Vermont | Ghost of Midnight

Ten Words for 2010 – Enter FPF Raffle!

Posted on Sunday, January 10, 2010 by Michael • 29 comments

To celebrate 2010 and have a little fun, we invite Front Porch Forum members (this means you!) to submit postings to their neighborhood forum between January 10 and 12, 2010. Any message that has EXACTLY ten words will be entered into a raffle for the following ten prizes…

One-night stay at The Essex Resort and Spa ($269 value)
Solio portable solar charger for iPod/digital camera/etc. from Seventh Generation ($100 value)
$100 gift certificate toward any youth or adult art class at Davis Studio
Three-month membership to Hammerfit Athletic Club and Motion Studio ($100 value)
$100 opening deposit for a Power Saver CD at Opportunities Credit Union
Great Harvest Bakery “Year of Free Bread” – one loaf/month for a year ($70 value)
Two pairs of tickets to Higher Ground Comedy Battle Jan. 17 ($30/pair value)
Five-class pass to South End Studio ($60 value)
$100 gift certificate from 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Personal Training Session at Greater Burlington YMCA ($65 value)
An assortment of 20 greeting cards from Sweet Basil Cards ($60 value)

Don’t delay! Post your “car for sale,” “seeking snow removal” or “lost cat” message today… or share a neighborhood resolution, poem, joke, hope for your town… you decide. Any ten-word posting received by Front Porch Forum between Jan. 10 and 12 will be entered in the raffle! An individual may enter the drawing up to twice a day.

Thanks to our raffle sponsors and happy 2010!

P.S. Trouble posting? Just hit reply to an FPF email, or post via our website.

P.P.S. Posting a comment to this blog will NOT enter you in the raffle! You must post to your FPF neighborhood forum to enter the drawing.

UPDATE 1: See sample entries from FPF members.

UPDATE 2: Raffle winners announced!

The decade’s Vermonters who know how to get things done

Posted on Friday, January 1, 2010 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Thanks to the Burlington Free Press for including a Front Porch Forum co-founder in its list of the decade’s Vermonters “who know how to get things done!”

UPDATE: Now the Freeps has the story online too.

Shihtzu fends off Shovel Man Robber!

Posted on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 by Michael • 1 comment

Residents of Burlington’s New North End have been reporting on Front Porch Forum break-ins and scams targeting the elderly this past week. Looks like one FPF member has found a solution…

Just another voice to add to the neighborhoods re. the shoveling robber. On Monday, the 28th, a man approached our home on Grey Meadow Drive. My husband was in the backyard and Odin, our 22 lb Shihtzu was with him playing ball. Odie took off barking like the fierce Tibetan Temple guard dog he is and next we know he was in front barking furiously while chasing a man who was running for life, out of our open garage. He had expletives for our good good dog while yelling to us “I only was trying to shovel!”…. well, we knew him for what he was! These are hard times for many people…so neighborhood watches and neighborly communication about these events are good prevention. Also recommended: get a fierce Tibetan Shihtzu: small but fierce!!

Neighbor inspired to knit for homeless… currently 12°F

Posted on Thursday, December 17, 2009 by Michael • 1 comment

From ebebee crafts blog…

I read a posting in Front Porch Forum just now about a collection of warm hats and gloves and socks for homeless people on December 21st, which is apparently National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, in honor of those who have died homeless. An important cause! I passed a guy sitting in a doorway today on Church Street, and I felt really bad that I didn’t have any spare change to give him. It’s really cold out there tonight! I hope everyone has found space in a shelter or somewhere else warm to sleep.

So, anyway, it inspired me to start knitting a wool hat to bring to the collection drive. I’ve completed a couple of inches already. Plenty of time before the 21st to finish it. Maybe I’ll go buy some wool socks from the “sox market” too. And Uncommon Grounds, where you’re supposed to bring donations, is also giving out free coffee, which is really nice of them. And they have yummy coffee.

