Living

Living story sections

Coffee Break Fundraiser

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Family

The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community will be hosting a “Coffee Break”  all day Friday September 2, 2016 at the Welcome Center in Guilford, Vt. on I-91 to kick off the Labor Day weekend holiday.   Starting at 7:30am, we will offer hot coffee and tea; bagels; hot oatmeal, apple cider donuts; an assortment of homemade muffins, pastries, and other home-baked goods; egg salad, tuna salad, and cheese sandwiches; tastes of various flavored challah; Vermont-made yogurt;  a variety of cold drinks, including freshly squeezed lemonade. 

VFW Lunch Menu for 8-29 to 9-2

by LisaL | Food

Menu for Aug. 29th to Sept. 2nd

Mon – soup and a sandwich

Tues –  liver & onions w/ mashed potato

Wed – spaghetti w/ homemade meatballs & a salad

Thur – cheese & spinach stuffed pork loin w/ couscous

Fri – baked stuffed haddock w/ rice & veg.

Get Out Your Credit Card and Join Our Revolution

by Lise | Activism

Our Revolution is being touted by progressives as the “future of our political movement” and features participation by our own revolutionary sweetheart, Bernie Sanders.  Bernie himself will be speaking at a kickoff forum tonight in Burlington, VT.  This seemed noteworthy, so I decided to stop into the OurRevolution.com web site to see what it was all about.  My first surprise was that it was a dot.com.  I had been expecting a dot.org.  But there you are, everything  is commercial these days, even “our revolution.” (Fine print reveals that “Our Revolution will operate as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.”)

Stroll the Grounds & Join Us for A Community Shabbat Dinner

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

On Friday August 26, come mark the shift from summer to fall with a stroll on the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community’s land followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner with songs, blessings, and a story. Dinner will be supplied by Cantor Kate Judd, Chelsa Roy of Monkey Moon Challah & Catering, and others.

At 5 pm Kate will lead a reflective walk on the land with prayer and song. At 6 we’ll gather to light candles, share blessings, and sit down to eat together. Following the dinner we’ll enjoy our dessert accompanied by a story from Rebecca Golden. We’ll wrap up with Birkat HaMazon (blessing after the meal) and some z’mirot (Shabbat evening songs).

Narcissus on Olympus

by spinoza | Recreation & Sports

As the story is presented to us…Not as it comes down, goes down, went down, but as it’s presented..that’s how we remember.  The details are left for each imagination no matter how many renderings, angles or replays. They will resonate within each viewer’s minds eye and take hold, get forgotten, drip slowly, or gush from adrenals as needed. Torch carried and passed, the flame of inspiration fed.

A hunter with unrivaled prowess, and beauty, which includes grace, stamina, inventiveness, perseverance, arrives at last on high at the image of himself. His broadcasted self. Reflected in a hundred million screens and more, he cannot look away. So entranced is he by his victory, by his own ascendance, it’s a transfixing moment, a defiance of time. And the hunter, as hero, he can’t look away. Nor can we without effort.

SeVWA’s 2016 E. coli Monitoring of Local River Sites Continued August 17th

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had the penultimate day of our monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Wednesday, August 17th. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams and will conclude monitoring on August 31st. This year, we have sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

The drought continues in our area with our entire sampling area remaining under moderate drought conditions and parts of eastern New Hampshire and Massachusetts being upgraded to extreme drought conditions. It’s hard to imagine the contrast in weather to our south in Louisiana where historic floods are devastating the southeastern part of the state. They received over two feet of rain with the most recent storm; it is the second rain event this year that received over 20 inches of rain. Many rivers have shattered previous flood stage records by 4-6 feet. If you are interested in donating to help flood victims in Louisiana, you can visit the United Way of Southeast Louisiana (). Unfortunately, as our climate continues to change, we can expect more extreme weather events throughout the world like the drought in New England and the flooding on the Gulf Coast.

New Providers Join Cardiology and Family Medicine at BMH

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Medical Group Director, Dr. Tony Blofson announced three recent additions to the hospital’s staff.

is joining BMH’s . Dr. Fleet received his BA from Columbia College of Columbia University and his M.D from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He served his internship and residency at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, as well as a fellowship in Cardiology at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA. Dr. Fleet is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Most recently a member of Senior Staff at Lahey Clinic in Burlington and Peabody, MA, Dr. Fleet has also served on the medical staff at Beverly Hospital in Beverly, MA and Union Hospital in Lynn, MA.

VFW Luncheon Menu

by Not Signed In | Food

The Brattleboro VFW is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon-Fri. from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Specials are $5.50 a plate, and burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken wings, soups and sandwiches are available each day.

