People! I have terrible news! I know that you are all currently jumping around your rooms for joy at all of the other wonderful news that has come your way recently, but you may have missed this devastating announcement. Buttered Noodles is closing. First Kids City, which was our personal favorite toy store, went out […]
Category Archives: Vermont
Uptown Funk – Easter Edition
It all started back in February, probably near Ash Wednesday sometime, when Lent and Easter were on my mind. I was driving in the car when Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” came on the radio. Bruno Mars started singing “Uptown funk you up,” and yet all that was going through my head was “Christ is risen […]
A Quick Plunge Over a Tall Cliff
I was not going to be late this time. My wife and daughter were jumping into the icy lake at 11:00 sharp. I was home with the boy, and we were going to be out the door at 10:30, and no later. I looked at my watch at 10:35 and shouted “Edward! Get your stuff […]
The 7 Stages of Cold
I woke up this morning and, with the wind chill, it was -15 degrees outside. That is frickin’ cold. But it’s not really any worse than if it was -10 out. Seriously, once you get below zero you are in the final level of coldness, whose stages I will now explain to you. STAGE 1: 60s […]
If You Give A Kid A Laser Weapon…
How was your New Year’s Eve? Ours was awesome, as usual. Because we live in Burlington, VT, which means that we get to go to First Night! Buy a button and you have access to shows, crafts, events, projects, art, and so much more, with no alcohol, smoking, or other non-family friendly items allowed. This […]
Vermont’s Ban on Driving While Using Handheld Devices Begins Today! – A Guide to What You Can and Cannot Use
It’s finally here. October 1st. Starting today drivers in the state of Vermont will no longer be legally able to use handheld devices while driving. For some people this will have no effect, since they have always held the view that operating a motor vehicle while doing something else at the same time is dangerous […]
No Voice For the Oppressed: The Oakledge Park Easter Egg Hunt
It is a little known fact that in The United States of America, 1% of the kids are in possession of 99% of the eggs. I think we can all agree that this is not a fair distribution of wealth. Just because you hunt a little harder for your eggs, doesn’t explain why some kids […]
Believing in Place
As has become my tradition (three times makes it a tradition I guess), I am posting the sermon that I gave yesterday in church. The only thing that I want to say about it ahead of time is that, though I think its themes are universal, it has been tailored very specifically to my congregation […]
Gypsies, Nomads, and a Firm Foundation
I was born in Connecticut almost three dozen years ago to a baptist minister and a professional “minister’s wife.” We lived there until I was almost two and then left for New Hampshire where my father had been transferred. My earliest memories are of that house in New Hampshire, and we stayed there until I […]
The Origin of A Magical Bear – KIDS CITY GIVEAWAY!
If our house ever caught fire, the first thing I would do is make sure that my family was out of the house and safe. The second thing I would do is to make sure that Bear was out of the house and safe. Forget family photos and important documents. Those things can all be […]