[MistyVT]

Ditto many of the above reasons for leaving! I am making a long term plan to leave. I am tired of the winters, battling the water in my basement this time of the year, losing the power in the winter can be catastrophic(however, I have been lucky) I do not like driving on the roads although I do it when I have to. The older I get, the less I want to do it. In Rutland County, Social Work positions are limited...so I work in the field and accept a lower wage and the cost of living is high. The fuel bills are getting harder and harder to keep up with. We are changing over to wood before next season. I can't just leave because I co-parent with my ex and I won't leave them behind. So, I will dream of the day where I can head somewhere farther south.

[KristyLiz]

We lived in Vermont from 1999 - 2002 and we LOVED it!!

We were in the Burlington area and all was well and good until my husband's company closed his facility and we were relocated to PA.

I would have loved to raise my kids in VT, but the jobs just weren't there.

[MistyVT]

Yesterday the weather was the usual "crappy" late winter/early spring weather. It rained all day and then the temperature dropped causing everything to ice over. (the road, electrical wires, tree branches). We lost power two times.....once for a couple hours and then again at midnight. It did not come on again until 8:00am. We had no heat so I had to turn on the propane oven. Yes...some people choose to have generators or burn wood. However, during the night the water in the ground started to seep into my basement. By the time I could see to go downstairs(which is a finished off basment) I had water in one bedroom and in part of my familyroom. UGHHH! Yes....with lots of money I could have this glitch in my foundation repaired or sealed, obviously with no guarantee. While using the water vacuum to suck the water off the floor, I brought my first full bucket up to dump outside. My porch and steps were "very" icy and my feet went out from under me....I fell on my ass and the water vacuum canister flew in the air, breaking a wheel off. I am now lame, but standing. My back and my hands are scraped up. It is very disappointing. This is just my morning...obviously everyone is not abandoning ship like me. I am just tired of the battle.

[flu189]

Trombley, I hear you on the frustration on dealing with weather and home owner issues. As much as the weather at times wears on me, I accept it as it is natural (unless of course you subscibe to all the GW theories) and I have experienced some pretty wild extremes in both directions. What frustrates me more than the weather and the hardships it can bring is the hardships and outright difficult situations that people put us in.

[NYtoVT]

And, best of all, you get to pay handsomly for the privilege

[Targo]

No hurricanes.

No tornadoes.

No gators.

No poisonous snakes [that you're ever likely to encounter].

Sure it's been a crappy winter but look at all the low snow/mild ones we've had lately.

90% of dealing with nasty VT winters is preparation if you want to make them as easy as possible..

[MistyVT]

I agree with preparation for these weather hardships...but I never seem to be prepared enough! It just sneaks out and bites me at the wrong time. Being born and raised a Vermonter, I do have some warm feelings about some aspects...like the beautiful mountains and the scenery in the fall. No...we don't have tornadoes or hurricanes(as a rule) but we do get our share of winter miseries. I do believe that "the stork" accidentally took a wrong turn during a storm 39 years ago and dropped me off to the wrong family. I think i was supposed to be a southerner. I am resilient...and mostly today i just needed to complain about my bad 24 hours..just to get it off my chest. If I am successful in ever leaving...I will return to enjoy the parts that i like.

[MistyVT]

Originally Posted by flu189

Trombley, I hear you on the frustration on dealing with weather and home owner issues. As much as the weather at times wears on me, I accept it as it is natural (unless of course you subscibe to all the GW theories) and I have experienced some pretty wild extremes in both directions. What frustrates me more than the weather and the hardships it can bring is the hardships and outright difficult situations that people put us in.

Yes.....I can respect this point of view! Unfortunately, there are way too many of "those" people situations each and every day.

[MistyVT]

Originally Posted by NYtoVT

And, best of all, you get to pay handsomly for the privilege

"Ain't that a fact!" And now we know why I don't have the money to prepare myself for the winters! (by fixing my basement problems) LOL

[Targo]

I'm an unprepared native myself.

No shovel flashlight or blankets in my truck.

No 4 days worth of TP and water lined up in our spring flooding basement.

Ice covered steps and no salt in sight.

Generator sits with no gas out in the storage building 200 yards away.

And ya know what? I could care less! Being that native Vermonter I was raised to just get along through the "rough" times without out worrying about it. What "we" take for granted many people would find unacceptable and bordering on barbaric.

Bury the truck in 4' drifts 2000' down our driveway just because I wanted to try to make it out [for no good reason] this winter? Just walk back to the house, get a shovel and dig the darn thing out.....Big deal...cowboy up, it's VT not Florida.

Vermont's new state slogan should be:

*Vermont, not for everyone*