Good morning all you wayfaring strangers:

“In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds” ………………………………………………………………………………………Robert Ingersoll

“I would like to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding” ……………………………………………………………………………. John O’Donohue

“I’m just a lonesome LA cowboy…hangin’ out…hangin’ on” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Peter Rowan

Time has settled into a standstill here in the Greens……the inevitable Stick Season provides the stark transition from the glory of Fall Foliage to the descent into winter ski season……where have all the flowers gone?…….Not many people about, not much doing, not all that much to say (you’d’ think) ……………………………………….

The magnificent Indian Summer of last week, with 65-degree sunny splendor for six days…has turned into the gray, chilly skies of the Pandemic world…. reducing most all human contact to The Zoom Universe………………

The Plague raged across the continent leaving countless bodies and spirits in its wake…..even pristine Vermont has now limited all reasonable contacts….cannot even see anyone not in your household outside…..72 cases statewide last week prompting a massive set of restrictions….though happy to say that our county, Rutland, has the lowest per capita incidence of cases in the country- at 83 cases per million- compared with, say,  our hometown of Delaware with around 3- 4000 cases per million….Christmas in Vermont, anyone?

Thanksgiving is an afterthought at this point……relegated to Zooming dinners…while the national shit storm rages ……and The Moron n’ Chief continues to brag about winning, poo-poohing the Virus, running again in 24, creating his own TV station (hates Fox News now) ……and generally providing a level of angst for our collective souls…. not seen since the glory days of Trick Dicky……got no mo’ nothin’…….

Three of the Bunty boys gathered for music in the driveway back in Cowtown this week, since Prodigal Brother Al returned for the birth of first grandkid from the wilds of Florida……which was so depressing to miss I did not even go to my weekly Monday music session…which now seems like it may have been the last one for a while, masks or no masks….

We bought a freezer for The Queen to fill with myriad jars of frozen soup…we bought an inflatable hot tub to soak in under the frozen stars…and likely buying a new car this week…after an impulse Covid-shopping trip that had us meeting the dealer salesman in the street with Hazmat suits, driving cars back and forth across Rutland town, putting the old Subaru on Craig’s list just to see, and immediately getting an offer….this is about what there is to do in the mountains these days…

Though…. we did take advantage of the sterling six day weather to have three straight days of last-ditch Dinners on the Ground…hauled the old dining table out of winter storage and set up in the side yard….starting each dinner mid-afternoon in short shorts and winding up in furs and blankets as the sun lowered…..what a parade….The Jewish Pig Farmer and his Death Cafe Queen bride (ribs), The slightly Brain-damaged Surgeon and his Honey-Irish betrothed (Veggie Lasagna), and finally the Erstwhile Russian Spy and The World’s greatest School Marm (sizzlin’ grill food)….now, all of it back stored in the rear barn – cum fitness center for the gray ahead…..

And what more is there to say……waiting for the car buyers to come down from Burlington with their wad of cash…and see what happens…. take a Sunday-in –the rain drive……and dream about…… sunny days, holiday gatherings, holding granddaughters (see Bebe in prep for Christmas #3), disconnecting Zoom, and the coming of January 20^th……this too shall pass…. Chains, my baby’s got me locked up in chains……

Stay safe, take a walk, bake some sourdough, love the ones you’re with……and let’s all keep our fingers crossed…. A Change is Gonna Come…………………………

Mountain Papi

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Greetings Friends and Fellow Americans:

“Let the sky outside awake a sky in your mind” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Sogyal Rinpoche

“The simplest questions are the hardest to answer” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Northrop Frye

“Snowflakes falling, flake by flake. Each flake falls in it proper place” ……………………………………………………………………………Zen saying

“I know I picked a bad time to be in love” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Grand Funk Railroad

It’s been a good week in the far northeast…… After five days of snow and highs in the 20s, the winds of Quebec have showered on us a reprieve with sunny mid 60 days for a predicted week…. we got out, we took off our coats, Papi put his shorts back on…and headed for the hills……and while we were there……driving and hiking through the barren- stick- season beauty of the Greens……we were off the grid….until we hit a cell signal on a mountaintop….and all the text messages hit both our phones……with The News that democracy had stepped up…..

We remain in a shit storm of trouble for the moment……… but many of us believe we now at least have possibilities….to be just, to be fair, to come together………

I am PROUD of our people…………………………

I am certainly PROUD to be a Vermonter, where almost everyone voted by mail and where a clear victory was announced in an hour on Tuesday…. despite a large number of Bernie write-ins………………

I am Not So Proud to be an Ohioan……. I will be rooting for Michigan this year in the annual rivalry game…. Go Blue!!……………………………..

