Drinking In Rural Vermont

In rural Central Vermont, there aren’t a lot of bars where one can hang out. People I know that drink alcohol, drink at home, or drive to a more populated area to imbibe, on occasion. So unless you notice what people are buying at the store, you might never know they drink alcohol– or how much. I was at the store the other day to buy a beer and a woman is watching me walk in. when I greet her, she asks me if I’m the new Health Teacher (more about that in later post). I explain I’m student teaching at the local school. Her daughter speaks ups and says that she will have me next semester. So after talking a few minutes I go to the back of the store and hide…until they leave. The last thing I need is for a 7th grader to tell everyone in school that she saw me at the store buying beer! I already stick out and don’t want to stick out for that too. I work at a hospital part-time since I went back to school... a patient came in that had recently been admitted to the hospital for vaginal bleeding, tremors, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Her diagnoses included alcohol-induced hepatitis. Her photo ID showed a woman who had full cheeks. In person, physically she was gaunt with facial lesions and looked to be about 60 years old. We are the same age! Her discharge papers indicated that she regularly drank 3-4 bottles of wine per day.

I went online to research conditions and diseases associated with drinking. They include liver disease, pancreatic disease, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, cancer, and psychiatric issues. Not to mention the social issues (like hiding in the back of the store to buy a beer). check out this picture http://www.infowise101.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/alcohol-effects2.jpg
I naturally thought about my drinking habits and although it would be wonderful to lose some weight, I don’t want to be in her position. When my husband called and asked me to pick up some beer on the way home – I emphatically replied "hell no". He thinks I've lost my mind...

I think I got the message about drinking.

“When you know better, you do better” Maya Angelou

Do Black People Camp?

When we moved to Vermont in May 2009, everyone we met had plans on going "to camp". It's some kind of 'thing' in Vermont. Everyone does it. They either rent or have a 'spot' where they always go. Some stay at camp for the summer, with those that work commuting from camp. Others go on weekends. And others go pitch a tent somewhere for a week every summer. But everyone in Vermont seems to "camp".

This year on Celebrity Apprentice, one of the challenges was to create a camping experience with motor homes. There were five Black celebrities: Little John, a rapper; Star Jones previously on The View; Nene Leakes some kind of reality star; LaToya Jackson, Michael Jackson's sister; and Dionne Warwick, singing legend. All the Black celebrities were of some means and all said some version of "I'm Black, I don't know anything about camping." Oprah had a special about camping in Yosemite, and asked the same question about Blacks camping.

I'm really into knitting and weaving and was introduced last year to the idea of Knit Camp. Knit Camp is going to a campsite for the weekend and hanging out while you knit.

It all seemed a bit too rustic to me. Who wants to empty their bladder or bowels in the woods? Not me. I really enjoy the concept of running water and toilet paper. Plus there are wild animals in the woods.

I do know Black people who camp, but camping is something I didn't think I would ever do. I really enjoy modern amenities too much. But I thought I would try it, especially since my husband Mark was interested in going as well. So last summer I signed us up for a weekend of camping – let me rephrase two days and one night of camping. First we had to ensure we had the accoutrements for camping. I checked with some folks and looked online to see how to prepare. We needed bedding which could include a tent, lights, eating and cooking implements, food appropriate for camping, bug spray, personal grooming items, the list goes on. I found out we would be in a lean to, which is basically an elevated open shelter. I went up early and picked out a lean to with some privacy. Don't ask me why – we are in the woods! But when I arrived I noticed there were no showers, and the toilets were a number of yards away. Also, there was no lighting. NO LIGHTING, so once it got dark it would be PITCH BLACK! But Mark would be there to protect me, right?

So we planned on taking my Jeep, but we had way too much stuff and decided to take our dog Dekken. So we took the truck so all out stuff could go in the bed. Because I felt the need to have a barrier between me and the outdoors, I purchased a very large tarp to cover the lean to opening. We decided to take the air mattress and a bunch of blankets instead of buying a tent.

I also purchased some chairs for hanging by the fire and off we went. We first stopped at the Hunger Mountain Coop. I wanted to get Fat Toad Farm Chevre and some crackers to share as munchies. While there, they had pre-cooked sweet and spicy wings that seemed perfect for our afternoon meal. We also picked up a pork loan which could easily be cooked on the fire outside our lean to. Plus some biodegradable wipes for personal grooming. We didn't have a small chest so we stopped at yet another store for a chest and ice to keep our beer and other beverages clean and cold. While I was in the store Mark was supposed to watch our items in the bed of the truck and Dekken. Apparently I took too long, so he came in to find me. When we returned to the truck and I got in the front seat, guess where our wings (for lunch) were? Dekken had devoured them! Lesson learned, right? So we finally make it the campsite after arguing about whose fault it was that w didn't have wings. We unloaded our things and proceeded to hang around the main campsite for the rest of the day chatting, knitting and eating. It was very nice, even if the composting closet was 50 yards away.

