Vermont! ...... VERMONT!

I never thought much about Vermont, some back-woodsey place with lots of trees. Having now experienced Vermont, I know that it is one of the most special places in the country.

We stayed in Vermont's “Northeast Kingdom”, a province full of fiercely independent, rugged folk who despise authority and know the US government for the despot it is. (A common bumper sticker: US OUT OF VT!) We were invited to Vermont by Earthdancer of the Lettuce Bee Farm, who had seen our posting on Reachbook, and though it was farther northeast than we had planned to go, we decided to check it out.

We parked our trailer near their blueberry patch and lived there for about three weeks, carrying delicious water in buckets from a nearby spring.

With Earthdancer are Hickory and their little boy, Ari, and their farm is about 40 minutes from the capital of Montpelier. They are growing vegetables, blueberries, maple syrup, and flowers. They moved to the farm about a year ago and so are still learning how to cultivate in this unique climate. Janet and I mostly helped weed their blueberries, and Connor and Alexis played with Ari and helped with the chickens.

Vermont is a special place. The people are fit and strong. One does not see Walmarts or Targets and Montpelier has fought off having a MacDonald's built there. There are many more food co-ops here than any other part of the country. Prices are high, but this is deliberate as people are avoiding the race to the bottom that cheap prices bring. Instead of Home Depot one goes to the local hardware store and talks with the proprietor. Describing the problem to be solved and even haggling over the appropriate solution are part of the experience.

Community
One major thing we learned at the Lettuce Bee Farm is the importance of extended community, that is to be surrounded by good folk who each contribute something unique to the effort and who can be there when help is needed. Neighbors drop by all the time with goodies from their farms and barter is a preferred means of exchange. People in Vermont like their part of the world, they consider it special, and they will band together to protect it from any threat. This is worth a great deal, I think. If the just-in-time American food system stopped delivering how smart is it to be a permaculture oasis in a sea of hungry rednecks?

Culture
Another thing we learned is the importance of culture. The Northeast Kingdom comes alive in the warm months with festivals and performances. But these efforts are not lollapalooza box office; they are human scale, they are sensual, and they touch one's spirit and bring magic to life. Imagine being around a summer campfire when instruments appear and a spontaneous jam session erupts. This is the way in Vermont, where humans are still raw and unprocessed.

The buzz of summer
Of course, we haven't experienced the infamous Vermont winter. One measure of how tough it must be is to observe how frenetic creatures (including the humans) are during the summer. Warm months are spent feasting, gathering, preparing because when winter comes the time is over. Vermont mosquitoes raise the violence to a new level: whoever heard of mosquitoes biting through thick sweats!?

One positive about a long winter is that it provides an opportunity to pick up an instrument, or finally read The Brothers Karamazov, or learn to program. I spoke to one fellow, Nathan, who says he absolutely loves the winter and is counting the days until he can strap on his nordic skis.

Traffic
Vermont society is civil, even on the roads. Unlike big cities where anonymity gives rise to outrageous acts of incivility, Vermonters drive as if they might have to talk with you later, because they probably will! We really noticed this when we drove out of Vermont. As soon as we reached New York state, the behavior of other drivers had become openly hostile.

Bears!
One day we were walking into the woods when we saw this bear track. (Black bears are not uncommon in the Vermont forests.) It was right about then when Alexis and Janet heard in the bushes near us a couple of grunts from something that possessed a very large diaphragm. We decided to back out of there right away. Who knows? Black bears tend to shy away from humans, but if it's a mama with a cub she might get protective and kill us and feed our warm dead corpses to her baby. Or maybe just sniff us and walk away.

It's hard to describe the fear and electric awareness that one gets from encountering a big animal in the wild. Too bad such experiences have become so uncommon in our hyper-pasteurized society. This moose was standing far away in someone's field.

Ich bin ein Vermonter!
Though we have concerns about the winters and the short growing season, we really like Vermont. When we met Earthdancer and Hickory it was like saying hello again to old friends, and we learned a lot from them in a short time. We are certain we'll cross paths with them again.
There is much more to say about Vermont, so stay tuned.