Category Archives: Local Online

Backdoor Bakery and Front Porch Forum

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by • 1 comment

Quote seen on the website for the Backdoor Bakery in Huntington, VT…

“Also on my mind — the best almond croissant I’ve ever had in my life — last Saturday — hot out of the oven from the Backdoor Bakery (my stomach thanks Front Porch Forum).”  -Catherine

This is a “community supported bakery”… locals buy shares in advance and get regular doses of fresh baked yum yums… reduces the risk for the mom and pop owners of this treasured local small business.  Suzanne Podhaizer of Seven Days wrote about it recently.

Recession Response… steal from vs. help neighbors

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by • No comments yet

While some people respond to economic hard times by stealing from their neighbors, others turn to each other for mutual aid… and they use Front Porch Forum to get it done.  We just heard from Joanne that her posting helped a neighbor find a job!

I think you were the one who posted this [a job opening with the Census Bureau] to the Charlotte Shore Neighborhood forum.  Thank you very much, it led to a full time job for my father.

In fact FPF is flooded with neighbor-helping-neighbor stories.  Here a some recent ones… and kids food drives, a new community chorus, and daily occurances such as this visit from the Snowblower Fairy.

Mail Tampering and Gas Siphoning

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by • 1 comment

Several postings this week in the Old North End of Burlington on Front Porch Forum report stolen and damaged mail and missing checks.

Hi All, It seems that our mail  is also being tampered with.  Several envelopes have disappeared from our mailbox altogether. The post office does not have any helpful info. I would suggest collecting your mail as quickly as possible after it is delivered.

Another person wrote about someone stealing gasoline from cars with a siphon tube.  More symptoms of our national economic meltdown?

And one neighborhood to the south, Lauren posted…

Just want to let folks know that someone (or many) has been stealing bags of children’s clothing donated for refugees off my front porch on Orchard Terrace. The latest was Monday night, when a bag of much needed infant snowsuits was dropped off late-after 10:00PM-and gone by morning. I don’t understand it, but it has happened many times. If you notice anything please
speak up. Thanks.

Don’t talk about religion or politics?

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by • No comments yet

Growing up in the Midwest in the 1960s and 70s, I frequently heard that one simply did NOT talk about religion or politics.  I somehow combined this etiquette demand with the admonition that I was not to say swear words either.  Needless to say, this approach left me confused… “but how are you supposed to learn and debate and change if you can’t talk about this sh#$@t?”  Oops.

Many people, I think, still feel that it’s improper to talk about such matters among neighbors… at a block party, a school event, or on Front Porch Forum.

Recently, a member of the popular and rural Westford FPF forum posted a note about civil rights and gay marriage… an issue that is picking up steam in Vermont.  This led to a response from another resident…

If our Neighborhood Forum is going to turn into a political soapbox then I will remove myself from the mailing list.  I appreciate being kept informed on our community’s events, and knowing about lost dogs and items for sale, etc. I do NOT want to hear about somebody’s political or sexual orientation. I do not think this is an appropriate venue for such discussions.

And then a third neighbor responded to the above with…

online dictionary definition of a forum (#3)
an assembly, meeting place, … for the discussion of questions of public interest.

I like the Westford Neighborhood Forum from lost dogs, to school district issues, house sitters, farmers markets, and political issues… a place for the discussion of questions of public interest. We all won’t agree but let’s keep the forum open.

I am not interested in every posting on the Forum, but I am always eager to open the email marked Westford Neighborhood Forum and check out what is there.  I feel it is is a great resource for our community and hope it continues to grow.

It’s a tough question… some people are interested, able and willing to engage civilly about almost any topic, while others feel that some popular issues are simply out of bounds and should not be discussed openly.  Front Porch Forum’s mission is to help neighbors connect and foster community at the neighborhood/town level.  And to accomplish that we need lots of people to be involved… not just those of one political persuasion or another.  We also support open, civil and construction conversation among neighbors about many topics.  It’s a balancing act for all involved.

Kids Collect for Kids

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by • No comments yet

I was so impressed with the informal groups of neighbors who came together around Thanksgiving to collect donated food, each group in their own neighborhood, to pass on to local food shelves.  A group of people in the Laurel Hill area of South Burlington have been doing this for some years and they call it Kids Collect for Kids.  This year, one of the organizing parents, Monica Ostby, turned to Front Porch Forum to get the word out… in her own neighborhood, and also to spread the concept to other neighbors… and several took up the challenge!

I love the informal nature of this… and zero overhead costs.  And the kids work and learn… great all around.  Thanks Monica and everyone.

Community-building chorus in Winooski

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 by • 1 comment

An uplifting story from Matt Sutkoski at the Burlington Free Press today…

The city of Winooski needed more music, more songs, Maria Rinaldi decided earlier this year.

