring snow followed by a relatively mild day. As Bob Dylan's song says, "You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows".
Plus, when there's still snow on the ground, it puts me in the mood for fiber fun. I am half-way through my second pair of socks. Since my first pair was worsted weight and I used #5 needles. I decided to do this pair in sport weigh with size 3 needles. I mean, who needs worsted weight socks in April. It's spring! The toe is Louet Gems and the rest of the sock is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. Oh, that sock makes my heart pitter patter. I think I'm in love.

Speaking of beautiful sock yarn, I recently acquired this beautiful skein of wonderous wool from Pippi. What's even better is I got to purchase it in person. Pippi and I, as you may be able to tell from the similarity of the landscape and weather in my picture and the picture in Pippi's April 5th post (today) we are neighbors. Well, not exactly neighbors, but in Vermont I think ten miles apart still constitutes neighbors. She came to knitting night at the Knitting Studio, which is actually a secret meeting of the Central Vermont Society of Anarchists (Shhh...Don't Tell). The colors in Jammin' are even more beautiful in person. Until the tulips decide to pop up, I think I will just meditate on the greens, purples, reds, and yellows in this yummy yarn. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, the colors will start to appear in nature, too.

A Nation Behind Bars

2007-04-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

I “opened up” the on-line version of the Burlington Free Press this morning to see an article about the huge disparity between what Vermont is spending on higher education versus “corrections”. It turns out far more of Vermonters’ tax dollars are going towards supporting incarceration than higher education. If individuals who committed crimes actually had the opportunity to recover and become productive members of society through the tax dollars spent on corrections, this use of public funds would not be so frustrating to me. There have been some very innovative and successful educational initiatives in prisons that have allowed individuals who have committed a crime, but are no longer a danger to society, to re-enter their communities successfully after incarceration. An article in Education Update from May 2005 entitled “Prison College Programs Unlock the Keys to Human Potential” explains the successes of some of the educational programs in

America

’s prisons. It also explains the cost efficiency of education relative to incarceration and how America is moving away from the rehabilitation model to a justice system that focusing on retaliation and “getting even” with criminals.

Statistics have indicated that the cost of keeping a prisoner in prison for one year exceeds the cost of educating prisoners for one year by a 10 to 1 ratio. Despite the obvious advantages, the movements away from prison reforms that educate and rehabilitate have been cut severely in the past ten years. The concept of prison reform has been replaced by policies that are punitive and in favor of permanent incarceration.

Here is another example that supports that wonderful quotation, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. Why is our prison population exploding? What is this relationship between the rising cost of the “corrections’ system and the inaccessibility of higher education to low and middle income citizens?

Let’s look at a possible scenario of a 22-year old from a low-income family who graduated from high school, but could not afford to go to college. What are the career possibilities for a young adult with no college education in Vermont? Many of the blue-collar jobs that were available 50 or even 15 years ago have moved overseas because of the cost of labor in America compared to China, Honduras, Sri Lanka, or other nations where the cost of living is considerably lower and the labor laws are considerably less rigid. So, what jobs are left for those individuals without a college degree. There are seasonal jobs based on the tourist industry or retail positions, which have a very low wage scale and usually no health benefits. So, here is this 22-year old, a member of Vermont’s “next generation” who is working multiple jobs to try to become independent, but still can’t make ends meet. Along comes an opportunity for a chance to get some “real” money through stealing or selling drugs. This life of crime might actually mean that they could have a “livable wage”. If they end up in prison, at least they will have health insurance. So, who can blame this young adult who was unable to pursue higher education or find a job as a skilled laborer for turning to crime. Compared to the life of a minimum wage worker, prison might actually not seem like a bad option. Perhaps this is why the following alarming set of statistics that I found on the Real Cost of Prisons Project website is the brutal reality of America today.

By the end of 2001, one in every 37 adults in the

U.S.

has either done time in a prison or were incarcerated in a state or federal prison. If current incarceration rates hold, 6% of all Americans, 11% of all men, 17% of Hispanic men and 32% of all African American men born in 2001 are likely to end up in prison at some point in their lifetime.

So, how do we end this trend of escalating prison populations and “corrections” costs? Education, education, education. First, higher education needs to be affordable all of those who are qualified and interested. Second, there needs to be more opportunity for skilled labor for those who prefer not to pursue higher education. These are preventative measures. If they do not work and an individual winds up incarcerated, unless they are a real danger to society, there needs to be a model of restorative justice that offers those who are incarcerated training and/or education so that when they do re-enter a community, they are able to be successful.

And then there were two/too/to...

2007-03-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted posted in a while because I have been TOO busy in my non-virtual world. As a result, I have a lot to share, but I will limit myself because I am TOO tired to write a coherent post of any length. So, here are two/too/to things that I have observed in the 3-dimensional world recently.

TWO seasons in just TWO days...
This is a picture of the Montpelier post office this past Thursday morning when temperatures climbed into the 50's and the city prepared for a possible flood. Since I live in the flood plain and was leaving Thursday night for a conference, I had my own share of flood prep to do. The river did rise several feet as a result of the melting ice caused by the unseasonably high temperatures. The temperature plumetted in the afternoon, which prevented further melting and flooding, however Montpelier isn't out of the woods yet.

And then winter made a comeback on Friday, reminding us of that in the middle of March in Vermont, the lion that is, according to the old saying supposed to represent only early March weather is so powerful that it scares the poor little lamb all the way into April. This is a picture of Loomis St. in Montpelier this morning, showing the fresh snowfall that began Friday evening. I thought many times this week about the sayng, "If you don't like the weather in Vermont, just wait fifteen minutes." In one day, I experienced a pending flood, a hint of spring, and a blast of winter.

Some things are supposed to come in TWO's all the time, like socks. That is why I worked so hard to finish my second sock this past week. Here is a picture of the completed gobstopper socks. ooh, aah. I have to admit, I am kind of happy that winter decided to make a comeback just so I have an excuse to wear my socks. They are so comfy! Who needs drugs when your socks look like this? I already started another pair. I'm hooked.

Now, since I can't come up with another coherent sentence, I will follow the American media trend and offer you my ideas in list form.

Here are some other TWO/TOO/TOs in my life:

TWO other creatures in my house, one canine and one human.
TWO ears, eyes, nose, feet, hands- I am pretty symmetrical!

TOO much work to do
TOO little time

TOO many wonderful people in my life
TOO little time to hang out with them

TOO much war
TOO little peace

TOO many ideas to write
TOO little brain power to write them

TO bed... I am going TO go to bed.

Gobstopper Socks and other Threads of Change

2007-03-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

For those of you experienced sock knitters who were wondering, "Did she start the second sock?", the answer is "yes." Everytime I have shared my accomplishment about my first sock with more experienced sock knitters, they congratulated me and promptly inquired if I had started my second one. Veteran sock knitters shared many stories about their experiences with lonely socks in their own unfinished projects closet; sock(s) who had never been given a partner. First of all, let me say that I have done a lot of dancing in my life and I am very good at hopping around so I have gotten plenty of use and exercise out of sock #1 already. This picture was taken yesterday and I am a lot further along now, already workin gon the heel. I am about By the way, in case you are wondering the yarn that I am using for these socks in Mille Colore by Lang These are very thick socks because I decided to do my first pair in worsted weight on #5 dpn's so that I didn't get too frustrated. Knitting with this yarn reminds me of "eating" gobstoppers as a kid. Remember those wierd big marble shaped candies that changed colors in your mouth. The good thing about yarn is that you don't have to open your mouth to see the colors change. This may have been socially acceptable at recess in 4th grade, but I find people are generally not interested in observing drool-coated candy at lunch meetings.

