Vermont Bloggernaut/Frugal Woodchuck

Garden On Steroids

2010-07-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Don't really know where to begin talking about the garden this year, it's been proceding at ludicrous speed!

Here are the highlights;

Already harvested bulb onions (though I confess I started them in six packs a couple weeks before going into the ground).

My Bhut Jolokias are three foot tall, three foot diameter, and already outgrew a five gallon bucket--they're in a ten gallon now.

Harvested my bucket grown Yukon Gold potatoes already.

Four kinds of mint--chocolate, pineapple, apple, and spearmint.

Stevia--for the first time, going to try and use some to make juice. Thought about wine, but don't know if it will work, has anyone tried by chance?

Everything is at least two weeks ahead this year too, I'm going to try a second crop of super sugar snap peas, radishes, and mayber even new potatoes.....we'll see.

Try and get some new pics up soon.

Garden on!

VT State Parking It!

2010-07-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Been major slacking in the blog dept.....working on it, but busy, and no internet @ house.
Anyways, been gardening like a mad man, and lovin life.

But hey, my newest favorite thing to do this summer--Vermont state parking it!

Honeymooned in VT state parks a couple years back. Maidstone SP in the kingdom, and Coolidge SP in south-central VT. Had a great time, but hadn't gotten back into the swing of it till this summer.

Discovered it was a great way to get away for a couple days, and bring the dog along too! Been to Half Moon SP for a weekend, frequently @ Grand Isle SP (did you know there's one in Louisiana too?), and headed to Gifford Woods SP this next. Nothing like peace, quiet, campfires, and cast iron skillets.

Well, hope everyone else is enjoying the great summer weather this year also!

Spring Gardening

2010-04-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Think this is the earliest I've gotten the garden uncovered. Raked off/out all the leaves and dead plants from last year. Looks much nicer now. Air got into the soil and dried it out a bit.

Have to add some amendments and get it rototilled. Some sand/decomposed seaweed mix, and some compost. Last year it was peat moss that was added. Heay clay soil is fun to work with. Be awhile still before I can plant. Lake Chanplain is still around 36-39 degrees. Still a chance of a killing frost for a month.

Could probably get away with putting some rutabaga seeds in the ground now, but don't want to push it. Don't care that much about having rutabagas sooner than fall anyways.

Note To Deb Markowitz--2010 Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate

2010-04-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

The debate last night between all the democratic candidates wasn't too bad. I must say many of the answers were thoughtful, and some quite on the mark. All around everyone did well, though I thought Senator Bartlett did impress me the most and Senator Schumlin the least.

However, last nights debate in person must have been quite different in Barre than for the viewers at home. They were treated to a real spectacle.

Poor Deb Markowitz had a light right in front of her, and boy was it bright. Just about made the pink top she was wearing glow. Made her eyes look beady, and gave her a reflective face. It was downright scary at points.

I felt bad that I found the whole situation comical. It was just a perfect storm, the bright colors she was wearing, the bright light too close, and the camera that was right in front of her.

A Peek-A-Boo Buck!!

2009-12-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

After twenty years of Vermont's annual rifle deer season, I finally got one this year. A four point, hundred and twenty pound trophy, a long time in the making. It was weird on two levels; actually getting one, and getting it the opening morning. It ended my season the earliest ever!

I started my morning about an hour and a half before dawn. It was a twenty minute walk into my stand, and I startled a whole flock of roosting turkeys along the way, when I walked under them. Startled me pretty good too at first!

Got to the stand, climbed up and got myself harnessed in. All situated and waiting about an hour before shooting time. Leaves plenty of time for things to calm down and all. So I hoped.

The sun came up and wildlife was everywhere! Owls made their last hoots, flocks of geese flew over. The turkeys I disturbed on the way in came walking by behind me, as well as another flock in a far off field that were talking up a storm. A Pileated woodpecker flew by, and one very fat squirrel ran up the tree across from me. About then the crows started landing in the corn field next to me, and within a couple minutes must've numbered a couple hundred. The noise was astounding!

About then rustling leaves behind me alerted me to something behind me. I saw two deer go run into the field and then cut back into the woods. I got my scope up, and the first one was bald, no horns. Second one was coming right at me, and stopped dead behind a large maple tree at twenty-five yards. I was leaned right up against the tree, looking through the scope as he peeked from around his tree. All I could see was the main beam, with what looked like maybe a nub?? Darn, a spike.....but still, he wouldn't come out from behind the tree.

Ten minutes went by of this, until he shifted his weight to his other leg. When he did, he turned his head and I saw the second horn on the main beam. I put the crosshairs on his vitals and dropped him. After a hour drag out, I got it checked in, and had it hanging.

Best Shotless Hunt Ever

2009-12-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Went out duck hunting the other morning, it was a very foggy day, and calm. Warm though, not a bad day overall. After I got the dekes set, about 10 min before shooting time, I had two otters swim by the blind at about a hundred yards. They were diving for clams and then coming up and swimming on their backs.

About a half hour later a very large bird of prey appeared overhead out of the fog. The wingspan was huge, I knew it was an eagle instantly. It was so foggy the white head of the adult was invisible in the fog, and it looked like there was a headless bird flying around!

Another twenty minutes passed, and out from the fog beyond the decoys appeared a Canada goose. But even in the fog something wasn't quite right, the beak was too long, and the neck too short. It came to about forty yards beyond my furthest decoys and I realized it was a Loon. Made a few more passes by the dekes, and dissappeared back out into the fog.

I ended the day with two drake Mallards landing out of range, a Goldeneye flying very high overhead, and two more unidentifieds that I got to circle back once. All in all not a bad day. Wish I'd had the camera though!

Mill River Falls State Something

2009-11-15T15:36:00.000-08:00

Can you think of a place along Vermont's town of Georgias' shore where it’s forested and there are no cottages in sight? A place seemingly unspoiled by development where waterfalls lead to the shore of Lake Champlain . Somewhere you can stand in the shadows of tall trees while wetting your fishing line. I can, quite simply Mill River Falls is a natural paradise.

In the hundreds of times I’ve driven by it, I never really thought that much about the place. It was just always this bridge over the road that a bunch of people parked around. Occasionally I’d see a fishermen scoot across the road with a pole and bucket. It’s a relatively small area that contains a lake floodplain ecosystem, old river oxbows, mature trees, and about 1800 feet of shoreline. The Lake Champlain Land Trust press packet quotes Rod Vallee of Georgia as saying that “ Mill River Falls is one of the most important natural areas left in Georgia . ”Thanks to the diligent work of the LCLT and Georgia Conservation Commission the public will always be able to access this site.

Future generations will forever be able to access this property as it is one of Vermont ’s newest additions to the list of state lands. “We had discussions with Anna Neville about conserving her property stretching back seven years before she generously donated her land to us in 2003,” states Chris Boget, assistant director of LCLT. He continues, “We retained a conservation easement and donated the land to the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.” The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation website lists the 35 acre parcel as Mill River Falls State Forest .

The area provides more than permanent recreational opportunities for paddlers, hikers, fishermen, and hunters on Lake Champlain . It is habitat for many different creatures at different times of the year. Mill River is one of only a few places where Steelhead, or lake dwelling Rainbow Trout, are known to spawn. Four rare plant and three rare fish species call the Mill River Falls home. Large dead snags provide nest sites for wood ducks and mergansers. The marshes in spring are productive fish spawning and feeding areas. Mill River Falls is abundant with wildlife habitat.

When I first visited the place, two fathers had spread their kids out on the banks with fishing poles. Rock Bass and Pumpkinseed were biting today, the crappie action hot the day before. I rounded a corner in the trail to see fresh deer tracks, and was overwhelmed by the bird calls in the canopy above. It seems the place has enough to please everyone, except for parking.Right now everyone has to pull off on Mill River Road or next to the bridge. The LCLT website says that a sign and better parking are in the works.

Access is a bit hidden, one has to walk a bit down the Pines Road a couple yards to access the trailhead on the right. What a splendid place for a short stroll it makes. Apparently the only question remaining with the property is what to call it. The LCLT lists it as a natural area on it’s website. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Forest, Parks, and Recreation lists it on their website as a state forest. I figured I’d ask whether it will be a state forest, park, or natural area. The folks at FPR told me to get in touch with their forester, the people at LCLT referred me to the same person. So I got in touch with Gary Sawyer the State Lands Stewardship Forester who said, “I don’t know what designation the Mill River Falls parcel will receive.” With natural beauty abound, Mill River Falls will forever remain publicly accessible, whether it be state forest, park, or natural area.

Carleton's Prize or Arnold's Mystery?

2009-11-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

So for those that don't know there is a very small (about an acre or two at best) island in Lake Champlain off the southern tip of the town of South Hero. It rises vertically from waters edge up sheer cliffs to a 30 foot plateau. Called Carleton's Prize, it sits between two larger islands, Stave, and Providence. Its been so named since the revolutionary war when the Governeur Generale of Canada, Sir Guy Carleton brought it to notoriety.

As local lore goes the morning after Benedict Arnold escaped from behind Valcour Island with what was left of his small fleet, it was very foggy on Lake Champlain. Not believing the Americans could have slipped by them in the dark (which they did), the British patrolled to the north and east searching. In the heavy fog they sighted a ship and summarily lined up and pounded it with their cannons. Of course once you begin firing blackpowder you can't see what you're shooting at.

After a half hour to hour of not being fired back at, either a breeze came up or the fog burned off. It was then the British realized they had not been firing on a ship.This distraction is what allowed Arnold to escape to the shores of Addison county where he then proceeded to burn his fleet to prevent capture. Local lore goes further to say that local Islanders felled logs and floated them out and were then hoisted on the small island to look like masts. I dismiss this as there is no way anyone on the islands could have been in contact with Arnold's fleet, or known their plan to escape.

The problem is only one book I've ever read about Arnold or the Revolutionary war confirms this. No less than a dozen others completely fail to mention "Carleton's Prize". They all say the British fleet sailed down the lake after Arnolds fleet. Talk about a project for Art Cohn and the others down at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. All we need to do is find a few cannonballs to confirm the story. To think, Lake Champlain has kept this mystery to herself even to this day.

Moose Bog and Trout River, Adventures With Dill

2009-11-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

So for some odd reason I got to thinking about all the times I'd been to Moose Bog up in Ferdinand. It's my favorite kettle bog, which is basically a pond that has a floating mat of sphagnum moss around its edges. The middle is the open water of the pond. These are actually one of the least safe type of bogs because of lack of tree roots throughout. I'll never forget the first time here, it was a college field trip for natural history of Vermont and the pitcher plants had turned purple from the frost.

There was also this guy in class whose name was Dill, and he was from New Jersey. Dill was a good guy, but a notorious clutz. Our prof. gave us all a lecture on bog safety, encouraged us to go explore. He gave one stern warning though. "Don't go out to the edge of the bog and start jumping up and down." Those of us who had bog trotted before knew bogs were spongy, and we could bounce a little bit to make plants nearby quake as well. A kettle bog is a bit different in that, when you walk out to the edge and bounce, it creates waves along the edge of the sphagnum moss. I was right in the middle of trying to take a picture of an otter swimming across the pond when all of a sudden I heard a shout, and then yelling.

I turned to my left to see a group of students rushing toward the edge of the bog. Yep, Dill had disregarded our prof's warning. Went right out to the edge, and jumped up and down. The howling was Dill, who had broke through the mat of sphagnum, and was in the bog literally up to his armpits. There was much cussing involved as everyone had to take pictures, before pulling him out. Soaking wet, and smelling very bad, Dill was blessed with his own seat in the van on the way home.

Now, same natural history of Vermont class, different field trip. This time our prof. had taken us to Montgomery to sample invertebrates in Trout River. It was before the bridge was damaged in the flood, and posted signs went up everywhere. This was my first time here, and I had heard great things about the river. Pretty easy task, those with rubber boots turn over rocks, while everyone else sits downstream with sampling nets waiting in the current. I had never realized how much life there really is under the rocks, so this was a real eye-opener.

This trip is also when I began to take an interest in fly-fishing.It was late October, but the weather was cold and breezy. Our prof. advised us to be careful, as the rocks along the edge are slippery. Yep, you guessed it. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth when a loud splash came from from the back of the group. Followed by a couple more splashes as Dill struggled to get back up.

This probably should've ended the excursion, as nobody wanted to deal with hypothermia setting in. A quick survey revealed between everyone we had enough dry clothes at the van for Dill to change into. Instead of heading back, Dill already wet, stumbled down the middle kicking things up as he went along. We emptied our nets into sample jars and skeedaddled, out of there quicker and with more samples than we probably would've had otherwise.