I am REALLY PROUD of our kids, who all got out to vote and be heard, by mail, by early vote and on election day…. special kudos go to Ryan, who stood in line in Cleve-town 2 ½ hours on election day…. we will not be suppressed……

I am PROUD of the media who have refused to spend time focusing on the ridiculous contestations and protests coming from he and his minions…. expectable…. Can you say Hanging Chads?………

I think we can sum up the response to El Presidente in two words……You’re FIRED……

Soooo…. what else happened this week…. not much here…. five days of snow and cold demonstrated a touch of what Covid isolation can be in the mountains………but we remain way ahead of the curve in Vermont……though not immune…. are there really people still refusing to wear masks?………….

Did a bunch of yard cleanup, and winterizing on the house (The Queen has bought out Amazons supply of insulation materials) ……decided that we will be staying in hibernation here at least through November and Thanksgiving………first Turkey-day without the kids and Nave and Suba for 30 plus years……. this will be strange……but this is the boat we are in for now………playing’ any return to the red-going-purple heartland by ear at this point………

Lots of Zoomin’ this week with various projects/colleagues around the country…has anybody not bought Zoom stock yet?……….

Halloweenie passed like a ghost…. though we did have trunk or treat at the local fire station foe the kiddies….and we got to see the granddaughters do their thing from afar by Portal…. see pix of Bebe and surrogate granddaughter, Maddie…….

Donned my Hazmat suit and went back to the newly reopened gym at Okemo this week…after trying to work out in the barn in 22 degree weather (not too bad actually)….and jog up and down the snow/ice covered hills on our major Route 103 (absurd)…..so l found they were only allowing 6 gymsters in at a time for one hour blocks , with a host of safety protocols….picked a time to reserve a slot with no one else signed up….and indeed had the entire building to myself……got to consider risk and need…..and working off election blues was high on the need scale……but felt safe there and it went well -despite 35 minutes of treadmill wearing a required mask ……can you say oxygen ,please?………….

Signed up for Social Security……and thought, give me a break, can this really be true, how did it happen overnight…I mean Social Security, for Christ’s sake…….

And Saturday…..well Saturday was an almost perfect day (can’t tell you all of it for fear of landing on the FBI subversive list)………but when the sun comes out and it hits 70 degrees in November, in the Mount……you gotta be ready to go, go, go in the Greens…..so did our in- town chores and made for splendid Route 100 for a drive between the ranges….over both the Mad River and Lincoln Gaps….lunch on the Green in lovely ville of  Bristol, strollin’ through the graveyards, up and down the dirt roads amidst the slanted bare trees light of shortened days……trek to The View at the Lincoln Gap…………….picked up Chinese at long lost, beloved East in Rutland, on the way home…..a buy of yard art for Christmas shopping….and home in time to watch Uncle Joe give what may be the most inspiriting speech of his career…and how about Kamala the Socialist….what a moment for liberty…….

And…since we are having a run of his ridiculous weather……we have lunch on the ground here planned for the next three days with friends we have not seen since the dark cold descended on us and all moved indoors………gotta go  retrieve that big ass table from the barn storage…….

So, my friends and family……continue to be safe, take good care of one another…… and let’s come together now and find our true selves…. we can reach the mountaintop  yet……

Papi

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Welcome Freedom Fighters and Semi- Happy Plague Warriors:

“Everything in life is speaking in spite of its apparent silence” ………………………………………………………………………………………………Hazrat Inayit Khan

“It’s the Goya thing” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………The Queen on describing having a bagel with butter and jam

“Please lock me away, and don’t allow the days, here inside where I hide with my loneliness……

I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay in a world… without Zoom” ………………………………………………………………………………………Peter, Gordon and Papi

Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? ……………What will you do with your bonus hour today? Hour-schmour……. Ain’t much to do these days, except watch the talking heads, dread the next few days and bake more sourdough bread……and it’s gonna get dark before I eventually get dressed. Da-Da-Da…Da-Da-Da…. Da-Da-Da…. Da-Da-Da…. My Corona……

And…then there were two days remaining……let’s just all go out and find a Biden-bus to hold hostage by gunpoint or try to roll over……we are almost living in a third world dictatorship….  Coup, anyone?

