Batman scatters dried lupine seeds from the garden across the meadow. We are finding comfort in very small things.
We remain incredibly lucky up here on the ridge. Our bit of earth was not impacted by the flooding that has ravaged our brave little state. But, oh, my goodness, there is such distress all around us. This video taken by drone over our beloved capital city, Montpelier got me in my gut. I could point out to you some of my favorite shops amidst the water, mud and silt. We already have a housing crisis here in Vermont, now made much worse due to homes lost and damaged by the storm. Small scale farmers, who are some of Vermont’s best ambassadors find themselves mid-summer, with nothing to show for their hard work but flooded fields and ruined crops.
Enough.
I sit on the board of directors at an anti-poverty agency in Central Vermont. Our Barre office, including our food shelf, industrial kitchen and offices has been flooded. Our agency has been asked to set up a fund to support small businesses impacted by the flood. Our Executive Director, Sue Minter is the real deal, (she led Vermont's recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene), so I am confident that all donations will be used equitably and with integrity. If you would like to make a donation in any amount, you can find the website here.
Also, NOFA-VT has a farmer emergency fund, you can find the link here.
Thank you.
And now, the governor is very concerned about an approaching storm and wants all vehicles OFF THE ROADS between 4-8PM tonight. The risk of downed trees increases when their roots are hanging onto saturated soil. Additional outages are a huge concern when trees start falling down over rural power lines. Repairs can be hindered by remote locations and roads can quickly become impassable.
If you are so inclined, please light a candle this evening and while you sit in silence for a bit, send some hope and courage to the Green Mountain State.
Please, please remember that we are all in this together, friends. We all live on this fragile, beautiful planet, and she is inviting us to help her survive...
xo