That's just a harmless
Pigeon Horntail Wasp ... it's not
a Murder Hornet.
more:
image excerpt by Bill McMillian
Showing posts with label Vermont. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vermont. Show all posts
Burb Bear Got My Birb Food
Black bear came into my backyard last night.
Birb feeder pole snapped-off level to ground.
Birdseed eaten, feeder beaten, suet...
bracket bent, while I and my neighbors slept.
Busy village livelong day - in starlight...
barely a sound (two nightly trains, except).
Bolder, hungrier, less reason to fear...
Beware there, bear, hunting season is here.
more Vermont stuff:
B.R.O.Y.G.
Blue daylight clear cloudless sky
Red dying leaves asking why
Orange liar: say bye-bye
Yellow underlying sly
Green amplifier, stay high
True delight 'rear clothe-less thigh'
Shed prying eaves basking nigh
Our change dire: Tuesday shy
Bellow! *gratifying sigh*
Between the pyres walking by
Cyanobacteria and Poision Ivy and Covid (oh my)
Closed, of course, we went to Burlington's shore.
Dozed, did we, forget it's twenty-twenty?
Nosed, instead, park path to tree-house, no cure.
Rosed, three leaves, surrounded by so many!
Church, shops full, sidewalk restaurant tables.
Search, crowd masks; rarely a bare face in sight.
Merch, local: Bern, Ben, Jerry, things maple.
Lurch, ski slope. Is Champy a hoax? (not quite).
other Vermont to-see's:
Where moose tracks are rare, but hoon tracks ubiquitous
About a dozen miles south of the US-Canadian border, Montgomery, Vermont (almost-kinda translates into mountain man-of-power green mountain, which conjures *ho ho ho green giant*) contains three covered bridges, numerous signs warning motorists to be alert for moose, and a plethora of hoon tracks (see image, above). Not much else.
A few miles south of Montgomery—near the center of Montgomery Center—is a quaint hotel-restaurant called The INN (accent theirs, which conjures *the in in inn*). The INN calls attention to itself with unique signage; currently, their sign says: I CAN SPOT A JUDGEMENTAL PERSON JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM. The rest of the village: ditto the hoon tracks and watch for moose signs, no covered bridges, however.
As one continues south thru Hutchins, VT, the hoon tracks continue in prevalence, the "don't crash into a moose" signs become less-so, and there is but one covered bridge.
Another ten miles south thru Belvidere, VT, the hoon tracks begin fading, as do moose warning signs, but there are a handful of covered bridges; including the Montgomery Covered Bridge in Waterville, Vermont. [The exact number of bridges available to find/see may vary. I found one, labelled Kissing Bridge, that doesn't appear on every map because, I suspect, it's not very old. (Vermont has several named Kissing Bridge, including one in the center of Waterville).]
Also, I learned, that not all covered bridges are referred to as such, some are labelled Romantic Shelters. And it's possible that if it is a newer structure (not part of the Historical Society) or built on private land, it can only be found by lucky sightseers and observant travelers.
other Vermont to-see's:
Saint Labrador the Retriever (et al)
In Waterbury, Vermont, you can: touristy-tour the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill; view sculpture-art on the train-trestle and Saint Labrador the Retriever; hike, bike, or cross-country ski the portion of the Cross-Vermont Trail which loops around the old state hospital and asylum grounds and parallels the Winooski River; or you can meander the obstacle course of the three-year (2019-2021) construction project to explore the tiny downtown area where there is one art gallery, a thrift shop, a bookstore, two bric-a-brac stores, a nice toy store, and a hand-full of bars with a double hand-full of restaurants/diners.
other Vermont to-see's:
How I Spent My Summer CoV-acation
There are a few interesting things to see in Westford, Vermont. Besides a 180 year old covered bridge, there is a 700-pound (318 kg) carved wooden 'fuck you' gesture on a lighted pole and a 30-foot (9 meter) boat painted like a shark with a hand-painted sign: 'THIS VIRUS SUCKS...I WANTED ZOMBIES'.
