[Lilybeans]

Looked pretty busy, but fun.

[vter]

I did. It was VERY busy. Not as many cows as I thought there would be but it was still fun.

[tkln]

I wanted to go but we had our mission for the weekend - stain the deck before it rained.

[OhBeeHave]

One of these years I will make it to see the stroll. It looks like a great time.

[arel]

I went. Had a lot of fun. Had a good spot to watch the parade, right in front, but the sun was beating down and I forgot my hat (baseball-like cap with visor).

There was a huge crowd. It almost felt like New York, but people seemed more much more relaxed, friendly and easygoing.

A cow stopped and peed in front of where I was standing. Later, people in black costumes (and with shovels) came and poured sand on it.

Bernie Sanders and I went to the same high school in Brooklyn. When he walked by, I yelled out to him "Hey Bernie, I went to Madison, too!". He turned, had a big smile and pointed towards me with both hands. Then he quickly turned and moved on.
-
His bald spot looked like it was about to sunburn.

After the parade, I went to the Green Expo on the Commons. I took some literature from Friends of the Sun. I was especially interested in wood stoves and pellet stoves. I also got some literature on solar heating.

Then I went down to the Retreat grounds for the other expo. The lines at the food tents were very long, and I didn't want to wait on line. To get out of the sun I sat in the fiddler's tent and listened to some music. Later, I got some free Muscle Milk, which was a satisfying protein drink, a free bottle of water and some free ice cream. I went to a Thai tent and got some chicken satay. This was the Thai food tent that was at the Winter Farmers' Market, not Anon's which draws a huge crowd. At another tent, I bought, for $10, a small, colorful bag to wear across my body.

I had fun, but I didn't like the intense sun or the crowds. I wouldn't have minded the heat and sun so much if I had remembered my hat. Unfortunately, there was no sun hat to buy at the expo.

I went three years ago and I don't think it was as crowded. Perhaps that was partially due to the rain. But although I didn't like the crowds this year, the upside is that the festival is becoming increasingly successful. I read an article later that said it made lots of scholarship money.

Later in the day, I went to an artists' reception in West Brattleboro. There was a contra dance that evening in downtown Bratt, but I was tired and didn't go.

As for the rest of the weekend, Friday and Sunday:

Friday evening, I went to Gallery Walk and tasted grilled cheese sandwiches at the cookoff. I also tasted Against the Grain gluten-free bread and I really liked it. It is made by a family with at least two members with celiac disease. Normally, gluten-free bread does not taste that good and it has a crumbly texture. But this bread was great.

Sunday morning I went to the Chelsea Royal Diner for their organic breakfast. 100% of their profits for breakfast went to the scholarship fund. It was a good meal. I had quiche and microgreens. Then I had rhubarb strawberry pie. The pie was great. I rationalized eating it because rhubarb and strawberries were in season. (This weekend I ate what I wanted.) This was the second time I went there, and I was very pleased. The first time, about 6 months ago, I got a turkey burger that was way too salty. I didn't like it (although the desert was good!) I had not gone back because I hadn't liked my first visit. But now I have changed my mind and I like the place.

I was really looking forward to this weekend and it didn't disappoint.

It's nice to have Brattleboro on the map for something other than public nudity.

[Lilybeans]

Sounds like you are a Vermonter now. Have you been back to NYC at all? If so, didn't you feel tense and claustrophobic, missing Vermont?

[arel]

I do feel more like a Vermonter now, ini fact. But it seems that half of Brattleboro is from New York and New Jersey, so that may have something to do with why I feel at home here.

I went back to Brooklyn in mid-October to pick up my cats, who were boarded at the vets while I made the move and got settled. It was strange being in Brooklyn again. It was as if I had never left. Funny, the only thing that felt alien was the house I had recently left, which was being renovated by workmen.

I did a few errands in my old neighborhood.

I stayed in a hotel by the Belt Parkway. My New York friends live way north of where I lived.

It was a difficult, 7 hour trip back to Vermont with the cats. There was tons of traffic. It took 4 hours just to get to New Haven. Also, I had to stop frequently to clean up after cats went to the bathroom in their carriers. I had to leave the cats alone in the car when I had to make stops. But it had gotten dark and it was cool outside, so I wasn't as worried as I had thought I'd be.

And then when I got home to Vermont the cats were stressed. No one but Sammy would eat, and Sammy ate everyone's food. Sammy was sick, though, and ate ravenously even as he wasted away. He died about 3-4 weeks later, after a midnight trip to the Emergency place in South Deerfield, MA.