Speaking of change, tomorrow is Town Meeting Day here is Vermont-the day that Vermonters get a day off from work to participate in what may be one of the last holdouts of direct democracy in this country. This form of direct democracy is Vermonters opportunity to initiate change, to move the political gobstopper from red to blue or purple. Vermont's town meeting made national news last year when several towns passed resolutions to impeach that guy who lives in the White House, aka George W. Bush. While a town under 2,000 in Vermont may not have the power to initiate impeachment preceedings, this event showed that the "little people" do have a voice and, if it's loud enough, this voice might even be heard in our corrupt corporate media. So, if you live in Vermont, and you are reading this, plan to use your voice tomorrow. If you don't, someone else will speak for you. You can even get some knitting done while you're listening to other people's ideas. Rep. Mitzi Johnsono of South Hero did. There was a great picture of her knitting in yesterday's Free Press, but I can't seem to find it online. The article about this town meeting described Mitzi,

Rep. Mitzi Johnson, D-Grand Isle, settled into a seat with a skein of camel-colored yarn and a pair of knitting needles.

Yeah, a knitting legislator! A woman after my own heart.

Furry Dog, Fluffy Snow, Soft Sweater

2007-03-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

We got another decent snow here in Vermont on Friday, although nothing compared to the Valentine's Day Storm on Friday. I got to leave work early and go to the park with Robb and Ella T. Dog. Not too many people had tromped through the park yet so there was lots of fresh fluffy snow for both humans and caninces to enjoy. Below is Ella's tail on the trail. It's pretty much impossible to lose her in the snow. Look at that tail and those ears! When we adopted her fromt the humane society last June, she was terrified and her tail was so far between her legs that it was practically touching her nose. It's nice to see what a little TLC can do for a traumatized dog. John Lennon was right (about a lot) , "All you need is love."
And now for the knitters who read this blog. Below is a picture of me in my first completed sweater project. The pattern was in interweave Winter 2005. The yarn is Malabrigo. Yes, the first pattern I tried to read and interpret was from Interweave. This sweater took about a year start to finish, although I put it aside for about six months and did numerous smaller projects, such as hats and scarves. When I decided to take on a sweater project, many people suggested that I try something simple to start. I figured if I was going to invest all this time in knitting a sweater, I wanted it to be special. Needless to say, I spent many hours in on the couch and in the passenger seat saying, "Oh, now I see my mistake" and ripping out inches of hard work. I started the project for the Knitting Olympics last February. I finished it this past January. I've never been good at competetive sports. Maybe it comes from all those years at Socialist summer camp.

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

2007-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went to "see" Vermont Public Radio's (VPR) live forum on the Future of Education in Vermont. If you want to get me on my soapbox, just get someone to start bitching about how expensive our schools are and how teacher's have the best deal with all those great health benefits and summers off. Vermont, as with many other states, has struggled to figure how to fund its’ schools. Money doesn't fall off trees and, in case you haven't noticed, the federal government is busy blowing all our tax dollars on a war that the country doesn't support. If the money for public schools isn't coming from taxes that you send to Washington, how is public education being funded? The individual states and towns are funding education. Take a look at your most recent paycheck and see how much is taken out for state income taxes. Not much. So now we have our friend property taxes and sales taxes to pay for all those little kiddies to become knowledgeable and civic-minded adults and turn our country in a better direction. We can’t afford a generation of uninformed and disinterested young people with what is going on in our country and the world.

So, if you’re still reading, maybe you really believe that education is worth it and you just want to know why it costs so damn much. Vermont has a reputation for high quality schools that offer a caring learning community. Doesn't that sound nice? I think so too. Guess what? Quality education costs money. With such a small population in largely rural areas that are facing declining populations, the per pupil cost of education is high. Here are a few other clues as to what else lies behind the high cost of public education, specifically in Vermont. Teachers are good people and, despite what you may think, they are not martyrs. They like to eat good food, live in a warm house, and even go on vacation! I hope I didn't ruin your image of your favorite grade school teacher. If Vermont can't offer a competitive salary and benefits to talented teachers, then they will not be able to attract or retain the skilled educators that we have become accustomed to expecting. The average teacher salary in Vermont is just shy of $40,000. For someone with a master’s degree and 5 -10 years of teaching experience, this is hardly a windfall. Taxpayers are usually getting a bargain. Perhaps the single biggest cost driver in school budgets nowadays is health care. Here’s a statistics to knock your socks off. The average percentage of a teacher’s total package (salary & benefits) that goes towards health care is 22%. That means that the cost of health care for a teacher making $40,000 is $8,800. How many Vermonters have property taxes over $8,800 a year? Not too many. So, the next time you’re angry about your property tax bill, you should call up the health insurance companies and give them a piece of your mind.

OK, I’m almost at the end of my education soapbox. Sit tight. This is the good part. I am going to tell you what you are paying teachers to do all day. I taught in a classroom for four years and let me tell you, that you earn every single penny and every vacation day. It is rewarding work, but it is also intellectually, emotionally, physically, and psychologically demanding and exhausting. For those of you who think that teachers come to school at 8:15, have a brilliant lesson plan idea, prepare to implement that lesson plan by 8:30, stand in front of the class while their while behaved students listen attentively, and then leave at 3:00, I have a little reality check for you. When I taught 5th and 6th grade, I typically put in 55-60 hour weeks if you count all the lesson planning, paper grading, communication with parents, and unexpected management issues that come along with putting 20 11 and 12 year-olds together and keeping them inside all day except for a 15 or 20 minute recess. You don't need a PhD in Child Development or Educational Theory to understand the intensity of the situation I have just described. Here is a schedule of my typical day when I was teaching.

6:15- Alarm goes off- Shower, grab some breakfast, and head out the door by 7:15

7:45- Arrive at school- make any necessary copies, write the schedule for the day on the board, check e-mail and respond to concerned parents, write any directions or notes on board.

8:30-3:00 showtime- 20 excited pre-adolescent students come into the room- 5 of these students have urgent issues they need to discuss with me-get class settled (hopefully) and begin teaching (hopefully). Throughout the day, give an average of 4-5 mini-lessons to entire class, work with groups and individuals on writing, reading, social studies, and math assignments. Sometime during the day, you are supposed to get a 45 minute prep period, which is usually used for planning with other teachers or parent meetings, and at least ½ hour for lunch. During prep period, you get to go to the bathroom, which you have likely had to do for over an hour (I never understood how pregnant teachers dealt with this), grade some papers, and maybe have a short conversation with someone over the age of 12.

3:00-5:30 (on a good day)- Take a short break, do that bathroom thing again, grade papers, help students after school, call and/or e-mail parents, tidy up room, and plan lessons for the next day.

5:30-Go home to eat and relax- spend at least 45 minutes grading papers and/or entering grades into grade book.

Tired? So are teachers. I loved teaching, but I don’t think it is a job where you could not make the argument that people are being overpaid. As one of my favorite bumper stickers says, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

If you want to learn more about the wonderful work that is going on in Vermont schools, here are a few good sites.

Vermont Community Works - An organization dedicated to working with schools to integrate the community into their curriculum. There are some really wonderful detailed examples of what teachers and students are doing to learn about and contribute to the communities that they live in.

Starksboro School in Teaching K-8 Magazine- Teaching K-8, one of the premier magazines for elementary and middle school teaching professionals, profiles one school in every issue. This month, they profiled the Robinson School in Starksboro, VT because of the remarkable work they have done integrating the arts across the curriculum.