The reason I rarely permit myself to be photographed and, subsequently, don't publish photos which include my likeness, or visage, is because a UW-Milwaukee professor who taught me watercolor painting in the early 1980s said (as an explanation for why everything he wore, or owned, consisted of shades of grey):
I believe the most successful artists are the best observers. To be a good observer, one must strive to always blend in. Nobody pays attention to some grey-haired old guy in a grey suit, wearing a grey tie and driving a grey car. Like a scientist preventing their research from becoming contaminated by his or her own DNA, artists should be observers; not the observed.
more snap-photos of me:
Asperger's Trait: Hyper-Focus (lack of eye-contact) Explained
Some fellow-nefnd—who posses the Asperger's trait commonly labeled: hyper-focus, which is sometimes referred to as an extreme attention to detail and also, usually, confused with the symptom lack of eye contact—are unable to exercise control over their brain's focus or attention the way neuro-typicals are able. Which, simply put, is one of the many reasons Autism is considered a disability. I may consider hyper-attention to be my normal, but I recognize that being able to switch it off (without closing my eyes or turning my gaze toward a blank wall) would be hugely beneficial.
To aid in my explanation, I provide this photograph. One early-Spring, first-covid19-quarantine, day-trip took us thru: Granville Reservation, Texas Falls, the Robert Frost Wayside, and passed a well-maintained roadside cemetery East of Vermont 116 or North of 125 (memory fails which).
The relevant point: I was driving over 35mph (60kph) when my eyes landed—for a half-second—on these light blue doors about 100feet (30meters) away. Because I can not shut off my brain's hyper-attention I became aware of the unusual (for the US) ventilation holes drilled into the doors and then returned my focus to the slight curve in the road. Four seconds later, I recognized we were passing a cemetery and immediately made the connection with the doors/ventilation holes leading underneath it (presumably they lead to a place for the storage of lawn care, snow removal, and grave digging equipment or tools). So, I turned the car around and went back for this photograph.
If the ventilation stars were pointing up I would have still made a mental note as I glanced at them; no choice—can't turn my focus off—my inner awareness, if it were a monologue instead of images, would be an incessant hubbub of chatter grabbing for my attention. However, short term memory would have over-written two regular stars as routine with some later, more overwhelming, images [like the flock of a dozen wild turkeys near Hinesburg or the road-sign to St George (I was in the process of creating that artwork at the time). The turkeys and sign made it into my long-term memory but not into a camera].
All it took, to turn a routinely-forgettable mental image into a sufficiently-overwhelming one, was the person drilling those ventilation holes to turn their template 36 degrees—thereby, causing me to spend a few seconds imagining foolish candlelit goings-on betwixt some weed-eaters, tarps, and a backhoe; a few minutes to take and upload the photo; and a few hours writing this explanation.
Thank you ventilation hole-driller.
more memorandums on mind and memory:
daytrip detritus (cat photo-art)
daytrip detritus - 6 photos collected Winter 2019 thru Spring 2020 during Vermont day-trips and hikes.
other photos or composite art:
Whatz The Story Behind That? 2
This faded, chenille-stem dancer with long yellow hair, a ribbon-tamborine, and a basket of flowers—most-probably born from the hands of a craftswoman in late 1940s-occupied Japan—caught my eye in a Montpelier antique shop because someone had painted PORTLAND, Ore, on the base of the 2½ inch (65mm) tall figurine, which tickled my coincidence-button since we've both been faded by life (the pipe-cleaner statuette and I) and we both once resided in Oregon but now live in Vermont. Together.