Was I tense in New York? Somewhat, but not because of New Yorik per se. I did not go into Manhattan or deal with crowds. But it was more stressful than I realized, I think, to see my old house. It had new windows and the familiar arch between the living and dining rooms had been opened into a wide square. Neighbors were not really friendly or welcoming. Well, maybe that was part of New York after all.

I am very glad to be home in Vermont. This is my home now. I have become involved with my community and there is always stuff to do, if I want. And I like where I live.

When I went to Stamford, CT in December, I did miss Vermont. Downtown Stamford was not attractive to me at all. I enjoyed the conference, but I was glad to go home to Vermont.

I've gotten into the habit of honking my horn on I-91 when I enter Vermont. I got the idea from someone on this Forum.

It feels great to be here and not have to return to New York after a few days.

I'm already house hunting.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by arel

I've gotten into the habit of honking my horn on I-91 when I enter Vermont. I got the idea from someone on this Forum.

My husband does that, too! He honks (the car) for whenever he has a rush of joy -- as long as no other cars are right around us.

I grew up in Miami where, learning to drive in the late '70s, I was taught never to honk because someone might shoot me. Though I left SFla 20 years ago, I still honk only when it's critical to communicate to avoid an accident.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by arel

I do feel more like a Vermonter now, ini fact. But it seems that half of Brattleboro is from New York and New Jersey, so that may have something to do with why I feel at home here.

I went back to Brooklyn in mid-October to pick up my cats, who were boarded at the vets while I made the move and got settled. It was strange being in Brooklyn again. It was as if I had never left. Funny, the only thing that felt alien was the house I had recently left, which was being renovated by workmen.

I did a few errands in my old neighborhood.

I stayed in a hotel by the Belt Parkway. My New York friends live way north of where I lived.

It was a difficult, 7 hour trip back to Vermont with the cats. There was tons of traffic. It took 4 hours just to get to New Haven. Also, I had to stop frequently to clean up after cats went to the bathroom in their carriers. I had to leave the cats alone in the car when I had to make stops. But it had gotten dark and it was cool outside, so I wasn't as worried as I had thought I'd be.

And then when I got home to Vermont the cats were stressed. No one but Sammy would eat, and Sammy ate everyone's food. Sammy was sick, though, and ate ravenously even as he wasted away. He died about 3-4 weeks later, after a midnight trip to the Emergency place in South Deerfield, MA.

Was I tense in New York? Somewhat, but not because of New Yorik per se. I did not go into Manhattan or deal with crowds. But it was more stressful than I realized, I think, to see my old house. It had new windows and the familiar arch between the living and dining rooms had been opened into a wide square. Neighbors were not really friendly or welcoming. Well, maybe that was part of New York after all.

I am very glad to be home in Vermont. This is my home now. I have become involved with my community and there is always stuff to do, if I want. And I like where I live.

When I went to Stamford, CT in December, I did miss Vermont. Downtown Stamford was not attractive to me at all. I enjoyed the conference, but I was glad to go home to Vermont.

I've gotten into the habit of honking my horn on I-91 when I enter Vermont. I got the idea from someone on this Forum.

It feels great to be here and not have to return to New York after a few days.

I'm already house hunting.

I'm sorry about your cat. We have three dogs and one of them is not long for this world. She's at least 16, we can't be sure since we got her as a stray. I've been through this enough to know I'm not going to drag things out to keep her going in an unnatural way. It will be hard, and when the time is coming you feel like you won't be able to handle it, but you do because your body has a self defense mechanism that numbs you a bit.
But it sucks-bad.



Stamford-New Haven. Brings back memories when I was working down there and returning to Vermont on weekends. Snaking through that area
at 40 mph hour. Concrete,congestion and billboards every where. When I got into Vermont I felt very lucky to live here. No traffic, green, my body just relaxed. Vermont felt like a sanctuary to me. I slept well those Friday nights.

[arel]

I found something off-putting about downtown Stamford. It seemed so concrete, so alienated from nature, so ugly. All I saw of Stamford that weekend was downtown, where the hotel was, so I can't judge the whole town on the basis of this. I think I visited more green areas of Stamford many years ago.

Connecticut can be beautiful, but I prefer northern New England.

Sammy's illness was rough on him, and also on me. It didn't help that another cat, Rudy, died 5 months before him. In fact, Rudy died a year ago tomorrow.

Last year at this time, I had 5 cats. Now I have three.

Rudy died 3-4 months before I moved to Vermont. Sammy died about a month and a half after I got here. It's as if their passings framed my move.