Vermont: Paradise For Rockhounds

2009-09-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

For such a small geographical state, Vermont has a very complex bedrock geology. As such, a very diverse mineral and stone industry arose in Vermont as economic deposits were worked throughout the state. The sheer diversity of resources that have been extracted from within the earth in the Green Mountain state is astounding. The following is the best I can help with affixing a mineral resource to a certain geography. By no means is it all inclusive, but is helpful in finding your own samples.Serpentine is supposedly a good luck rock. Found in Lowell, and Eden, Vermont, it is a dark green rock, sometimes called green marble or verde antique. It is related to the minerals that are found in asbestos, mined here beneath Belvidere Mountain. There are defunct copper mines in Corinth, Vermont. This was where a majority of the North’s copper came from during the civil war.There is one farmers field in Barton, Vermont which yields amethyst crystals, but no one knows whose. Barre, Vermont is still known for its thriving granite industry. The Rock of Ages quarry is internationally known. Ludlow, Vermont is home to talc that they use to make Johnson and Johnson baby powder. 80% of J&J talcum powder is from Vermont. Plymouth, Vermont was the scene of a brief gold rush after the one in California. The farmers decided instead of prospecting they could make more money going back to being farmers. This town also has garnets in some bedrock. Garnets form 1600 feet straight down where there is greatly increased heat and pressure.Proctor, Vermont is known for its white marble, which continues to be extracted today. Fair Haven and Castleton, Vermont have many slate deposits, especially around Lake Bomoseen. Button Bay State Park, in Vergennes, Vermont is famous for its clay concretions called “buttons” and fossils. Charlotte and Shelburne, Vermont have deposits of so-called Zebra Marble. Really a black slatey shale with white veins of calcite, sometimes called picture rocks. This is because of their tendency as the rock is worn over time to reveal “pictures”. All one needs is imagination, and time. Stowe, Vermont has a rock formation ironically called "stowe formation" that has huge inclusions of fools gold (iron pyrite) which is present in a graphitic phyllite. Colchester, Vermont is the home of our only Jasper mine. Red stone with metallic hematite in cracks and fissures throughout.Milton, Vermont has Dolostone, which was quarried on the right of the last turn before the straightaway to Sandbar State Park. Most of the stone removed was used to fill the causeway between Milton and the Islands. South Hero, Vermont has fossils such as those at Lessors Quarry owned by UVM. Grand Isle, Vermont has an old railroad grade that goes through it where coal can be found where it fell off a rail car. Same for many other locales in Vermont.Isle La Motte, Vermont is the home of the Fisk Quarry. This is where the black marble in radio city music hall comes from. Swanton, Vermont is home to a particular type of Red Dolostone commonly called red marble. The one and only quarry has been the subject of recent fraud activity.

The Lake Carmi Bog, A Black Spruce Woodland Bog

2009-09-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Bogs are a wetland, kind of like a floating sponge. Sphagnum moss is what makes up the sponge and provides a place for flowering plants and trees to spread roots. I’ve heard #’s of acres for the Carmi bog’s size between 160 and 230 acres. A bog is a type of peatland. Peatlands form where decomposition is slow and typically moss (peat) accumulates.
New layers of moss, shrubs, and trees grow where other plants have died and been pushed further down underwater into the peat. The bog is a sterile environment where no bacteria grows and nothing breaks down because of the acidity of the water. The sphagnum moss in the bog gets its nutrients from rainfall, which it replaces with hydrogen ions giving the water its acidity.
The Lake Carmi Bog was formed in a shallow bay of the lake after the last ice age 10,000 years ago. The bog at Lake Carmi is a state natural area, and is classified as a black spruce woodland bog. Named for the dominant older growth vegetation, these trees inhabit cold air drainage sites like the bog, and our highest peaks, such as the krummholz on Mount Mansfield. The discoloration of the water in bogs is tannins that together with the acidity preserve most anything that goes into a bog.
Ancient peoples have been found preserved in Europe, and a book from 1000 AD was recently discovered in Ireland. Peat harvested from bogs is used as fuel in Ireland still, and to fire electrical plants in Russia. The Canadians drain and chop bogs to be sold in the USA as peat moss for the horticulture industry. The reason that a woodland bog is the safest to walk in, is there are so many trees and shrubs that have overlapping root systems to support the weight.
In the Lake Carmi bog are carnivorous pitcher plants. Because the bog is so nutrient poor, this plant has adapted to feeding on bugs to get the energy it needs to produce flowers. Two berries also in this bog, are high bush blueberry, and small cranberry. The two tree species are Black Spruce (looks like x-mas tree) and Tamarack. There is also heath, rhodora, Labrador tea, sheep laurel, bog rosemary, and hares tail cotton grass.
Major threats to the bog both relate to a changing water table. If a beaver were to dam and flood the bog it would alter the environment. If the bog were drained, or water level to drop, it is at risk of fire as the dried peat will smolder. One of a peatlands most important functions is to store rainfall and slowly release water into the watershed. There has been recent work with using peat lands to treat wastewater.

Note:

2009-09-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Going to pull some of my favorite posts from my defunct blog in case they look familiar to anyone. Back from 07-08.

Get them all in one place, and may delete the blog after that, we'll see.

Hottest Peppers in the WORLD!!

2009-09-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

So I managed to grow some Bhut Jolokia's in containers this year. The "ghost" pepper from India that's something like a million scoville units. Got the seeds off e-bay last spring, supposedly so hot, one drop in chili will make it unable to be consumed by the average person.

My goal was to keep the seeds of the earliest peppers so I can breed a shorter season variety for here in VT. The hope anyways. A perfect pepper, a little goes a long way, and I can dry the blemished peppers to use for hot pepper soap sprays on bugs next year.

After suffering from severe blosson drop, I repeatedly hit them with blossom set spray, which worked like a charm. Finally they came into it..... Doing well though, as good as the habanero's and red savina's anyways! Not bad for way north of where they're native to.

Micro Food Plots

2009-08-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

So I went out in the woods the other day with an iron rake and some seeds. I had gotten a bunch of seed from X-mas tree shops this spring when it was half price, and had turnips and lettuce left over. Had myself a micro food plotting adventure.

So I walked around the woods and field edges in a circle a hundred to two hundred yards around my treestand. I raked over anthills and dropped some seeds. I raked back dead branches and leaves, and dropped seeds. I finished up walking inbetween the rows of a nearby corn field raking up soil and dropping seeds.

The deer were pretty thick in the area anyways, but I'm pretty confident now. I was planning on using the stand for rifle season, but am thinking about a strong presence during bow season. This might be the year for a deer with horns!!

LATE BLIGHT!

2009-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Finally happened, seemed like it was inevitable. My garden got the late blight that's been going around Grand Isle County. Sprayed them with "organic" copper spray, delayed a bit.

Reverse Legislation Allowing Longer Trucks On Route 2!!

2009-07-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

I think all Islanders should be severely disappointed with the recent passage of legislation allowing larger tractor trailers to now use Route 2 through the islands. First, who had the idea to use Grand Isle County as a means for large trucks to bypass the weigh stations north on I-89? Did this start from the governor, his staff, or a legislator? Secondly who felt that it should not be made public to the residents of Grand Isle County before it made it into legislation? Thirdly was there any debate of this issue before passage of this legislation?

An extra seven feet on a trailer may not seem like a big deal, but it is. That is extra weight and storage space. Depending on the load being transported, seven extra feet can be a lot more weight bearing down on Route 2. It’s not in that great of shape right now, and more, larger, heavier trucks will only lead to more deteriorated conditions. Did the state allocate more money and time to be spent maintaining Route 2 as a result of this bill’s passage?

Route 2 through the Islands has very narrow shoulders and many chokepoints where it is the only north and south road connecting the towns together. Can you imagine an accident on the Sandbar, Drawbridge, Birdland, or North Hero/Alburg bridge blocking traffic for hours upon hours for cleanup and container transfer? Or having to backtrack around St. Albans to get home or to work by the interstate? Even worse, in summers with the high traffic volumes and use of the sides of the road by bicyclists, pedestrians, horseriders, or fishermen, this is an almost certain recipe for human roadkill. Did the state budget for more money for local responders and law enforcement as a result of this bills passage, or does the burden fall on our shoulders?

Then there’s the amount of extra space that these trailers will have to transport materials. Not really a big deal if god forbid an accident does occur and an extra seven feet of baby diapers goes flying all over Route 2 right? But what if instead it’s hazardous materials, even as seemingly benign as fluorescent light bulbs being transported? Thats an extra seven feet of mercury phosphate powder and broken bulbs that our volunteer emergency personnel will be exposed too, have to work around, and potentially get into Lake Champlain as contaminants. What if something worse is being transported?

We should all be severely disappointed that this legislation made it past, or was snuck by Representatives Johnson, Trombley, and Senator Mazza. This is the very kind of thing we send them to Montpelier to watch out for and keep us informed about. I hope for their future careers as representatives of our Islands community, they did not know about this beforehand. I encourage all Grand Isle County residents to contact their representation and the Governor, and demand that they immediately begin working to reverse this legislation, and make it their priority for the 2010 legislative session. If they continue to fail Grand Isle County, remember in November.

Here's What I've Got Growing On....

2009-07-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

....In the garden.

Actually I've got two veggie gardens going on. One traditionally planted in rows at my grandfathers house, the other is raised beds intensively planted at my house.

Tomatoes; Golden Jubilee, Dr. Wyche's, Free Tibet's, Black Prince, Sungold, Strawberry Husk
Hot Peppers; Cherry Bomb, Jalapeno, Habanero, Red Savina Habanero, Bhut Jolokia (first try)
Italia and Black Beauty for Sweet Peppers. String beans in yellow, green and purple. Sweet, Lime and Lemon Basils. Okra, Dill, Sage, Lavender, and Mammoth Sunflower. Super sugar snap peas.
Turnips, Radishes (almost gone by), Nantes Coreless carrots, Parsnips, Three types of heirloom Zucchini, Swiss Chard, Bunching onions, Red, White, and Yellow Onions. Black seeded simpson lettuce, and two salad mixes, Italian and French. A couple of sugar baby watermelons, and a vine peach for good measure.
Lastly I have some horseradish and yukon gold potatoes in five gallon buckets. These have done amazingly well.

Been super busy staying on top of the weeding, top-dressing with fresh compost, and keeping the soil turned up. The work is paying off though. The Tomato plants are knee high and flowering, the sunflowers are waist high. In spite of the almost two inches above average of rain for the month of June, things are proceeding well. Looks to be a lot of freezing, canning, and dehydrating coming up soon!

Almost Forgot....Horse Poop and Roads!!

2009-06-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

To The Editor,

I had some interesting events occur in succession a couple days ago and it really got me thinking. I met a person riding their horse down the side of Route 2, so I slowed down till I was past, and kept on my way. Didn't really think about it until I counted six piles of horse poop on the side of the road in one trip to Isle La Motte. The kicker was the following night when I walked past a bulletin board at a local store on which someone had posted a notice saying it was the law to slow down for horses, and photocopied text from some Vermont Statute.

I must admit I was ignorant of this law before. I slowed down out of respect and not wanting to be the cause of somebody being bucked and hurt. I never understood why someone would choose to ride on the road with a horse when there's so many other places. I guess I've always thought of horses as for riding on trails and in fields if they weren't being used for work or competitive events. It must be hard to ride horses though with so much land posted to horse-riders, hunters and everyone alike.

Still, those piles of horse poop really got me thinking. It wasn't just because they have the potential to spread the seeds of invasive plants, or be vectors of disease. I'm a bicyclist in addition to being a motorist, and those piles of poop take up a good portion of the bike lane. The reality is you have four choices on a bike; swerve left into traffic, swerve right and risk the ditch, try to jump the pile, or plow right though. Not really a lot of options, but the question is, why should a bicyclist have to choose?

So I found horse manure catchers for sale online, they go by all sorts of names. They use them for horse drawn carriages, and events like parades, fairs, birthday parties, etc. They were a bit pricey ranging from fifty all the way up to eighty-five dollars. More spendy than I thought but worth the price to help keep Island cyclists from risk. Would those horse riders who choose to share the roads with motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists please consider purchasing some? You're friends and neighbors in the islands would sure appreciate it.

Anyone Like Free Stickers??

2009-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't sat down and written for awhile, just haven't really had time......soon though!
Been going full tilt now that Spring is here, getting all the gardening done. Weather has just been SOOO difficult. Almost frost the AM of June 1!!

So got a juicy something to hold everyone over for a bit.