The phrase: occupied Japan causes me to ponder an unhappily married couple. They no longer fight. She succumbed for the well-being of her children and then patiently tolerated his choices and changes, walling her own desires away with as much fortitude as it took to not forget past mistakes (made by both) all-the-while resigning herself to a hopefully better future. When people ask her why, she answers: Shikata ga nai (仕方がない) It can't be helped. During both the war and the occupation, he acted as he always had: intentionally blunt and indignantly non-nuanced internment camps, fire-bombs, and hydrogen bombs, followed by pretending to have no knowledge of the magnitude of his actions, the availability of better options, and the mantra: she started it. He has not changed (if anything, he is worse today) while she has changed for the better (a lack of totalitarian-fascism will do that), but it took too many decades and her self-image is still less than positive.
I am intrigued by the figurine's label because in 1963, US state abbreviations were standardized as two-letter postal codes—Ore. became OR—which means the figurine was created between 1945 and 1952 (US occupation in Japan), spent some time before 1963 in Oregon and then ended up in Vermont by 2019.
- Select an item from your environment.
- Provide a picture, sketch, or other form of visual presentation.
- Tell its backstory (explain what it is, why you selected it, etcetera).
Whatz The Story Behind That? 1
My neighbor gave me this amazingly thought provoking, rectangular, antique, rusted-metal gallon-sized can, which I currently display on my bookshelf. It has no date, no brand, no location details (other than Vermont) and—besides the name and logo for the Vermont Maple Syrup Maker's Association—no other words besides these:
VERMONT
PURE
MAPLE SYRUP
Sealed in Accordance with Vermont Law
NATURAL MAPLE COLOR and FLAVOR
Nothing Added — Nothing Deducted
The maple syrup in this can was carefully
packed to retain the original flavor under
all ordinary storage conditions.
After seal is broken, and part of the con-
tents removed, refrigeration of the remainder
in the original can is recommended.
If a quantity left in a once opened can will
not be used for a month or more, this re-
mainder will be best preserved by repacking
in small jars and heating to a near-boiling
point in a water bath.
Mold found on stored syrup is harmless. Heat-
ing in a saucepan and skimming will restore
the syrup to a usable condition.
I love the wording.
Vermont. The state, which has never had a building code to guide those constructing single-family residential structures towards a safety standard, allegedly* had a law governing how maple syrup should be sealed. I don't know how long ago, but my best guess is this can is pre-1950s (there is a crudely drawn image of men pouring sap from maple trees into a large container on a sled, being drawn by a horse thru the forest).
Today's "Refrigerate after opening" originated from within a 20-word sentence 70+ years ago.
Today's "Best by" originated from the most convoluted 40-word sentence. Which actually only advised not using the metal can more than a month, because the last paragraph states it never goes bad. Not ever.
The last paragraph is the piece de resistance. It's statements like this which probably prompted the creation of the 1966 Labeling Act.
*Allegedly because, to print false statements on containers was common practice a century ago.
- Select an item from your environment.
- Provide a picture, sketch, or other form of visual presentation.
- Tell its backstory (explain what it is, why you selected it, etcetera).
Some more very unique Vermont-isms:
Good Day to Be a Crow
Before Driving Your Smart Car to Vermont
The Lazy Witch Coffin Windows of Vermont
Before Looking for an Apartment in Vermont
Whatz The Story Behind That Series (ongoing)
The Lazy Witch Coffin Windows of Vermont
Driving thru the wonderful Vermont countryside, one will invariably see the occasional house with a full-sized window shoehorned at an incongruous angle near the roof-line. Ask a local why and here are a few explanations they may provide (yarns they may spin):
- Lazy windows are referred to, as such, because they appear to no longer "stand up straight" but instead have "tipped over on their sides" - or - because the homeowner was too lazy to hire a contractor to build a series of smaller bespoke windows.
- Witch windows are referred to, as such, because they were purposefully built at an angle, in the attic of homes, since witches are unable to fly their brooms thru an open angled window without bumping their head.
- Coffin windows are referred to, as such, because they are the "size of a coffin" - or - because the steep stairway to the attic should rightfully be called a ladder and if someone died up there it would be impossible to get a coffin up or down the ladderway - or - because they were built as fire escapes and people climbing out of them would probably be coughin. (I just made this one up. If you use this to play six truths and a lie, this is the lie and all the others are real Vermont lore.)
