Front Porch Forum members submitted hundreds of clever entries into FPF‘s January Posting Flurry, all wearing their earmuffs! Thanks to those who entered, and to all who enjoyed this bit of fun. Entries received before 1 pm on January 12 were entered in the random drawing. Please DO keep posting to your local FPF as the spirit moves… but the contest is done at this point.
Without further ado, the winning entry of this year’s random drawing for an iPad is
“Hello all neighboring beekeepers! Just wondering how everyone’s bee hives have been fairing through this cold spell? Anyone thought of designing some sort of miniature bee earmuffs for the poor creatures? Hive a good day.” • Sarah in Tinmouth
Kudos, Sarah! In addition to her clever post, we received some other noteworthy posts shared here:
“Thank you to everyone who has helped us as my husband Jim recovers from a shattered wrist. Small tasks such as bundling up to go out in the frigid temps over the last 2 weeks can be daunting. An old pair of earmuffs have been invaluable as they are easy on and off so we would also like to posthumously thank Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine who invented the thermal earmuff in 1873, at the age of 15 reportedly coming up with the idea while ice skating. Chester was awarded patent #188,292 on March 13, 1877 for his design and provided jobs making earmuffs for people in the Farmington, Maine area, for nearly 60 years. Yet another clever New Englander!” • Sherri in Passumpsic
“Anyone have an unwanted simple record player? I am up to my earmuffs in good LPs and have nothing to play them with.” • Manfried in Newport
“Just a note to say that I so appreciate our community and the opportunity we have to connect and support each other through FPF. I gave up social media (except for FPF) after the election last year because I was appalled by the way I got sucked into a negative headspace during that time of such horrible mudslinging from all sides. (ALL sides!) I feel much lighter now – not that I am advocating everyone giving up social media, it definitely has its plus side. I am so happy that I have FPF as a way to witness my community and help out when I can. And ask for help as well! Thank you all and don’t forget to wear your earmuffs!”
• Lava in Randolph
“Redford is a Bloodhound who searches for lost pets, but when it’s so supercold out, I can’t let him go on a trail because he doesn’t have any earmuffs to keep his superlong ears from getting frostbitten.”
• Lisa in Albany
“I would like to shout out a huge Thank you to all those that helped with hats, coats, mittens and earmuffs this season to keep our neighbors warm!” • Jan in Johnson
“A huge shout-out to the Shelburne road crew during the recent snows and frigid temperatures! Living at the end of a cul-de-sac, the side of our driveway (understandably so) gets the big pile of snow from the street. This year, in particular, the drivers have done a terrific job keeping our driveway cleared more than usual. Thank you, Shelburne Road crew!! (I hope the trucks are cozy warm, so you don’t have to wear earmuffs!)”
• Patty in Shelburne
“I took my earmuffs off today
In honor of the sun;
I leashed my dog, without delay,
And frolicked just for fun.
My nose still froze and dripped with chill,
But oh the pleasure and the thrill!
It’s warm, I told my freezing toes –
Enjoy before that North wind blows!” • Martha in Middlebury

Brrrr It’s been cold! And we’re looking to heat things up a bit on Front Porch Forum. So, we’re running a simple contest through 1 PM, Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. Submit a posting on a topic of your choosing (“desk for sale,” “seeking plumber,” “ode to the cold”… you choose) and include the contest word “earmuffs” anywhere in your posting and you will be automatically entered. We’ll randomly draw a winner this Friday, Jan. 12. 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 a new iPad!
Details:
1. Any current FPF member may enter by submitting a posting to their local FPF before 1 PM on Jan. 12, 2018. The posting must include the word “earmuffs.”
2. To be entered in the contest, postings should reflect a genuine effort to communicate, in the spirit of our mission “to help neighbors connect and build community.” The idea of the contest is to encourage legitimate postings, so please curb the impulse to post nonsense messages.
3. Limit one entry per day per member account.
4. The winner of the random drawing will be presented with a gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics with sufficient funds to purchase a new iPad 9.7-inch 32GB Wi-Fi.
To submit your posting:
Go to https://frontporchforum.com and click “Login”, then click “Compose Posting,” enter your message, and click “Submit Posting.”
Reasons to scroll to the bottom of your FPF newsletter!
“When the first snows came this year I was desperate to find someone to clean our driveway, after 25 years the company that had done it could no longer do it. I got no response from posting it on our Front Porch Forum so I started looking at other neighborhoods. Joe A. from the neighboring neighborhood had someone and was recommending them highly. Joe was so helpful he actually brought the man to our house… I couldn’t help but give Joe a big hug, I had never met Joe! The man Joe suggested turned out to be very good…don’t just read your own forum get to know your surrounding neighborhoods as well.” • Shohreh from South Burlington
Read the “News from Neighboring FPFs”

Our members remind us of the value of our mission: Helping Neighbors Connect
“Our Front Porch Forum is delightfully Vermonty AND useful, so we urge you to join up!” • Roger in Warren
“FPF is a wonderful resource and way to stay in touch with what is happening in our community.” • Judy in Barre
“This forum is great – it has helped me find things and answer questions.” • Mary in Bennington
“Front Porch Forum is a fun means of staying in touch with my neighborhood and a resource when I want to offer something (usually a freebie) that I do not want to take to the landfill. It makes my life better.” • Sandy in South Burlington
“As a long time user of FPF I have used this forum to sell things, search for needed items, and even find a tutor. I am sending a small donation to show my appreciation and gratitude and to personally thank you for starting this forum!!!!” • Anne-Marie in Isle La Motte
Thanks to our FPF Supporting Members across the state! And if you’ve been meaning to make a year-end contribution… now’s the time!
Winter weather has Front Porch Forum members showing their care for the homeless in our communities.
“I’d like to say Thank you to FPF for giving me a way to reach out to people to get rid of items they may not want anymore for the homeless. Each year I put out a post telling my story of our “boxes of love” and our winter clothing giveaway to the homeless. Ever since my post, I’ve been getting emails regularly and items dropped off at my house. The collection is growing and I’m so thankful that FPF has such amazing kind hearted folks.” • Tricia in Shelburne
“My family and I bring food to local homeless people every week and I’ve noticed that many of them do not have proper winter attire. I am planning to make “Homeless Care Packages” and I am hoping you will consider donating some items.” • Amber in Williston
“The 13th Annual Gifts of Kindness toy and clothing drive was created to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness during the holidays. We seek to collect new and gently used toys, clothing, outerwear, boots, hats, and mittens to make the holidays brighter and people warmer in our harsh winter months.” • Jennifer in Waitsfield
danah boyd was quoted on Wired yesterday…
“[W]e have a cultural problem, one that is shaped by disconnects in values, relationships, and social fabric. Our media, our tools, and our politics are being leveraged to help breed polarization by countless actors who can leverage these systems for personal, economic, and ideological gain.”
She went on to state “How do you reknit society? Society is produced by the social connections that are knit together. The stronger those networks, the stronger the society. We have to make a concerted effort to create social ties, social relationships, social networks in the classic sense that allow for strategic bridges across the polis so that people can see themselves as one.”
“Part of what is really collapsing here is that the networks have become too fragmented and too polarized. Technology doesn’t help; it simply magnifies the poles. This is dangerous and cyclical. Polarization leads to distrust and tribalism which leads to more polarization. So for me, the path forward, which requires business and the public sector and civil society working together, is about reconstructing the networks of America.”
In our own small way, this is Front Porch Forum‘s work… helping neighbors connect and build community… reconstructing networks of neighbors across political, class, racial and other boundaries.
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