February Adventures Inside and Out

2007-02-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

My absence of posts in not due to a lack of events in this last half of the shortest month of the year. Despite the cold weather, the sun has started shining and invited me to get out and enjoy the white stuff that seemed to forget to visit Vermont at the beginning of winter. I got a pair of snowshoes last week and have had a few wonderful adventures romping through the winter landscape, including a climb up Spruce Mountain today. One of the best parts of all of these adventures has been watching our dog Ella enjoy this season. There is no way to describe her joy as she leaps fearlessly off the trail into a gully, burrowing herself into the snow as though it were a warm blanket.
Another highlight this month was my first opportunity to observe the Vermont legislature in action. I went to observe the debate over H.R. 11, a.k.a. the Iraq Resoulution. This bill, which passed in the Vermont House, after some heated debate, made an official statement that the Vermont Legislature supports ending the War in Iraq. How cool that I live in a state where I get to see democracy in action like this. I happened to sit behind a representative with whom I have strongly different opinions, but he turned around and made an effort to introduce himself. Those who disagreed with this resolution were mostly concerned with the idea that such a bill would make Veterans and current soldiers feel that we did not support them. Not taking a clear stand against the continuaton of war that puts innocent Vermonters and other American soldiers in the middle of Iraq's Civil War does not seem very supportive to me. There was language in the bill that clarified this, but an amendment was passed to ensure that there was language explicitly thanking those who had served in this war. I got a chance to see how, even in Vermont, the ego of some politicians peeks its ugly head into the halls of democracy. For the most part, however, I have to say I was pretty impressed with the civility of this very emotional dialogue.

The other activity thath has been keeping me busy has been knitting. I am not going to post all the projects I am working on, but they include finishing my mom's Christmas vest, working on a lovely cardigan, and learning how to make socks. I have been taking a sock knitting class at Kaleidiscope Yarns up in Essex Junction. As you can see, I have a great teacher. Pictured above is the first sock I have ever made. It is as soft as it looks. It's really bulky and is really more for keeping my feet toasty at home or a deliciously beutiful boot sock. As someone who loves hiking, good socks are invaluable.

Well, that's my February update. Based on the change in light, spring is just around the corner (a very big corner here in VT)

Valentine's Day Storm

2007-02-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

While global warming has starved Vermont of significant snowfall for much of this winter, it seems that cupid's arrow did the trick. Here in Montpelier, we got over 2 feet of snow. Stuck at home with the love of my life on Valentine's Day. Not a bad deal. We did get out to enjoy the blizzard a bit. This is a picture taken from State Street of the new bridge Langdon Street Bridge. There is something so incredibly peaceful about world blanketed in snow. The bridge seemed like an appropriate metaphor for a country that needs to cross over some mucky waters to make the changes necessary to bring about world where snow adds to the peace instead of covering up the a world at war.

Everyone, both human and canine seemed eager to get out and enjoy the snow day. Humans need to be reminded that mother nature is more powerful and far more romantic than a Hallmark holiday. That's Robb and dog Ella playing in the growing snowpile outside our house. She was so excited about this massive blanket of snow and had no fear of jumping in piles that were three times her height. They're pretty cute, aren't they.?

Not to be the grinch that stole Valentine's Day, but global warming, or more accurately climate change, is still very much a reality. It is, however, comforting to see that a nor'easter can still make it through all those carbon fumes.

Personal Peace in a Warring World

2007-01-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written for a while because I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of issues that I feel I need to write about. In fact, the state of the world has gotten to me so upset, that I have had to stop listening to NPR while driving to avoid getting in an accident. Here are six things in the world that are pissing me off the most right now. They are not really in order of importance because it’s difficult to prioritize when it comes to human suffering and social justice.

1. George Bush and the fact that he is living in White House instead of in priso
2. The War in Iraq
3. Poverty (related to this, the fact that there is even a debate as to weather we should raise the minimum wage from $5.15/hr, which should be a crime in this the wealthiest nation, or $7.15/hr, which is also criminally low.)
4. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act and how it is destroying opportunities for “real teaching” and “real learning” to happen.
5. Global warming
6. The fact that health insurance or some guaranteed access to health care is not considered a right, but a privelage.

I’m sure the list could go on, but I think this is a pretty full load. Don’t cry! There’s hope. Here are some ways that I am handling this world that, if I only read the newspaper or listened to NPR, could throw me into a deep clinical depression.

Snuggling and Playing. Spending lots of time snuggling and playing with pooch, Ella, and my human partner, Robb. We have gotten some snow in Vermont and have enjoyed how this frozen white stuff throws a positive glow on our troubled world.
Working towards peace. I went to a really inspirational anti-war march in Montpelier on a frigid day (10 degrees). Despite the weather, there were hundreds of people who marched to the VT state house and demonstrated their desire and drive to end the War in Iraq. Knowing that there are others who share your beliefs is very comforting. There was even a songwriter who played his anti-war songs for the chilly crowd. That’s commitment.

3. Knitting. I have been knitting quite a bit and will actually post some of my projects. I finished my first sweater and am 85% done with a vest for my mom. When I am knitting, I am so focused on the colors, textures, and shapes that I am working with that I am able to focus on the abstract issues that often shuffle around in my brain. I hope that all of you are able to find some personal peace in our currently less than peaceful world.

Moral Leadership from Within

2007-01-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

Today, around the country, people honored the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. through speeches, performances, concerts, and other celebrations. What most Americans know about Martin Luther King, Jr. is that he was a Civil Rights leader who fought against racial segregation. He was a Civil Rights leader and he did fight passionately for the equal rights of African-Americans in this country, but there is more. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an advocate, not only for the civil rights of African-Americans, but also for the civil rights of all marginalized groups, particularly those individuals who were marginalized by poverty.

Another important and very relevent component to King's moral leadership was his strong stance against the Vietnam War. King saw the deep connection between poverty, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam war. In a speech that he made at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, King explained the connection between his stance against the Vietnam War and his fight for Civil Rights.

There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor- both black and white- through the Poverty Program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonical destructive suction tube. So I was incereasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such. (MLK, April 4, 1967)

I found the excerpt from this speech to be incredibly relevant to the political situation in America today. On the one hand, the president wants billions of dollars to fight a war that the American people do not support. On the other hand, raising the unreasonably low minimum wage, creates controversy because of possible negative economic reprucussions.

So, what do you do? There is a time to put your hands in your head and weep about the situation. There is a deep sense of sadness that comes from witnessing such social injustice. Then, there is a time to act; to take your head out of your hands, stand up, and fight. Social change happens when we realize that within each of us there is a moral leader. Lots of moral leaders add up to a social movement.

I leave you with my all time favorite call to action quote by Margaret Mead. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Nap Time Over -Impeach Now!

2007-01-12T14:23:00.001-08:00

While this winter has felt a lot more like spring in terms of weather, the political climate has felt like one of those ferocious noreasters that I grew up with. All right, Mr. Bush, if you are determined to ignore the voice of Congress, top military advisors, international leaders, and most importantly the American public, then we have no choice but to mobilize the "political public works department" and plow you out of the white house.

I have say to say that I have been pretty depressed the past few days since George Bush's declaration that he is calling for a surge in the number of troops in Iraq. I did a lot of volunteer work during this past election season to ensure that the American people would have a group of senators and representatives in Washington D.C. who opposed the War in Iraq. After the November elections, I was feeling pretty hopeful that this new congress might be able to take America in a new direction. While the congress is trying to move America in a new direction, President Bush is having a political temper tantrum that could kill thousands of more American soldiers and Iraqi civilians.

I feel, at this point, the American people have no choice but to push for impeachment of the entire Bush administration. This is no longer an alternative view. Keith Olbermann of MSNBC articulates clearly, intellingently, and passionately his perspective on President Bush. Watch his report on youtube below.

Stop Global Warming! Sleep More!

2007-01-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

This week of balmy weather in Vermont has been a rude reminder of the reality of global warming. While there are some who are still trying to explain this weather as "normal fluctuations", the fact is that denial of global warming is no longer an option for most.

