Home to a new year

After my lovely visit to NJ I made my way home.  Thelma had emailed that VT 107 was opening Friday morning, and I basked in the happy thought of not making the over-an-hour-long detour at the end of a long drive.  But I got to Stockbridge well after dark and was greeting with flashing signs saying "Route 107 open - use extreme caution", and was happy to have a car in front of me.

The road is where it used to be, but it doesn't feel like it used to (hey, that's called new pavement) and the curves are just a little different, and the slopes are just a little different.  These minor differences keep you on your toes.  I'd forgotten just how far it is from the 107/100 intersection to Tozier's restaurant. Repairs were more than replacing the washed-away section. Repairs were made to the whole length of that stretch of highway.

The White River consumed about four miles of VT 107, and destroyed culverts, small bridges, and roadway for three miles further along.  If you never saw the post-Irene pictures of VT 107, look here  and here.
 
When I started looking for those pictures, I googled "VT107 Irene". I was amazed. It was all about the reopening! The first result was from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  Then the Burlington Free Press.  Then the Albany NY Times Union. The Houston Chronicle. A Palm Beach paper. The Deseret News in Salt Lake City.  This was an AP news story, and newspapers across the country picked it up. In early September we learned that Irene's destruction in Vermont was national news, but four full months later? Newspapers are struggling, and this isn't the news-heavy time of year. Still, an awful lot of editors decided this was an end-of-year ending worth covering.  The timing was certainly right,and  it's a good start to 2012.  In Vermont, our worst winter weather is in January and February! 

When I left Vermont on December 26, VT 107 was still closed. I had to go over Camp Brook Road (post-Irene picture here), fully restored in September, to Rochester and then took VT 100 south.  I almost never need to be over there so this was the first time I'd seen this hard-hit area in real life.  It was still a shock to see that the place where a house was washed away is still empty except for an excavator (what did I expect - a  reconstruction miracle?).  Many farm fields still have earth-moving equipment parked in them. Temporary bridges abound.  There were surprising stretches of new pavement, reminders of where the river had been.  Houses looked OK, but upon slowing down, some now appear unoccupied.

Repairs have been made in Braintree and South Royalton.  There is progress in Bethel. Jamaica and Marlboro and Wardsboro in southern Vermont are slowly rebuilding.  Waterbury is finding its way.  Route 9 and Route 4 and Route 100 are open, and now, Route 107. But driving along 100 and 107, the trees that the storm uprooted are still dumped along roadsides and river banks. The river debris and construction equipment are covered with a light dusting of snow, and will become huge mysterious mounds as winter progresses. They look more and more permanent.

The rock trains will run as long as the tracks stay clear and weather permits construction to continue.  But come spring, will there be the energy, the money, the time to finish rebuilding and repairing? To reclaim farm fields again? Will homeowners replace temporary bridges with permanent ones, or leave them in the event of a repeat storm?  All the repairs, heroic and astonishing as they were, don't touch the fact that much of Vermont will never be the same.  I think 2012 is going to be a year of coming to terms with a future that has changed for many people in many ways.

Christmas 2011

Another lovely holiday visit with friends and family!  The drive to NJ was one of the worst in years, because the driver forgot that although Monday was a day off for most folks, it was a going-home day for a whole lot of 'em.  It was like Sunday afternoon in the summer, and replete with fender-benders.  YUCK.

I spent time with Jeri and Sabine, my dear, dear friends who always open their home to me whenever I even hint about coming to NJ.    They had to work, so we hung out in the evening. Jeri and I made a whirlwind trip to the Newark Museum to see some quilts that the museum hasn't exhibited in lo these many years. We all saw "The Descendants" (don't miss it!), and Garrison Keillor's show is from Hawaii, with that lovely slack-guitar music that makes me think of the movie all over again. J&S introduced me to a wonderful British TV series (also available on Netflix!), in the spirit of "All Creatures Great and Small", except that the patients are human, called Doc Martin.  They gifted me with a huge bag of Sabine's Excellent Granola, (and CHOCOLATES) and fed me delicious Turkey Chili.

