Ahhh, for Pete’s Sake!

JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR/TIMES ARGUS

You got to give Vermonter’s a bit of credit.  A group concerned about a wildlife standoff managed to get headlines and some pretty good news coverage in the past couple of days.  The story broke on WCAX night  before last and last night and this morning and I am sure for the rest of the coming days.  The planned protest was well publicized and because there are not other really exciting things going on, this story sugared out.

Here are the basics.  A guy found a baby bull moose that was on the edge, nursed him back to health and wants to keep him.  The law says that you can’t have a moose for a pet.  So Fish and Wildlife would like to get rid of the problem, who is named Pete.  Dig a little deeper and you get the real story.

Here’s the thing.  The baby bull moose has bonded with humans and is cute….. for now.  Especially when he follows his buddy around and poses nicely for the camera.  However bull moose are nothing to screw around with and being on a preserve of elk that are to be hunted is a bit whacked.

I get the the white tailed deer and perhaps other wildlife were enclosed on the preserve when it was fenced.  I also get that the spreading of Chronic Wasting Disease is a serious issue for hunters. Vermont does not have it now, nor do we want it.

However,  Vermont did a terrible job with the Mad Sheep fiasco.  The Feds ended up coming in and destroying two flocks resulting in a very fractured sheep community and a poor public image of Vermont lamb.  Really poorly handled by the State and the Feds.

Governor Douglas is rumored to be friendly to the idea of giving Pete a pass.   Pete needs to either be rehabilitated to be wild again and released or to be given to a zoo or real wildlife refuge so that he can be a benefit to folks.

The lesson is this:  trying to rescue a wild animal often ends up causing more pain then if you let nature take its course.

Name day

At 10:00 this morning I go before the Judge and take my name back.

Bub is a bit down about it, which is expected.  I did remind him that I would always be Mrs. Bubby, even if I am no longer Mrs. Garven. (Frankly that is his mother anyhow)   Small group of folks will join me.   Lesley Alexandra Jump Baumann (her name is my name too and is the one I found by googling my name.)  She moved to Vermont just this spring, how perfect is that.  I will be going to Dayton on Saturday and Lesley’s mom and dad will play host.

Lili is coming too.  She is my editor and walking buddy.  Lili is super supportive and puts up with impromptu 8 mile walks.

support group:  Coleen, Katelyn, Elysha, maybe Kira and Jason.

Among the missing?  Em and Lulu, but they both called.  Bub isn’t coming either, but I really didn’t expect him too.

I am excited and nervous all wrapped up in one!

Fairpoint gets this right

This is Ben and Claude Desmarais.  The pole is purposely in the background because Ben will be pulling phone line today behind our house. Claude is along for ride, so to speak.

Fairpoint has not been my favorite company. Although on their commercial a while back they showed the East Conway vista between Weston’s and Sherman’s Farm stand, my old stomping ground.  So when Fairpoint won the right to buy out Verizon I was all for it.  Verizon sucked.

Fairpoint began to suck more, we get DSL for the Internet now,  but trying to get phone service in a land line has been a bit of a disaster.   So I remained somewhat pessimistic about them until this morning.

Claude had parked his truck and trailer up on Cote Hill Rd, just above my house.  I slowed down to say hey, ‘cus you don’t normally see a horse trailer parked there and ‘cus I am extension farm dude and  I like farmer types and I am friendly.

Claude told me that he and Ben were waiting for the rest of the crew and that they were pulling lines for Fairpoint and planned to pull the line across the road and down to the bottom of the beaver meadow.

That is our land and I was surprised that there was no notice sent out by Fairpoint, but then again, they have right of way on the poles.  AND using horse power to pull the lines is completely the right thing to do.  The land is sloped, forest, ledge and marshy.  A truck simply will not do. It would trash the land.

So thumbs up for Fairpoint for using horse power for line work in touchy areas.  Silly that they don’t market this aspect of how they do business, folks around here might just give them a pass on the bloops and blunders if they knew that the new guys in town used common sense for some things.

On to lighter subjects

INTRO: I have been a bit narrowly focused lately and to my readers who come here for humor and haven’t found any lately, mia culpa. For those that read this on a regular basis, you should be able to get what is going on and therefor no apologies.  For those looking for random things about sheep, wool, politics and my general take on the world, I will be getting back into the swing of things.

MAIN EVENT:  Lamoille County Field Days, a write up for my Foodie friends.

The Lamoille County Field Days is this weekend.  I have been there two days and will finish up tomorrow.  Add to that Thursday for set up and Monday for tearing down.  Here is the run down:

Friday:  Sweet Crunch Bake shop egg and cheese on a grilled muffin, washed down with coffee. (guys you gotta get larger cups though, the 6 oz. cups are killing me)  Then onto fired dough on the midway. That was a mistake.  Bottled water and a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato back at the Sweet Crunch Bake Shop.   I passed on the bloomin’ onion and had a 16 ounce glass of whole milk instead. Farm Bureau building.   Did a 3.8 mile walk afterwords and slept like a baby.  Friday was overcast and quiet.  Not a great fair day for crowds, but great for food.

Today was a better gastronomic adventure.  I did start off with a Sweet Crunch egg and cheese, then was slightly bummed to see the blueberry griddle cakes.   I had walked early before the fair in case a maple creamy came my way. And it did, so it was guilt free.  Lemonade was the best today, and they made it the old fashioned way with lemonade mix, bottled water that claimed it was spring water and a cut up lemon.  Back in the day the lemons were squished with a lemon squeezer and water was from the hose hooked up to the animal barn.  If it was sweetened, it was done with a sugar stick.   $2.50 a hit.  I had three.

I bought two pounds of alpaca fiber from Walden Mountain Alpaca Farm, a black and a gray fleece.  Yes I do need more fiber. (must mean I am back to normal now… fiber freaks will know what I mean)

I brought my wheel to the farm and had about a dozen people come and take of their shoe and give it a whirl.  Only on person freaked out a bit about it, but that was because there were a ton of people watching.  I would have freaked too. Everyone who tried to spin did and they got thier spun yarn as a consolation. That was the best part.

Bub is still in his major funk, so I went for a run after the fair.  Total exercise miles 7.4, which means that I be able to replace all of those workout calories with a steak bomb tomorrow.  With cheese.  My FUPA came with me.  Thank you Heidi for tell me about this term, I always thought of it as my apron.  I like FUPA better. Apron is much to matronly.

I am loving life and loving the fair.  Where else to you see everyone you want to see at least once a year, besides town meeting?

Move forward with courage

 You can not fix another person.  

 We can only look deeply for our own path and have the courage to live the life you were born to live.  

I have found that when I am on the right path then doors open and moving forward seems effortless.  Opportunities are present and clear.    I move forward and I am aware that I am doing what I should be doing.   I feel loved and supported.

I get caught up when I worry too much about another person’s path and life lesson.  I get distracted with other peoples’ junk.    I get tripped up when I am trying to live a life that other people have designed for me.  I feel like a failure and that I am a disappointment. 

We have a choice to move forward, with courage or to stay stagnant.