(ED. note- sorry about the below-could not get rid of the bold)

And Fauci says………. are we nuts or what?……….Headline: We ‘Could Not Be Positioned More Poorly’ On COVID-19…………….apparently, contrary to our national leadership, he does not think we are “rounding the bend”, “creating herd immunity”, “or that is it no big deal”…..way to stand up, Infection-man….and how long will he stay around, now?                https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/fauci-trump-covid-19-dire-025255462.html

And then…she discovered Paula Bunyan—-got out the new chainsaw my beloved got me while the sun was peeking out last Sunday and took to the trees….after using the same saw for 35 years, which started occasionally, and ran periodically, this baby….cuts like Buttah’…had two trees downed and cut for firewood in an hour…..and in the mix of it…..The Queen requested saw lessons for the first time in her life ….from there it was stand back, Papi… no getting the machine back from her…..timbers away……got to get the lunkers out of the way in order to plant all those pilfered pine trees

Wild and Crazy outing for the week….in the time of Corona, any adventure, no matter how small, is Golden…so made the hour long  trek up to Claremont (only blue county in New Hampshire) to the Mart, for oil and tiers rotation (Papi) and vision exam (Nanna) and inspecting all the bottom shelves for accuracy (Lucy)…..had drive – thru Pizza Hut for lurch and grabbed the infamous Mart fried chicken for dinner (working on our diet)….Lucy was the swoon of the season for Mart shoppers and employees….Who do you love? Who do you love…. It’s not the Caribbean…but oh well…makin’ do (or doo) ……big stuff…had to come home and nap….

And The Goat…is now our regular Saturday visit…. Smells Lucy a mile away and comes out to the Dump (From where?) ready to nuzzle…while Lucy runs in circles barking at the moon…. Goat, undeterred, climbed into the Subaru this week and refused to get out (and-has horns) …. totally unflappable and a bit of a stinky-mystic……this is my new Corona bestie….

And…. then it Snowed……three inches overnight on Thursday, creating a Winter Wonderland on Friday morning…and an overnight on Friday of fifteen degrees…. gonna need a BIG heater to keep workin’ out in The Barn……snow covered hills against the few remaining red maples…. WHEW…brings tears to my eyes…. joy to my heart…and frost to my toes…could be a long winter…………………………

Goodbye……James Bond……Another childhood icon gone….

Thanksgiving Blues……family, friends, convenience, Chinese delivery and Red heading for Purple…. OR……a bit isolated, holiday alone, NO delivery, but Solid Blue? Got the Mullin’ -Over Blues big time…

Be well, stay warm and SAFE…try an d love one another right now….

Papi

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Bienvenidos mi Amigos:

“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.” ………………………………………………………Henry Beston

“My baby and me we went down to the sea……gonna wash these sins from our hands” ……………………………………………………………………………………. Bruce Springsteen

“It’s been a long time comin’……gonna be a long time gone” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………David Crosby

Sundays are the new Wednesdays- seems all the same these days for us……today dawned bright(nice) and high 20s (not so nice)……but got a new chainsaw and there is tree cutting to be done this afternoon, which would usually be followed by late day walk, backs permitting….last Sunday we took the late afternoon silent walk up (straight up, that is) Bowlesville Road to the viewpoint on top….dappled late day autumn sunlight falling down though the rippled ridges, small snow peaked mountain in the distance…amazingly- encountered two sets of human on the trail’s quietude….seemed like a walk through the suburbs?

The Last Supper? – We did outdoor lunch (vegan chili, cornbread, cobbler, cognac) with The Russian Spy and Beloved School Marm last Sunday, too……high 40s for a three-hour visit in the cold and muted sunshine……this may be the end of our social life for the foreseeable future…. shuttin’ down on the Mount????

Speaking of Trees……the planting of trees, shrubs and bushes have become The Queens latest obsession…. which means we go everywhere with a hoe and small shovel in the trunk…to dig up potential soulmates for our ever growing arbor…side of the road, mountain trails, graveyards, parks……all in play for the shovel…apparently the goal is to surround The inn with a moat like perimeter of trees…. pine, pine, everywhere a pine…

“Cases and Races” ………. both of which our fearless leader calls “Fake News” ……ten days and counting……saw online that my ballot had been received and counted, which had me drooling with ecstasy……Have you VOTED yet? Every soul must have its rest…. but the end is not in sight……

Back to pickin’ and grinnin’…. resumed going to the local hoedown on Monday night for the past month…. inside at the cavernous Odd Fellows (this is a real thing) Hall in town……six or seven of us in a room half the size of a football field…cavernous, but good acoustics….and everyone masked……have you ever tried to sing wearing a mask?