I promised to give some other suggestions for how to fight global warming and here is one that I think almost everyone would be happy to support. SLEEP MORE! The more you sleep, the less energy you use. Most people, other than maybe than toddler population, sleep with the lights off. Most people don't drive when they are asleep (although it does seem that some people may be asleep behind the wheel). So, particularly in the winter, get into bed, snuggle up with your human, animal, or stuffed friends, and give the Earth and yourself a break.

Change From the Inside Out

2006-12-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

In lieu of making a laundry list of New Year's resolutions that I probably won't keep, I decided I would choose one global crisis and write about how we can try to address this issue at the personal, local, national, and global level. I have chosen the issue of global warming, more accurately referred to by scientists as climate change.

Climate change is an issue that has received plenty of news coverage in the United States, but not nearly enough action. What's the hold up? Your favorite coping mechanism and mine- DENIAL.

The bad news is, we are already pretty deep into the quicksand of climate change. The good news is, we can do something about climate change. While it may be too late to reverse all of the damage we have done, we can at least put the breaks on climate change and slow down this global catastrophe that could potentially turn Florida into an underwater scuba diving site and Stowe, Vermont into a beach resort.

For any of you who may be skeptical that global warming is actually happening, here's some's information from climatecrisis.net, the website connected to Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.¹ The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

	The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.²
	Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.³
	The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.⁴
	At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.⁵

There are some who will still deny the crisis of global warming. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), outgoing chairman of the Committe on Public Works and the Environment, has made a name for himself, by calling global warming, "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the the American people." You can read Inhoff's climate change update speech in its entirety, presented to the senate on January 4, 2005. The whole thing is pretty frightening so, if your political views are anything like my own, you might want to got get yourself a glass of wine before you start reading.

If you still think that global warming is a hoax, you should probably stop reading here, call your grandma or someone at least thirty years older than you and ask them if they have seen a dramatic change in climate in their lifetime.

Good, now that Al Gore and/or Grandma have convinced you that global warming is a reality, let's talk about action . We'll start at the personal/individual level since that is the part that is most difficult for our "all about me" American culture. Since this blog is already pretty long, I will write about the local, national, and global level over the next week.

DRIVE LESS !:
What? Driving makes you feel free, you say. When you hit the road, it's like you're the only one in the world? Guess what? You're not. Just look at your fuel gauge. Have you ever seen it go up after you have driven 150 miles? The only way to bring that fuel gauge back up for most cars (except cars that run on veggie oil) is to go to a corporate gas station and pump your car full of gas that has been sucked out of the earth. The desire for this "energizing" fossil fuel is the cause of violence around the world. Just look at the War in Iraq. It is pretty clear at this point, as the civil war escalates in Iraq and 3,000 th American soldier is declared dead, that we are not there to restore democracy. We are securing access to oil supplies.

OK, so you agree, but how can I drive less. Here are some steps to cut down on driving.

1. Shop Local: Shopping locally is a win-win situation. See my pre-holiday posts process versus product and Liberal Coffee, Independent Books, and Smart Dogs and about this topic. Most big-box stores such as Wal-Mart or Target are not located in a pedestrian friendly area. Many of them are inaccessible to public transportation. So, the only way to get there, is in the four-wheeled oil burner. Even if you live close to one of these retail calamities, once you get there, you will have the pleasure of driving around in circles, looking for a place to park your individual-mobile next thousands of others. If you're anxiety level rises high enough during this search for a parking spot, you may be lucky enough to flee your car without looking where you parked it. When you're finished buying all the plastic shit that can fit in your car, you will have the pleasure of walking a great distance around the not-so-scenic parking lot looking for your car. I imagine the freedom factor associated with that automobile will have worn out by then.

Here's another scenario. Live in a community that supports a vibrant downtown, where you can either walk, bike, or take public transportation to family-owned retail businesses. Even if the products cost a little more, you will save money on gas and therapy bills. With that extra money, you can go meet a friend for lunch. Now, that sounds like freedom!

2. Carpool: The reality is many of us have to drive, particularly to get to our jobs. The industrial parks where many jobs are located are rarely connected to public transportation. If you are in this situation, try carpooling. You can find someone to carpool with by putting up a sign in the staff lunchroom, putting up a notice at your local grocery store or co-op, or sending out that dreaded all-staff e-mail. I do not recommend hitchhiking as a way to find someone to carpool with.

3. Quit your job, sell your car, and live off the government: It might do them good to have a taste of their own medicine. (Warning: Do not blame me if this plan doesn't work)

Let me know how these suggestions go, particularly if you choose #3

I have a few more suggestions, but I need to go take a walk. Check back over the next week for more suggestions on what you can do to combat global warming/climate changing.

In the meantime, here are some interesting articles to read on this topic.

James Howard Kunstler's article entitled Making Other Arrangements the most recent issue of Orion (my favorite magazine)

Bill McKibben's article entitled Energizing America in the most recent issue of Sierra magazine.

John Edwards and Matt Dunne Connection

2006-12-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

John Edwards announced today that he is running for president in 2008. He made this announcement while standing amidst residents of one of the most devastated neighborhoods in New Orleans, the lower ninth ward, where he was involved in a volunteer project with local residents to rebuild one of the many homes that had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. John Edwards states his perspective on the upcoming campaign on his website. "It is a campaign not just about what we can do in the White House, but what we can do on the way. " Good idea. A campaign trail should be littered with more than credit card receipts and press conferences.

Does this volunteering on the campaign trail sound familiar to any Vermonters? It does to me. This "activist" campaign strategy that John Edwards is outlining seems quite similar to that of Matt Dunne's during his campaign for Lieutenent Governor of Vermont. As you may recall, Matt Dunne focused much of his campaign energy on what came to be known as "service politics." While on the campaign trail, Matt Dunne and his supporters volunteered around Vermont, putting their ideas to work by building a bike trail in North Branch Park, sorting donated groceries at the Vermont Food Bank, and digging up potatoes at Food Works farm. Matt Dunne spent a lot of his time "doing" instead of "talking about doing". John Edwards website shows that he may also try to run a campaign with a little more elbow grease than most presidential candidates.

So, after jogging my memory a little bit, I realized that the connection between the politics of Matt Dunne and John Edwards should come as no surprise. Back in February, Matt Dunne invited Edwards to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Vermont entitled "United Against Poverty". Here is what Matt had to said about Edwards back in February.

"Poverty remains a critical issue facing Vermont," said Sen. Dunne. "We have some of the most innovative organizations in the country leading the charge in the fight against poverty. Senator Edwards has dedicated his efforts to the issues of poverty since his bid for Vice President, and I am delighted that he has chosen to join us for a day to take stock of where we are, share strategies, and determine ways to make our efforts more successful in ensuring that every Vermonter has a chance to succeed."

Sounds like Edwards and Dunne have a lot in common. I've been wondering what Matt Dunne is up to after his busy campaign season. Maybe we will see him next to John Edwards more often in the next few years. If I'm right, you can say you heard it hear first. If not, it's good food for thought.

Grandma knows Best

2006-12-18T05:07:00.000-08:00

When I “opened” yesterday's Times Argus, I was drawn to the article entitled "Vermont grandmother faces second protest trial" about Ruth Jackowski, the 69 year old Vermont woman who was arrested for blocking traffic during a war protest in Bennington on March 20, 2003. Does that date ring a bell? It’s the day that the War in Iraq began.

What was Grandma doing out in the middle of the busiest intersection in Vermont protesting? Well, she must have had a damn good reason because Grandmas always seem to know best, particularly when it comes to their grandchildren. The world’s grandchildren were in grave danger on this March morning and Ruth Jankowski was dong what any good Grandma would do step up and protect them. She was trying to stop this nation from murdering grandchildren in Iraq or sending this nation’s grandchildren to die in an unjustified and unjust war.