Not all these e-mails work, but copy them inot an e-mail list and send away. Ask something liek if they send out stickers? Above all be polite, but like 3/4 of them will send some your way. Probably about 1/4 will ask for a SASE, but who cares, you'll be inundated by the rest!!
info@spyoptic.com; info@armadaskis.com; info@lineskis.com; stickerbitch@4frnt.com; customerserv@obermeyer.com; pfortier@nordicausa.com; chris@meatheadfilms.com; feedback@giro.com; info@686.com; marketing@freeskier.com; connect@bernunlimited.com; info@sector9.com; info@joystickskiing.com; info@highsocietyfreeride.com; Info@shredoptics.com; info@powgloves.com; customerservice@kombiltd.com; customer_service@gordini.ca; info@empireattire.com; info@crankbrothers.com; info@ipath.com; info@dragonalliance.com; sunice@ashworthinc.com; info@amplid.com; info@surfaceskis.com; prostaff@untracked.com; xcinfo@fischerskis.com; orage@coalision.com; nikestore@custhelp.com; custserv@levelusa.net; jeff@theory-3.com; shylo@descenteus.com; tnf_consumerservices@vfc.com; info@empireattire.com; info@armadaskis.com; info@foesracing.com; jhanhauser@foxracingshox.com; info@oakley.com; info@khscanada.com; monsterenergyinfo@hansons.com; info@seshinbike.com; guyl@sugio.ca; info@rydereyewear.com; info@staitlinecomponents.com; info@bansheebikes.com; jmarceau@whitelightningco.com; pman@salsacycles.com; info@fullspeedahead.com; usa@rohloff.com; info@spyder.com; info@spyoptic.com; kenda@kenda.com; paulac@ellsworthbikes.com; webmaster@camelbak.com; mail2infomanager@brodiebikes.com; sales@elementbike.com; customerservice@specialized.com; custserv@cannondale.com; info@dmrbikes.com; info@arrowracing.com; info@dakine.com; cs@billabong-usa.com; bikesuppot@scottusa.com; psmith@ritcheylogic.com; info@westbeach.com; info@voleurz.com; info@metoliusclimbing.com; services@evolvesports.com; custserv@fiveten.com; info@alohahemp.com; infoeurope@armadaskis.com; info@awalaan.com; info@bellowsskateboards.com; info@billabong.tm.fr; avner@bluehouseskis.com; info@capitasnowboarding.com; itlinfo@fourstardist.ch; infobox@ridecwb.com; store@d-structure.com; contact@dvsshoes.com; info@dynastar.net; stickers@echeadwear.com; info@elementskateboards.com; info@factionskis.com; services@fenchurch.com; xcinfo@fischerskis.com; info@fulltiltboots.com; info@getboards.com; european_feedback@giro.com; info.europe@burton.at; contact@lakai.com; apeman@lineskis.com; markerusaguru@gmail.com; info@mspfilms.com; contact@matixclothing.com; info@movementskis.com; info@ninthward.com; info@oneill.com; ashley@powder.com; Kevin.Back@primedia.com; INFO@STUSSY.COM; info@surfaceskis.com; sales@sweetprotection.com; internationalorders@tactics.com; cs@technine.com; info@vans.eu; epondel@pondel.com; rwhetstone@pondel.com; Sandie@voltec.com; infovz@vonzipper.fr; jessie.cohen@wesc.com; info@whiteout.biz

Spring Is Here, Busy, Busy!!

2009-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, this month flew by! Been hunting Wild leeks and fiddleheads, in addition to trying to get a garden going. Tried some trout fishing (no luck), did a bunch of Bullhead fishing (lots of luck).

Spring has sprung! The grass has turned green, the bloodroot are blooming, the trillium are almost there. The crabapples outside the office at work have leafed out, and are about a week from blooming, and tomorrow a bunch of camoflaged hunters take to the woods in search of turkeys.

I love spring. I'll write more soon, got some interesting stuff going in the garden this year (a sneak preview; the two hottest peppers in the world!!).

Know Your Island Neighbor

2009-03-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived, and once again the Champlain Islands are alive with the sounds and sights of migrating birds. Soon maple sugaring season will draw to a close and neighbors will open their homes to welcome the warm weather. Eventually various sizes and shapes of flowers will burst forth on the landscape. The change of the seasons is an exciting time, and also one for reflection.

For some Islanders this was certainly a hard winter. It’s on everyone’s faces and minds, and evidenced further by the foreclosure and auction notices in this very paper. Now is the time to talk to neighbors and see how they faired, especially the elderly. Did they have enough heat, food, help with chores, or rides to the doctor?

Ask now, and talk things through while it’s still fresh in the memory. A little foresight can make a big difference in the lives of fellow Islanders. We all like to think things will suddenly get better, but it will most likely be a more gradual transition to good economic times. By talking to each other and finding out issues now, we have a lot of time to work through them, as solutions don’t come quickly.

By knowing the challenges our fellow Islanders faced this winter, we can better plan how to help them during the next. Every little bit helps, and little things go along way. Could be you have a friend or co-worker who’s cutting down a tree and is looking to get rid of the wood. Maybe you have some extras from the garden to can or dry. If you’ve got some extra freezer space you could even freeze some fish you catch in a block of ice. It could be as simple as clipping coupons to give away, or sharing a trip to the grocery store with an elderly neighbor.

Not so long ago it was our sense of community that set us apart. A time when neighbors helped neighbors, whether it was getting in the hay before the rain, watching the kids so someone could run a few errands, or an electrician offering to wire a town building. In your own way, do what you can to help your neighbors and make our Islands a better place.

Holy Smoker!!

2009-03-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

So on a recent trip to that mecca of low budget consumer spending K-mart, I bought something that thoroughly excites me to use, and totally worth the $5 I paid for it. I love to grill and finally bought myself a smoker box. It’s awesome, just a small metal box with holes that sits on the grill while you’re cooking. It works phenomenally!

So I started using a box of mesquite chips that I bought in the store, and it imparts a wonderful smoky flavor into the meat. You just soak the wood chips in water for about a half hour before putting in the box on the grill, and voila; smoke. The best part though, is I can make my own chips to use in the smoker. My father cut down an apple tree in his yard, so I can take a couple of the smaller pieces and use my hatchet to make chips. Way cheaper than buying them for $5 a bag!

Even better though, I can also make my own hickory and alder chips, and experiment with other types of wood to see what I like best. I know where there’s a Butternut that just dropped a branch, and suspect that might have a good flavor to it as well. Not bad, a $5 investment, that I can refill for free……pretty happy about it.

My Wife, The Love Of My Life; Part I The Proposal

2009-03-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

My wife and I met while working at nearby Vermont State Parks. We were actually friends for quite awhile before we began dating. However I suspect this was just because she lost my phone number at the end of the summer, or at least that's the story she sticks too! :)

Anyways, fate intervened, and lo and behold one day I'm heading into Dick's Sporting Goods to get new line for my fishing poles, and there was Ashley. Outside with her mother and little brother checking out puppies some guy was selling out of the back of his truck in front of the store. Not oblivious to the signs of neglect, she snapped up one of the Weimeranner puppies and took it home. Izzy has been a fixture in our lives since.

Ever mindful of the fact she was the boss of the flower beds at her park, I slowly gained her confidence to be able to relocate a couple apple trees to better spots, and work on beds without her supervision. Important to note I was allowed a free hand with the raised beds we used for veggies. So any free days I had were spent in the park of my future wife, puttering in gardens, and fishing, while waiting for her to get done work or have some free time.

I had been planning to ask her to marry me for awhile, the issue was the ring. In the non-summer season I worked as a teachers aide, and didn't have a lot of money saved up. Still I was able to slowly and surely over time, build up what was for me a small sum. Then one day after pay day I had a lucky break. I had just deposited my check the day before, and not spent anything. There I was sitting reading the paper and I saw that a jewelry store in St. Alban's was going out of business and was selling off their stock at 40-50% off.

Oh the timing! I shot down to the office, and lied to the secretary that I had forgotten about a dentist appointment, and had to go, but I'd be back in a couple hours. Pathetic lie, but I'm not very good at that, and it served it's purpose. I got to the store and checked out their ring selection. I knew which one it was as soon as I saw it, but looked at all the others to be sure. Still kept coming back to the first one that caught my eye. It was a Marquis cut diamond, and I just liked it so much more than any of the others.

So I bought it, and kept it in my pocket. I held onto that ring for about a week waiting for the right time. Just seemed like whatever I thought the right moment to be would never come, and that ring was burning a hole in my pocket. So one day after she got out of work I decided to force the issue. There's a promitory at her park, a beautiful point that juts out into Lake Champlain on the inland sea (where we'd later be married). I knew this was the place, but how to get her there?

She got out of work and I met her on the porch. It was a cruddy day, gray, drizzling, and Ashley was just glad to be out of work. It had been a long day, a not so good day. I asked her if there was anything I could do to make her day better, and she said no. That's when I knew it was time. So I asked her to go for a walk out to the point, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

"It's raining," she said. But I prompted her to go get her rain jacket and come with me. We got to the point looked around, and she started to head back. Thinking fast I took the ring from my pocket, opened it up, and set the box on a piece of bare ground covered with flat shale rocks. Knowing no park ranger can resist the urge to pick up trash in their park, I said "hey someone left something over here." She came over and started to say someone left their ring. Then I explained it was her ring, and asked her to marry me, to which she replied yes.

Little over a year later we had a pig roast with our family attending, and were married on the very spot she picked up the ring.

Act Locally, Think Nationally

2009-03-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that we live in trying times. Many of us go to work everyday, just glad to be employed. Wanton for even a brief glimmer of hope, we are bombarded with bad news constantly. The worst part is that there really is not a lot your average citizen can do about such enormous issues.

An Islander really can't affect the outcome of national health care, debt, recession, and the economy going down the toilet. Let us not be overwhelmed by this, and instead act locally and think nationally. Going beyond our own frugality, we can simply help our own members of our Islands community in their struggles.

Local food shelves will surely see need in this year and the next. Anything that's donated would be a blessing for those who receive it. I like many others don't have extra coins to spare, and donate neeeded canned goods. But this doesn't mean we can't help, there is much opportunity for Islanders with some spare seed, soil, and time.

For those who've never gardened before, start now. If you've got a south facing window, a packet of tomato or squash seeds, and a couple small cups of soil you can help. No garden space? Got room on your porch, step, or walk for a bucket or two of soil? That's all you need.

No soil? Just talk to your local farmer about his pasture, Stuff your old buckets or containers 3/4 full of last years dried cow patties. Top off with some topsoil (if you have it) or a 50/50 mix of beach sand and organic matter like compost or very rotted wood. Put in a sunny spot, and water daily and you're on your way!

If you're an established gardener, consider tilling up more, and enlarging your garden. Start a couple extra plants, or try something new that keeps for a long time. Remember all those zuchini and summer squash that you couldn't give away last summer? Pick them smaller this year, slice them up, and dry them in the oven. Done this way they'll keep all the way till next summer!

Islanders will never solve the issues that face the United States. We barely stand a chance of affecting how Vermont weathers this economic storm. We can make a difference here at home in our own community, amongst our friends and neighbors. I implore all, please try.

Lawn Sale Crock Pot

2009-03-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago my wife picked up a couple crock pots at a lawn sale. A smaller one she donated to the Park Interpreter at Burton Island State Park to use for candle making with the kids. The other, a much larger one, we kept for our own use. It has removable stoneware and a plastic lid, and paid something like $10 for it.

Well we have certainly got our money's worth out of it so far; countless soups, chili's, stews, and roasts. It's so handy to get all the ingredients the night before and either start it then or put it in the fridge for the night (depending upon what's cooking), and start it in the morning before leaving for work. Not even kidding, when as of recent it's been getting used 2-3 nights per week. It always comes out tasting great.

Some potatoes, onions, carrots, maybe cabbage and some on sale meat, works like a charm every time. I freeze a lot of ingredients from the summer garden, and toss those in as well. A sprinkle of chopped chives, shredded russian red kale, and hot peppers adds a lot to the stews and soups. There's also the dried ingredients from the dehydrator as well; tomatoes, summer squash, zuchini.

It's funny, as of late I've been walking through the aisles of the grocery stores telling myself, hey I can make my own of this and that expensive ingredient. Just as interesting is when I'm watching PBS's Create channel on TV, and I have all the ingredients they're using between my freezer, and pantry. Martha Stewart watch out!

No, Not Dead....

2009-02-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Just sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours a day at work. Not that I don't have schiznat to say, but hard to take up the keyboard when I get home. I'll keep at it though.

Where Have All The Salmon Gone?

2009-02-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, not a salmon to be found at my favorite fishing spot yet. Makes me wonder if the alewives in the inland sea have something to do with it? Used to catch at least one a day, but haven't even had a flag on a tip up trip yet. Matter of fact, haven't caught anything more than a handful of perch.

I'd think it was me, but I saw the derby results from the last two years the other day. Only one was entered in two years out of a possible ten. At least a couple Brown Trout bit for someone, as they can be entered in the same category. I guess I'll have to broaden my horizons, and find a new spot.

Broad lake maybe? Just like to catch something anyways. Dunno, I'd like to make it to the kingdom to give Willoughby a try. A majority of the state record Lake Trout have come from there but it's such a deep lake! The fish could be anywhere.

Another spot I got interested in this winter was Waterbury Reservoir. It's the first year it's been full in about seven years since they began work on it. The edges that reflooded contain brush that grew up, and all the bigger fish hang out there waiting for the schools of smelt to swim by. Not only can you fish bass through the ice there, but the State stocked it with thousands of trout this year. Very tempting....

A Sad Day In Vermont

2009-01-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

It's not often a journalist so willing to ask the difficult questions comes along.

Never cared what people thought of him, but had that fire in person and in print.

Peter will be missed.

The State, Of The State Of Vermont

2008-12-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

So here we are, by all accounts the U.S. has been in a recession for a year, and Vermont's fully beginning to feel the pinch. Just recently Newport, which has the highest unemployment rate in the state, lost another 50+ jobs. With budget shortfalls on the horizon things don't bode well for the Green Mountain State.

And the politicians say cut jobs, and raise taxes.

Slash spending to social programs, and use the rainy day fund.

Doesn't seem to me to be the subscription to put the green back in the mountains of Vermont!