And, remember the Dentist thing?- made my horrified return trip to the Dentist in the Shopping Center on Tuesday, after reluctantly going the previous week to have my teeth cleaned (way, way overdue)…..and winding up the next day with what seemed like a cracked tooth……luckily, turned out to be a cracked filling which took all of twelve minutes to replace (this guy is making some real dough gliding from room to room on roller skates- apparently working to make his exodus from the shopping center to a new building he is erecting with my profits…..was glad to get in and out and make the throbbing stop, but thought it was caused by over aggressive scraping/cleaning…..are health pro types ever accountable for the secondary problems they may cause?

Off to The Sea, my son……Made our annual pilgrimage to the coast of Maine this week, our third and last outing of the Fall. Trip over was illuminating with Biden signs abounding (3 to 1 in Red New Hampshire, 10 to 1 in southern Maine). In 2016, we made the same trip, and, after living in the Vermont progressive cocoon all spring, summer, and fall- were shocked to find these same areas engorged with Trump signs…we had No Idea, and it was devastating to us….so THIS trip got off to a world class start this year

The Atlantic is very different than The Pacific, where The Prodigal resides….joy and ebullience are countered Down East by a somber, powerful undertoad….it is overwhelmingly powerful….and, this time of year…overwhelmingly devoid of humans….long walks on the misty and mystical empty beaches all up and down the coast from the NH border to north of Portland…abandoned Ferris wheels and play shacks, skeletal bungalows, quietude amongst the rollicking waves, lonely surfers out for a  big squall….stayed in a family cottage (we qualified with Lucy in tow in )the village of Scarborough and combed the back roads for Lobsta Rolls……………..Mainers are fierce and independently rugged souls, though not unpleasantly so….returned home (after some mandatory stops for tree digging) with a hint of sadness at the looming end of Autumn and the coming of the bleak terrain of Stick Season….yet joy of joys-we got another burst of Magnifico fall foliage at the sea…before it gives way until next year……ahhhhh…..The Sea….

Let’s make a better world……

Papi

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Feliz Domingo a todos:

“The simplest questions are the hardest to answer” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Northrop Frye

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers” …………………………………………………………………………………………………Anne of Green Gables

“I’m a big environmentalist.”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………The Donald

The leaves are coming down in earnest in the mountains…. stick season approaches……the culmination of a beautiful autumn season……things are s-l-o-w-i-n-g at the mount…. what is next?

My FIVE metaphysical questions for this week:

• Is this our LAST 17 days of absolute chaos?
• Does any sane person really believe that wearing a mask and social distancing is a political issue?
• Is there something in life more beautiful than fall foliage?
• What could be better than watching postseason baseball on a chilly fall night with the fire going?
• What is the effect of an exploded use of dining take out containers on the environment? (The Queen requires me to ask this)

Cider Daze Lost– this past (Columbus Day) weekend is traditionally the apex of the year in our neck of the woods. Here it culminates in our local Belmont festival, Cider Daze, a gathering of 2000 of the Jersey-type Tribe on our tiny town green……which was a no show this year. It turned out to be picture perfect weekend, and sadly…… nobody came. The 200-year-old Cider Press will sit empty and rusting for another year…. the detritus of The Plague. Where have all the flowers gone?

Dentistry in the mountains- after nine months of being debilitated by the thought of having dental types breathing down on me, I put on my big boy pants and found a dentist here. No small order…I had to spend a week getting referrals from the locals and then called nine before finding someone who would take a new patient. But, last Monday, I bit the bullet and took my very dirty mouth to the receptive practice in the equally dirty town of Springfield. Horrified, that it was actually in a shopping center (the dental equivalent of eating at a buffet) …I slipped into my HazMat suit and braved the entrance. They had some massive air filtration system from Willy Wonka going and it all seemed to be pretty ok (though Vermont does not allow dentists to pass out toothpaste samples, which was a bitter disappointment). Got home feeling satisfied with my adventure and pleased that I could now put this back in my imaginary closet for at least six more months…and promptly cracked a tooth the very next day……I’m going to need a bigger HazMat suit……

Winds of Change- The flowers are almost all gone, THE POND is drifting towards obsolescence, that ground is littered with leaves……days in the 40s, nights in the 20s…. every time the rains come and the wind blows……it takes a piece of my heart….