Ruth Jackowski is part of national group that call themselves the Raging Grannies. This group takes the protection of the world’s grandchildren very seriously. The Raging Grannies are involved in a range of social and political activism that defies that typical “granny” image. Members of the Raging Grannies have taken their post-career and/or child rearing days as an opportunity to speak their minds not only to their families, but to the world. These women have some years of wisdom on me and probably many other people reading this blog. Furthermore, they’ve got all those great feminine attributes such as networking skills, compassion, and determination that are so important to an effective activist. The Raging Grannies explain what they like about “grannying” in the following excerpt from their website

The delights of grannying include: dressing like innocent little old ladies so we can get close to our 'target', writing songs from old favourites that skewer modern wrongs, satirizing evil-doing in public and getting everyone singing about it, watching a wrong back down and turn tail and run, sharing a history with other women who know who they are and what they're about. Grannying is the least understood yet most powerful weapon we have.

What a brilliant philosophy! Who would arrest a Grandma? Especially for trying to protect her grandchildren. Unfortunately, that's what happened in Bennington on March 20,2003. What a crazy world we live in. We arrest pro-active and loving Grandmas and keep criminals in the highest political office in this nation. Grandma Ruth seems like a much better fit for the presidency and George W. Bush should be awaiting trial.

Seals Respond to Global Warming Trend with Love

2006-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

I opened up rawstory.org, one of my favorite liberal news clearinghouse websites, to find this adorable picture of two seals snuggling in the mud. Wow, that mud looks a little bit like my yard right here in Montpelier, Vermont. I thought maybe I had accidentally opened to the National Geographic or Animal Planet website, but it turns out that these seals mating in the mud actually have a political message. The article connected to this image was published in the Daily Mail and is appropriately entitled, "Climate Change Putting Seals in the Mood for Love". According to the article, research conducted in a seal colony on the Scottish island of North Rona, shows that rising temperatures have had an impact on the travel patterns of the grey seals and some of the less aggressive, more "sensitive pony-tail" guy seals are getting a little more action and putting some diversity into the grey seal gene pool. Here is an excerpt from this article that puts a new twist on global warming.

Male seals are reaping the benefits of climate change by having more sex, scientists have discovered.

Subordinate grey seals are taking advantage of rising temperatures and falling rainfall to mate more often.

Due to climate change female grey seals are being forced to travel further for drinking water - removing them from the watchful eye of the dominant males and allowing the subordinate males to take advantage.

If we don't do something about climate change in Vermont soom, who knows what the streets of Burlington or the muddy ski slopes in Stowe will look like in a few years. While this idea of free love might seem interesting for a little while, I'm not sure how it would impact Vermont's already kind of eclectic image. Could be interesting.

Liberal Coffee, Independent Books, and Smart Dogs

2006-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

This photo and the morning that surrounded it sums up some very important components of community in Vermont for me: Local coffee shops, Radio, independent bookstores, dogs, and politics.

Saturday morning, leaving my own dog and boyfriend still in bed, I trotted off to town (Montpelier) for what turned out to be a bustling Saturday. My first stop, of course, was at Capitol Grounds to get my morning cup of coffee. If you haven’t been to Capitol Grounds, you might not know, that the size options for your coffee are quite different from Starbucks. Your options, from smallest to largest, are conservative, moderate, liberal, and radical. To top it off (no pun intended), the two most common brews are “Bob’s House Blend” and “Bob’s Senate Blend”. This means that I frequently get to place my morning coffee order by requesting a “liberal senate” or a “radical house”. I think these orders pretty much speak for themselves.

After this wonderful opportunity to state my political wishes and receive a delicious cup of coffee in return, I was off to my next stop, Bear Pond Bookstore. Ken Squire, owner of WDEV radio, was broadcasting live from Bear Pond. Ken Squire was not alone. He was accompanied by renowned Buster the Wonder Dog, a border collie who frequently makes appearance with Ken at WDEV events. You can’t see it in this picture, but the chair that Buster is sitting in actually has the name “Buster” embroidered on it. Ken woke up Vermonters on this Saturday morning with his beloved “music to go to the dump by” and his commentary on the people and books that surrounded him at Bear Pond. I perched myself on the steps leading up to Bear Pond’s fabulous children’s section and watched the broad cast unfold.

Here is a little script of what I observed as I sat on the steps observing a not so typical Saturday morning radio program live from the smallest state capital.

Enter stage right, Bear Pond employee, George, holding 4 copies of the New York Times

Ken Squire (KS): Wow, you have a lot of copies of the Times there.

George (G): I’m still looking for the comics.

KS: It’s above the fold on the front page.

All that wit before 9:30 on a Saturday morning in December.

As if having WDEV broadcast live wasn’t enough for Bear Pond to offer me for entertainment and education that morning, Chris Graff arrived at Bear Pond about an hour later ready to sign his new book Dateline Vermont. I was getting a copy signed for my wonderful boyfriend, Robb, for Christmas. Of course, I have already started reading it and it is absolutely fabulous. Apparently, I’m not the only fan because Bear Pond sold out of this book on Saturday.

So, this blog is more of a story, than an essay, but there is an important moral to the story. The reason that I am able to enjoy a Saturday morning like this is because of the political and personal choices that Vermonters make everyday. There is very strong legislation to support Vermont’s downtowns. WDEV is one of the few family owned radio stations still around, which enables for considerably more freedom in terms of programming. Most importantly, everyday, Vermonters just like me, make the decision to spend their days enjoying and supporting their local community. Without the support of community members, small businesses such as Capitol Grounds and Bear Pond Books, would not be able to survive and I might find myself at the mega-chain counterparts that now dominate the majority of the American landscape.

Dogs Yes; Dogmas No

2006-12-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

If you are a dog lover, particularly one who is living in Vermont, you may have been lucky enough to come across the art and writing of Stephen Huneck, known for his children's book series that stars his dog Sally. He is also known for creating the dog chapel, a chapel dedicated to that special relationship that we have with our four-legged canine friends. Like many buildings that serve a spiritual purpose, there is a sign outside this chapel in St. Johnsbury, VT that states the philosophy of this institution. "Welcome all creeds. All Breeds. No Dogmas allowed."

In addition to Huneck's children's book series about Sally, he has written a book about the dog chapel that he created. Since my mom is a Unitarian minister, I thought this would be a perfect gift for her last Mother's Day. During her annual "blessing of the animals" service at her church, she used Huneck's work to illustrate the important role that our furry friends play in our lives, as well as the lessons we can learn from our pooches and other non-human companions. Here is an excerpt from her sermon entitled "A Place for Everyone".

It’s like those words printed at the top of our order of service:

“Welcome all creeds. All breeds. No dogmas allowed.” Dogs, yes; dogmas, no.

So let’s be good to our non-human friends as well as our human friends. Let’s show to each other and to them that we’ve learned a few things about love and play and trust from them.

As you might guess, I have both human and non-human friends. Here are some pictures of them doing tricks together. The human in the picture is Robb and the dog in the picture is Ella. Both have taught me a lot about love, play, and trust.

These pictures were taken during a recent walk in Montpelier's Hubbard Park when Ella made several important discoveries including the fascinating fact that snow is actually just frozen water which means that a snowy mountain is essentially just a big frozen dog bowl. Another discovery is that there are animals, such as her, that can defy gravity. These pictures are not doctored.

Property Taxes, Education, and Health Insurance

2006-12-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

Property taxes are a major political issue all over the country and Vermont is no exception. I'm sure that property taxes are a burden, particularly for those who bought their houses many years ago when property values in Vermont were much lower. The common solution that many propose to the property tax burden in Vermont seems to be slashing the school budget, or as Vermont Governor Jim Douglas proposes, capping education spending. The questions I have regarding this issue are the following:

1.Are property taxes really the major financial burden of the majority of Vermonters? What percentage of Vermonters own homes?

2. What are the major financial burdens that middle-class Vermonters are facing today? How does these financial burndens effect property taxes?