It's Official

2008-12-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yep, I've offended Republicans, Progressives and now Democrats.

I guess it's what I get for sharing my opinion on other blogs, but to have them ALL gang up on me?

Just tried adding a different dynamic to conversations, but I guess no one wants to here it. All or nothing it seems.

Thet's what I hate about partisan politics, you're either with 100% or against.

Oh well, I guess I'll just keep to myself on my blog and people will have to drop by here for pearls of wisdom.

After all, I work for a living, and drop these pearls of wisdom for free. I may not know the complex in's and out's of state and federal taxation, but I know what fair and equitable is.

Taxes and The Modern Era

2008-12-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Make no mistake, I will never sugar coat my disdain for having to pay taxes. Like every good Vermonter, good American, I never really paid too much attention to them, I just did my part and paid them. I loose a good chunk of my paycheck to the Federal and State governments. Somewhere to the tune of 25% of my paycheck between the two.

Because I make so little money, and because I pay my student loans every month, these two governments reimburse me every year when I file my taxes. But this is a sign of our broken system. WHY TAKE MY MONEY ONLY TO GIVE IT BACK? Why not just take less and not reimburse me? It would be less bureacracy, and you'd need less tax money to pay for it. Makes sense to me!

In this day and age I just don't get taxes. The rich have accounts to find loopholes and get them out of paying them, the poor get their welfare and unemployment tax free, who's that leave to pay? People who work for a living, that's who.

Rainy Day Or Rock Bottom Fund?

2008-12-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

So I guess I have a different opinion of what to with the State Of Vermont's Rainy Day fund. The total I've heard tossed around is like $60 million, but I could be wrong. That's a lot of money when social programs and jobs are being slashed because of budget shortfalls. Should we use up this reserve? I really don't think it's time yet.

If the state needs to dip into the fund to do some triage work, that's one thing. Options and plans are what we need most right now. Some of that money could be used, and wisely so, to keep the state, and some programs running in the interim. But I think to exhaust the fund would be a grave mistake. We have not hit rock bottom yet, and that is when we'll need the rainy day fund the most!

Maybe make a quarter to a third of the fund available for the next year, but preserve the rest intact. Our turmoil right now is a result of Vermont's broken system. How we tax, build revenue and provide money to programs and run the state needs to be overhauled. This is obvious, but no one seems to want to take the lead and provide some good foresight. This is why I say use at most only a portion of the fund as a crutch to limp us along into the next year.

We can't raise the tax burden on people already struggling to get by. At the same time I don't think we should have to bail out every jerk that's decided to live beyond their means. It's no fault of the rest of us. There has to be some sort of balance. I chose to go to college, I chose to hang that noose of of loan payments around my neck. I accept that. Other people with their expensive new cars and enormous homes need to accept they did that to themselves as well.

We as an American, and Vermont society are at an impasse. Free market capitalism has been replaced with social capitalism, as we all shoulder the burden of irresponsible people and their failed American Dreams. I've heard so many people say that they make all their payments on their mortgages, and live within their means, why not just stop paying the mortgage and get bailed out as well? I totally see their point.

So getting back to the rainy day fund, I think we need to have some foresight and look beyond the budget shortfalls of 2009, to 2010, 2011, and 2012. If we use all the money now, there will be none for the future shortfalls. As a state, Vermont needs to tighten it's belt, and reduce spending. But at the same time, address how we will fund the state of Vermont in the future as obviously what we have been doing does not, and will continue not to work.

Invest In Vermont, And Vermonters!!

2008-12-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

This started out as a comment, but I decided it was worth expanding and building upon.

I was embarrassed this week to see Jim Douglas, governor of Vermont giving testimony in Washington. It seemingly amounted to nothing more than a beggar looking for handouts. Maybe if he surrounded himself with able, qualified, intelligent, outside-of-the-box thinking people in his administration instead of this cronies, Vermont might have more options. His appearance did not make me proud to be a Vermonter, we take care of our own, and are in much better of a position to do so than the Federal government at this point.

Hopefully this will get a few others to chime in with their thoughts. If you don't learn history, you are doomed to repeat it. We've been through hard economic times before, and we need to do what we know works. It's time for the 2009 New Deal For Vermont, there is no better time to invest in Vermont and Vermonters.

Vermont has one of the best bond ratings of all the states in the union. It's time we take advantage of that to secure funds to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Put Vermonters to work rebuilding, and preparing our state for the next 100 years. We INCREASE state goverment, the biggest employer in the state of Vermont IS already the state of Vermont.

Run with this for the short term, and turn the whole state into a massive public works project to put people to work and prepare us for the future. Put forth a massive concerted effort to rebuild our bridges, roads, and telecommunications. Also of priority would be environmental conservation projects aimed at waste and pollution reduction, recycling and reuse, controlling/eradicating invasive species, and assisting Vermont communities with growth center and economic development. From working on the facilities at state parks, to turning wastes into resources, or building new businesses, there is very little we can't do.

Today's Freeps ran with an article that 2,ooo more Vermonters just signed up for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total to more than eleven thousand receiving benefits. They may have to up the unemployment costs to businesses because here's more money going out than coming in, ad that's not going to help businesses already struggling with payrolls. We're gonna be spending the money whether we get some bang for our buck or not. Let's get these people some work to do! Vermonters are a hardy lot, and would rather do something than nothing.

This is not nearly a complete picture or plan, but it's a start. Dialogue and Yankee ingenuity can and will get us through these hard times. We all need to sit back, look at the big picture, and say what can I do to help Vermont get through this, we're in it together. Right now Vermont's future is being decided for us, let's take a stand, invest in Vermont and Vermonters!

It's On......

2008-12-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

Lake Champlain's hardwater season......my favorite time of the year!

That's right, ice fishing is upon us. The recent cold has set ice in some of the bays in the Champlain Islands, and I was able to take advantage of it this afternoon. Bundled up, grabbed my auger and a handline and set out. Fair warning though, it's still a bit sketchy!

I was able to get out on some anchor ice that had locked up. Water temps are still in the mid-upper 30's, so not quite full on freezing yet. I walked further out to some new ice but it was about two turns with the auger and I was through......not really my cup of tea. So I settled in to a couple holes in the anchor ice where a couple deer had walked across the night before.

All in all it was cold and I only had one bite. Then a baby chain pickerel bit hard, I set the hooked, and pulled it out. I released it back through the hole, and called it a day. Only a matter of time now, every night the temps drop, and the ice will get thicker. Pretty soon it'll be time to pull the tip-ups out!

What To Say About The Weather

2008-12-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

What a roller coaster this fall for temperatures. It's December and since the end of October, temps have gone up and down, up and down constantly. I just don't know what to think, global warming? What causes such frequent change?

Last winter started with a bang. First week of December we got dumped on, and it kept coming. This year, we've been getting hit, then having it all melt off. The bays of Lake Champlain freeze, then it all breaks up and melts away. I guess it is early to be thinking about ice fishing with the lake still at 38 degrees still. I just can't wait to pull my first Salmon of the year through the ice.

I can't help it though. What good are the cold temps withou ice or snow to enjoy it? No skis or snowshoes, no running line of tip-ups. After a year without winter you long for it. Sure it'll wear out it's welcome in a few months, but for now, anxious anticipation reigns.

Whaap! Whaap! Whaap!

2008-12-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

This is the sound of me beating a dead horse. Governor Douglas does a lousy job for Vermont. Jim=Jobs(FOR HIS CRONIES). How many of us are better off now, heck, even as well off as when he took office?

Douglas bashing is easy, and I'm a great fan, don't get me wrong. But how productive is this in the long run? I think this is where the Governors race this year bogged down. The democrats were able to paint Douglas in a negative light, but unable to make their candidate a better, more logical choice.

The fact is he's our Governor, unless we come up with the votes to override his veto, we have no choice but to work with him. He's going to run our state into the ground unless he gets some help. Our roads will crumble, the budget shortfalls will be huge. He needs to be met at the table with ideas, and if he chooses to reject them, that will be his undoing.

No democrat thus far has been willing to assume a true leadership role or be a leading voice in challenging the governor. Not on his failures, but with new, well thought out ideas. The person Vermont is comfortable getting behind to move our state forward, and pull Vermont out of this slump.

If this person already exists I apologize. It's just that I've never seen any media coverage of you, or heard any of the great things you say we need to do. Where are you? We could really use you........

Governor Douglas; Check Out My Qualifications To Be FPR Commissioner.......

2008-11-26T16:09:00.000-08:00

It thoroughly amazes me what it doesn't take to get a position in the Douglas administration. You'd like to think there's a bit of professionalism, or at least the people appointed to positions of authority have some relevance to the position. The appointment of Jason Gibbs to the position of Forest, Parks, and Recreation Commissioner is a joke, a new low the Douglas administration has stooped to. His qualifications; a degree in environmental something, interest in the outdoors, and being Douglas's campaign manager. This is even worse than Neale Lunderville as Transportation Secretary.

Hey Jim, why wasn't I in the running? Compare my qualifications to those of your new Commissioner of FPR; a degree in environmental science from a Vermont college. Six seasons of working at non-profit boys and girls camps in Vermont. Six seasons of working at a Vermont ski area. A couple terms on a town planning commission here in VT, the last as chair. Two year internship while in college with a non profit nature center whose mission centered around environmental education here in VT. Two years of being a hazardous waste operator for a Vermont solid waste district. Five years of working as an instructional assistant in Vermont schools, grades 2-8. Three seasons of working for VT state parks as a park naturalist. Two years of working customer service for the sporting goods division of a large multi-national corporation, and I'm a 31 year old lifelong Vermonter.

I point this all out not to gloat, but because even with all the cool stuff I've done, I sure as hell wouldn't consider myself qualified to be Commissioner of FPR! I don't know what to say. With all the people in Vermont who might have been qualified, he went with his campaign manager? I find it dissappointing, selfish, and a slight to the whole state of Vermont.

I think the people who run state government should have something to offer the position they occupy. More so than just being able to put a good spin on stuff. There's no good spin on Vermont State Parks needing money, because fees and leases to ski areas don't cover the cost of running the parks. There's no good spin on Vermont's forests are threatened by Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Emerald Ash Borer, and Asian Longhorned Beetle in addition to the ongoing Dutch Elm, Butternut Canker, and Gypsy Moths among others.

To me it implies that Douglas doesn't really appreciate the magnitude of the position. I can only hope Gibbs surprises everyone and exceeds expectations. There's a big difference between filling a position, and excelling in it. Vermont deserves only the best.

October Snow!!

2008-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

It happened last night......SNOW! In October!!

Over a foot in the Adirondacks........enough to make the Green Mountains white!

Even a dusting in that banana belt, the Lake Champlain Islands!!

And it's still just October!

Shaping up to be quite the winter!!

Bait the Hook Douglas, Bait The Hook!!

2008-10-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

It should be of no surprise to anyone in the Green Mountains that our state is in economic trouble. For six years Jim Douglas has been at the helm, how we again elect a captain who cannot bait his own hook? That was a very telling moment on that riverbank when Douglas's own Fish and Wildlife employee had to bait his hook for him.

Did the state employee feel that his boss was unable or unwilling to bait his own hook? Did Douglas not want to dirty himself, but just enjoy some photo-ops with a rod in hand? This is again to me a central theme in the whole Jim Douglas theory of governing Vermont.

He sets himself to look like he's doing all these great things, when really he not accomplishing anything worthwhile. If our governor does not grasp the concept of baiting a hook for himself and searching out a fish, how good will he be at attracting new business? That's indeed the very thing Vermont must do, fish for some businesses to grow here, using incentives as our bait. Incentives to relocate here, expand, and grow their business here.

Again with the fishing analogies, but we also need a governor who knows what to do when s/he's got one on the line. They need to know how to finesse the fish into the net, so we don't go home empty handed. We need to work with businesses that are already here that we've "hooked". We need to keep them here, and help them to grow here. Their successes are our successes.

That's why Jim Douglas's failure to bait his own hooks makes me question his ability to lead Vermont through these troubled times. If he needs other people to do his work for him, why are we electing him in the first place? I understand delegating responsibility and such, but this is where the governor needs to rise to a leadership role.

The next governor of Vermont needs to say it's their responsibility to find work for Vermonters and they're not gonna rest till they do. That's not the vibe I get from Douglas when he has state employees bait his hooks for him. It's more like, I have people do my work for me so if they fail, the blame doesn't fall on me, and I can point fingers elsewhere.

BREAKING NEWS IN THE SPOOF NEWS WORLD; VERMONT BLOGOSPHERE FEELS EFFECTS OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC ROLLERCOASTER

2008-10-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

This just in, the Vermont Blogosphere has been hit hard by the national economic instability forcing everyones favorite Vermont blogs to be renamed;

Vermont Stray Cat

Vermont Recession

Vermont Scrap Anything

Vermont Oracle For Hire

Vermont Humdinger

Vermont Gardener Taking New Clients

Vermont Field Journal For Reminiscing

Vermont Daily Mugging

Vermont Blows

Beg and Plead

Welfare of Vermont

Idiocy and Spare Change

Green Mountain Two Cents

Refrain From Buy Land

Five Before Broke

Evolving Piggybanks

Flanking Maneuvers

Contribute to Bill Doyle's Next Campaign

Hope things get better soon!! :)

Democrats For Douglas

2008-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Crossposted at www.greenmountaindaily.com

Now that I've got your attention, this little ad on the TV has me ammused. This is not the first time we've seen this ad, with the very same people. It's the one he uses campaign cycle after cycle, and to effect. It's not an attack ad, nor is it negative really. Kind of a neutralizer ad suggesting the democrats may not fully support their candidate.

