(with apologies to my German speaking friends)
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Summer in Vermont means humidity (how else did you think those big and numerous trees grew so many leaves, huh?), and humidity in the woods means one thing: bugs.
For some reason, insects of the biting and stinging variety are my personal stalkers. It doesn’t matter what type of spray I use, or even how many (several at once, of course), the bastards always keep on biting. At times it’s so bad that I get infections and scars. I have some scars on my ankles that are from two years ago…
And of course, nature is boundless in Vermont, it isn’t limited to bugs. You get deer, moose, owls, bears (yes, bears), chipmunks, squirrels and surely many others I have not encountered.
My first encounter with the delightful chipmunk occurred one afternoon while I was working on the sunny deck under the parasol. S and M, the lovelies I am staying with here, have two twin white cats, which during the day are let out to prowl the surrounding area and hunt. So there I was, tapping away at my laptop, when I hear the thud-thud-thud of one of the cats running across the deck, accompanied by a faster click-click-click – it all happened so fast: the chipmunk being chased, in the panic to save its life, ran up my bare leg as if it was a tree trunk, then at my knee it must have realised I was a tree of the human variety, so it jumped off, just as I jumped up screaming, startled by it. It dashed towards the house and climbed up the screen door, where the cat reached it. The chipmunk was holding on for dear life high above the cat, which was already licking her lips. We intervened, put the cat indoors and let the chipmunk escape.
But this is a daily occurrence. We have to be watchful of the cats bringing anything in their mouths in the house (as they have done – we found entrails by their food bowl). It’s funny because S thinks they are doing this to “train” me to hunt, as I am the new arrival. As many of you know, I have, at best, a difficult relationship with cats. But these two beauties have worked hard to make me love them. When at night I sit to watch TV, either one of them will curl up on my lap for hours (while I sit there a bit rigid!). Or when I am working they try to distract me, ask for food, want to be let out or simply play with me… naughty girls.
There are so few people in Vermont… driving an hour simply to meet a friend is considered normal. It is true that in the city we spend a lot of time in transit, but that time is usually due to the fact that we are on foot and there are many other people also transiting. Here, an hour’s drive is an ACTUAL hour’s drive, not traffic or changing trains.
Almost everyone here seems to be an artist or to be creative in some way or another. The house is full of beautiful ceramics made by friends, wooden creations by M (including knives!), the shops showcase many types of craft. People grow their vegetables and fruit, preserving and drying through the summer to last through the winter months. In many ways it is an idyllic existence, so close to nature. But I am aware also of the hard work necessary to do it (coming home after a long day at work then spending hours tending the vegetables – that in the meantime may have been mauled by deer – or slicing and drying tomatoes) and also that winter time is bound to be very different: when feet of snow prevent you from leaving your house and daylight hours are precious and short, you hibernate. So I enjoy this life for these few short weeks, indulging in the company of my lovely friends, knowing that, at least for now, this is not the set-up for me. I am still a city girl at heart, I still need regular stimuli of the non-nature kind. But like the people who live here in beautiful Vermont, not many of us can live within just one of these “worlds”. In my own way, I have found a way to partake of these different experiences and not be just a city person. I wish more people were able to do that, in both directions.
S and M are such wonderful hosts and friends. The best moment is when either one of them asks “what are your desires for dinner?” and then anything is possible. Eating vegetables and herbs just picked from the garden is great, and Vermont has a great production of organic food. The local COOP is a veritable treasure trove of delightful food.
There’s a hot tub out on the deck. We spent a couple of nights soaking in the hot (solar-heated) water, watching the stars and the fireflies buzzing around us. It was magic. They make me feel at home and happy. And I guess the cats do too, in their own way 🙂
I’ll have to come back in winter…
