Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
Cultivating community through marshmallows
Front Porch Forum members expressed such creativity with our simple contest! Here are a few more:
“Thanks for all the egg carton drop offs. We should be all set for awhile, but will post again when we run low. The response from neighbors makes my heart turn to marshmallow.” • Susan at Starksboro’s Food Shelf
“Hello, I’ve had a neurological condition that affects my ability to move and use my hands for a long time. I recently also had a spinal cord injury that I’m still in the process of recovering and rehabbing from. I was wondering if anyone knows of a support group locally for people dealing with these issues. The logistical and emotional issues surrounding this are so exhausting that I just want to sink into a large puffy marshmallow sometimes, so any emotional or psychological support groups would be really helpful.” • Nicholas in Guilford
“MARSHMALLOWS here, MARSHMALLOWS there; where e’re my eyes would land.
Reading Front Porch Forum has never seemed too bland.
FPF connected me to one I used to know.
She spoke of kiddos planting MARSHMALLOWS in the snow.Thank you Front Porch Forum. This has been great fun! • Wanda in Morrisville
“I live in an apartment with a wonderful pellet stove. Little did I realize that it would be so hard to get the pellets to the stove! Is there anyone out there with a truck, a strong back, and a willingness to help me out? Actually a few people would be great. The 50 40 lb bags of pellets need to be carried across the yard and up the stairs. All who help are welcome to hot chocolate with marshmallows and homemade cookies after. We can sit around the fire in the pellet stove and enjoy each others company.” • Victoria in Brattleboro
“Mom was done with her assisted living apartment (by way of moving into a Pearly Gates community) and we needed to clean out her refrigerator along with everything else. There was a little of this and a little of that, often repackaged, as was her way. But not the bag of Mini-Marshmallows. Nope, they were still sealed up. I like a fresh, soft marshmallow as much as the next guy. It’s just that, well, these were more like the hard mints you grab on the way out of a restaurant. Lethal weapons as ammo in a blowgun. Even a gecko wouldn’t have been able to toast them. Ma, I’m going to miss you and all those little idiosyncrasies that were so entertaining.” • Ron in Alburgh
“If you have any spare marshmallows, please let me know. Seriously, what’s more fun than getting to know your neighbors, through community events, bartering, lending a helping hand, from your actual front porch or, more easily in winter weather, on Front Porch Forum?” • Thomas in Windsor
The Posting Flurry is over. It is no s’more.
We received over a thousand “marshmallow” posts from Front Porch Forum members for our January Posting Flurry. Thanks to those who entered, and to all who enjoyed this bit of fun. Entries received before 1 pm on January 10 were entered in the “Flurry”. Please DO keep posting to your local FPF as the spirit moves but the contest is done at this point.
This year’s winning entry from our random drawing is
“Anyone have a working telescope that’s just collecting dust? I’m not gazing at the stars, but would like to see the beautiful surrounding mountains better. I have tripods, just need the telescope. Willing to pay reasonable price or make payment in marshmallows.” • Jeff in Waitsfield
Congratulations Jeff! In addition to his clever post, we received some other noteworthy posts shared here:
“What did the Hershey’s bar, the marshmallow, and the graham cracker use to communicate? S’mores Code.” • Walter in Johnson
“See the pretty moon tonight? Enveloped in the clouds it looks like a marshmallow creation! Lovely.”
• Sandy in Burlington
Seeking Places to Marshmallow
As I sit here sipping my hot cocoa drink
Marshmallows melting as I sit here and think
We just moved back to VT from North Carolina
Told my kids, theres no better place or snow that’s finer
But now I think I’m regretting this remark
The cold has been makin’ my mood dark
So if anyone knows some warm things to do
For keeping my kids from also getting blue
Drop it here that’s what FPF is for
I’m looking forward to exploring town some more. • Jasmine in Barre
“Did you hear about the marshmallow man who drowned in a vat of rice crispies? He is no s’more.” • JD in Barre
“Fascinated to see an ermine in the corner of our yard- like a marshmallow whipping by in the wind, it was swift! I’m curious to know if they are more common in this region than I think?” • Christine in Georgia
Lost Marshmallow
Last seen heading heading north on Rt 110.
Answers to Sugar.
Maybe wearing chocolate and carrying graham crackers.
If found eat immediately • Phillip in Chelsea
FPF’s Posting Flurry Returns!
Participate in Front Porch Forum’s simple contest and you could win a $350 gift certificate!
Now through 1 PM, Friday, Jan. 10, FPF members can enter by submitting a posting on a topic of choice (“desk for sale,” “seeking plumber,” “ode to the cold”… it’s up to you!). Include the contest word “marshmallow” anywhere in the posting and be automatically entered. We’ll draw a winner for a $350 gift certificate to a local business of the winner’s choice this Friday, Jan. 10. That’s it!
So, if you’ve been meaning to post a question, concern, announcement, offer, observation, advice, etc… do it now and you might win!
I mean, what would you do with $350? Buy 5+ gallons of maple syrup? Pay your heating bill? Get a new iPad or snowshoes? Or 12,000 marshmallows (approximately). The options are endless, if you think about it!
Details:
- Any FPF member can enter by submitting a posting that includes the word “marshmallow” to their local FPF before 1 PM on Jan. 10, 2020.
- This “Flurry” aims to encourage actual postings in the spirit of our mission, “to help neighbors connect and build community.” Please curb the impulse to post nonsense messages.
- Limit one entry per day per member account.