At about the same time, the same thought crossed the mind of Sister Pat McKittrick of the Sisters of Providence. “I wanted something to lift spirits and bring people to the community. I really believe music is healing,” she said.

The two women’s thoughts culminated recently in the inaugural concert of the Winooski Community Chorus. About a dozen chorus members entertained about 125 people Dec. 6 at the Sisters of Providence chapel. McKittrick said that was many more people than expected…

McKittrick and Rinaldi recruited chorus members by posting messages on Front Porch Forum and in church bulletins and by talking the chorus up to friends and relatives…


Maria Rinaldi

Serving your nation, your community or your neighborhood

Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2008 by • No comments yet

Craig Newmark writes in the Huffington Post today…

Deep in the Barack Obama platform, there’s a reference to “a craigslist for service.” It’s humbling to see our name in there, but I’d prefer to see that as only a metaphorical reference to the need for greater service to others, with the spirit and culture of trust of craigslist. Obama is inspiring millions of people to consider service to others, and to innovate for service. Check out what Barack says at change.gov

“When you choose to serve — whether it’s your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood — you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That’s why it’s called the American dream.”

Sounds like a description of how many folks use Front Porch Forum.

Bobcats, pet cats, and FPF

Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2008 by • No comments yet

Folks in Rural Charlotte having been posting about lost cats, and then today a member wrote…

The cat’s family has turned up, plus others looking for their cat. It’s amazing how fast Front Porch Forum gets people in touch with each other! Thanks!

Charlie followed up with his own posting…

Speaking of cats, I saw two bobcats loping through Horsfords towards demeter yesterday (Friday).  They may be why the cat at the Hammers is seeking refuge – I know our barn cat Mirabel hunkers into the barn more when a bobcat is around.  Greenbush Roaders may want to keep a close eye on their pets.

This is the first time I’ve seen bobcats roaming in pairs.  I suspect their population is on the rise.  Does anyone else think so?

Zip Codes and Polygons

Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by • No comments yet

Defining physical boundaries of neighborhoods is a cornerstone of Front Porch Forum. So we’re interested in local boundaries generally.  Vermont-based Maponics shares a good primer today about ZIP Codes and carrier routes (and they have neighborhood polygons too)…

The ZIP Code and carrier route coding system was specifically developed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in order to make mail delivery more efficient.  This means that what the average person refers to as a “ZIP Code”, is actually a collection of addresses that have the same 5-digit code assigned to them. The USPS then further splits up each of these ZIP Codes into smaller blocks of addresses: carrier routes. A carrier route literally corresponds to the group of addresses that an individual mail service employee is responsible for delivering to each day.

There are roughly 43,000 ZIP Codes in the US.  These are divided into approximately 600,000 unique carrier routes with, on average, 15 carrier routes per ZIP Code.  Fifty percent of these are PO Box-based carrier routes which do not have actual delivery areas.

ZIP Codes and carrier routes do not tie in to any other US geography. Because of this, they frequently cross city, census tract, county and even state boundaries. The USPS does not provide maps or map data for ZIP Codes and carrier routes. Businesses looking for postal map data to inform their sales territory tracking, direct marketing and other initiatives have to turn to private map data compilers for this information.

Read the full post…

“Happy neighbors make you happy”

Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by • No comments yet

My neighbor Greg Fanslow posted this on Front Porch Forum just now…

Something happened to our outlooks when we moved to the Five Sisters last summer. The sense of community seems to make people happier and we literally felt like it was quite contagious. Now there is compelling scientific evidence to show that having happy neighbors is good for you.

Yesterday I came across a recent article in the British Medical Journal that analyzed data from a long term study of 5,124 people from Framingham, Mass. While a lot of previous studies have looked at links between happiness and genetics and socioeconomic factors, this study looked at how peoples’ social connections influence happiness.

And they found that the happiness of your next door neighbors is a stronger predictor of your own happiness than any other significant relationships. Incredibly neighbors have a bigger effect than spouses!

The study concluded that:
– If a friend who lives within a mile of you becomes happy, it increases your chances of being happy by 25%
– if your coresident spouse becomes happy, your chances increase by 8%
– if your sibling living within a mile becomes happy your chances increase by 14%
– if your coworkers are happy, it has no effect on your happiness.
– if your NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR becomes happy, your chances increase by (drum roll please….) a whopping 34%!

So that’s right. If you have a grumpy coworker, it might be a nice thing to try and brighten their day, but you won’t benefit from your efforts very much. On the other hand, if your neighbor is feeling down in the dumps, it’s clearly worth it to cheer them up!

All that said, in spite of the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence, I plan to continue being accommodating and cheerful with my wife, Yolanda– just to be safe.

For the full article, see: http://jhfowler.ucsd.edu/dynamic_spread_of_happiness.pdf

Greg seems like a fairly happy guy… good for me!  I’ll try to return the favor.

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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