Ghost of Midnight
… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum
Very old, mostly deaf and blind dog finds self
Posted on the Huntington Front Porch Forum on Wednesday…
Our orange and white Brittany spaniel Emma is still missing. She’s very old, mostly blind and deaf. With the help of several neighbors, we spent yesterday, a chunk of the night, and again this morning searching the Camels Hump ski trails to no avail. Our best hope is that she wandered out onto a road and took refuge in someone’s shed or barn… She’s wearing a green collar that has our phone number on it.
And the happy-ending follow-up on Friday…
Some 20 minutes after yesterday’s Front Porch Forum was published, I stood at the window, as I have done so many times over the last several days, staring into the darkness, picturing in my mind Emma walking across the yard as she used to do. All of a sudden, the motion sensor light clicked on, and there she was! Exactly as I was picturing in my mind!… A mirage? Hallucination from lack of sleep? I yelled, we all yelled, and ran out the door to scoop her up. She was skinny, her paws were iced up, but she looked pretty normal and happy… and determined.
Our neighbor, a vet, stopped by a little later to look her over and she checked out pretty well… cold, a few raw spots on her feet and legs, but Wow.
We want to thank our neighbors, friends and family who helped in the search, although it was Emma who got herself home, several folks put in hours and miles in the woods and roads to help look for her. And thanks to the community for some many hopeful and encouraging words. We were close, but we didn’t give up hope. And more importantly, Emma didn’t give up!
“Thanks for being a digital Town Meeting prep station”
It’s Town Meeting season. We get plenty of questions about how to use Front Porch Forum to address local issues this time of year, so we thought we’d share the following.
Postings about local Town Meeting topics, elections and ballot measures are welcome on each FPF. We ask that people who submit postings keep their tone civil one person’s witty remark is another’s cutting insult. Also, please focus on the topic rather than on specific neighbors. If you think someone is abusing this opportunity for open community dialogue, feel free to contact us with details.
Every single town in Vermont now has Front Porch Forum, and many of them become more lively this time of year as neighbors ask questions and share facts and opinions leading up to Town Meeting Day. We’re grateful to be able to make this contribution to Vermont’s centuries-long tradition of local and democratic decision making. We’ve heard repeatedly that people feel more informed and better able to participate and vote on Town Meeting Day thanks to their neighbors’ postings on their local FPFs. Please feel welcome to join in.
Of course the best way to participate is by showing up at Town Meeting and/or the ballot box!
P.S. From Susan in Montpelier today… “Thanks for being a digital Town Meeting prep station (ugh)… but you know what I mean, right?”
Huskies reunited with owner!
Posted by Suzi on the Hinesburg Front Porch Forum recently…
Just thought I’d share the good news and thanks to all… The owner of the missin huskies called me this morning from Starksboro (once again FPF saves the day) and it turns out she has 3 Huskies- their gate was accidentally opened on Friday morning and she managed to grab one but the other 2 bolted off. She searched by car for hours with no luck and they managed to travel all the way up through Huntington and into Hinesburg where I found them Friday night… amazing animals! Anyway, thought I’d share the happy ending to the story. 🙂
How does your community use your FPF?
Here’s a tiny sample of Front Porch Forum postings from across Vermont yesterday…
Bennington FPF by Kelly: “The Southshire Community Market received a huge amount of support using Front Porch Forum to test our new educational website. Thanks for all your help!”
Swanton FPF by Ken: “Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is on Front Porch Forum now! Hello, after last night’s great meeting at MVU I have created an FPF account and will be posting events on FPF to try and get the word out about refuge activities and opportunities. I’ve added several events to the Swanton FPF Community Calendar stretching to June so please take a look.”
Danville Peacham FPF by Annie: “I’m in search of various items to furnish our new home and thought I’d put it to our Front Porch Forum before we went and bought new. We are looking for: Queen or full mattress and box spring, futon, night stands, kitchen table and chairs.”
Stowe FPF by Kyle: “We at Morrisville Lumber are also tired of this sub-zero streak and are also brand new to this Front Porch Forum phenomenon. With that in mind, for tomorrow only, Eric and Kyle will bribe you out of your cozy homes and into the Stowe store by offering 15% off your total purchase (regularly priced non-discounted items) for all cash or credit card sales! The only way to get this discount however is to mention that you saw this post on Front Porch Forum!”
