Curations from the Human Jungle
As usual, I didn’t do my due diligence. I had been so busy preaching the gospel of Chelsea Green being the nation’s leading publisher of information on the “ideas and practices of books for sustainable living” that I neglected to do a reality check. When I arrived at the company's modest offices in the red... Continue Reading →
I was in “take no prisoners” mode. In terms of moving the Morris family back to Vermont my guiding principle was “if it t'were done, ‘tis best done quickly.” I bought a house in downtown Randolph. I say “I bought a house,” because I made the offer before Laura even saw the place. It was... Continue Reading →
The lure of Real Goods became so strong that I eventually accepted an offer to become the company’s Chief Operating Office. It was a decision fraught with uncertainty, as it meant relocating the Morris family from West Brookfield, Vermont to Ukiah, California. It meant tearing the boys from their friends, their teams, their rock ‘n... Continue Reading →
If you are wondering why Chapter 17 of Extra-Ordinary was not in your mailbox, you can find it here: https://silverbackdigest.com/2024/06/21/chapter-17-the-trip-to-jelapa/ It's a WordPress thing. Sorry for any inconvenience.
All good things come to an end. Isn’t that the cliche? After its dizzying ride in the 1980s Vermont Castings ran into financial trouble in the early 1990s. Murray Howell died way too young, so did Don Larriviere, of Air Don fame. The company jet was sold. Duncan Syme was booted out of the company,... Continue Reading →
[Editor's Note: In an impressive display of professional incompetence I managed to mix up the chapters of my own life story by publishing Chapter 16 (Tales and More Tales of Beyonder) BEFORE Chapter 15 (Beyond Yonder.) My apologies, Dear Reader. Thank you for sharing the mis-adventures of this sometimes-not-too extra-ordinary life. SM] From “Autobio-grafitti,” the... Continue Reading →
[In an impressive display of professional incompetence, I managed to screw up my own life story by publishing Chapter 16 (Tales and More Tales of Beyonder) BEFORE Chapter 15 (Beyond Yonder.) My apologies, Dear Reader. Thank you for sharing the mis-adventures of this sometimes-not-too extra-ordinary life. SM] From “Autobio-grafitti,” the rap version of “Extra-Ordinary:” “That’s... Continue Reading →
I met Charlie Page on the day of my job interview at Vermont. A gangling puppy-dog of a man, Page had worked both as a logger, but also as a technician for Jotul, the Norwegian stovemaker. He was effusive in his praise for Vermont Castings and was hoping to land a position in the technical... Continue Reading →
Meryl Streep, Bill and Hilary Clinton, Erich Segal, John Kerry, George W. Bush, Henry Winkler, Gary Trudeau—there were a lot of soon-to-be famous people hanging out at Yale during the late 1960s. And what did this embryonic celebrities have in common? That’s right … that they did NOT know me. Laura and I married in... Continue Reading →
Rolling Stone: We’re back with Stephen Morris, but what a difference a day makes. Something that he describes as “UFFC” which he identifies as “Unidentified Falling Frozen Crud” is coming out of the sky, bouncing off the roof of the unheated playhouse. After a few minutes, he suggests moving into the kitchen, where Sandy serves... Continue Reading →