Dekken behaved, even with another dog along. We even went down to the lake, which Dekken promptly jumped into. He loved it although it was way too cold for humans. And we met a very nice couple who included the only other male in our group.

Did I mention my husband is a pyromaniac? Although there was a constant fire going at the main campsite, Mark insisted on having a fire as well at our little site, all day and all night long…

Then it was bed time. I had several flashlights that we used to get back to our lean to, and get ready for bed. We chained Dekken to the lean to so he wouldn't run off. In an adjacent site, which we couldn't see but could definitely hear, they were having what sounded like a young Christian retreat based on the songs, and other sounds. It was a lot of stimulation for Dekken, who behaved fairly well. But after clanking the chain one too many times, Mark decided to put him in the truck, with our leftover pork loin…however, Mark assured me that the food was appropriately secure. The dark atmosphere wasn't too bad except for the noises. There was an indistinguishable animal sound that Mark said was probably a moose. Who knows but it freaked me out. Unfortunately I was getting up every hour to empty my bladder against the side of the lean to due to all the beer I had consumed. Mark snored while I lay wide awake with one of our lanterns burning not so brightly. But we survived the night.

I had planned our breakfast to include the left over pork loin and eggs. Mark went to the car to let Dekken out and get our breakfast when I heard him swear, loudly. Guess who got into the food, again! Why didn't Dekken get into the chips and other junk food instead? Our neighbors (the nice couple) had mercy on us and shared their bacon and coffee. All in all, it wasn't a bad couple of days. In fact, we are planning to go back this year. I guess we're campers. Wish us luck!

Farming and Loss

My brother-in-law Charles died just before Christmas. Although he had a chronic illness, his death was unexpected and tragic. He was a young active man with a beautiful family. There were a lot of arrangements to be made as a result of his death; people to notify, the obituary to be written, papers to gather, a public memorial to plan. He left behind a lovely wife, my sister, and a beautiful baby girl, my beautiful niece Sydney. Tragic. I am sad.

My husband called me at work to tell me the angora rabbits were dead. I was speechless with what I can only describe as grief. Another loss. The dog got into the garage, where they were housed and terrorized them. The dog had been in the garage many many times before. When he goes in with me, I have him sit by the door. He knows to go "out" when told. This time, he apparently wanted to play with them. He jumped into their cage and they got out and he played with them until they died, probably from being scared to death.

I have been responsible for the rabbits, the cats and the dog for awhile. I fed them, cleaned out their cages, switched out their water when it froze, and made sure they got to the doctor when needed. Rabbits get ear mites very easily, so two of them were on medicine. I had been thinking of selling (for a very low price) the angoras for months. They are a lot of work. You should trim their fur/hair/fibre every few months. I didn't do so well at that. But they were my babies. But I thought someone else could give them a better quality of life. I always felt badly that they were in cages. But we didn't want a bunch of unplanned babies nor did we want them to be subject to predators. So they were caged. Little did we know that they would meet their demise by their big brother dog.

We have dealt with death on our little farm previously. When we acquired our first chicks, we also were going through a trial adoption of two dogs. Ginger & Spice were two lab mutts. They were cute as can be and black as the night. We had to give them back for a number of reasons, one of which is when they got lose they ran off. We are on a state highway and it was a recipe for disaster. But before we gave them back, they got into the chicken coop. One chick died and one was injured, but survived. That wasn't too bad. Then, we acquired two sheep and two goats. We hadn't had them long when my husband called me at work and told me one of the goats he found on its back with its legs in the air. I thought he was joking. He rubbed the goat and got it back on its feet and it seemed to be ok. However, the goat did die later that day. There was no explanation, the vet thought it might be failure to thrive. Everyone else seemed ok and are doing well a year and a half later. Then there were the two pigs that we raised for meat. Mark had to shoot them before we took them to the butcher. The first one went down quickly. The second one took 4 bullets (really only three since Mark missed once). He screamed and ran and finally fell. I didn't care for that, but was never close to the pigs since I knew they would be a meal soon.

Who do you call and what do you say to people when you lose a farm animal. I didn't want to call my mother. She is already scared of the dog and would probably never visit again. Do I call my sisters who enjoyed the rabbits? They are already dealing with another with the loss of Charles and taking care of the business of his estate. Do I tell my co-workers? They might not understand. So, we just deal with it.

I keep thinking about the poor rabbits who should have been safe and were completely defenseless from the dog. I am sad.