I must say hands down this is my favorite go to tool in the whole Douglas Campaign re-election chest. It's predictable, we see it campaign after campaign. But my question to Governor Douglas is that are we to think the ad's still current? I mean here we are a couple years later, has their opinion of Douglas not to have changed? How will these "democrats" vote this election cycle?

To me it's kind of reminiscint of the whole Douglas theory of governorship; take old ideas, give them a new spin, repackage it, and sell it to the people as what they need. I'm not buying it, it's a rope a dope, a shell game. Watch one hand while the other does what it wants.

He's had a fair shake at being Governor of Vermont, what has he really done for us? Sure, he can point fingers and blame everyone but Douglas, but is that moving our state forward? Are any of us better off now than we were before he became Governor? We need to think about this dearly as we vote for the next governor.

I still don't know how this election will playout with the record turnout predicted. It's quite possible that a vote for anyone other than Douglas, may do nothing but help Douglas out. It's a sticky situation. If the election gets tossed to the legislature, a majority of Vermonters would have not voted for Douglas, but he'd be the candidate with the most votes. This would mean Vermonters wanted a new governor, but were unsure of who among the other candidates.

What would the legislature decide? Boy, that's a whole other can of worms, makes who you vote for this fall awfully important. Lots of things to think about in the weeks leading up to the election.......

Poop Or Get Off The Pot Already!!

2008-10-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well it’s getting down to that time in this election cycle that I’m sick of it. All the candidates do is spend their time attacking each other. This other candidate is worse than me because…. This is not constructive, nor does it do our state, or nation’s history the justice it deserves.

Where is the change? Where are the plans to help Vermonters and Americans live out and afford their lives? Where is the foresight to say this is the future we want to have and these are the steps we’re going to take to get there?

Another election, another disappointment. Are there no great people or do great people not run for public office? We live in argueably the best state, in the best nation in the world. Why the negativity? Our fate is not pre-determined. In the words of Tom Petty, “the future’s wide open.”

Vermonters, Americans have persevered. No matter how bad things have been, we’re still here. We’ve banded together before and overcome obstacles. New Hampshire Grants, Independence, statehood, civil war, depression, World Wars, and every war since.

We will make it. We just need good leaders, and a plan to get us there. We will live more in harmony with our environment. We will feed everyone, we will make sure if someone is hurt, sick or ill they have access to the medical attention they need. We will make sure everyone has a roof over their heads, and a safe place to sleep at night.

We will make sure everyone has a fair slice of the American dream. We will provide equal access to the resources people need to live productive and satisfying lives. America cannot be about survival of the fittest. We will not, and cannot leave the economically disadvantaged behind. If we fail in this, are we truly the greatest state, the greatest nation on earth?

RE: ABSENTEE BALLOT

2008-10-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

History is upon us, be a part of it!

Vote!!

Vote now!!!

Vote by absentee ballot.

Get it sent in to your town clerk, now and lock in your say in one of the most important elections in the history of Vermont, and the United States of America.

You won’t even have to worry about where you need to be, or when the polls close on election day.

Who cares who you vote for, just vote.

The rest of your life you’ll get to say you either voted for the guy who
saved America, or the guy who screwed it up even worse!

Psssst…….Remember Acid Rain?

2008-08-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Guess what? It hasn’t gone away. We’ve just had record rainfall, and it was all acid rain. Nope, they haven’t stopped using coal-fired plants in the Midwest to generate electricity. Yup, we haven’t solved this yet, but we’re already forgotten about it and moved on to Global Warming.

That’s what I hate about causes, once one becomes boring and passé people move on to some cause that’s new, exciting, and getting all the press. There’s no success story here like gaining in the war on water chestnuts here in Lake Champlain. It’s not like personal choices affect acid rain either, like reducing your carbon footprint. There is nothing individuals can really do to make a difference with acid rain other than try to mitigate its affects. What’s a person to do? Walk around with pieces of limestone tossing them here and there?

If acid rain had a headstone it’d read “RIP Acid Rain, There’s Nothing Any Of Us Can Do, So There’s Nothing Any Of Us Did.”

I worry about stuff like this. Will people get exasperated and give up on global warming too? Plant trees people! Global warming and carbon emissions are a much easier problem to keep up with. Just think, if people plant a dozen trees a year, and increase garden space in their yards (instead of mowing), you’re actually making a difference. Ride your bike instead of taking your can a few short trips a week and you’re a carbon footprint hero.

But what are we going to do about Acid Rain?

Shelburne Road; Vermont’s Newest Ghost Town

2008-08-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone driven down Route 7 from South Burlington to Shelburne lately? Not quite the thriving business district it once was, to say the very least. At least a half dozen empty buildings that haven’t been reoccupied. Noted businesses that have left include the Tuscan Sun, Sirloin Saloon, Vermont Country Kitchen, and Climb High. Roche’s Casual Furniture/Kasazza Kids made the move across the street to the old Climb High building, leaving their old venue vacant.

Is competition from the box stores in Williston leaving Shelburne Road in the dust? Does Route 7 just not have the draw to bring people like it once did? Tough saying really, but every rush hour Shelburne Road is literally clogged with cars. The people are there, they’re just not stopping to buy or eat. Why is that?

Hate to point the finger, but it didn’t seem like things were this bad before the Route 7 redo a couple years back. Maybe all those businesses were right and their worst case scenario’s have been realized? Could it be that all those traffic medians in the middle of the road did hurt business? Could it just be that the area is so known for it’s traffic that it’s just avoided in general? Or is it simply that the State of Vermont played with the traffic patterns and was too successful? After all, they were looking to lower the amount of time it took to get from one end of Shelburne road to the other, kudos to Agency of Transportation for this success.

But the vacant businesses? I think a couple factors are at play here. While it is easier to get from one end to the other, it certainly is harder to cross the road and get from one business to the next. Not having people crossing the road constantly does allow for better thru flow, but makes it trickier to visit the places you want. You have to consciously plan out where you’re going to start and end, and how best to navigate the flow of traffic. That’s a feat for seasoned Shelburne Road shoppers, let alone the visitors in town for the first time.

Looks like only time will tell. Will Shelburne Road become a ghost town, or return the profitable business district it once was?

Waste Reduction In Vermont

2008-07-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

The state of Vermont is going about reducing it’s solid waste output in completely the wrong way. Why crack down on Vermont Compost and Intervale Compost, two entities working hard to do the right thing and reduce the amount of trash we bury in landfills? Enforcement is not the way here, the state needs to work with responsible people trying to do the right thing. After all, where else is this waste to go but the landfill?

Yes, ok so there’s some site issues. I’m not disagreeing, but come on, suggest/help find an alternative. Food waste to compost is such a noble and worthy cause. Making a resource out of a waste, that’s what we need more of, not less. What’s the alternative? Burying it in the ground and letting future generations deal with the issue? Not that I think it’s much better than landfilling, but at least New Hampshire has kept up with technology. With modern pollution controls, they incinerate all their waste and generate electricity from it.

No landfills, plus. Electrical generation, plus. Unfortunately there is still hazardous ash left over, minus. Also some pollution that eludes the controls set in place, minus. I see it as breaking even, versus lanfilling which is just a minus. Is this what Vermont should move toward???? What options do we really have left if the state won’t let anybody do anything with waste other than landfill it?

In this case we’re not really talking about dangerous pollutants or hazardous household chemicals, its just food waste. The only problems that you can run into both relate to the site. The first is leachate of the nutrients from the compost into the groundwater. The second is animals, whether it be flies, rats, raccoons etc. Solve these two issues and you’ve got a successful waste reduction operation. Even Martha Stewart in the latest issue of her magazine uses Vermont Compost for her garden.

So please State of Vermont, work with these good people, don’t arbitrarily regulate them. Let VT compost go back and get whatever permits they need, don’t close them down. If there turns out to be issues still, then work with them to solve them. Same with the Intervale, so there’s site issues that can’t be overcome. Work with them, help them find a new site that will work, it’s in everyone’s best interest. Move forward, not backward, after all they’re just good people trying to do the right thing for everyone!.

GI County Residents; Apply For Antlerless Permits!

2008-07-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

In the past I have been impressed with some of the steps the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dep art ment has taken to manage the Vermont deer herd. In my experience over the last few years I’ve seen just as many deer, but they are larger and healthier looking. That’s why I’m kind of disappointed with their latest proposal for the 2008 Antlerless deer hunt.

In addition to the hunters who normally go out hunting deer during muzzleloader season, the Dep art ment last I heard wanted to issue around 1,100 permits for WMU A, Grand Isle County . That’s eleven hundred hunters looking to bag a deer without horns in the county with the smallest geographical area in the state. I fear this is a recipe for disaster more than success. The land area of Grand Isle County is only 83 square miles. That equivilates to 13.25 hunters per square mile, and these are just the ones with antlerless permits!

The dep art ment knows that the land in Grand Isle County is heavily posted, and they need to issue this many permits to control the population. The reality is, of the eleven hundred permits issued, at best half may get filled. The antlerless lottery is a big fundraiser for the dep art ment at $10 a permit. Grand Isle County is a, eleven thousand dollar influx to the cash strapped dep art ment.

The issue that concerns me the most is who these permits get issued to. They’re not just going to Islanders who know the lay of the land, know where the houses are, and where it’s not safe to shoot. These permits are being given to anyone in or out of the state who doesn’t receive a permit in one of their higher choice wildlife management units. Our county has become a clearing house for antlerless permits. I am very proud that Fish and Wildlife board member from Grand Isle County , John Roy, recognized this and voted against the latest proposal for the 2008 antlerless deer season.

So the 2008 antlerless permits have now hit the stores, and are also available online thru the dep art ment website. Is their anything Islanders can do about the influx of out of county hunters that will surely appear this coming December? The answer is yes, and it’s something I like to call democracy of the dollar. Your ten dollars buys you a permit, and the option of whether to use it or not, hunters and non-hunters alike..

If you are a Grand Isle County resident, fill out a permit and send it in. Send the state their ten dollar check to help out the dep art ment, but only fill out your permit for WMU A, leave the rest of the WMU’s blank. By doing this you will ensure that decisions about harvesting an antlerless deer stay in GI county. With permits going to an Island resident majority, the choice how they’re used will stay in GI county. So all Island residents please apply for an antlerless permit. Whether you decide to use it or not, at least the decision will be made in Grand Isle County , not forced upon us by VT Fish and Wildlife.

Douglas; Politicizing Tragedy For Political Gain

2008-07-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

There is something the Governor of our state of Vermont is really good at. It’s taking a very unfortunate occurance and turning it into political gain. In a small state like ours, big news like our first amber alert had everybody concerned. Everyone watched, everyone waited, what would be the missing girls fate?

Then a disappearance turns into one families horror, and a statewide travesty. A convicted sexual predator, was released into the public on probation by our department of corrections. Released after completing the sex offender treatment program, where he was a “model inmate” and hailed as a success. Apparently the program doesn’t work, after his release he reportedly begins molesting a nine year old, and within a couple years effectively stalked and hunted his own niece. The abrupt and tragic end to her life is a testament to the failure of our state corrections and sex offender treatment program.

Here we are in an election year and a hot button issue lands in Governor Douglas’s lap. So what does he do, he picks it up and runs with it. Now he’s talking about civil confinement, the death penalty, and even chemical castration. Do I disagree, hell no!! This is one of the few instances where I actually agree with the governor. I don’t think we can ever go far enough with regards to protecting our kids.

However, there is nothing I hate worse than people who use tragedies for political gain. This is exactly the card Douglas is playing now. He is not calling a special session of the legislature because ““If I thought for a minute that the legislative leaders would embrace a serious package of reforms that we have talked about this afternoon, I’d have them here tomorrow,” Douglas replied. “Their past action does not give me a lot of confidence that in the aggregate they are prepared to take these steps.”” (BFP 7/11/08)

This is playing politics pure and simple. If the legislature were to meet, and pass the reforms he talks about, than the issue would go away. But this is an election year, and he can’t let it go away. He needs to keep beating this drum right thru November so he can sound tough on crime and make the Democratic legislature sound weak on crime. If the legislature is weak on crime, than his opponent who led that legislature is also weak on crime. It’s the forked tongue that Douglas speaks with that spews a whole lot of BS.

Governor Douglas, get off your butt and call a special session or get off the high horse. Take steps now to solve this obviously important issue before another kid gets hurt. Otherwise the failure here won’t just be corrections released someone who was a danger to the public. It will be a failure of the governor to protect the people, and more importantly kids, of his state.

Responsible Growth For Vermont’s Future

2008-07-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

So here Vermont stands, at the edge of an uncertain future, like looking out over a gorge. Will our state falter and fall into the abyss of economic disparity? Be washed away in the currents of time? Or will we build a bridge to get our state across to solid ground?