So, yeah. It feels good to be inspired by this, and I hope that the hat I make will end up on someone’s head and that it will keep their ears warm.

Here’s the original post…

Give the Gift of Warmth and Get a FREE Hot Coffee! Across the nation, December 21st is recognized as the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. This day serves as a time to remember our neighbors who have died homeless during the year.

On this first day of winter and the longest day of the year, the Community Health Center of Burlington (CHCB) and Uncommon Grounds have partnered to take action and to not only remember those who have died, but to help ensure that those who continue to struggle with homelessness have at least a warm pair of socks, gloves and a hat.

Bring in a new pair of warm/wool socks, gloves, or a hat to Uncommon Grounds, located at 42 Church Street, between 7 am – 8 pm on Monday, December 21st and receive a free small coffee. Hot, freshly brewed coffee, donated by Uncommon Grounds, will also be served to CHCB’s homeless patients during the day at the Safe Harbor Clinic.

Please take the time on Monday when you drive down Main Street and see the big purple ribbon on the memorial tree on the lawn of the Fletcher Free Library to pause and remember those who have died homeless this year; and if you’re on Church Street finishing up your holiday shopping, please stop by Uncommon Grounds to donate a new pair of socks/gloves/hat and warm up with a free cup of coffee.

For more information about the Community Health Center or their Homeless Health Care services visit http://www.chcb.org Thank you!

Help distribute millions of dollars for local news projects

Posted on Monday, December 14, 2009 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Front Porch Forum is in the running again for a Knight News Challenge grant. Check out our entry here and please give it five stars! (Just click on the rightmost star.) We’d love to read your comments about the proposal too (scroll to the bottom of our News Challenge page to leave a comment).

Thanks and thanks too to the Knight Foundation… they catalyze and fund loads of important work at the intersection of local news, community, democracy and technology.

Ten helpful neighbors, 12 hours, and Scooby comes home

Posted on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by Michael • 2 comments

Some heartening sample postings from Front Porch Forum in the past day or two…

First, a simple case from Meg in Essex Junction…

I wanted to extend a huge thank you to all who replied to my message posted just yesterday. I have been fortunate to receive at least 10 (yes, 10!) auto mechanic recommendations…happy holidays.

Second, from Sarah in Burlington’s South End…

Thanks to the Front Porch Forum and my fantastic neighbors, I recovered my stolen bicycle within 12 hours.

And third, from Allen in South Burlington to his nearby neighbors…

When neighbors help neighbors very good things can happen!

A month ago I posted a notice on Front Porch Forum about loosing our 12 year old tiger cat, Scooby (he disappeared the evening of November 8th). Well, on Saturday a minor miracle happened. I got a call from the Humane Society that someone had brought in a cat that matched Scooby’s description. The person who brought the cat in was Jay Pasackow, a person I knew of through his real estate business. Jay had had this cat hanging around his house in the Laurel Hill area near Shelburne Road (almost 3 miles from our house) for several days.

I excitedly, but apprehensively, agreed to meet with the Jay knowing full well that after a month this stray cat was very unlikely to be our Scooby. When Jay came to my house and showed me what was in the cat carrier I couldn’t believe my eyes – IT WAS SCOOBY! And, other than being emaciated from probably eating little in a month, he seemed to be in good shape!

Now Scooby is back in our house, curled up in front of a crackling fire, with a full belly and quite content. He hasn’t even asked to go outside once yet! So much thanks to Jay Pasackow for taking the time out of his busy day to help Scooby get back home!

When neighbors help neighbors very good things can happen!

Followed by…

To Allen – Thanks so much for sharing the story of your joyful reunion with your kitty cat. It was really nice to read. It came at the end of a tough day and was just the thing to lift my spirit. -Ellen

Must-read posting about… Free toaster

Posted on Friday, December 4, 2009 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

I haven’t laughed this hard in awhile. From Matt Gang in Burlington’s Old North End tonight on Front Porch Forum…

Free toaster

Are you tired of your trust worthy toaster, tirelessly toasting your toast to the desired toastiness? Boring!!!