Vermont Does Have Islands……..Really!……….Well, it’s not the Caribbean, but we made our annual trek this week up past Burlington to the Champlain Islands for three days…….stayed at the Cozy Cottages (real name) for our 14^th straight year…….three days (two nights, four beds) on the mystic of  Lake Chaplain (largest body of water in the US outside of the Great Lakes)……a little behind from the Lake effect than we are here, so leaves still sparkling……two 60 degree plus days and NO Tourists this time of year…..drove in circles around the usual haunts, walked the usual trails, sat on the deck with the usual sunsets …..made our dinners in our cottage….a trip to the exotic local market and one to the you-can never-find –it- twice smokehouse for their infamous chicken pot pies (feeds two for two day) and smoked ribs……and basically hunkered down to listen to the gentle lapping of the lake outside our abode…..second of our traditional three weeks of “Fall outings”…this coming week is a planned  jaunt over to the Maine coast…..but it  is looking kind of RED there on the COVID map, so waiting to see ….we are like vacation refugees……

Lucy Meets the Goat- our fearsome canine is a master chipmunk/squirrel/deer/wild turkey chaser….who perseveres though she has never yet caught anything…….but this Saturday, while vising The Dumpmaster, she met he match …and revealed her true self……as I was busy dumping, I heard a barking frenzy, and looked over to see her snarling and drooling at our local wandering goat (big ass horns and all), who was thoroughly unperturbed by her outrage and seemed to want to do a little smooching…..The goat pursued her in endless circles around the car until Lucy made for safety, and  jumped in the backseat and then the Goat followed her in……where they proceeded to have a forced peace summit….not quite the badass she thinks she is………………………….

And our little Bebe…. was Two on Friday……and that is a WOW…….

Staying or Going-grappling with when and if we return to the heartland………while the majority of the country is going haywire with cases, we had a robust seven statewide last week, which virtually caused a panic…. Here: safety, social responsibility and beauty abound……………………………. There: kids, grandkids and Chinese delivery……………………….

And, so it goes……off this afternoon for what could be the last dinner-on-the-ground of the season……. windy and barely 50, but will wrap on our blankets and go break bread with the Erstwhile Russian Spy and the The Worlds Most Beloved School Marm…. what next?

Be well, stay safe, wear your HazMat……and VOTE……sent in my absentee this week-which was an enormous sex-like satisfaction to fill in the little hole on the ballot…….

Papi

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday it is:

“I know it was wonderful, but I still don’t know how I did it” ……………………………………………………………………Lawrence Olivier

“Do you suddenly ever find it strange to be yourself?” ……………………………………………………………………………. Clarice Linspector

“In every change, in every failing leaf…there is some pain, some beauty….” ………………………………………………AC Holder

I should probably just let the accompanying photos (way, way too many again, I know, but……) tell the story of Autumn in the mountains……but a few words are de rigueur, no?

(I must apologize, but there are too many photos -89- to attach in the traditional one stop viewing manner in this e-mail, so, you can either got to the website to see them with the link at the top of the e-mail OR go to a Shutterfly album by linking to: https://photos.shutterfly.com/album/1679631080096740

Quickies (not what you think that might be!)

• Dinner on the ground last Sunday with TJPF and his Empress of Death Bride was an event- classic Indigenous People (read: Indian) Summer afternoon, leaves beginning to peak, warm late afternoon autumn sun, and the masterpiece ribs you would expect from TJPF……………….
• The Queen is getting out the Vote……mailing out 1342 postcards to malingerers in mostly southern states (can you say Hercules, Arkansas?) …………
• Feel and Maux left us with LOVE LANGUAGE concept after their visit last week…. things like “you look lovely today, my dear”, and “how lucky we are to have each other” …. I have found my LOVE LANGUAGE to be….” Can you please make the dessert?”, after a night of in-da-couch…… (as opposed to Sativa) ………………
• Does Chris Wallace deserve man of the year after semi- moderating that shit storm of a debate?
• The Dumpmaster was beyond aggrieved when I saw him yesterday, after TQ was unable to meet him to explore hacking in to the up- the- hill spring (to fill the dwindling POND) since we had to postpone our fall outing for a day this week…. he demanded to know what I was doing screwing around with his alone time with TQ…………………………………
• Want to hear a work in progress…. hit the link and open “mix editor”, click play (headphones recommended) …to hear a take of Papi’s new age protest song…. featuring The Prodigal and The Nave….   https://www.bandlab.com/revisions/76f4221e-c3cf-ea11-8b03-501ac51fd70d?sharedKey=8CFPt3pbOkqSAODNXGnWYA  
• Granddaughter number two turns two next week…. oh my…a brood of toddlers…

So-we left it all behind for most of the week…. the sturm and drang of Plagues, Race, Elections, Taxes, Socialists (you’re kidding me, right?), Climate Deniers, Debates, Scary political ads…and all the talking heads….and headed out for our first Fall Outing of the year in this, our 26^th year of such events in the Greens.