I spent time with Alice.  She and Pat moved to brand new digs that are Spacious And Modern, and they have the whole unit - hence no downstairs neighbors (garlic at breakfast).  They have a garage and Pat has a workshop! They have two Big Bedrooms.  The whole thing is cause for rejoicing.  We had a delicious lunch at Stamna, which is so close to the new place that I expect Alice will be eating there every weekend ...

I spent time with Dave and Kathy and Katie and Megan. And Alice, too. Katie made the lasagna, and we feasted on lasagna, salad, mozzarella and tomatoes, and delicious white-and-dark-chocolate peppermint bark.  Almost too good to eat.  Almost is the operative word.  In fact, I think we had dessert, but that bark was so good it's overtaken what we did have!  Megan is running winter track this year, still outdoors, which is pretty appalling since it's December. Those girls are growing up!! Alice and Kathy started planning their New Year's brunch (sometime in January) and it sounds like it will be An Event. I received a bag of small treasures - new warm gloves, a jar of scented gels for the bathroom, chocolates (!!) and more of the peppermint bark.

I spent time with Mike and Kate.  They showed up at Alice's and came to Stamna with us! Wednesday I had lunch-and-movie with them  (The Muppet movie, don't miss it!) and we experienced our first Dine-in Theater at Essex Green.  I was full from lunch but I think Mike had his popcorn.  Mike and Kate gave me a wonderfully soft and cozy bathrobe, which I put on immediately upon getting home.  I think my fleece robe can be saved for Really Cold Days.

I spent time with Danielle and Tim, who didn't get to NJ until the 28th.  I went up to the Devincenzos on Friday and had lunch with Tim, Danielle, Mr and Mrs D, Danielle's sister Jen and cute, sweet, baby Isabella.  I think Bella's going to need another sweater to grow into.  I took Tim a birthday cake (!!) and because I had to head to VT I only had time to have one piece.  This is probably a good thing, and it left plenty for everyone else!  Tim had noticed how old and crappy my toaster oven was, so he and Danielle gave me a new one!  What a surprise, and so thoughtful and nice!

Speaking of ovens, I had made an assortment of cookies for everybody, and have a new Christmas Special - rugelach pinwheels! How tasty! How raved about! A new hit, which will probably replace one of the shortbread recipes that is very unreliable.  Count on it, readers!

I finished two knitting projects: an office scarf/neckwarmer for myself, and the beer-can gloves for Mike that were a failure last Christmas.  They fit him! He likes them!  I just have to hide the ends and close a few little knitting holes, and off they go in the mail.

And I spent a lot of time with TV reruns and the New York Times, especially the Arts sections and the Sunday magazine.  You can get the Times in VT, for an exorbitant price, but it only includes  national news/business/sports.  I subscribe to the NYT online, but the free subscription only lets me look at 20 articles per month, and I could use that up in a couple of weekends ...

All in all, a lovely visit. I love Vermont, but I miss everyone already.

It wasn't a cold, it was the flu

Horrible. The whole week has been just horrible. It took me until Thursday to realize that I needed to treat my self like the Sick Person I was, to stop contaminating my co-workers, and go to bed.  But I woke today with no cement-block head, and the unshakeable conviction that fresh air would be a good thing, and that always means I'm really on the road to recovery.

Herewith, a celebratory poem with apologies to Robert Lewis Stephenson (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-land-of-counterpane/)

When I was sick and lay a-bed
I had two pillows at my head
And all my yarn beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I'd knit on scarves or gloves, or go
And sit beside the cozy stove
To watch a movie that I love.

And often I would take a nap
Or lay a book upon my lap
And read (with teacup by my side)
Or watch the snowflakes fall outside.

Fever and cough, while feeling chill,
Kept me upon the pillow-hill.
But health's returned! I now disdain
The pleasant land of counterpane.