[Asta]

Originally Posted by arel

I am considering a house in West B. Funny, the neighborhood looks like a typical suburban subdivision, as I envision one, except for the Vermont license plates.

Yes, all my cats are indoor-only housecats. Last time I had an indoor-outdoor cat (an adopted stray) she disappeared. To this day I have no idea what happened to her.

Regarding "the driving issue", yes, I will put new tires on my Nissan. My current tires had poor traction in a storm this winter. But I may end up buying a whole new car, maybe a Subaru, maybe a hybrid, maybe a Subaru hybrid. There are some scary roads in and around Brattleboro. There is one street that goes down at a very steep angle, and to the side is a big drop with a tiny fence. I think that is the street you were writing about. There is also a sharp turn that leads onto Wantastiquet Drive; the first time I traveled on it I thought one could skid right into the Connecticut River. And then there is the stretch of Route 9 in New Hampshire, on the way to Keene, with a lake that comes almost right up to the road. I really am daunted by winter driving on such roads. And by night driving without street lights. And night driving in the winter ! Remember, I'm from Brooklyn! In Brooklyn, streets can be congested, but they are well lit and they are mostly flat. Hopefully, I'll live pretty close to my job(s), but I heard of someone who commuted from Marlboro to White River Junction every day. That's a pretty commute, but a long one.

You'll do fine driving, the main thing is not to go too fast for road conditions and for your comfort level! If I can do it, anyone can! I slow right down, and if anyone doesn't like it, they can pass me and I will wave to them further up the road when I pass THEM skidded off into a ditch! My bf made sure I had a 4-wheel drive vehicle with aggressive snow tires after I was rear-ended at the bottom of Cedar Street and my vehicle was totaled. I was afraid to drive for a while after that. So it was something that was done more for my peace of mind, I guess. Union Hill is a road that I learned to avoid, even in the summer. When I was new in town I went up Union Hill driving a standard!! LOL!! Thankfully the driver who was stopped in back of me left about two car lengths between me and him!

I have a friend who lives on Edward's Terrace in West B. NHRocky is right about the Halloween candy! She buys tons of it, and some years still runs out!

I have two house cats that I don't let out because I have lost many cats on the road and I don't want to lose any more. They can go out onto the back deck, where I installed a baby gate so they can't scoot down the stairs.

[quickdraw]

I had not been in Brattleboro for a while, but I stopped off yesterday on my way back from Amherst. I tried to get a pint of ale at a microbrewery but it wasn't open. I did visit the co-op though and checked out their selection of one of my great loves-bread. I grabbed a baguette from Amy's Arts bakery and took it home. Man that was good bread! I'll be back to get more of that.

[arel]

The best muffins I've ever eaten were from the Brattleboro co-op. I remember the muffins I ate last year. This past Monday, I bought a muffin before I drove back to Brookyn. I also bought lots of crystallized ginger. Love it. Apart from the sugar, it's good for you, too. Actually, I went into the Co-op for the ginger; the muffin I just saw at the prepared food counter.

While I was in the Co-op, I looked for a product that is hard to find, Frontier vanilla flavoring. It is made with glycerine rather than alcohol, so you don't get that alcoholic taste from it. They didn't have it, but it was just out of stock. They do carry it. When I've bought it in New York, I've had to go to Brooklyn Heights or Manhattan to find a store that carries it.