- Vermont windows are referred to, as such, because they are almost exclusively found in the state of Vermont (with a tiny bleed-over into similarly-challenged homeowners in neighboring states).
Well, of course, I mean homeowners challenged by a window which prefers its own comfort over its duty; or who are fiscally challenged; or challenged by: low-flying witches, a lack of body-bags, or a complete and total lack of fuckin aesthetics (pick one).
With a bit of research, I surmise the truth is somewhere in the neighborhood of:
- Prior to 1972, the Vermont Fire Code was not adapted to the US-standard.
- Back then, a homeowner who wanted to remodel their unfinished attic space into habitable living space was required to install "sufficient means of emergency egress."
- The cheapest (when considering the need to retain interior-heat in the winter) and easiest way to accomplish this: install a double-pane sliding storm window over a standard double-pane interior window above, or near, an outside roof.
- Expensive options: build dormers; raise half of the roof and install a wall with windows; add an entire new second floor, add an exterior fire escape.
Most states have residential building codes for one and two-family dwellings. Vermont does not (fire, electric, and plumbing codes only - no building codes). Cutting thru several load-bearing studs in an exterior wall, to install a large cattywampus window would be anathema to anyone with an eye for design-aesthetics, as well as for every experienced construction engineer. Normal structural settling will prevent these windows from opening a few years after installation. Consequently, use of a Vermont window—to escape from a lazy witch (or a fire) and not end up in a coffin—will require smashing out the glass.
added articles addressing unique Vermont insights:
Good Day to Be a Crow
Before Driving Your Smart Car to Vermont
Before Looking for an Apartment in Vermont
Good Day to Be a Crow
Before Driving Your Smart Car to Vermont
Before Looking for an Apartment in Vermont
Before Driving Your Smart Car to Vermont
Thinking about driving your smart car to Vermont (or moving to Vermont with a Smart Fortwo)?
- Premium gasoline is available everywhere. Ethanol-free premium is more prevalent than in many other states, with the number of stations selling ethanol free in the state coincidentally similar to the number of covered bridges in the state. (Pure-Gas.org/Vermont) (Vermont Covered Bridge Club)
- For driving on plowed roads, in snow and ice, switch between winter snow tires (non-studded) and all-season tires, mid-November and mid-May. Snow tires can be ordered/installed at several major retail tire shops. (Vermont Tire and Service)
- Due to smart's low undercarriage clearance, it is recommended not driving when snow falls, or is expected to fall, faster than ½ inch (1.25cm) an hour for more than five consecutive hours.
- After major blizzards subside (Vermont averages 4 or 5 significant snow storms a year) all business parking lots are professionally plowed within hours. And, the Vermont Agency of Transportation is exceptionally proficient at plowing all major and most minor roadways inside of 12 hours (the only roads not plowed, or plowed last, are dirt and gravel, Class 4 roads). (VTrans Winter Weather Central)
- Significant potholes, irregular pavement, and semi-repaired asphalt is the rule in almost every city and on portions of almost every secondary road or two-lane highway. Interstate highways and many "high-traffic secondary roads" have recently been/are currently being/will soon be repaved. Drive your stiff-suspension-smart with care.
- Parking is rarely free. Even in small non-tourist towns meters are prevalent and their hours are extensive. In winter months, parking bans can prohibit parking on select or all city streets. In large cities and select towns parking in residential neighborhoods can require a resident parking pass. (Burlington Parking App)
- Because of tourism, Vermont charging stations are becoming more prevalent. (Public Charging Map - Vermont)
- Vermont drivers over-adhere to one never-enforced-unless-in-an-accident "law": left lane is for passing; right lane is for travel.
- As in almost every state, when traveling on four-lane highways, motorists are required to indicate their intent to change lanes with their turning signal.
- Following too closely or "crowding" is as prohibited in Vermont as it is in the "down states," however, it is never enforced and never obeyed.
