Quintessential Vermont
by Sue Gillis

The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by. —Alek We

A quintessential Vermont Day. Late fall. Planned it perfectly for our out-of-town big-city guests, my brother and his wife.

Told them we were taking them on a secret adventure (the Museum of Everyday Life in Glover, Perennial Pleasures in Hardwick for afternoon English cream tea, Glover General Store, and the Bread and Puppet Theater and Museum). Our guests, however, had no idea where we were going. Just that it would be a totally unique Vermont experience, found nowhere else.

So, Saturday noon, a late start, we set out for the Northeast Kingdom. The drive across Route 15 was beautiful but long. Two and a half hours later we arrived at the indescribable Museum for Everyday Living. Let’s just say, our guests were speechless but in a few minutes posed for a photo in front of the 20-foot wire toothbrush.

A hunger stop became our next priority. So we drove into Glover, turned left for five miles, and there in the middle of a field of no-where-ness was Parker Pie Pizza, famous for the best pizza in Vermont. They were more stunned by its remote location than its menu, but after a delicious micro beer and everything pizza, we headed back into Glover. It was now late afternoon, and I was becoming anxious that we would be unable to stick to my plan. Basically, we hadn’t yet had the quintessential Vermont experience as promised, and with the long drive back home pending, I began to sense we were running out of time and the trip would be a failure. But here is what happened next.

We were headed to the Glover General Store then on to Bread and Puppet Museum, both arguably uniquely Vermont, when the most amazing thing happened.

As we were descending a hill, I noticed a herd of Holsteins off to the left and in particular a heifer at the water trough. And OMG, the heifer was trying to climb inside. Just before we passed, she managed to flip herself upside down into the empty trough.

Alarmed, we stopped. The heifer could not get out, could not turn over, her legs flailing in the air, head banging on the sides and howling. My citified guests declared “we have to save her.” First, we headed to the nearest house. A young guy called the farmer, who lived 30 minutes away. No one was around, not even one car passed by. Alone with the panicked heifer, we assessed the situation. Alone except that suddenly the entire herd closed in on us. At first we were startled, but it quickly became apparent that the herd was concerned for one of their own. They stood about 20 feet from us, about 50 or more standing inertly, quietly waiting. The trough was made of heavy galvanized steel and was about six feet long by three feet high by three feet wide. Freeing the heifer was dangerous because of her wild thrashing and hooved feet.

 

From time to time we at Vermont Woman reflect on the many years we have been publishing. We do so out of a passion for recognizing that women have different life experiences and it is those experiences that are the source of our stories and the filter through which women view their lives and the world around them.

In this issue, the cover story of Dr. Rachel Inker and her work with the Vermont transgender community; a feature on Christine Hallquist, the Democratic nominee for governor for Vermont and the first transgender gubernatorial candidate in the country; a feature on modernist presidential first ladies; an equal rights amendment update; and a book review on Going Up Country by Yvonne Daley, about the hippies who moved to Vermont, stayed, and changed its culture. And so much more. All in one issue!

Publishing Vermont Woman with the participation of Vermont women staff, freelance writers, founders, advertisers, and readers has nourished our souls for a period spanning almost 34 years. It has been a most satisfying output of a body of work, all within the great state of Vermont. Vermont is a wondrous state, from its humane politics, fiercely independent populace, and spectacular landscape and seasons, all of which has provided the inspiration for Vermont Woman, now the longest published newspaper of its kind in the country.

 

We had no choice but to try to tip the trough over on its side. We pushed and pushed, and finally over it went. Sadly, the heifer hit her head hard and did not move. Head twisted, eyes, lovely and soft, stared straight ahead, her breathing labored. OMG, we killed the heifer. Tears in our eyes. We tried to coax the heifer. The herd moved in closer.

Just then an old truck pulled up and out jumped the farmer, and then the heifer managed to stand up and stumble toward her relieved, waiting family.

We were in awe of this totally unexpected intimate encounter with the animal world.

The farmer asked, “Who rescued my heifer?” As he shook everyone’s hand, he said, “There is a special place in heaven for every one of you.”

Now it was very late in the day, and there was no point in trying to match this experience with anything else anyway. We headed home.

And a fine ride it was.

We not only had the quintessential Vermont experience, we were puffed up with self-pride, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we were betting no one else ever had and a bonus…a great Vermont story to pass on to the grandchildren.

Perfect.

 

 

Sue Gillis is the Publisher of Vermont Woman Newspaper