Honestly, the pictures say more than this meager scribe can hope to convey…. but suffice it to say we went to all the Golden Places of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Stayed in a quaint airbnb cottage on beautiful Lake Willoughby in Vermont’s remote and endearing land of few people and much moose (where we almost decided to live…but much better place to visit)…and spent days driving and strolling the bejeweled landscape, coming over and around each mountain pass to catch the full scope of nature’s uber-magnificent glory…..wow, who made this?….Barton, Island Pond, Newport, Derby, Coventry…magic places on a beautiful fall day….little hikes, breakfast sandwiches by serene deserted lakes, Martha’s world famous fried chicken, cemeteries on hilltops to be closer to God, looking done over the towns of those lying there, walks in the woods and on our unparalleled dirt roads….every hairpin turn an opportunity for new breathtaking views…rain, sun. clouds, mist, fog……. all to good to be true (guess This is my love language?) …………

Tonight’s the night……Virtual reunion with my childhood posse from the Bronx- assuming a bunch of seniors can negotiate the Zoom thing……

And that is it…. enjoy the pix, enjoy the day, enjoy your time and ach other……take a break……wear your masks…try to love one another right now…right now…

Papi

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Morning’……and……Tie me Kangaroo down, sport:

“I go; thou stayest: two autumns”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …Basho

“If we don’t change the direction we are headed, we will end up where we are going” …………………………………………………………. Chinese Proverb

“You have to come to the shore. There are no instructions” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Denise Levertov

Well, it’s been a robust semi-recovery week here in the Greens……the kids left, friends came, leaves turned……A LOT……and we had Indigenous Peoples summer (trying to improve my political correctness)……..I was mulling the sensibility of doing the usual blog, when there is so much else going on of import at the moment……..but The Queen advises that, though Bloggish may indeed seem trite at the moment, we all need distractions…….so, I’m torn…..and will meet myself halfway….some blog…and some social commentary….which I’m also sure we’ve all had just about enough of these days……but, then….who asked?

We celebrated Jenn’s fifty something birthday last Sunday after the hub bub died down, and the kids went back to the heartland……picked up dinner from the reopened, legendary Harry’s Café just down 103…..pricey but worth it……and the ten-minute drive to get it a fading dusk, with leaves shimmering and brisk autumn air/ late day light delight……priceless……We are doing an “Adventure Dinner” in early October for the birthday, somewhere in the mountains, locale top secret…….blindfolded and taken to the chuck wagon for wandering chef inspired autumn cuisine and paired cocktails…..I’m not making this shit up….

Not sure why now, but Papi had a daunting amount of work projects this week…. of a dizzying variety……which interferes mightily with daily leave drop watching…and TQ is now holding court with nightly gatherings of The Association around our fire pit- flames rising against the advancing chill, masks on, Ouija board out……it’s a sight to behold…. but socially distanced…

Have you opened an investment account and bought Zoom yet…who knew?

My great pal, Feel, and his wife Maux, arrived on Thursday for a few nights on their way to a Maine getaway…having gotten tested in the wilds of Jersey, and declared pure…and we had two magical nights together……lots of cooking, drinking, stories of days gone by…….got in a nice hike on Friday over Bomoseen way on a 75 degree day, glowing drive there and back and a reward trip to Roxy’s Famous Fries…..our hiking discussion mainly centered around the works of Aristotle, Plato and Tom Waits (I shit you not) ….as Phil says….”what’s a hike without ancient Greek Philosophy?”……it’s good when young friends grow old together, no?…………

Sent them on their way yesterday morning, and after clean-up, Dumpmaster visit and naps, found a primo dirt road up in Shrewsbury for perfect 78 degree late afternoon walk……and then the Saturday obligatory trip to Rutland for dinner on the ground at the deserted chiropractic complex……this time from the local Bavarian house serving up special Oktoberfest fare…………Schnitzel is now KING……

Talking about ageing… Jen got Facebooked by a young man she had on probation at the court in the 90s……who is now retired!!!…. uggh……where have all the flowers gone?