The menu for Aug. 22nd – Aug. 26th

Mon – Sloppy Joe’s w/ French fries
Tues – country fried steak w/ gravy, mashed potato, and vegetable
Wed – cheese stuffed manicotti w/ a salad
Thur – meatloaf w/ mashed potato and veg.
Fri – coconut shrimp w/ French fries

Tobacco Cessation Workshop at BMH Starts September 7

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is offering a Tobacco Cessation Workshop starting on September 7, 2016.

The Tobacco Cessation Workshop is a FREE quit smoking program that meets for an hour each week in a caring and encouraging group format. Each week you will be given concrete strategies to use on working toward your goal of tobacco-free living. Together, the group will develop an understanding of the dynamics of tobacco addiction and the ability to choose alternative behaviors to tobacco use. The role of nutrition and healthy habits is covered as well as goal-setting and follow-through.

InnerWell Integrative Counseling Services Welcomes Body-Mind Psychotherapist from Boulder

by innerwell | Health

InnerWell is delighted to welcome Heather Kuhn, MA, RSMT, R-DMT, to join InnerWell Integrative Counseling Services in Brattleboro. A warm and skillful body-mind psychotherapist, Heather holds a Master of Arts in Somatic Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. She is relocating here from Boulder, Colorado, and begins seeing clients at InnerWell this month. Specialties include anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions and relationship issues. With the addition of Heather, InnerWell is again welcoming new clients for adult individual psychotherapy and counseling.

Community Shabbat Dinner at BAJC!

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

Join Brattleboro Area Jewish Community Friday evening, August 26th, for a community Shabbat.  Starting at 5 pm we’ll have some time to enjoy our beautiful land in late

summer with a Shabbat walk. At 6 pm we’ll gather for an end-of-summer dinner, with blessings, candle lighting, and songs. Donations are requested in advance for the dinner that will be provided, but no one will be turned away. Please let Cantor Kate know you (and how many others) are coming.

Dog Lexi In Search of Foster Care

by ttabach | Pets

We are seeking a temporary (two months or more) foster home for our dog Lexi and offering a stipend of $180 per month toward expenses. Lexi is a sweet, super smart, affectionate, and playful mix of Springer Spaniel, beagle, and harehound. She loves attention, to go on hikes, to play fetch with toys, and to cuddle at night. She’s a terrific companion dog who benefits from lots of love and attention. Ideally, she would love to have a fenced in yard as well.

SeVWA’s 2016 E. coli Monitoring of Local River Sites Continued August 3rd

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had the fourth day of our monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Wednesday, August 3rd. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams and will continue to do so every other week through the end of August. This year, we have sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

Vermont GMO Labeling Law Mooted as President Signs DARK Act Into Law

by Lise | Food

People generally decry Congress for the glacial rate at which it addresses the pressing issues of our time, but if so, we should be proud at the haste with which they acted to counter Vermont’s GMO-labeling law.  Vermont’s law only went into effect on July 1, requiring all purveyers of food products to disclose on their label if they contain genetically modified ingredients.  A mere 30 days later, a federal replacement was signed, sealed, and delivered:  Obama signed into law the so-called DARK Act, passed by both houses of Congress just this month, that supercedes and negates Vermont’s law, and according to critics, significantly waters down GMO labeling nationwide.  

Orchard Hill Pizza Night Benefits

by Brattleboro Time Trade | Food

Orchard Hill Breadworks is the region’s premier organic, wood-fired bakery.  As part of their social mission Orchard Hill hosts benefit make-your-own pizza events for non-profit organizations on Tuesday evenings during the summer at their outdoor bakery, often with live music and games. On August 23rd all proceeds will benefit Brattleboro Time Trade and music will be provided by the Jazz Kids. Admission is free. A pizza crust with sauce, and cheese will be available for purchase for $8 (or $10 for gluten-free crusts). 

 

This Bald Eagle Almost Put Me In The Drink

by reginaldwam3 | Recreation & Sports

I was kayaking just off the western shore of the Connecticut River, about half way between the Hinsdale bridge and the West River confluence, when I glanced up and saw this dude looking down at me. More than a little startled, I nearly fell in the drink.

He just sat there, maybe 15 feet up, sitting on the limb. He noticed, then quickly dismissed me as an object of interest. I, havening never before seen a Bald Eagle in the wild, was genuinly shocked. In the video you hear me mention the shakey video (I later used some software to stablize the image), which was a direct result of me being startled and excited to see this fellow.

Where’s The Rain? Moderate Drought in Southern Vermont

by cgrotke | Nature

I’ve been wondering where the rain is, and did a bit of research.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, Brattleboro and Windham County are officially considered to be in Moderate Drought, with about 85% of Vermont being categorized as Abnormally Dry.

The trend started in late June and has remained steady through July. The last time we were this dry in Vermont was June of 2015.