2.Is reducing the school budget a reasonable approach to bringing property taxes under control?

I did a little research and found some answers to these questions that drew me to make some probably unpopular conclusions about property taxes and school funding.

I have several issues with the property taxes and education spending obsession that seem to plague many people. The first issue is that not all Vermonters are lucky enough to own property. According to my initial demographic research, at least 30% of Vermonters are not homeowners. This number is undoubtedly much higher as it is easier to get demographic information from individuals who own property and live at the same address for an extended period of time. Why are all Vermonters not financially able to buy their own home? Clearly, property taxes are not the financial burden for them since they don't own property. As a Vermonter who does not own a home because I am not in a financial position to do so, I can tell you that the major financial burdens that prevent me from buying a home right now are student loans, car insurance/payment, fuel, health care, and rent. I know I am not alone.

The rising cost of health insurance and premiums is perhaps the biggest financial burden that all Vermonters are grappling with. According to a recent article in the Burlington Free Press, between 2000 and 2006, family premiums have increased 80 percent, while wages rose by only 24 percent. The article breaks it town in terms of dollar cost as well. Put your coffee cup down because these numbers are pretty upsetting.

Individual health insurance premiums rose an average of $415, or 88 percent (from $471 to $887) over the six-year period for workers and $1,745 for employers, from $2,214 to $3,958.

Median earnings rose 24 percent from $22,155 to $27,515 over the six-year period.

Here is the link for the entire article entitled, "Healthcare Premiums Rising Faster than Earnings"

Increases in the school budgets are largely due to this increased cost of health insurance for school staff. Voicing complaints about class size and teacher salaries to the school board may make Vermonters feel like they have a voice in their property tax burden, but complaints about school budgets should be directed to the health insurance and pharmeceutical companies that are really driving up the cost of public education.

Healthcare should not be a money making enterprise. It should be a right of citizenship . If our tax dollars go towards medical research then everyone should be able to reap the benefits of this research without an excessive financial burden. So, next time you want to go to a school board meeting and complain about property taxes, consider giving Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Cigna a phone call and voicing your frustration to them. You're more likely to see a drop in property taxes with this strategy.

Process versus Product: America's Obsession with Immediate Gratification

2006-11-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

If you read the title of my blog or have read my initial entry, you may already know that in addition to politics, hiking, and my dog, I have another obsession. Knitting. Pictured here are a hat and scarf set I have been working on for myself for several weeks now. Knitting, in many ways, goes against the current American obsession with immediate gratification and "getting a good deal". I paid about $30 at my local yarn store to make this hat and scarf set. I'm sure I have already spent at least 5 hours working on this project. At $7.25 an hour, that's already $36.25 in labor. Now we're up to $66.25 with at least 2 more hours in labor to go. So, minimum we're looking at an $80 hat and scarf set. Surely, I could have gone to Target and bought this set for less than the yarn alone. For me, however, there is a personal value in the pleasure of creating something with my hands. There is also value in supporting my local yarn store instead of getting "a better deal" online.

As we head into this holiday season, when circulars from big box stores are bigger than the actual newspaper that they are placed in, it is difficult to ignore the reality that one of the philosophies of current American culture can be summed up as this, 'Whoever gets the most stuff at the lowest price wins.' The front pages of newspapers the day after Thanksgiving are not dotted with stories of how this day of reflection has driven Americans to understand how priveleged they are by selling their McMansions, moving into Thoreau style cabins, and donating their profits to those who are "food insecure." Instead, we see images of people lined up in front of Macy's, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and other temples of consumerism, to get the "best deal" on items that will distract them from any real engagement in civic life. Just to pour salt in the wound, these items, such as Playstations, talking dolls that actually pee in their pants (apparently this is a bonus!), and other plastic stuff made by small children in third world countries, will likely their way to a landfill within 10 years.

OK, so I don't mean to be a total grinch. In fact, I love giving gifts. I just don't like giving gifts at other people's expense. It's hard to believe that something is "a great deal" when the person who made it is 8 years old and works 14 hour days. So, in light of this, I am a big proponent of "quality over quantity". As a child, whenever I asked my mom what she wanted for her birthday or christmas, she would say, "Make me something. I love anything that is made by you." I guess, eventually, I heard this message, because this year, I am knitting my mom a vest. On Saturday, instead of going out to buy my mom an item whose origins would cause an episode of insomnia, my mom and I went to the local yarn store and she picked out yarn for her vest.

Now, I am not about to say that I am going to knit every person on my Christmas list a vest, but I am going to try to buy thoughtfully and support the local economy. You may be able to get a better bargain for an item online or in a big box store, but you might not feel like you got such a bargain when your Main St. looks like a ghost town because local businesses can't offer the big bargain. If it costs five more dollars to buy a sweater at local family owned business, consider the five dollars a holiday donation to the preservation of community life.

"Food Insecurity": Another Denial of Human Suffering

2006-11-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day has arrived and our refrigerator is stuffed. My boyfriend is still snoozing in our warm home and, while I have not eaten any breakfast, I am “food secure”. I know that there are multiple boxes of cereal, eggs, apples, and plenty of other nutritious food to fill my stomach right downstairs. It is a safe feeling. It is a comforting feeling. Hunger, which I have never really experienced, must be the opposite. Fear. Panic. Terror. Pain.

By now, many of you have already read that George Bush has decided to use the term "food insecurity" instead of hunger to describe people who are hungry. As we know, words are powerful and George Bush does not have a good track record of using them accurately or effectively. Nor does he have a good track record of admitting the human suffering that has and continues to happen in his name. Let’s start with the definition of insecurity. When I looked "insecurity" up in Merriem-Webster’s on-line dictionary, here’s what I found:

1. not confident or sure.
2. not adequately guarded or sustained

Do you think it is accurate to describe individuals who are hungry as, “not confident or sure”. Does this accurately describe the type of fear and pain that hungry individuals must live with every day? I don’t know about you, but if I hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch and I wasn’t sure where my dinner was coming from, I think I would feel a little more than “not adequately guarded or sustained.”

Here is how the same dictionary defines "hunger".

1. a. craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient b. an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food c. a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food

Interesting that the word “urgent” is in the first definition. If a physical state is “urgent”, such as hunger, we would conclude that it is an emergency and not just something to worry about in our spare time.

George Bush, by using the term “food insecurity” instead of hunger to describe “hunger”, is taking the urgency out of this international crisis. George Bush, if nothing else, is good at denial. He avoids addressing any of the real crises in the world by distracting the country with false threats of terrorism. Americans have become so scared about their own safety because of the Bush administration’s efforts to distract us and/or keep us in a state of fear. What about the crimes that the US is committing every day against its own citizens by leaving them hungry, while we spend billions of dollars on a war that the majority of the country does not support? As the wealthiest country in the world, the fact that there are at least 35 million people who are “food insecure” should be a punishable crime. This is a statistic that I got directly from the USDA’s Economic Research Service website. This site is filled with alarming and real facts. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/trends.htm There is no question (unlike Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction) that there are millions of people that are hungry in this nation of plenty. The United States has the resources to address this issue and eliminate hunger. Our government chooses to spend our tax dollars to fight wars in oil rich countries instead of feeding our own hungry citizens.

Hunger in the United States is only the tip of the iceberg. While the US prides itself on being the world police, we do not seem to be concerned about the “food security” of our global neighbors. According to the organization Bread for the World, 852 million people across the world are hungry. 16,000 children die from hunger related diseases every day. There’s more information and it only gets more depressing. http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html

Here's an interesting train of thought. Maybe, if we are going to call hunger "food insecurity", we should call wealth "excessive money". I wonder how well that would go over with the wealthiest top 2% of the population? I have a feeling that corporations would put up a pretty big protest before their CEO's financial situation was described in government reports as "excessive money."