And that’s the week as it was……off this afternoon to outdoor ribs diner at the Jewish Pig Farmer and the Empress of Death’s house……. more leaf watching to come…

On to sermonizing……. promise to keep it brief…maybe get a snack right about now?

I know I regularly drop in subliminal political jabs during these missives, which you may or may not roll your eyes at……but a serious few words today……Not going to argue politics here…. I’m a liberal and a progressive, but I find that mostly irrelevant at the moment. We can disagree about ideology…. that’s what democracy is……Extreme partisanship, on both sides, has really dragged us down, and getting worse right now with the SCOTUS issues……I certainly have a position on this and how it is being handled and strong feelings as well…. but this is not a political rag, so lets’ just say we all have differing views on what democracy means….

So-putting democrat/republican, conservative/liberal, pro this/con that aside……. I do want to think about our children and especially our grandchildren…and the kind of place they will grow up and live in……Who are we? Are we a people with leaders and citizens who call each other names and speak the dialect of hate, intolerance, closed- mindedness and disdain for difference? I care less about party and ideology at the moment than I do about dignity, integrity, human care and concern, charity and respect………principles of all religions I might add……let’s get back to a reasonable discourse on ideological differences, not a platform based on hate and distrust….

I don’t think the discussion right now is about Democrat/Republican or conservative/ progressive ideologies. It’s more about humanity in my mind….and it seems we are bombarded with a daily dose of lost humanity………that……. has got to change…….

That is, all I got…. Be safe, wear your mask, WWJD?………Speak out and VOTE………

Be willing to be a beginner every single morning…….

Stu

Ma Cher amis:

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear” …………………………………………………………………………………Baba Ram Das

“Big-heartedness is the most essential virtue on the spiritual journey” …………………………………………………. Matthew Fox

“Spreading a straw mat on the field, I sat and gazed… At the plum blossoms” …………………………………………Buson

THIS will be brief…. promise……Sunday morning, kids just left after six-day visit…. Nanna and Poppy cleaning and recovering……Every picture tells a story, story……so that’s mostly what we have this edition….and Way TOO Many…

Sunday lunch on the ground with the French Chef and his wannabe Francophile bride…. check out the flaming of the grand Crème Brule…

Laves, Leaves, Leaves……………………………

Le Grand tomato plant covering contraption………

Virtual training this week with Anguilla in the Carib………sunlight, sand and beach out the training room window…. longing in my heart……

Ruth Bader Ginsberg……oh my…. giant loss of a woman of great substance……. Can we just export Mitch McConnell to China?

A thousand new cases a day in Ohio…. three last week in the state of Vermont- what is wrong with this picture?

Color is up, temps are down, POND is fading………………………………….

Had six days with three year old Quin-Lily and seven month old Baby Harper(and their parents Ry and Lauren)…..Nanna and Papi heaven…..had only spent snippets twice before with Harper thanks to The Plague…so bonding it was……long time since we had rug rats, and no one in our house since June…..exhausting, exhilarating……absolute mayhem for a week, which we would not trade for anything….Priceless….Apple picking, corn-hole tournament,  chasing frogs in The POND…..one sunny 72 degree day with floaties out and Quinn swimming between N/P floats in quite chilly water….kite flying…..kid/dogs walk up the trail…..the magic floating bridge on The Appalachian Trail, The Queen preparing wonderful meals to compensate for our Quarantining family…..more drinking than we do in a month….big-ass Bonfire with S’mores……kids, kids, kids….what a wonder…..

Celebrated Jenn’s 57^th birthday during visit along with Ryan Lauren’s twin birthdays…. sent them packing with cooler of Mr. Smith’s pure bred Vermont meats……and now……it is VERY quite……

I said brief …and brief it shall be…..In the interests of non-favoritism, check out link below to see our other treasure, Bebe Sloane video of morning serenade……worth the price of admission…..

Sloane Morning Serenade video.MOV (file://LAPTOP/Users/Stu%20Berry/Documents/Pictures/Mt.%20Holly%202020/Mid-Sept%202/Sloane%20Morning%20Serenade%20video.MOV)

Quotes of the week: “the scientist don’t really know about climate change”, “I don’t really care about all this Black Lives Matter stuff”, “The Virus will be gone very, very soon”…………Enchanting……..

