Category Archives: Local Search
Neighbors rescue Bear, the trapped labradoodle
Bear the dog… a story with a happy ending on the Randolph-area Front Porch Forum. First, the call went out from Rachel on Thursday…
Family labradoodle lost at about 5:00pm Wednesday night, large and cream colored, very friendly but may bark or be shy to approach. He left wearing a collar with tags and a black leash, but I’m hoping that they would have slipped off if he caught on something.
Both dogs ran off while I was closing up the chicken coop and were out of sight when I turned back. They have done this before, but they usually come back within the hour. This time one of them did, but Bear is still out there! We’ve been tracking him through our woods all night but with no luck.
Please let us know if you’ve seen him!
Followed by good news the next day from Mary…
Without Front Porch Forum a dog and its family would have been very upset. While Samantha was walking down the hill from Brookfield Elementary School she heard an unusual dog in the neighborhood barking. She wanted to find out if the dog needed help. She tramped through the deep snow to locate the dog and helped to return it to the dog’s owners. The dog was trapped by its leash under the ice and snow in a field away from houses.
Bear, the dog, and the rest of us want to thank Samantha for rescuing Bear.
And gratitude from Bear’s family…
Bear was found and returned to us safely Thursday evening!
We can’t thank you all enough for your thoughts and notes, and we are especially grateful to Samantha and Mary who brought him home. We are so lucky to live in such a wonderful community. Thank you!
“Charlotte neighbors and FPF – thank you!”
Jill in Charlotte posted this yesterday on her FPF…
Recently, I posted on Front Porch Forum about accommodation for my sister and her family over the holidays. I received such wonderful responses, a range of great possibilities! She did end up going with one of them.
And, just today, I picked up my car from Chris at Charlotte Collision. I called him because I remembered at least one FPF post singing his praises. I’d like to add my voice: Chris looked at the damage to my car, gave me an estimate and an appt, and today it was ready for pick up. It looks great and Chris was very reasonable, commonsensical, easy, and lots of fun to do business with.
Charlotte neighbors and FPF — thank you!
Moving to Ripton… neighbor gratitude
“Thanks to a Front Porch Forum member, I quickly found help for my move to the Ripton area. Hurrah!” Posted by Jean on the FPF that serves Ripton.
Talking cats?
“Gray and white kitten was picked up by her owner 30 minutes after posting. Until cats start talking, Front Porch Forum is the next best thing.”
Posted by Larry on his Five Sisters FPF today in Burlington.
Surveying neighbors made easy
A growing number of Vermonters are using their local Front Porch Forum to survey their neighbors about a wide variety of issues. From the Burlington Free Press this week…
Westford selectboard member Alex Weinhagen knows a thing or two about rural Vermont towns, but when he sent out a survey through Front Porch Forum to his Westford neighbors he got schooled.
This survey asked if potholes should be used as a speed deterrent. Seventy percent of respondents shot down the idea.
The online survey received 80 responses in less than 48 hours. Ninety-eight people responded total…
Seeking relationship-based answer over computer-generated one
Eva saw a sign on a utility pole in her rural corner of Underhill, Vt. in late August announcing “The Rover is Coming!” She was eager to know more so that she could unload her household hazardous waste. But, alas, the print was too small on the sign and she missed the details as she drove by.
Later that day, she asked her neighbors for help by posting to her local Front Porch Forum: “Does anyone know where and when the Rover is coming and what it will take? Thanks.”
She got her answer and more, as she shared in her follow-up posting the next day:
I guess I am new school enough to use Front Porch Forum but just enough old school that “Googling” is still not an instinctive response.
There is just enough old school left in me to naturally seek out a relationship-based answer over a computer-generated one, albeit through the computer.
I am so glad that I did! I “met” my next door neighbor through my FPF inquiry and had a nice back and forth introduction via email.
I would have missed the opportunity by turning solely to “www”. And just maybe my inquiry let others know, who didn’t already, that the Rover was on its way next month.
This is FPF in a nutshell: solve a problem and connect with neighbors along the way.
Town animal control officer tips for finding lost pets…
Posted on a central Vermont FPF today…
Sunday’s FPF posting about the found cat on Center Rd sure brought me a lot of responses! Happily, she is back home with her family as of last night!
There are many other lost cats in our community, and I thought I’d post some suggestions.
First, do not give up hope. The kitty who made it home last night was almost FIVE MILES from her house, and had been missing for a week. When your cat or dog goes missing, you should post it on your local Front Porch Forum, and use the check-off to let neighboring FPFs see the post. You should also post on Facebook… and email all pertinent information to [your local] Humane Society.
If you find a stray animal, please call [your local animal control officer]… I’d also like to make a plug here for micro-chipping your pets — it’s safe, economical, and can make the difference for getting your pet back. And one more thing — LICENSE your dog with our town clerk – that really helps me to figure out where they belong! Thank you all for caring about our community’s animals.
Neighbor helping neighbor… but how about debate?
#VT – Most FPF postings are simple items among neighbors… lost dogs, babysitter tips, car break-in reports, free couches and the like. Many people find this very useful. Occasionally, neighbors will dive into a controversial local topic on their FPF and the tone will grow heated. Just as often, people will use their Front Porch Forum for wonderful ends, as demonstrated by this recent Underhill FPF posting from a couple whose house was demolished a few days ago by flash floods…
To all of our family, friends, neighbors, perfect strangers, and fellow community members: We want to take this opportunity to express our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks for the kindness, support, and pure generosity that you have expressed toward our family. From the tireless assistance of the Underhill/Jericho fire department, to the cupcakes, prayers, smiles, maple syrup, and donations provided by all of your caring hearts, we can honestly say that the past five days of picking through wreckage, shoveling muck, and breathing moldy air has been nothing short of amazing. Thanks to you all! May your generosity be returned ten-fold.
So, of those three classes of postings, most people appreciate the (1) neighborly exchange of announcements, tips, transactions, and stuff. And nearly everybody loves (2) a heart-warming tale of neighbor helping neighbor. But some folks are really turned off by (3) neighbors discussing or arguing about hot local topics. Lots of different perspectives out there!
Neighbor stampede in Richmond
#VT – Does FPF get results?
Well, if we ever want to stage a gathering of the entire town, I think I know what we need to do — just tell everyone there are $15 raised beds in a specific location, and they’ll all come running.
I was inundated with inquiries about my raised beds. They were claimed less than 60 seconds after the Front Porch Forum e-newsletter went out, and I continued to receive a steady stream of emails all night. After it passed 30, I was forced to put a filter on my email.
My apologies for not being able to get back to everyone. It was just overwhelming.
Posted by Aaron on the Richmond FPF today following up his “raised beds for sale” posting yesterday.
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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