Forget the rest of the country, right now I’m just worrying about Vermont, and Vermonters. We need to look back at history, and see what’s worked. Modify it for current times and employ new strategies. I conceptualize a cross somewhere between “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” and a “New Deal”.

We need to work to get less people relying on government assistance. We need to inspire people to work, and give them meaningful work to accomplish. We need to drastically reduce Vermont’s unemployment rate while working toward a goal of full employ. We need to make Vermont work, for working Vermonters.

The problem with new strategies and programs is the need to create bureaucracy to administer them. The largest employer in the state of Vermont, is The State of Vermont. A lot of people seem to have problems with this, I personally don’t. I don’t foresee private enterprise jumping in to save Vermont, so state government will have to do!

The fingers of state government have worked their way into all our lives through taxes, education, transportation etc. It’s time those fingers were used to massage the lives of the citizenry instead of keeping them in a death grip. Vermont state government needs to present Vermonters with one thing; opportunity. Opportunity to deduct from their tax burden, and help out fellow Vermonters. Opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. Opportunity to have a viable future in the state of Vermont.

There’s no way I can lay all this out in one post, but here’s my main idea, a Vermont Works Progress Administration that coordinates with the needs of Vermont State Government. Put Vermonters to work to reduce the overall tax burden, and also provide goods and services to improve the quality of life of Vermonters. Yes, this means less contracting between government and private enterprise, and yes, this does sound a bit like communism. As long as the end justifies the means, so be it.

How will we pay for the new administration? My favorite part, simple; roll back the bonuses that Governor Douglas gave to the administration, and roll back the last raise our legislators voted to give themselves. Desperate times, desperate measures, and I don’t think the people who serve the state of Vermont should be getting pay increases while those who pay for those increases see their own paychecks decrease!

State sponsored food bank farms to supply fresh food to help the poverty stricken. Require people receiving state assistance to put in a couple hours, they can bring the kids, no need for daycare! Prisoners can start all the plants in greenhouses at the prisons. Even better if we can get the correction officers union to negotiate and allow some prisoners to work in fields.

State sponsored School Lunch farms. Great project for kids who are off all summer. Maybe even give the parents a tax break for the hours their kids work? Grow certain crops for canning or freezing for the school year. Beans would work great, broccoli, potatoes. The added bonus would be the kids are growing their own food, and would have a much greater appreciation for where their lunches come from. A variation could be groups of kids who go out berry picking etc. and freeze them for school use.

Town growth centers. This is an idea that’s been kicking around our state for awhile but hasn’t gotten the boost it needs. The idea is to concentrate growth in designated areas of towns. What better time to create infrastructure than when people need work? Why not put people to work creating sewer systems in a designated growth center in each town, and allow towns to grow their tax base?

Coupled with the town growth centers we need to attract and grow small businesses throughout the state. Ideally situating these businesses within the growth centers of various towns. We need to spread the work out all around the state instead of concentrating it in Chittenden County. Less people commuting means less gas usage, less pollution, and more money staying within local economies. There is no real need for a large percentage of the inhabitants of the state to commute to the same county to work.

Vermont; A State Without A Plan

2008-06-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

I’m not very optimistic about Vermont’s economic future. According to Douglas’s latest, Vermont’s economic strength is in it’s “diversity”. That’s a crock of crap, the biggest load of BS that’s ever been heaped upon our state. Diversity?

We’re so reliant on tourists to pump up our economy it’s ridiculous. No wonder we have no tax base and have to tax peoples property. Driven around Vermont lately? We’re a state of tourist trap after tourist trap, just about every road you take. Can’t really blame people, it’s where the money is. None of us certainly have any.

We’ve got artisan and specialty businesses galore, but how many people do they employ? A couple at a whack. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but we need employers who hire a lot of people. We need employers who pay decent livable wages to Vermonters. This is where Vermont is absolutely not competitive. We’ve got a lot of educated, hardworking people who’ve had to settle for less.

How many employers are there in the thousand plus employee range? Not including the state of Vermont, you’ve got what IBM, maybe Lockheed Martin? Face it the only industry we have is our huge dairy farms, and who do they employ? Mexican immigrants with questionable legal status, because they can’t find anyone else to work for housing and pathetic wages.

Smart directed growth is what Vermont needs, spread evenly throughout the state. Not a bunch more service jobs that pay ridiculously low wages and force people to live paycheck to paycheck. This direction starts from the top. No, we don’t need all sorts of industry pumping pollutants into our air, water and soils, but we need something. The governor should be seeking out environmentally responsible businesses to bring into the state.

Better yet, look to accommodate local businesses and their growth needs. Help businesses that employ Vermonters to grow. Look at Unilever, opening a Ben & Jerry’s out west, look at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, setting up shop in Tennessee. We can’t even keep Vermont companies in Vermont let alone attract new ones!

The buck stops at the Governors office. That’s where the direction of our state comes from. Instead of taking credit for everyone elses work, and blaming failures on the legislature, we need a governor who can deliver. We need someone who can not only keep jobs in Vermont but deliver us new ones. After all the governor is not a spiritual figure head like the Pope. The governor needs to do more than make appearances, and wave to crowds. They need to do the work of the state, and work damn hard at it!

Wind and Gardens

2008-06-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wind in gardens can wreak havoc on young plants. Windy days, even more so on sunny or hot days, forces a lot of evapotranspiration on the plants causing them to wilt. They don’t have deeply rooted systems yet, and the plant simply can’t keep up with demand. Thus windy days are bad for transplanting, and this is how I screwed up and my wife saved my butt.

So I decided things were too cramped in a couple of our raised beds. The russian red kale and a Brussels Sprouts were beginning to shade my turnips. So I transplanted the sprout to the edge of the bed, and the two kale to whiskey barrel flower planters. I watered. Then I watered again, and they wilted. It was the hottest day of the year so far, 90’s and high winds to boot.

I blew it. They didn’t look good. I had to go uptown for propane so to smooth thngs over with the wife I dropped by the nursery. Picked up a six pack of white impatiens, two oriental poppies, six pack of coleus, and four millet. This would make up for killing the other plants. When I got home, I surprised my wife with the flowers.

However, she had a little surprise of her own. Later on as I made dinner she went around and plucked the old leaves from the Kale I had transplanted. Leaving behind only about the three newest leaves. They are doing just fine. Lesson learned, in addition to water if you reduce the amount of surface area that evapotransiration can occur, it will help with transplant success.

We only get to have a couple of small raised beds for gardening at the place we summer. So this year I added a faux raised bed, and lined a 2X10 frame with cardboard on the bottom. This is my container garden for small nursery stock like the 2 for $2 catalog special weigelas, and mockorange, and a couple smokebush. There’s random stuff I started like echinacea, and rudbeckia.

Its also for my baby potatoes, which I grow by putting in the bottom of a container half full of soil. Once the potato plants grow past the top of the container I fill the rest of the way with compost. At the end of the season the container will be full of baby size potatoes. I think it’s probably one of the easiest ways to grow potatoes.

There are also one gallon containers filled with habanero and jalapeno peppers. The small container forces them to flower sooner in our short growing season here. It will allow me to harvest peppers sooner, and transport them. Container growing allows season to be extended in the spring or fall if a greenhouse, coldframe, or south facing window is available.

Lastly there’s a lone red pear tomato, because it like variety in my salad. It’s also to keep it away from the Sungolds I planted, and the Tibetan tomatoes my wife planted. I always seem to have issues with cross pollenation or something the more varieties I grow. So those are my gardens, and how their affected by wind.

Half A Home

2008-06-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

So my wife found some rather inexpensive real estate real estate recently on the internet. Here in a northern Vermont city, ten minutes away from where we currently live. I called the realtor and made an appointment that evening to check the place out. It was being sold as is, in need of TLC. The realtor said it was a foreclosed property with a lot of deferred maintenance. I naively thought to myself; needed new furnace, doors, windows, plumbing, electrical, probably even has a leaky roof.

The price, I wondered. Between what the realtor said on the phone and some quick internet research, something was off. The average price of just a lot in this city, was $50-60,000. This was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home for less than half that. What would make the price of a home go down I querried, then I Googled.

Damage to a house drops its price. Foundation and roof issues are usually the culprit. They’re also the two things that make a home not “structurally sound”, and the credit unions won’t give you a VHFA loan for it. That must be it I said, there must be something wrong. So I did more Googling looking up tips to spot a bad foundation and a bad roof.

When we got there in the evening the realtor was really nice, met us in the driveway, and brought us right to the door of the house. She was on her way to a wake, so I didn’t want to be rude and take all night. This was our first mistake. ALWAYS WALK AROUND THE HOUSE BEFORE YOU GO IN. So we walked in.

It was the most beautiful little hundred plus year old city home. As we entered the house I noticed the gap in the concrete block foundation immediately. This and the crack on the inside wall were a dead giveaway. Serious structural issues. But we went in anyways, and it was filthy. I mean the filthy like I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind, and will probably have PTSD and nightmares later on in life about! Filthy.

It had potential, but needed a lot of work, and a lot of cleaning. Then there was the basement, I opened the door to a ridiculously old light switch that didn’t work. Stepped down the stairs to a cellar that on this side of the house had an old stone foundation, a dug basement. The light found a very old furnace and most of the rest of the basement. The ad?

Yes, the ad said something about a full walkout basement. Not really wanting to venture further my mind had already been made up, wasn’t interested in the place. We headed back outside to look at the yard. It was the most beautiful city lot we’d ever seen. It had a stream running down one side and along the back, with the backyard sloping to it. We were commenting how hard it would be to eradicate all the invasive Japanese Knotweed, when we turned back to look at the house and saw the full, walkout basement.

The crack I had seen in the house was no doubt associated with the fact that the backside of the house had no foundation save for some pressure treated 6X6 supports and sheets of plywood. It looked like someone had undertaken to enlarge their basement themselves and hadn’t gotten very far. They dug a hole so deep and far behind the house, water from the brook was seeping in. The whole thing was wet, and eroding the foundation. We shot around to the other side of the house and observed a 2x4 holding up the corner of the house. So I thanked the lady for her time and we were on our way.

On the way home I said someone with the cash is going to come in and level the place. Put in fill and concrete slab for a house and garage, and have themselves a nice place in the city.

Crappie Fishing

2008-06-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

There’s not too much pride involved in fishing for Crappie. When people ask you what you’re catching, and say “Crappie”. If they’re not to acquainted with fishing, they always reply, “too bad, good luck” and are on their way. Someone who fishes panfish though will come right over, drop their ine in next to yours, elbow to elbow on the dock, and say “Any with size to’em?”

I’m kind of a fussy panfish eater. I don’t like the taste of Pumpkinseed, and I only eat Yellow Perch when fishing throught the ice in winter. Just about everything else though, I’ll fillet and toss in the freezer. Crappie are by far my favorite, but Bluegill are a close second.

I was lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time once this spring. I had found the school a few days earlier with a bobber and ultralight jighead/tube combo. Caught one nice White Crappie, then a huge Black Crappie the size of a paper plate. I went back with same bobber and jighead setup but with fathead minnows. Now that combo worked, my only regret being I hadn’t started earlier in the day. By the time the Crappie were done about 11 AM I had doubled up all the hooks on my stringer. Even managed to catch a huge Bluegill while I was at it.

Took me about a half hour to clean all those fish, but I had a pile of fillets. I divided it in two, tossed each in some freezer bags with water and froze them. Works great as long as you use them within a couple months, after that so so….. Right about the time near shore fishing for Crappie ends, people will troll for them with mini-spinner setups. But I’m distracted by something else; Bass season opens………

Tax On Windfall Profits Would Be Double Dipping

2008-06-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

At no point am I a fan of the oil companies, or many of the foreign governments/cartels behind them. As far as I’m concerned they’re drug dealers on a much larger scale. They got our whole planets economy hooked on their stuff, and eliminated any threats of competition to it. They suppressed technology and inventions to get us where we are today; between a rock and a hard place. Nobody, not even governments are strong enough to stand up to them.

That said I strongly feel that the United States is very much in the wrong by trying to tax oil companies windfall profits. That is, while they’re still taxing us at the pump. It’s clearly double dipping; tax users, and tax the suppliers. Where does the taxing end?

Guess what, peoples wages aren’t going up, and because of the high prices people are driving less. Time for the state and federal governments to wake up! Time to find a new way to pay for roads and bridges because the projections won’t ring true, the budget shortfalls are coming; plan for it NOW. End the regressive tax on gasoline, the incentive to cut down on use is already there!

If you want to make a windfall profits tax, make it across the board for ALL corporations. Why single out the oil companies, and leave the war profiteers like Halliburton off the hook? Any companies that make an excess percent of their normal profits, has to pay a certain amount of that percent to the government. It’s simple. Use this money to pay for state and federal infrastructure needs like bridges and roads, and pay off the national debt. If it goes into the general fund it will just get eaten up by pork projects, and these don’t help the nation.

These are tough times, and they’ll only get tougher ahead. Our nation needs to stop, assess, think, plan, and act. By having a little foresight and acting now, we can get our country back on track. We need to wrestle it back from the grasp of greedy corporations and foreign governments/cartels!