- The winner of the drawing will receive a $350 gift certificate to a local business of their choice.
To submit your posting log into (or create) your account on the FPF website, OR via FPF’s new mobile app ““ available from the Apple® and Google Play® app stores. Go to “Compose Posting,” enter your message, and then “Submit Posting.”
A Pet Owner’s Best Friend
Every Front Porch Forum member knows that lost and found pet postings are common on their neighborhood forums, most often including notes of gratitude and tales of happy reunions. See this great note shared by Emily T. on the Craftsbury FPF after she spotted a beagle on the loose:
“EVERYONE — Please take advantage of Front Porch Forum if your dog runs off this winter. We are lucky to have this resource and it has become a pet owner’s best friend. It gets SO COLD this time of year and no one wants to think of a beloved pet having to spend the night away from home. Please post and let your neighbors help you find your pup! (or kitty, or rooster as the case may be).”
If you’ve lost a pet or spotted someone else’s, be sure to check your neighborhood forum and post about it!
Town officials in New York learn about FPF
“Talk of the Towns & Topics,” a publication for the Association of Towns of the State of New York, shared news of Front Porch Forum‘s expansion to parts of upstate New York.
FPF has served Vermont towns since 2006, and people use FPF for all sorts of things. This brief daily connection helps neighbors become better informed and more involved in the life of their towns.
“Technology can be used to divide us or bring us together. I really admire the way Front Porch Forum uses the Internet to bring us together. It’s not formulated to keep you in front of your screen. FPF urges you to read the local postings and then get going, and go out and be with your neighbors. That is really important and constructive in terms of building community and building democracy.” • Susan Clark, a Vermont town moderator
“I really love your service and its natural connection to local governments” • Libby with the Assoc. of Towns of the State of New York
Random acts of kindness while shopping in VT
The holiday spirit is year-round amongst our Front Porch Forum neighbors!
“Imagine my happy surprise when I came to the register to pay for lunch for my two kiddos and their two kiddo friends … and someone had already paid for it all! It was so appreciated and so genuinely delightful, I have been smiling about it all day. Thank you, sweet neighbor — whoever you are! Not only did we get to enjoy those delicious bagels, but you also gave those four kids and me such a great opportunity to talk about kindness and generosity. It was a real gift-that-keeps-giving kind of scenario. I’m already scheming ways to pay it forward.” • Emily in Burlington
“To the woman who bought my groceries at Shaws that Tuesday night: You would not tell me your name. You made my month, literally. Thank you so much for your kindness.” • Lisette in Montpelier
“To the person who put a sunflower on my bicycle outside Healthy Living Monday, My Thanks! You totally made my day when I came out from supper at the cafe! Tucked it in my brake cable on the frame & it made it home in good shape & now is in a tall thin vase by my computer screen! I love it! Thank you, thank you for that random act of kindness!!” • Kathleen in South Burlington
Is FPF lost in your inbox? Try our NEW Mobile App!
Exciting news you can now use FPF’s new mobile app to connect with your neighbors. The app makes it easy and quick to keep up on community goings-on, post to your neighbors, and more.
- Stay logged in – no more trying to remember your password
- Easy to view multiple days, see neighboring forums, and search past postings
- Post to your FPF on the go
- Get notified the moment a new issue is available – be first in line for that free toboggan!
Download FPF’s new mobile app from the Apple® and Google Play® app stores today.
P.S. Of course, you’re still welcome to access your local FPF via email or our website too!
Neighborly connections through FPF
Those new to a community often turn to Front Porch Forum to find connections. What they find are wonderful neighbors!
“I just moved to the neighborhood a few weeks ago! I am wondering if anyone is crafty or interested in crafts. I am hoping to have craft nights with others and maybe share techniques, catalogues, favorite tool, etc. Please be in touch if you would like to get together and talk crafts.” • Kelley in Essex Junction
“Hi FPF community, You all are the reason we chose to settle here and raise our family! The support you have shown after the loss of one third of my laying hens to a couple of domestic dogs, has truly been humbling. I thank you all for your kind words, your offers of help, suggestions & empathy. What a tremendous community, with wonderful neighbors, we all live in!!” • Deborah & Tim in East Hardwick
The unfiltered story of FPF on “Start Here”
Front Porch Forum co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis, was recently interviewed on the Vermont Centers for Emerging Technologies (VCET), “Start Here” podcast, which shares the stories of active, aspiring and accidental entrepreneurs.
“Featuring Vermont’s most influential business leaders, Start Here bridges the gap between entertainment and inspiration by presenting the unfiltered stories of today’s top innovators. Everybody starts somewhere – why not Start Here?”
Click below and have a listen!
Paying it forward
The Holiday Season is fast approaching, but on Front Porch Forum we see neighbors paying it forward year-round. See this very generous posting from a Montpelier neighbor looking to pass on the goodwill in her life:
“Hi neighbors! I’ve just been to Costco for the first time since moving to Central Vermont a couple of years ago, and am super happy with the nutritious and relatively inexpensive food I was able to purchase!
As I’ve been experiencing some stressful food, fuel, and housing insecurity this past year, I’ve been incredibly grateful to local friends and organizations who have generously helped me fill up a tank of gas so I could get to work, share some of their shelf-stable food so I wouldn’t go hungry, and more!
I’d like to pay it forward please let me know if any or all of the following (fresh, refrigerated) would be helpful to you, and when and where I could bring it to you…”
Get inspired to connect with your neighbors and you might find surprising ways to support one another!
About Blog
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more
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