With our first frost nearly upon us and with it what was left of a dicey growing season; I find myself relieved to be putting my potted plants to compost in spite of it being two weeks earlier than normal. But what exactly has been normal about the summer of 2020? The stream in my neighborhood has long since dried up, Vernon's swamps present like the surrounding forest floor, Broad Brook is barely flowing to the CT and Lily Pond is about as low as I've seen it. To put it frankly, the high falls at Roaring Brook aren't roaring, they aren't really even falling. I'm bored of tending dried up flower beds, worrying about hungry bees and filling empty birdbaths. Honestly, I'm feeling somewhat ready for what I think may be next.
In August, I asked Wayne if this might be the year to replace the old John Deere snow thrower. Wayne who is in charge of these things, thinks that he can get another season out of it. With that, Wayne has predicted a manageable winter ahead.
Don't get me wrong here, it hasn't escaped my attention that other parts of the country are dealing with a lot more than a slow start to Canada Goose hunting season and finding a way to legally sell cannabis. There are greater hardships happening in the storm ridden southern states, the west coast is scorched by record heat and wildfires, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds mysteriously dying off in the southwest, 40,000 ducks dying of botulism in Klamath Basin and here in Vernon VT, we are seemingly insulated from the impacts of climate change, civil unrest and Covid 19. Is this the truth or have we only become accepting of the changes happening here?
Wayne, the dogs and I ran into Peter who had just finished talking with his son in a recently tilled field near sunset. I couldn't at first tell who was out there with the dry brown dust whirling up around them; but I was soon struck by the artistry of a simple moment where a father sees his adult son near the end of the day and takes the opportunity to connect with him. I couldn't exactly tell Peter that, so I greeted him with, "What a beautiful place we live in." Later as we passed Ian again, I shouted out, "Have you found something for me?" "A few coins" he answered, as dirt kicked up around him.
When I was younger and teaching in a child development center in the south, it began to spit snow. First one tot got up from their seat and became glued to the window then a second and a third...When it began to come down steadily, I gave in and lined their little chairs up along the window. We couldn't pull on coats and boots because of course they didn't have any. That afternoon with nearly two inches on the ground, I came across neighborhood children attempting to use water skis as snow skis. Later on in the news, I learned that the Cooper River Bridge had to be closed down as it was too dangerous to travel on. The next day everything was back to normal and the kids played outdoors in shirtsleeves. Isn't it funny how some see opportunity where others see work? Will it even be a choice in years to come?
Vernon's five and six year olds are eagerly learning about the life cycle of butterflies. We have giant "butterflies" hanging from the ceiling and more mounted on their desks. They have drawn them and painted them and replicated in: tissue, cotton balls, sticks, glue and pipe cleaners, the butterfly's life cycle. We have watched videos, read stories and have discussed milkweed. They have observed a tank of caterpillars turn into "j's and then into chrysalises and with any good fortune at all, they will release Monarchs on a lovely warm Autumn day. On that day and the days after that, whether or not they survive will be entirely up to environmental conditions and luck. If a five year old's dreams have anything to do with anything at all, they will make it all the way to Mexico and return next summer. All of this is a truly remarkable achievement of joy and normalcy.
I have heard from people from every place that I have lived, that they would rather live along fault lines, in tornado alley, water starved states and hurricane prone lowlands, than endure the long snowy winters of Vermont. This summer however, relatives and friends have sold their homes sight unseen to people from away on the first day listed. They have expressed that while it was easy to sell their homes, finding something suitable to buy at a reasonable price is nearly impossible. It seems that with regularity I have read about inquiries into available apartments to rent here in Vernon. Scientists have been warning for decades of an inland migration as the oceans begin to rise due to Climate Change, I hadn't much thought about people choosing to migrate to Vernon until this (what can I say?) summer of 2020. One thing seems to be certain about the new season, our southern newcomers are surely in for a long winter. - Norma Manning
Milkweed pod releasing its seeds at Vernon Fish Hatchery
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