- Routinely, Vermonters will indicate their intent to pass with their turn signal, pass in the correct manner, and then—as soon as their rear bumper passes your front bumper—immediately cut in front of your car. All Vermonters are incapable of gradually merging back across the center line and over into the right lane of travel after they are a few hundred safe feet ahead of your car (in a slow manner).
- The most extreme example witnessed: Driving the speed limit on an empty four-lane highway at night (no other headlights in sight); a car with Vermont plates caught up (they were going about 15 mph over the speed limit), tailgated for a few miles, so-close their headlights were hidden (less than 20 feet away) then they indicated with their signal, passed, and cut so close in front that their bumper was not visible (less than 6 feet). [If it weren't so prevalent, I would have thought the driver was acting with malice and I would have called 911.]
- At least 25% of Vermont drivers seem to be unaware they are dangerous drivers.
- When "turning-in" after passing (which is the crux of the issue: learn to merge and stop veering) many Vermonters will over-correct, cross the right white line with their tires and/or hit the rumble strip and throw up dust and sand.
All the Albans
o that quiet closeout dimming pretty wonderful February day
as we carefully creep, using don’t-fall-shins, in St Albans Bay
not a-top the crack-solid homonymous bay of Lake Champlain
but on its shore in the village bafflingly bearing its samename
as we slush thru a concentrated current of babypoo sewer gas
I must wonder why St Albans Town surrounds with all its mass
fools following foolish footsteps — severe imagination-dearth
or, did Albans Town gouge Albans City from mid-self in mirth
Albans: Point, Bays, Shire, Town, City & English protomartyr
lost their mind and their head (summer add a boating harbor)
guillotine blade St Albans Town, jurisd-enclave St Albans City
taxservice puzzle-zones: could smell a source of winter shitty
other Vermont uniquenesses:
fanart
my idiom du jour : off beaten path – local hidden gem
Rec Area DeForge : off river road – nearby an old dam
thine idiot (yours) : part match DeForge – haw an hem
cause now I’m tore : will it lose – now empty of 'them'
je ne sais quality-lore : with an over-full tiny lot – when
off⇡path⇣app explore : Bolton Falls – a picnic idyllic glen
distant from : Bolton VT – an' Duxbury dislikes this poem
from last October : I share – my best friend's leaf spectrum
other seasonal art-poems
Haiku 小道 5-7-5 俳句 Path
hey there below | moiaq ajayf hau
D’Abord Stalactite de Glace
Winterfall
other seasonal art-poems
Haiku 小道 5-7-5 俳句 Path
hey there below | moiaq ajayf hau
D’Abord Stalactite de Glace
Winterfall
Haiku 小道 5-7-5 俳句 Path
First snow-hike boot tracks
Pads carefully placed, 'til he
Design Fault
Decide
if you can aesthetically abide
my deconstruction of this visual brew (for which I will-do—epistemically—be your guide).
First nucleotide -
split in two I will systematically divide
form follows function isn’t always true; as Duchamp’s R. Mutt drew and empirically descried.
This collage is comprised:
amid stickers few, one which dramatically belied
outdoor electric box-junction if circuit blew (and FAULT INDICATOR threw) was, fatalistically, inside.
Unity-service artist (oft chastized),
broad-nib scrawl indigo-blue DESIGN drips “accidentally” applied
required only, was the introduction of eyes askew - then - with no hullaballoo, to end climactically and subside.
aesthetic: a branch of philosophy focused on the nature of beauty, art, as well as subjective tastes and the creation, understanding, and appreciation of beauty.
abide: to bear-with patiently, to tolerate or withstand.
deconstruct: to examine in order to reveal the foundation or composition.
will-do (slang): informal way of saying ‘plan to accomplish’.
epistemic: of or relating to knowledge (or to validate the degree of one’s knowledge).
nucleotides form the basic structural unit of nucleic acids such as DNA.