Papi

“When you get there, there isn’t any there there” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Gertrude Stein

“On a bare branch a crow settles in autumn dusk” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Basho

“At That Pond, the frog is growing old now-among fallen leaves” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………Buson

And then they rested………. after weeks of big Barn projects, we put down the sledge and the anvil, and went back to mostly doing little of nothing…. though we got the Big Barn/Garage cleaned up and organized for the first time in eight years of living here…is it nap time yet?……….Old Nanna and Papi managed to move a 600-pound trough out of the way in the barn, and immediately made chiropractor appointments……………

The Queen takes command of the gardens……and has now covered half the acreage in plastic and hay bales in preparation for turning The Inn into a nursery……AND…. we had our first homegrown water melon EVER…along with the bounty of daily tomatoes and such…TQ has also constructed a mélange of doors, windows and coverlets to protect the maters form the 30 degree range of nightly weather as the autumn begins in earnest here in the mountains…….

How can 30 degree nights turn into 80 degree days??????????????

We had a slow holiday weekend after the massive outbreak of cases after a party at Killington mountain ……fifteen in one day, which eclipsed the previous four weeks’ statewide totals…panic set in……and then went away…and we now have armed battalions of Greenie Troopers at the border to keep out the New Yorkers and Jerseyites……seriously, ski lodge parties? Really?

Fifty-one more days of insanity……one can only hope……is it really possible that we could have him back for four more years….does anyone care about dignity, integrity and humanity???…..C’mon people now, smile on your brother……just in case , we are planning on joining the hidden huddled masses in safe houses in Derby-Line on the border, to jump The WALL into Canada…and see if we can get yellow cards, or whatever it is they have there….please don’t make us go….

More dinners on the ground………had a magnificent late lunch at the home of the slightly brain damaged surgeon and his lovely bride on Tuesday……hours of five course meal and paired wines in the autumn sunshine, surrounded by mountains in their Weston abode……is this what retirement might look like….in Canada?…………….

More DOTG…. this afternoon the Master French Chef and his Francophile wife are coming over for yard dinner…. allegedly bringing the real deal Crème Brule……what will we do in a month when it is too cold for outside dining?……back to Quarantinie?………………..

Day Trippin’…….a one way ticket, yeah…it took me sooooo long to find out……Did long day trip on Thursday up to Middlebury to visit the new dispensary (drive though…would you like fries with your edibles?)….and lunch at Mama Corleone’s….then, dirt road, six mile walk through dappled late afternoon sunlight…..then yesterday, after the requisite Saturday trip to see the Dumpmaster, we headed down to the Weston Priory, though The Brothers must have gone to Atlantic City for the weekend….empty fall glory by their magnificent pond (why do they still have water in theirs? Godliness?) ……then up mountain dirt roads to the hamlet of Landgrove for another walk in the woods….

Finished the day with an early dinner on the ground in Rutland , at the chiropractor’s deserted compound (one of many of our go-to picnicin’ tables to eat take out without driving home)…..prefect late day setting sunlight…still a shocking 73 degrees…..fountain flowing in idyllic-pond….Lucy chasing chipmunks on her own version of heaven……had to stop on the way at the vocational school, where we scoped out a spigot by their greenhouses, to give Lucy her 500^th road bath…since Jenn would not let her in the car after she found rolling mana…..

Won’t you scratch my itch, sweet Annie Rich………. Leaves, Leaves, Leaves………….

Speaking of my muse, Gram Parsons, Nave, Max, Mitch and I have been working on the virtual band platform on getting a take on my new song, New Days’ Risin’ on the Blues……. I am attaching it to this e-mail for anyone interested in the lyrics……if you read The Blog on the Web, it won’t be available…have to go old school e-mail to open the attachment……but here’s a verse and chorus…… like it or not……Started this song in 1975 as love and heartbreak song…now it’s turned into a shit storm and heartbreak song….

The fever’s raining down upon us,
The cost we pay for shutdown eyes.
Howlin’ winds and storms all around us,
Led by the Devil in Disguise.

Decades down the road,
Can’t let that train be slowed.
What happened to our promised land?
Lost tryin’ to cross the Rio Grande.
We need to reach for livin’ true,
A new day’s risin’ on the blues.

And that’s about the scope of it……Ry and Lauren coming for a visit this week with g-daughters Quin-Lily and Baby Harper…. got to go kid proof the manse……. Later than today, but not as late as tomorrow….

Papi