Welcome to My Green Vermont
I was born in Barcelona, where I went to a school run by German nuns, studied solfeggio, and played the violin. When I was ten, my parents and I moved to Ecuador, where I had a number of exotic pets and strange adventures. Four years later, we landed in Birmingham, Alabama. None of us spoke English, and the strange adventures continued. (Many of these appear in My Green Vermont.)
Survived high school. Got B.A. in French and Biology, Ph.D. in Romance Languages (French and Spanish). Gave up the Church and the violin, got married, had two daughters, taught at a liberal arts college in Maryland. Also grew veggies, made bread, kept chickens, milked goats, and wrote for newspapers and magazines. I got bored with teaching, took up running, and went into higher ed administration. I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and learned to live in a totally different way.
I started My Green Vermont when we moved to that state. For ten years I lived with my spouse, three dogs, twelve hens, two goats, and assorted passing wildlife in a house on a hill, surrounded by fields and woods. In 2014, we moved to a cottage in a continuing care residential community near Lake Champlain. Gave up livestock and vegetable gardening in favor of wild birds, honeybees, a little red dog, and a gray cat.
My Green Vermont is a fertile compost pile made up of stories about the weirdness of growing up in three countries and three languages; portraits of beloved animals, both wild and domestic; and reflections on aging, being kind to the earth, and staying as calm as possible. I hope you will visit often, and add your own stories and reactions.
My Green Vermont
Latest Posts
Y Is For Yoga, And For Young
Some people believe that running marathons will keep them young. Others think that abstaining from eating animal products will do the trick. Others join societies whose members eat almost nothing
Sustainable Entertainment
The first meeting of the Cabin Fever Abatement Salon took place yesterday afternoon, while the sun shone brightly on the new snow. A young woman, the farm manager at that
X Is For Xenoglossophobia
If xenophobia means \”fear of foreigners,\” xenoglossophobia means \”fear of foreign languages.\” Like Lyme disease, xenoglossophobia is endemic in many parts of the U.S. This fear causes many parents
W Is For Water
My swimming suit didn\’t have bra cups yet, so I must have been eleven the summer my mother signed me up for swimming lessons at the base of Pichincha, the
V Is For Violin, And For Violence
My first violin had tooth marks on the rim, where I had bitten it in a rage. The bow was missing several hairs from being struck on the back of
Why I Shop At The Dorset Church Rummage Sale
There are twelve items in my recycled garbage bag: a couple of heavy sweaters and several long-sleeved tees–all of them wool, cashmere, cotton, or silk. All of them bearing brand
The Lazy Gardener\’s Guide To World-Class Compost
Here\’s what you do: forget those instructions about gathering your various compost ingredients, layering them carefully, wetting them down and turning them frequently. Instead, get two or three hens–or six,
Why Vermont Should Change Its Name With The Seasons
Driving to yoga this afternoon through the annual foliage follies, it struck me that at this time of year the state\’s name, which means \”the green mountains\” (les verts monts)
My Green Vermont
Latest Posts
Y Is For Yoga, And For Young
Some people believe that running marathons will keep them young. Others think that abstaining from eating animal products will do the trick. Others join societies whose members eat almost nothing
Sustainable Entertainment
The first meeting of the Cabin Fever Abatement Salon took place yesterday afternoon, while the sun shone brightly on the new snow. A young woman, the farm manager at that
X Is For Xenoglossophobia
If xenophobia means \”fear of foreigners,\” xenoglossophobia means \”fear of foreign languages.\” Like Lyme disease, xenoglossophobia is endemic in many parts of the U.S. This fear causes many parents
W Is For Water
My swimming suit didn\’t have bra cups yet, so I must have been eleven the summer my mother signed me up for swimming lessons at the base of Pichincha, the
V Is For Violin, And For Violence
My first violin had tooth marks on the rim, where I had bitten it in a rage. The bow was missing several hairs from being struck on the back of
Why I Shop At The Dorset Church Rummage Sale
There are twelve items in my recycled garbage bag: a couple of heavy sweaters and several long-sleeved tees–all of them wool, cashmere, cotton, or silk. All of them bearing brand
The Lazy Gardener\’s Guide To World-Class Compost
Here\’s what you do: forget those instructions about gathering your various compost ingredients, layering them carefully, wetting them down and turning them frequently. Instead, get two or three hens–or six,
Why Vermont Should Change Its Name With The Seasons
Driving to yoga this afternoon through the annual foliage follies, it struck me that at this time of year the state\’s name, which means \”the green mountains\” (les verts monts)