SVR Needs A Reality Check

2008-06-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

There is nothing in my life I am more proud of than being a Vermonter. Our rich and proud history is long and colorful. Our state is full of natural wonders from its mountain tops to its lakes and streams, and the very diverse geology that underlies it. Without the six seasons (I include Mud and Leaf Peeper), life would be mundane. I abhor ever having to live anywhere else in my lifetime.

I’ve learned to accept all the people who move to Vermont. Even the ones that decide they have to make it just like the place they moved from. Personally, if they liked it so much I don’t understand why they left, but that’s their business. Anyways, Vermont is for Vermonters, no matter how long you’ve been here, or where you moved from, you just have to be rugged enough to deal with it. Doesn’t matter your sexual orientation, your color or creed.

We stole our state from the Native Americans who were here first. We defended it against New York’s Governors Clinton, and Tryon. We defended our state in two different wars against Great Britain. As a member of the Union we were attacked by Confederate troops from Canada. As a member of the Union, we suffered dearly, probably losing more troops per capita than any other Northern state save for NY who signed the Irish up for service as soon as they got off the boat. It was Vermont’s old brigade that was the heart of Grant’s army.

That anyone would think Vermont is a good place to move to promote racism and prejudice is beyond me. To move to the state that played a heavy hand in the demise of the Confederacy, that fought to preserve the Union, and get IT to succeed. We know the costs of succession.

That’s why I see SVR as a joke. There are many people who would like to see Vermont as its own autonomous region. But we know the price our state paid, and why we cannot leave the Union. That a bunch of Confederate sympathizers can’t see that is beyond me. They’re better off moving to Puerto Rico!!

Grand Isle Drawbridge Part II

2008-04-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is the letter the Islander paper couldn't print because it was "more than one letter on the same topic".

Dear Editor,

I’m very thankful to VTran’s Secretary Neale Lunderville and Senator Dick Mazza for answering the questions I posed. It was refreshing to see government officials take time to inform the Grand Isle County community about what is going on with their drawbridge. I sincerely hope this openness and dialogue continue into the future.

I was glad to hear “there are no plans at this time, so there is nothing as of yet to report.” This means with things in the early stages, there is plenty of opportunity to involve the islands community in the planning process. After all, who knows their bridge better than the residents of Grand Isle County? County residents see beyond the structure of the bridge, to all that it represents and could be.

I personally feel that if there is to be a reconstruction, some sort of handicapped fishing access would be a good addition. With the little access road on the north side this would not be a far stretch, and surely help some good folks out. I’m sure Island residents have other insightful ideas of what could be done to the drawbridge during reconstruction. That’s why VTrans needs to have their engineers and planners hear Islanders speak before planning begins. Then good ideas can be incorporated into the plans from the start, not worked out as revisions, or worse too late.

The next ten to twenty years leave plenty of time to involve the residents of Grand Isle County in the future of their bridge. Engaging communities is what democracy is all about. I implore all members of the Grand Isle County community to contact VTrans immediately, and ask them to sponsor meetings for public input prior to planning. Talk to your governor, neighbors, selectboard members, and state representatives. Contact Secretary Lunderville and Senator Mazza, and hold them to their pledge that “as engineers concept what might be next for this bridge, Islanders and their local government officials will certainly be involved.”

Best regards,

Jason M. Brisson
North Hero, VT

Must've Struck A Nerve Somewhere

2008-04-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Crossposted @ http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/

This letter was in response to a previous post/letter to editor by yours truly about the Grand Isle Drawbridge. It was in the local Islander paper. Must've struck a nerve if I elicited a response from Neale Lunderville, Douglas's Campaign Manager, I mean The Secretary of Transportation. Even more interesting that Senator Mazza a democrat also put his name on the letter. Don't worry boy's, you'll have my response coming your way soon enough!

"To the Editor,

Work to rehabilitate the North Hero/Grand Isle Draw bridge is now complete. On behalf of everyone involved, we want to thank Islanders for their patience and cooperation during the past several months as crews worked on this important project.

We also want to thank Jason Brisson for his kind words in a recent letter to the editor regarding the men and women who worked on the bridge. Their efforts were indeed exemplary. Unfortunately the letter distorted the process by which the Agency of Transportation will plan future bridge work, and we would like to take a moment to set the record straight.

Throughout the process that led to the recent emergency repair, the local Select Boards and town managers were kept in the loop. Agency of Transportation engineers offered to travel to the islands to meet with selectmen during public meetings, but the boards instead elected to be kept abreast through phone calls, letters and e-mails. There was always a standing offer to attend a public meeting if selectmen believed that necessary.

Mr. Brisson's letter asked what's next? He then questioned why he has yet to hear about future bridge repairs, and why there have been no public meetings to inform Islanders about the Agency's plans.

The answer is simple: there are no plans at this time so there is nothing as of yet to report. The rehabilitation that was just completed will keep traffic moving safely over this important bridge for the next decade or two.

VTran's staff put significant time and resources into the bridge rehabilitation that was just completed. The work was done during one of the most difficult winters in memory and completed in time for the upcoming nautical season. The paint is barely dry. As engineers concept what might be next for this bridge, Islanders and their local government officials will certainly be involved.

Neale Lunderville,
Secretary Agency of Transportation
Dick Mazza,
Senator Grand Isle"

Spring Blitzkrieg

2008-04-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Spring came into full force this week. Wow. The daily commute brings me past Sandbar Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, and it's a hopping place. Every piece of open water is chock full of ducks. I've seen so much waterfowl between ducks and geese so far. Everything is ready for spring.

Saw a Great Blue Heron hunting open water from the edge of the ice. Saw Osprey bringing sticks to the nest platforms above power lines. Saw some Wood ducks paddling around. My wife swears she saw a Pintail (I'm jealous, still never seen one). The ice on Lake Champlain is looking particularly ready to break up. Though I do note there are some fools who still insist on going out on it. At least they're being smart and staying next to shore!

The downside is all the leaves covering flower beds are still wet and heavy. They're hiding the best signs of spring, all the new plants looking for sunshine. Tulips poking skyward. The sedum looking for some light. It's all a matter of time. I looked at the buds on some apple trees, and elderberry yesterday, and they were looking ready. Pretty soon the buds will pop out on the Maples and sugaring will come to an end. Spring's just around the corner now.

Perennial Loser Or Vermont's Great Hope?

2008-04-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

So I talk a lot of crap about Pollina running for governor against Douglas. This will be my last swipe until November when I post a big I told you so. Yep, 6 months of no Pollina bashing from me. Why? I actually like the guy, I'd even go so far as to describe myself a fan. I love everything that Pollina stands for, his heart is in the right place. He's the Bernie Sanders of Middlesex. However, because I like the guy, it makes me one of his biggest and most vocal critics.

I voted for Pollina to help make a point in 2000, and again in 2002. Where did it get me? I feel like my vote was wasted. I'd even go so far as to say counterproductive in 2002. I feel like I was burned by Pollina, for giving me false hope. Hope that he would get elected. Hope that all the great things he talked about would really make a difference when he got into office. Hope that he would help make Vermont a better place.

Perceptions are everything in politics. Pollina is a great speaker, but he needs to up the energy and charisma. He has a great, and good natured personality, but he needs to share it more with people. Show his vulnerable side, his hobbies, what he does for fun. He needs to relate more to your average working Vermonter. He needs to relay the message that he is the best choice because he will affect positively Vermonter's lives when they vote for him.

Going beyond that though, he needs to run an effective campaign. Progressives are good at running Chittenden County campaigns, but haven't really grasped the concept of a Vermont campaign. The Republicans and Democrats are much better equiped, and entrenched. The heart of a Vermont campaign lies within the county caucuses and town committees. In the small towns of Vermont everyone knows who's voting which way and why. That's where campaigns are really won and lost.

You can run all the TV ads and radio spots you want. But until neighbors begin talking to neighbors about Pollina and how good he'd be for Vermont, its all for nothing. Until people see their fellow townsfolk going door to door, knocking. Unless they're convinced that Pollina is a safe person to entrust their hopes and dreams to, he's a risk, a liability. He is as yet untested in statewide office.

Pollina is not just the underdog, he has three strikes already against him in the eyes of Vermonters. He lost the bid for congress as a Democrat to Jim Jeffords in 1984. In 2000 he was the candidate that was neither for or against civil unions, a safe place to be. In 2002 his last bid for statewide office, he was the spoiler candidate that gave us Dubie as Lt. Governor. That's a tough history to overcome, three times a loser doesn't inspire confidence the fourth time around.

So when I criticize Anthony Pollina, it's not because I don't think he'd be good for Vermont. It's not because I don't like him or his politics. It's because I'm afraid to build up hope again. I'm afraid that he won't run a Vermont campaign, and bring his message to the "you can't get there from here" villages and hamlets scattered throughout the Green Mountains.

Breaking News; Earth's Axis Off Kilter

2008-04-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

crossposted at www.greenmountaindaily.com

Breaking news just came over the wire, Earth's axis is off kilter. Scientists studying global climate change have discovered earth's axis is fluctuating, this they say explains the odd weather as of late. The earth instead of it normal rotation, is fluctuating like a spinning top. The reason, the northern hemishere is top heavy!

The earth has experienced such tremendous human population growth in the northern hemisphere that the planet has become top-heavy. Instead of a steady rotation it weebles, wobbles, and pitches forward. It has created an interesting phenomenon. As greenhouse gases are put in motion and slammed against the atmosphere, their density increases. When mixed with carbon dioxide it forms an odd liquid mixture. This pollution solution then runs down the inside of the atmoshere and falls out the hole in the ozone layer above Antrctica.

Scientists estimate in 50 years time all the pollution and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will fall out and no longer be a problem. They are concerned however about the fluctuating rotation. They expect that unless large numbers of people move to the southern hemisphere, the planet will be condemned to a day of summer. followed by a day of winter, continuing year round.

Global crop production is expected to be interupted bringing famine and hunger. Because of the adverse weather patterns, green energy production is also in danger. Only those countries able to power entirely on nuclear and coal will be able to survive. Already nations have mobilized their armies and called up reserve troops to quell riots and looters. Stores have closed their doors, as well as banks and schools.

Aren't you glad its just April Foools Day!!

Short Growing Seasons

2008-03-30T06:05:00.001-07:00

Vermont's one if those places that's difficult to grow things because of our short growing season. the one exception is the Banana Belt up in Grand Isle County. While the rest of northern Vermont has to struggle with zone 4 and zone 3, South Hero actually has about a 1 square mile area of zone 5a. The soil there needs a lot of work, but I was able to grow 100+ Habanero plants outside in containers, from the last week April through the first week in November.

It took a lot of work and ingenuity to grow something in any part of Vermont that takes 110 days to produce fruit. But it was a successful experiment that I should share with other people. What I did, was get some old ag bags that the farmer up the road was throwing in the trash. You know, the big plastic bags they put their silage in that are white on one side black on the other.

So I made a big square in the backyard with the white side up, and weighed it down with concrete blocks and some rocks. This reflected a lot of light back up into the plants for growth, though it did kill all the grass underneath. It worked out well though, because this is where I spread wildflower seed the following year. So I lined up all the containers in rows by size, using a soil mix of 1/3 sand, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost/soil. The key to peppers is sulphur and I had saved some rolled sulphur to grind into powder from my days as hazardous waste operator. Truth is paper matchbooks, 1 per plant work just as well.

Now because I was experimenting, I did half the peppers organic, and the other half with chemical fertilizer. The organic ones received crushed clam shells from the lake, fossilized seabird guano, greensand, and crushed rock phosphate. All the way up to blossoming, I weekly gave the organic batch liquid fish emulsion fertilizer. The chemical batch I mixed Green Mountain 10-10-10 into the soil, and fed weekly with Peters liquid 10-30-10. I put s sprinkler in the middle of all and daily waterings were at dawn and dusk.

All through the growing season the chemical plants had deeper green growth, but all plants maintained roughly the same size. It was blossom time that things became apparent, the organic plants outbloomed the chemical almost 2 to 1. This is where things got confusing for me though. I ended with about twice as many organic to chemical peppers, The difference was the organics had thicker walls, and were smaller. The chemical had thinner cell walls but were larger. As these were hot peppers though, that's where the real test was. My perception was the organics were hotter, but after the sample, honestly, who really knows!!

Hot Tips On Buying Gas Everyone Should Know

2008-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

A friend sent me an e-mail with these helpful tips. He works a fuel company so I didn't want him to take flack at work for these hot tips. Some I'd heard before, some I hadn't.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3)stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mod e you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil. These companies import Middle Eastern oil: Shell.......................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco........ 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon/Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway...117,740,000 barrels
Amoco...........................62,231,000 barrels
Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel) Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco.................0 barrels
Conoco.................0 barrels
Sinclair................0 barrels
BP/Phillips............0 barrels
Hess......................0 barrels
ARC0....................0 barrels
If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations near you. All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

Letter To Editor About Grand Isle Drawbridge

2008-03-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

So the long anticipated, short-term fix to the Grand Isle Drawbridge has been completed. Where once traffic traveled over rust, the metal is bare and bright. No longer do Islanders traveling north and south have to worry about dropping through into the lake. VTrans did a good job of facilitating a solution, but most of the credit belongs to Engineers Construction Inc.