Are you ready for an adventure? My toaster won’t let you down. You won’t start every morning with loud expletives and a smoked filled kitchen, just enough mornings to keep you constantly paranoid, and your neighbors heavily invested in fire insurance. Yes sir, the folks at Silex Proctor really broke the mold with this one. This toaster doesn’t view it’s temp. dial as an order, more as a suggestion. Sometimes brown means it will burn your bread product to a point that would require dental records for identification. At other times brown means the moment after you exit the kitchen, it will fling the still white bread into the stratosphere. Sometimes brown means that it won’t even accept the toast, preferring to make a loud buzzing noise whenever it’s overly sensitive lever is depressed.

I’m sure that at this point most everyone is just waiting for information on where to pick up this little beauty, but my conscience requires me to unearth a few of it’s less redeeming qualities.

This toaster is possessed by several malignant spirits.
It may be a portal to hell.
It cannot stand bagels, british muffins, or any other bread products come to think of it.
It can shoot flames as far as it can hurl fiery hunks of crust.

Please, please, please, take my toaster. I’m afraid of what will happen if I throw it out. Don’t tell it that I wrote this.

FPF in the ONE

Posted on Friday, November 27, 2009 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

From a family who makes the most out of FPF…

As Front Porch Forum is high on our list of FPF we appreciate about this neighborhood and this community, we decided to make a financial contribution to support this very worthy cause. We encourage you to do the same in whatever amount fits your budget. Clearly we all want this forum to be around for a long, long time!

Where else can you possibly find out about all of the amazing things happening right in the neighborhood, and engage in such lively dialogue with your neighbors about Burlington happenings? Our FPF is tailored to the ONE and its fantastic blend of personalities, opinions, and politics — so evident with each edition landing in our in-box. Our family calendar routinely fills up each week (and quickly!) with events and activities we read about on FPF — often they are free and within easy walking distance. Bumping into friends once there only further reminds us of the value of FPF.

FPF has helped us to… meet our neighbors through buying, selling, and bartering, find a dog sitter, learn about nearby businesses we love to support, formulate our opinions regarding local politics, better connect our kids to local sports, theatre, music and art, sample new and delicious foods, and advertise a variety of school-related events with outstanding results. There is nothing else out there that helps us feel connected and stay connected in quite the same way, whether it be by posting information or by reading someone else’s news. Financially supporting this local venture helps to ensure that a quality service that we all increasingly rely on stays viable and strong during these trying economic times. Supporting this local Vermont venture just feels right.

We hope you too will support Front Porch Forum! Now’s the time.

-Siobhan Donegan
-Vince Brennan, Burlington School Commissioner

And another note just arrived from the O.N.E…

I’m also urging my neighbors to support Front Porch Forum. Look at what we all gain by gathering online to share tips, questions, and information that bind all of us together based on shared interests and concerns. During this season of gratitude, please consider donating to preserve the wonderful effort behind FPF. Thank you!

-Megan Humphrey

UPDATE: Another nice note from nearby the two above today… from Maggie…

I loaned a guitar to someone for four weeks and was unexpectedly rewarded with baked goods! Thanks for building community.

Stove Proceeds go to Neighborhood Forum

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 by Michael • 1 comment

Jeannette in Huntington posts on FPF today…

Hello Neighbors, We have a seven year old “Frigidaire” brand gas cooking range for sale. White. Excellent condition. Oven takes 1 to 2 hours to heat up to temp. You will need to arrange pick-up. $50…all proceeds from sale will go to Front Porch Forum.

Thanks Jeannette!

← Older posts

Newer posts →

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

Category Archives: Vermont

About Blog

Yearly Archives

Post Categories

Category Archives: Vermont

Search the Blog

Yearly Archives

Post Categories