Let's call a spade a spade. You can change the language that describes hunger and the resulting malnourishment and disease that kills 16,000 children a day, but it doesn't mean that their pain doesn't exist. It's time to stop sugar coating the painful realities of our hungry neighbors with terminology that is easier on our ears. A little discomfort and guilt about the fact that there are people going hungry in our own communitie might drive people to take some real action towards this national and international crisis.

Good Things Come in Small Packages: Vermont Leads the Way in Washington D.C.

2006-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

This is the view that I had as I stood on a chair at the back of the Adirondack Ballroom at the Wyndham Hotel in Burlington on election night 2007. Vermont was one of the first states to declare victory for a shift in power in Washington. Polls closed on November 7th in VT at 7 P.M. Many Vermonters, even those who are not farmers, seem to follow the agricultural schedule of getting up at the crack of dawn so volunteers, staff, and supporters of Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Scudder Parker, and Matt Dunne, were already toasting to the victory of independent (a.k.a. socialist) Bernie Sanders as the senator-elect and Peter Welch U.S. House Representative-elect while other states were still biting their fingernails. Vermonters still kept an eye on the T.V. screens as they rooted for democratic victory in other states. A huge round of applause swept through the room when the screen announced that Pennsylvania's extremely conservative Rick Santorum had lost the election to Casey.
I was fortunate to volunteer on all of these campaigns at some point in the past six months. Having been away from Vermont for several years, this was a great way to take the pulse of the state and find out what Vermonters are thinking. Vermonters pride themselves on being independent and not voting for a party, but rather for a person. As I spoke to people around the state, it was clear that many voters were keenly aware of the role the Republican party has played in supporting a war based on false information, pushing more and more Americans into poverty, and threatening Americans' civil liberties with the patriot act.
While Bernie Sanders is an independent, he chose to openly endorse democratic candidates in this election, which brought the crisis in Washington to the attention of independent thinkers around the state. Of course, not all Vermonters are interested in change. During the final days leading up to the election, I knocked on one door as I was canvassing, and was greeted with fear of change. When I began to engage this individual in a conversation about Bernie Sanders, he said that, "Bernie should start to talk like a Vermonter." For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing Bernie Sanders speak, he still has an accent that is more reminiscent of Flatbush than of Burlington. To me, this accent is a wonderful reminder that Vermonters are a group of people who, while their families may not have originated in this state, have made a very conscious choice to make this their home. Vermont, composed of these independent thinkers, is a leader. As Bernie Sanders said, in his victory speech, when someone in the crowd exclaimed, "You did it!", he responded, "I didn't do it, we did it." Vermonters made their decision on November 7th. Bernie Sanders will be the next Senator from Vermont and Peter Welch will be the next representative in the US congress.

Citizens throughout the United states spoke with the their vote. The democrats have regained control of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. The voice of the American people was so loud that Donald Rumsfeld stepped down from office. Ahh, democracy at work. Let's not let the momentum die. Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in the War in Iraq and has become one of the strongest anti-war and Anti-Bush activists in the country wrote in a piece entitle, "Another Open Letter to George," her charge for the American people.

"After the 110th Democratic Congress is sworn in, we the people with all the power will be out in force in the halls and offices of our elected officials to make sure that our mandate for change is carried out. Gone are the days when we will permit our elected officials to bow before the special interests and allow the war machine to run our country. Here are the days where we the poeple with the mandate will enforce our mandate."

Cindy Sheehan summed it up beautifully. To read the complete letter by Cindy Sheehan, go to http://www.zmag.org

Rally for move back to democracy!

2006-11-05T08:46:00.001-08:00

This is the auditorium at Montpelier High School at the Nov.4th rally for Bernie Sanders for US Senate and democratic candidates Peter Welch for US Congress, Scudder Parker for Vermont Governor, and Matt Dunne for Lieutenent Governor. This picture was taken on Saturday evening at around 7:00. Why aren't they all at home watching TV? Why aren't they out shopping? Because there's only 72 hours left before the polls close in VT and all of these people want a change in Washington DC and in the state house in Montpelier. Vermonters may be humble and soft spoken often, but not at this rally; not when there is so much at stake in their own lives, the lives of their chilren, the lives of their neigbors, the direction of the United States, and our tired planet. There was lots of hooting and hollering as all candidates spoke out against the war in Iraq, in support of national health care as a right of citizentship, and a voice for the middle class.

This young citizen who is clearly not even of voting age is inspired by Bernie's words of wisdom. He is still helping to get out the message for change though by saying,

"Rock on, Bernie!
Power to the People!"

Marlboro College and Community Politics

2006-10-10T17:32:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, I went down to Marlboro College in Southern Vermont, where I graduated from in Southern vermont in 1998. It was parent's day and I had volunteered to be part of a panel discussion about, "What happens after Marlboro?" Marlboro is not your typical college. It's not even your typical small liberal arts college. This college, which is about to celebrate it's 60th birthday has a student population that hovers around 300, largely self-designed majors, and tutorial style classes that encourage intellectual dialogue. Marlboro is one of the few colleges that has continued to focus on its mission, which is quoted below.

"The goal of Marlboro college is to teach students to think clearly and to learn independently through engagement in a structured program of liberal studies. Students are expected to develop a command of concise and correct English and to strive for academic excellence informed by intellectual and artistic creativity; they are encouraged to acquire a passion for learning, discerning judgement, and global perspective. The college promotes independence by requiring students to participate in the planning of their own programs of study and to act responsibly within a self-governing community."

Guess what? They actually fulfill their mission. Unlike other colleges that are focusing on building fancy student centers that resemble an elite country clubs so that students aren't "bored" by the proces of intellectual development, Marlboro actually focuses on creating the type of learning community that is the root of successful democracy. When they say "self-governing community", they mean it. There is a town meeting once a month that all community members including staff, faculty, and students, are invited to attend. The image below is from a town meeting in 2004 and came from the photo gallery at Marlboro's website. There is student select board elected through the town meeting. When I was there, I was on the admissions committee and actually had a real vote. If the idea of giving college students this type of power makes you nervous, perhaps you should pay a visit to the Marlboro College website www.marlboro.edu and see how seriously students take their role in the community and their academic studies. It is pretty well known in basic psychology that there is a direct correspondence between people's behavior and how you treat them. If you treat college students like rebellious adolescents, that is how they will behave. If you treat them like young citizens, they act as such.

So, what is the link between graduating from Marlboro and my current perspective on community politics. Politics, like higher education, has been "dumbed down". Most politicians speak in bullet points and when the occasional politicians begans showing intellect through discussions on real policy issues, they are often criticized for not reaching out to the general public. If the general public can only think in bullet points and make decisions based on charm, maybe we need to re-think civics education from kindergarten straight through college. Let's see, the educational "philosophies" (I put this in quotes because the word philosophy implies that there is some substantial thought put into an idea) that our currently being promoted through such educational policies as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), undermines autonomy and critical thinking at every turn. There is a huge amount of funding for early literacy, as there should be, but adolescent literacy, aka comprehension, is not funded. It is critical that students learn to read and it is equally, if not more important that they are able to understand and question what they are reading. Not surprisingly, George Bush, who clearly lacks comprehension skills himself, is pushing to raise a generation of readers who lack comprehension skills. He has a personal investment in NCLB because it is voters who lack comprehension skills, but are still able to read simple bullet points, that will continue to support unknowingly a government that goes to war on false pretenses.