The workers from ECI were diligent in their work in spite of all sorts of adverse weather conditions, from rain, wind, snow, and extreme cold to a mini ice storm. After the ice they had to break the whole bridge free, before restarting their work. All the while, cars trooped north and south only a few feet away. That crew certainly worked hard for the money they earned.

Now that this chapter has closed in the story of our drawbridge, I wonder what the next one holds. After all, this is still only a temporary fix, and I have yet to hear what the state plans to do next. For that matter has anyone in the Islands heard anything? Of course not!

There have been no public meetings on the future of the bridge. The state and VTrans are having their little meetings down in Montpelier, behind closed doors, without any input from islanders. It's apparent that they only care to do what they want, not what we want. Where is our senator, where are our representatives?

Islanders please let you voices be heard! Talk to Senator Mazza, and Representatives Trombley and Johnson, voice your concerns. Don't stop there! Contact the governor, VTrans, your local selectboard, your neighbors! Islanders need to be heard on a subject near and dear to their hearts, their drawbridge, our input is important!!

Vermont Rednecks Early Spring Three

2008-03-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

For rednecks in Vermont these are the days for fun, with three big seasons overlapping.

The first part of Vermont's annual crow season is now open. Challenging game, crows are hard to hunt because they are wary and don't fly in a straight line. Not only do they challenge hunters skills, but apparently they're good eating. Just breast them out, and marinate. It's a dark meat that works well in stews or chili. Fiar warning though, I've never tried it, that's just what I've heard.

Muskrat season also just opened. They're abundant, and aren't too brite. Hunters can bag their days limit with a .22 rimfire rifle. The hardest part is retrieving them afterwards, that's where waiting for a good shot can pay off. Native americans called the muskrat "marsh rabbit", and it's another of natures wild creatures that's supposedly good eating. A lot of the muskrats taken are for their pelts, the hair of which can be used to tie flies.

Lastly spearing and shooting for Northern Pike just opened. Unfortunately it doesn't offer a good chance at catch and release, but you get to pick and choose the fish you take. Shooting is done mostly in marshes along Lake Champlain, on days when pike bask in the warm waters. Spearing is usually done at night where Pike swim up into marshes, by the light of a lantern. It's your best chance to pick and choose a trophy pike to mount on the wall.

Vermont is good to rednecks who retain their hunting and fishing licenses!!

Getting Ready For Spring

2008-03-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

A short trip outside will tell you all the signs are pointing to spring. The birds are returning, the pussywillows are blooming, and tulips are begining to poke through their beds. Water is pooling on top of the ice on the lake, the snow is starting to dissappear. Spring is in the air.

Well almost. The air is still maintaining around the freezing mark, so much so the maple sap is flowing very slowly. Kind of natures own way of doing a hatchet job on the global warming everyone's been talking about. Or has it? Seems like the we're losing more of the inbetween days, and dealing with more extremes.

All told though, it's been a long winter. We started getting dumped on with the white stuff in early December, and it came down steady after that. I'm ready for warm temps, and green leaves. I talked with a guy yesterday who made a good point though. With everything white, you don't have to swat mosquitoes. Everything with a grain of salt here in Vermont!

Why Is Jim Douglas Such A Bad Governor?

2008-03-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

I'll tell you why, what's the single most greatest thing Jim Douglas has done attaining the governorship? (Cue crickets chirping) Anything? Anyone? That's right, Douglas's greatest accomplishment thus far has been to continually fly under the radar and avoid any real issues.

Talk, now this is something that Douglas is good at! Talk about affordability, talk about lowering taxes. Has he helped make any of it happen? He talks and talks, and finds a whole host of reasons to blame his inability to do something on everybody else.

How about the people he surrounds himself with? Cronies. So far three of his appointments to the Fish and Wildlife board have had to resign for breaking fish and game laws, some example to set. Then there's Lunderville, the Governors campaign manager turned Secretary of Transportation. How about the Secretary of Agriculture, former WCAX reporter Anson Tebbits?

Our current governor has made a profession of sitting on the fence, while shooting down either side. He won't come swinging on any real issues of substance because he's afraid he might alienate voters. The problem in this day and age, is Vermont needs a governor who stands up for us. Douglas however, chooses to sit behind his desk.

We need a governor who's not afraid to make themself unpopular. Someone who will take on real issues of substance and reach out to help working Vermonters. That will never be Jim Douglas! He spends to much time being afraid of his own shadow to ever be an effective governor.

Forget Carbon Neutral, Time To Grow Hemp

2008-03-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

Of all the stupid bone-headed ideas I've seen carbon-neutral takes the cake. No need to create a new process by which carbon credits are created and exchanged to offset pollution. It's unnecessary. Growing plants capture and sequester the excess CO2 in the air, we all just need to grow more plants.

What better way to clean the air than fields of industrial hemp. It is probably the worlds fasted growing annual plant, and an acre of hemp yields 4 times more biomass than an acre of forest. We don't need pesticides to grow it, or fertilizers. The products are many, varied, and can lead to even more sustainable practices/products.

Using Du Pont's patented paper making process from trees, all sorts of chlorines, dioxins, and emissions are used or created in the paper-pulp making process. It also uses trees of which only 30% is roughly available to be made into paper. That compares to 80% of a hemp plant, and no nasty chemical or by-products are needed/created.

So we've got fields of industrial hemp growing, acting like big scrubbers for the atmosphere. They take in all sorts of CO2 the number 1 greenhouse gas, so why aren't we growing it by the hectare? Oh, that's right, it's not legal here in the US. Everyone confuses industrial hemp with the drug Marijuana because of a very long misinfomation campaign by corporations and the US government. The sad truth of the matter it Marijuana advocates aren't hemp advocates because industrial hemp lacks the Tetra-Hydro-Cannibinol to get one "high". People who grow Marijuana are against hemp, because the two would cross pollenate, and their drugs wouldn't get them high anymore.

But it's not just the Marijuana growers against industrial hemp. It's the cotton industry who is the number one user of pesticides, it's the US Department of Justice who needed something to do after they lost the fight against prohibition. They actually brought back hemp during WWII to win the war, and the USDA produced a bulletin about it.

In Canada the farmers currently clear, after costs are figured in $200 and acre for the industrial hemp they grow. They make $200 an acre, without using any pesticides, or chemical fertilizers! No wonder the US government fears the plant so, it undoes everything they tell the farmers to use!!

VTrans Does Have Successes

2008-03-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com

Today, 3/21/08 the Grand Isle Drawbridge was reopened to two-way traffic, no more one way! This was a VTrans success as the bridge is the heart of Grand Isle County, the connection between all 5 towns. Finished well before the navigational season on Lake Champlain begins, with north and south of the bridge still frozen.

A big kudos to the diligent crew from Engineers Construction Inc, who was contracted for the repair. They worked through extreme cold, wind, snow, driving rain, and a mini-ice storm. After the ice they had to break apart everything that had frozen to the bridge before they could recommence their work. Everyone is now safer who travels over the bridge, even is it is only a temporary fix. A more permanent replacement will be needed in the future.

Without this drawbridge Grand Isle County would literally be divided into a north and south. VTrans did a hell of a job formulating a plan and enacting it. People no longer have to worry about dropping through into the lake when they pass over the bridge!!

If You're Smart You'll Grow A Garden This Year

2008-03-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

The best way to save money in a downturned economy is anyway you can. Often the most productive and healthful is gardening. Don't worry though if you don't have a spare quarter acre you can tear up and plant. Container gardening can be just as great.

A couple buckets filled with soil on your porch will do the job. You can even plant more then one crop in a bucket! Lettuce can be planted on top of the soil underneath tomatoes or peppers, even spices or herbs. The other helpful hint is that plants can also be grown on structure. Cukes and melons can be supported with mini trellis's, and beans/peas on poles. Lots of possibility.

The only thing limiting your ability to container garden is your imagination and access to materials. Hydroponics has also become popular in recent years. Small home built systems that use a nutrient solution to feed and grow plants can be highly successful. Though with hydroponics it is easier to grow crops with low nutrient requirements, anything can be grown. The best part is, it automatically waters the plants, so you don't have to remember to do it.

So when food prices skyrocket, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Some seeds, a bit of soil and ingenuity can go a long ways. A little research on the internet will help you find all you need to know.

Time To Shit Or Get Off The Pot

2008-03-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Crossposted at www.greenmountaindaily.com

For the Vermont State Police, the Vermont State Auditor's Office, and the Vermont Attorney General's office. It's been over a year since the town clerk in the island hamlet of Isle La Motte confessed to embezzling money. Shazaam!! In swoops the press, and state agencies who confiscate records and vow to get to the bottom.

NOTHING HAS HAPPENED SINCE! The poor town has not had any closure, or the benefit of knowing what really happened to their money. Are Vermont's state agencies incapable of this investigation? Who's dropping the ball here? Why on earth is it taking so long? She confessed to taking the money!!

Funny thing is a month after this stunning revelation, a town clerk over in New York was busted embezzling $150,000. Guess what? That case is all wrapped up and the guilty party is in jail. Why the heck is it taking Vermont so long to do the same? Does the state just not care because the crime it didn't occur in Chittenden county? Because now it's old news?

You'd think that one of the "gold towns" of Grand Isle County that sends so much revenue to the states coiffures would warrant a speedy and thorough investigation. It would appear that the issue has been backburnered indefinately. Why leave a whole town hanging? It may be a year later, but there are still some pretty hard feelings on the island.

Had this been Chittenden County, the investigation would have been concluded last summer.

The Total Cost Of War

2008-03-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

The total cost of war can never be figured in dollars and cents. Sure you need this many troops, guns, personell carriers, tanks, helicopters, planes, and the support mechanisms to keep them operational. But what about the hidden costs of war? The ones the government doesn't tell us about beforehand, the ones we find out about along the way?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real issue, but it doesn't just affect combat veterans. It affects their families and childeren as well. We may still not have lost 4,000 lives of Americans in Iraq yet, but number of wounded is staggering. Think of the families and childeren of those who have died, or been disabled. These are the beginings of the total cost of war.

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are on track to last longer than America's involvement in World War II. In this "great war" we also fought in two theaters, but look at the difference. In WWII rationing and conservation were not just patriotic, but a necessity. Our country asks what it can do in this war, Bush tells them to go shopping. Our govenment led us into wars that the people don't have the will to win.

The total cost of war will be found when we pull out, give up, and are no better off than we were to start with. All the years of sacrifices made by our troops will be for nothing.

In the end, we must not forget to honor them for their sacrifices. Nor blame them for the total cost of war.

GMP and WCAX

2008-03-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this one. I've been fighing the flu for five days now. But now that I can think without feeling like my head will explode I need to revisit what I saw on WCAX's "You Can Quote Me" last Sunday. The guests were Chris Dutton and Mary Powell of Green Mountain Power. Across the table were Marselies Parsons and Andy Potter of WCAX.

The discussion was about the future of energy in Vermont as we currently pay less per kilowatt hour than most of the other states around us. 80% of our power comes from Vermont Yankee at 4 cents a kilowatt hour, and Hydroquebec at 7 cents a kilowatt hour. States around us pay between like 9 and 13 cents per kilowatt hour.

The whole conversation began cordially enough with the discussion of windpower, and problems citing it in Vermont. The folks from GMP seemed pretty on the ball and big fans of green energy. They talked about their two big drivers being energy affordability and sustainability. Then Parsons came out of nowhere.

He wanted to know, since GMP was just bought by the Canadian company Gas Metro if they could use their new contacts to get Vermont cheap natural gas. For of all things a gas fired electrical plant here in Vermont. The folks from GMP responded that not really, the price of gas is what it is, if we don't want to buy it for their price someone else will. They also went further though, in that because most of the energy consumption in Vermont is in Chittenden County, a plant like Parsons was talking about would have to be sited there or close by.

Did I miss something here? Are we not running out of fossil fuels? And WCAX wants us to continue with them? Time to move on to greener pastures, thinking like this got us where we are in the first place. by the time we build this facility we are then locked into using it, whatever the price of gas skyrockets to. Is this sound thinking? WCAX was way off base on this one, I'm glad the folks at GMP possess better foresight.

Out Of The Closet Of Anonymity

2008-03-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

So after a year of blogging under an alias, I decided to take a big step forward. The world has plenty of anonymous bloggers who have something to say about everything. I might as well give myself credit for my own words, even if doesn't make me very popular. If nothing else I can at least give myself credit for laying it all on the line, for not often do I pull punches.

I grew up in working man's Vermont, where a person's character was more important than the size of their bank account. Where soils sprouted crops not houses, and honesty and integrity were rewarded. I've never had a trust fund, and earned everything I have, which I admit isn't very much. Vermont is a land where the seasons indeed work for and against you. I could never live anywhere else and be happy.

I've been called a liberal Republican, and conservative Democrat, as well as a radical, and revolutionary. I call myself a Vermonter. One who feels with his heart and speaks what is on his mind, without fearing consequences. Brave or stupid I know not which, only time will tell.