Sullivan's famous axiom, “form follows function” (purpose should be the starting point for design) can be a touchstone for architects, artists and designers.
true (visual definition): possess ‘correct or proper alignment’.
The artist, Marcel Duchamp, is credited with coining the term ‘found art’ after submitting Fountain to an art exhibition in 1917. He signed the readymade art R. Mutt.
empirical knowledge is based on observation or experience and not on theory or logical reasoning.
descried: published, proclaimed.
belied: disguised, contradicted, a failure to give a true notion or impression.
fatalistic doctrine: all events are fixed in advance and humans are powerless to change them.
chastized: punished/ridiculed for misbehavior.
“accidentally” (usage of quotation marks): to suggest sarcasm, special insight, or imply that the opposite could be true.
askew: turned or twisted to one side, slightly off-balance.
hullaballoo: a loud, continued noise, ruckus, mixture of noises, din or cacophony of sound.
climactically: related to the end or completion, climax (with three letter Cs).
subside: settling toward the bottom, to become quiet.
Additional articles on the mechanics of poetry and art:
• KEEP CLEAR •
“Scientology propaganda?” my wife replied. Although I’d formed my own answer even before I asked for everyone’s opinion—I was already glad I asked because: I’d never have come up with an answer as funny as hers and this was a chance to test some conversation rules (How To Converse, Rule of Thumb #3: Ask Questions; Don’t Make Statements).
Thinking of ROT#3 nudged me to keep the ask-balloon floating, “Is clear what Scientologists want to accomplish?—or is it a term used by people who’ve escaped them?”
She said, “I’m confused; I don’t know how it could be an ex-cult-member term.”
“Unfortunately, I only know about the title Going Clear, which is wedged in my memory without a film or book behind it; so, my imagination has filled that space with an ex-cult-member (How To Converse, ROT#2: Mirror Their Words; Mirror Their Posture”) saying the phrase: ‘I need to get clear of these asshats before they serve Kool-Aid aperitifs’.
“Ahh, OK” she said with a smirk in the back of her voice, “Clear, as I understand it, refers to their belief that people can rid themselves of engrams, which is their term for unconscious traumatic memories, by holding the sweat-measuring part of a lie detector while being interviewed.”
Since she didn’t seem to want to elaborate and nobody else was chiming in, I decided to steer the conversation toward more familiar ground (How To Converse, ROT#5: Plot a Familiar Course) by asking, “Are engrams anything like ‘dust’ in Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials?”
“I can see a similarity—the magisterium thought dust was related to original sin and scientologists think engrams are from trauma, which occur in past lives.”
My friend, Brian, was becoming uncomfortable (probably not a fan of the topic: reincarnation), so I asked for his opinion, “Hey Brian, what do you think that KEEP CLEAR stencil with yellow side-circles means?”
“Maybe it’s just the equivalent of ‘Post No Bills’ since it is on an outdoor bulletin board. I’m pretty sure it would, normally, have fishing regulations and notices for docking boats stapled to it, but because the lake is beginning to freeze-over, all that's been removed for the year.”
I said, as I turned toward Sharon, Brian’s wife, “Interesting! He thinks it was intentionally put there by the park.” Then, nodding toward my wife (who'd walked away from us and closer to the sign), “She thinks it was put there by a graffiti-artist. What do you think?” (How To Converse, ROT#6: Stir the Pot).
Sharon replied, “I’m leaning toward put there by the park but, instead of ‘Post No Bills,’ I think it’s more likely it’s intended to prevent people from blocking the view of the board; more than no standing and no parking, I think it's to say: ‘don’t leave your big-ass trailer in front of here’ - but you’re smiling in a knowing way that makes me think it's time to hear what you think.”
“Ever seen the movie The Fifth Element?” I asked. After noticing everyone’s reply (to the affirmative) I continued, “The scene where police arrive at Bruce Willis’s apartment building and he’s required to put his hands against an interior wall…? Inside two yellow circles? Anyone? Anyone?”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
