Curations from the Human Jungle
[It will surprise no one in The Jungle that one of my favorite Easter Stories is one I wrote myself. What's not to like? It has sunshine, mud, a lovable dog, and redemption ... and even a slice of Easter ham. SB SM] by SB Stephen Morris Easter is the spring holiday, a time of... Continue Reading →
[As the hair on our collective backs becomes evermore silver, we cling to the scraps of our former imagined glory, such as this memory from the Randolph, Vermont Men's Softball League, circa 1982. SB SM] https://silverbackdigest.com/2023/06/10/or-why-i-am-against-banning-the-shift/ [We, "we" being Silverbelle Sandy and myself, were eating breakfast this morning while watching Morning Joe on MS-NBC when... Continue Reading →
[This was written some years ago, when Tiger Woods was at the top of the Golf World and China was a Third World Country. Now, Tiger is more like "Alley Cat" Woods and China owns the bulk of American debt. But still, a brain fart is still a brain fart no matter how it smells.... Continue Reading →
[Today's feature photo shows part of my wife Sandy's Santa collection, just before being packed away until next Christmas. The following article, circa 1993 was published in the Vermont Sunday Magazine and was later reprinted in the anthology Tails (and More Tales) of Beyonder. SB SM] Best of the 'Gest Originally published on January 1,... Continue Reading →
[Kristina Stykos is a musician, Substacker, and landscaper who writes very evocatively about life in rural Vermont. Today UFC (Unidentifiable Falling/Frozen Crud) is falling on a screaming tundra landscape. It's a world that can turn from bountiful to life-threatening very quickly. I could also say "without warning," but we've had plenty of warning. We just... Continue Reading →
[vtdigger.org is our local "Internet rag," and keeps us up-to-date on local characters. You've already met Merlin, the birding app from the Cornell Ornithology lab who identifies bird songs in the back forty. Now meet the "Bird Diva," who offers a distinctly different type of birding experience. SB SM] Vermont’s ‘Bird Diva’ introduces a new... Continue Reading →
[Kristina Stykos is another Vermonter flogging the world with her words. I follow and support her, even if she doesn't believe in paragraphs. She makes gardening make sense. This is something I remind myself of every time I go to Costco. SB SM] Photo by Nick Collins on Pexels.com Under Doing https://substack.com/@vermontridgerunner Kristina Stykos June... Continue Reading →
... that I would let April pass without my annual infliction of my musical masterpiece (there's no other word for it) Mud Season Romance? This particular version overlays an acoustic recording with some electronic ornamentation contributed by, then, teenage sons, Jacob and Patrick. Their Iron John hostility is on full display. If you listen closely... Continue Reading →
[One of the projects on my list is to write a series of feature articles on the dirt roads of Vermont, because our dirt roads here have collective personalities that are more than aggregates of their individuals. Vermont Ridgerunner is a newsletter written and published by Kristina Stykos. Her well-crafted ramblings are filled with bumps... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, drink it all in, and say "I'm happy to be who I am and where I am." "I'm happy with life and the choices I've made." "And I will live with the consequences of all my decisions." "And be grateful for this moment." Until soon ...