Editor-In-House

Last week I was interviewed by a student from the journalism department at Johnson State College. Today, the head of the journalism department, an awesome guy named Tyrone, came in to deliver a stack of the first edition of the paper. The paper is called Basement Medicine... which just has to be respected... whether you're a Dylan fan or not.

I have to say, though, that as I was reading through the article I kept cringing at things I didn't say or were just wrong.

Since I put an ad in the same paper and the address for the blog is listed in the ad... I'll take the opportunity to make the necessary changes.

Hhmmm.

• Let's see... while my family pretty much exists here as much as I do and while Bill has been the left side of my brain since I bought the joint and Ella does do a mighty fine job of wiping tables and wiping me out of baked goods and hot chocolate... technically, I bought the place myself and am the sole owner. Bill likes to point this out, occasionally, as well. It might be his disclaimer should this all come crumbling down like Roman Empire someday.

• I moved to Vt almost twelve years ago, not five years ago. Every year that passes here feels like a great accomplishment to me... having survived another long winter, becoming more entrenched in what it means to live in this northern climate and culture... so yes, I must correct.

• And no, I have to admit, all the ingredients to my turkey and Jason sandwiches are not organic and fair trade, although the coffee and the teas most certainly are. When I make my first million on this joint, I promise that I will most definitely begin purchasing organic, fair-trade deli meat and cheese... because it will most definitely take a million to maintain that kind of quality in this kind of economy.

• Yerba Mate is not technically caffeine free. There's some debate as to what Yerba Mate really is. It's considered a "stimulant"... according to Wikipedia... so those coming in for a nice, relaxing Yerba... be warned. It does jack you.

And yes, I did say that I could have appropriately named this place The Bachelor Pad. And yes, I did suggest to all the single, seeking ladies to feel free to stop in anywhere between 9am and noon to find them hanging out at the bar.... or, as it's been lately, on the floor competing to see who can pump out the most push-ups. I shit you not.

SWEET

There's a guy here in Johnson, Mark Woodward.. used to be our state representative and owns a ton of real estate that he rents out to college kids and old folks. Good guy. Lives on a back road, works hard, has some livestock, reads good books and I guess he cleans out people's estates for a living. He spends the year cramming all the stuff into his barn three doors down (and probably barns all over town considering the amount of stuff he has out there for sale) and then, once a year he holds this huge lawn sale for two days at the end of the summer. That sale, sidled up with it being the weekend all the kids return to Johnson State College, proved to be quite the lucrative day for this little coffee shop.

The sale begins at 9am and people start flooding into town and cluttering like cattle on the sidewalk by 8am. Folks come from two hours in every direction. Directly across the street people are eyeing the digital bank clock and, as soon as the numbers blink to 9:00, some old lady rings a cowbell and it's like a scene from Christmas in 1985 when moms all over the country were beating each other up in department stores for the last Cabbage Patch Kid doll.

Ok... well, maybe that was just the funny little town of Wilkes-Barre. I'll have to look into that fact.

Anyway, the shop was full of new faces all day and I kept the pastry case crammed full of good lookin' goodies, the fridge full of iced tea, iced coffee and chai and the sandwiches just kept being ordered. I had a pack of twelve ladies on a bicycle tour come in mid-day and order lunch and when I came in to the living room to check on them...after they'd all gotten their food and had a chance to dive into it... they clapped. THAT felt good.

And when I Z'd out at the end of the day, what I read on that register tape and what I counted in my drawer definitely broke the record of all my nightly deposits thus far.

The next time Mr. Woodward stops in for a cup of coffee it'll definitely be on the house. I wonder if I can convince to him to hold his annual lawn sale on a weekly basis.......

Rural Vermont

I stayed open late tonight to host an old fashioned ice cream social for a grassroots organization called Rural Vermont. Rural Vermont is a great group that works to raise awareness and support for local and sustainable agriculture. They speak out about the ramifications of corporate farming and have been working closely with legislation at the state house, in Montpelier, in support of the hemp bill everyone is working so hard on getting passed. It felt really good to be able to contribute my space to a worthwhile effort.

The milk they used to make the ice cream came from Warren's farm.. where Bill spent years working and where most of our cows at home have come from. Most nights, around 4:45pm, Warren and his boys come in... smelling like the barn or fresh cut grass and they order their single shot maple lattes in the tall glass.

The place was buzzing with alot of new faces. I've spent the past few weeks hanging flyers all over the place and it was nice to see that it's paid off. It was between 6:30 - 8pm so alot of folks came in for sandwiches and salads before the ice cream was dished out. There were tables set up with information and door prizes and raffle prizes.

The speaker was a local woman who started a non-profit a few years ago called Salvation Farms. Volunteers for Salvation Farms gather the extra produce that farmers won't use and deliver to places like Meals on Wheels, elementary schools, and food shelves. It's a pretty righteous thing she started and it's been amazing to watch it grow and take on a life of it's own.

There were kids running around and families in the grass in the yard out back. Roo, who has the health food store across the street came in and handed me a bowl of maple-vanilla ice cream... which I immediately dressed in a bit of iced coffee. Nothing better that coffee ice cream and here we seem to have a perfect marriage....

So, it was a great night. And hopefully some of the folks'll come back around in the days to come.

I gotta go to bed now.