I had the pleasure of attending another event for Scudder Parker scudderparker.com , democratic candidate for Vermont governor, this evening at the Labor Hall in Barre. Scudder Parker, instead of "dumbing down" politics to the supposedly ignorant masses, is committed to "smarting up" voters by explaining how he plans to help Vermonters through "concise and correct English". Scudder Parker is the type of candidate that knows how smart Vermonters are and provides them with the informaton they need to make informed decisions at home, in their community, and at the polls. He sees the roots of the "affordability crisis" in Vermont and explains how he plans to make Vermont more affordable through energy efficiency initiatives, real health care reform, and a commitment to education for all Vermonters. A 3% wage increase is not sufficient these more deep rooted issues and he knows that. Furthermore, Scudder represents the democratic Vermont community that I learned how to participate in at Marlboro College. I look forward to being an active member of this larger, but equally committed and intelligent state-wide democratic community. Vote for Scudder Parker on November 7th and you might get the chance to experience a real democracy.

Robb on the Campaign Trail

2006-10-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is Robb on the literal Campaign Trail. He has a Bernie for U.S. Senate and Scudder Parker for Vermont Governor. The tides are changing and little Vermont is known for making ripples in the ocean of America's drowning political system.

Rugged individuals find common trail

2006-10-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, in my profile I said that Hiking, Robb (human partner), and Ella (my canine companion) are some of my hobbies. Today I spent the day hiking Camel's Hump, one of Vermont's most beautiful peaks with Ella and Robb. It was a perfect crisp fall day. The leaves are this glorious, almost iridescent yellow, ruby red, and some delicious orange color, interspersed with some evergreens. We got a little bit of a late start and didn't get to the trailhead in Duxbury until a little before 2.

Now that I've painted this picture of a perfect Fall day inVermont, back to the whole community piece. Hiking, while many people see it as an opportunity to be alone in the woods, has a big community component. For starters, you are usually hiking on public land. This land is often maintained by committed individuals who see the value of giving people the opportunity to explore the outdoors without overburdening the environment. The whole point of a hiking trail is that the land around it that is so calming for us humans to observe as you trek up the mountain, is able to continue to support a fragile ecosystem. So, even if you are hiking alone, you are a part of a community of people who agree to follow some basic rules such as staying on the trail, not littering, and being respectful to other hikers. People actually follow these rules without people watching over them. Hikers, unlike Representative Foley and some of Washngton's other conservatice "leaders", can be trusted on what is mostly the honor system.

When people hike alone, they are part of a community that they may or may not see. Still, they show respect for this community through their actions on the trail. Many people hike together, either with one other person or in a larger group. Unlike many other social activities in the modern world, hiking actually encourages dialogue. As you relax, you are able to talk about things that you care about, whether it is the environment, music, education, or any other passion and/or concern. Something about the silence of the woods, brings out a more honest voice from within. Also, when you run into other people on the trail, there are often some common values that you already share, the obvious of which is a concern for the environment. Yesterday, when Robb and I were on the trail, we ran into a couple from North Carolina. In our five minute conversation we touched on some important issues such as global warming and urban sprawl. We skipped all the small talk that is often part of getting to know people because we only wanted to stop for a few minutes and because we already had this common interest and experience of the woods that surrounded us.

So, perhaps we all need to step away from the chaos of our daily lives every now and again to find our voice. Some people find their voice through meditation or prayer. Some find their voice through music. One of the places that I find my voice and find community is when I am on a hiking trail. Oh, and look at that gorgeous view that we were able to enjoy at the summit of Camel's Hump.

That view is a great reminder of why I am so committed to taking action to protect our environment. I hope it reminds you to do the same.

Scudder, Vermont's Next Grassroots Governor

2006-10-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would have a title for my post that resembled a campaign slogan because political cheerleading is not my thing, but every now and then there are people who run for political office that are actually natural leaders. Scudder Parker http://scudderparker.com is that type of leader. I'm reading the companion book to the Eyes on the Prize PBS series about the Civil Rights Movement http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/ and there is this wonderful quote about social change and leadership. In the introduction by Julian Bond (While Martha Rainville's staff does not feel obligated to site sources, I was taught that plagiarism is illegal-see MLA style guide) he reflects on how this printed companion to the documentary Eyes on the Prize series, emphasizes the grassroots nature of the Civil Rights Movement. (This is where you use quotation marks) "First, it takes readers beyond the popular belief that larger than life figures such Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy were the movements important players. That is not to diminish those men, but, as you will learn, they were not solely responsible for this era or its successes. That insight is important because, nowadays, few people believe it."

With his people-powered engine (PPE-see picture at left), which is a vehicle that is powered by people pedalling bicycles inside the "engine", Scudder has created a beautiful literal and metaphorical representation of people power. Scudder Parker and his supporters recognize that the only way for real change is through leaders that represent the grassroots movements. Bond goes on to explain why the turning point for the Civil Rights movement came when it did. "When people stopped waiting for someone else and formed their own movement in the 1950s, the problem of legal segregation was overcome. That movement molded a Martin Luther King, and perhaps a future movement will create another leader of comparable stature." At his 60th birthday party at the shelter in Montpelier's Hubbard Park, Scudder articulated a sentiment that reflects his commitment to his leadership role in grassroots change. I am para-phrasing, but the thrust of Scudder's statement was that a leader comes about when the need arises out of a people powered movement and he is honored to be that leader. Leadership that emerges from the people instead of the corporations! Wow, what a novel concept. Maybe that's what our fore-people meant by a representative democracy.

Community and Grassroots Politics in Vermont

2006-10-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

I moved back to Vermont last April and couldn't have come at a better time in terms of political activism. I moved away from Vermont a year after I graduated from Marlboro College marlboro.edu in 1999 to go graduate school. For a small state, Vermont is certainly good at staying on the politcal radar. Vermont was particularly in the spotlight when they legalized Civil Unions in 2000. This piece of legislation set the precedent for other states to pass similar measures that recognize long term partnerships of same gender couples. Would other states have been brave enough to pass similar legislation had it not been for Vermont paving the road? Vermont did have somewhat of a conservative backlash after this legislative, with the motto "Take Back Vermont" dotting the lawns of Vermonters who opposed civil unions. As it becomes more and more clear to the general American populace that the Republican administration is only interested in corporate profits, this conservative backlash seems to be losing steam.

Now Vermont is at it again, by rejuvinating grassroots politics. Despite a more than 6 million dollar political campaign Republican millionaire Richard Tarrant has not been able to take the lead in the race for US senate against eight term U.S. House Rep Bernie Sanders bernie.org. Guess why? Bernie's supporters have a strong community and are adept at the grassroots organizing that is essential to win a campaign in a state where people still discuss politics on line at the grocery store. Bernie's supporters may not write big checks, but they show up to events, volunteer to distribute literature, and can discuss Bernie's history and stance on key political issues. Yes, politics by and for the people actually still exist in this country.

I will write more about other Vermont candidates to keep an eye on in future blogs. For now, take a look at their websites. Scudder Parker scudderparker.com , a former minister from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and expert on energy efficiency is gaining the lead over current Republican Governor Jim Douglas. Peter Welch welchforcongress.com is gaining steam in the race for US house against Martha Rainville. Finally, Matt Dunne mattdunne.com is running one of the most creative and people centered political campaigns for Lieutensent Governor I have ever witnessed. Politics by and for the people! It still happens here in Vermont and we plan to be a model for the rest of the country so watch out.

knitting and community activism

2006-09-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

I think I will start out my blog by talking about the community building hobby that first led me to this whole blogging thing in the first place- knitting. If you haven't noticed, knitting has experienced a renaissance with young women. I think this is related to a new brand of feminism which is rooted in a refusal to try to be more "masculine" in order to gain power. The new feminism can be found in feisty women who wear floral dresses and carry knitting needles in their briefcase. Knitting isn't just crafty or cute, it's powerful. In an age where few people know where their food or clothes come from, there seems to be the realization in the power of re-connecting and creating their own hats, scarves, etc. to protect themselves from the elements. I'm wondering and hoping that this might be a step towards understand the injustice that goes on in the corporate garment industry...