Middlebury FPF by Marni: “Thank you to all that responded to my post about getting rid of kitchen scraps for compost! It sure is good to be back and enjoying the awesome community forum provided by Front Porch Forum. After a year in the south it sure is good to be experiencing such things as FPF… So grateful to be back in this beautiful state!”
Worcester FPF by Sara: “Still downsizing… So we have a few things left to offer if there are any interested neighbors. An antique bench ($25), a beautiful antique tea cart ($225), two air conditioners ($75 for newer, $25 for older) one dehumidifier ($85), a pub table with a few scratches but solid wood ($35)… It has been wonderful to meet some of you through Front Porch Forum!”
Waterbury FPF by Anne: “Running through Feb. 8, Waterbury’s Winterfest is a packed full schedule of all kinds winter activities. The complete 10 day schedule may be seen on the web site: waterburywinterfest.com, daily event schedules will be on Front Porch Forum, and the Waterbury Winterfest Minute will be heard on WDEV each morning of Winterfest.”
Shelburne FPF by Scott: “Four Blizzak winter tires for sale, $200. Still have 2-3 seasons left in these. They were taken off last spring and weren’t put back on in favor of all season tires. Great condition! Came off 2012 Subaru Outback. Size is 225-60-17. Front Porch Forum folks have first crack at them, then going up on craigslist.”
Northfield FPF by Gretchen: “How to build a community: Turn off your TV. Leave your house Know your neighbors. Look up when you are walking. Greet people. Sit on your stoop. Plant flowers. Use your library. Play together. Buy from local merchants. Share what you have. Help a lost dog. Take children to the park. Garden together. Support neighborhood schools. Fix it even if you didn’t break it. Have pot lucks. (Part 1 from Poster by K. Kerney)”
Many thanks to many neighbors
I was hiking through the golf course on Saturday and lost my phone while wandering around for two hours. Saw many hikers, skiers, dog walkers, and many took my number and offered to call for the next hour or so, hoping it would alert someone. The dog walker even suggested I let her dog sniff my glove because he was a good tracker. She promised to leave the phone on my car if she found it. After an additional hour of looking, I figured it was hopeless. Got in my car, but decided to go to upper parking lot and try one more time, retracing steps. Unbelievably, I found it, but more unbelievable is that in the last 45 minutes I had 14 missed calls recorded on my phone — all my helpers! When I called one number back, the most persistent, to thank him and tell him how astounded I was at so many calls, his response was: “Welcome to Vermont.” Warms my heart.
Shared by Pat on her Front Porch Forum in the South End of Burlington today.
Liz Stephen: US Ski Team
Shared by Daniel with his neighbors on the East Montpelier Front Porch Forum today…
East Montpelier native and FPF member Liz Stephen is skiing right up to the podiums this year. Her latest victory a US record. http://nordic.usskiteam.com/news/stephen-makes-history-us-team Not only does she represent the US team well, she also takes the time to visit our schools to inspire and encourage our students. She is sincere, positive and team oriented.
To Liz and her family, congratulations and keep up the excellence. Your home town is proud and supports you.
TechPresident and new book cover Vermont’s FPF
Front Porch Forum is featured in a new book by Allison Fine, as well as an article published on TechPresident today.
Allison’s book is called Matterness: Fearless Leadership For a Social World…
Many current and future leaders are locked inside their organizations afraid to venture out into the world. By doing so they are missing the true threat of avoiding the connected world. Here it is: Avoiders and their organizations become irrelevant literally don’t matter anymore and “age out” of their jobs and industries. Fear of losing control over every little detail prevents attention to details that do matter. Meanwhile precious energy is lost protecting yourself and your organization from change that’s not fully understood or appreciated. Exhaustion and inertia kick in. Bottom lines go red. Now that is the truly scary stuff.
Roots of Passion… finding happiness thru meaningful work
Check out Live Happy magazine on newsstands everywhere this month (Feb. 2015). “Roots of Passion” focuses on four people who “found happiness in lives filled with purpose and meaning,” including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and Front Porch Forum co-founder Michael Wood-Lewis…
Need a financial advisor? Ask neighbors on FPF
Martha shared the following on her East Montpelier Front Porch Forum today…
Last week I posted requesting recommendations for a financial adviser to help me with retirement planning. Over 25 wonderful neighbors responded. Thank you all. Several people asked me to send them the names I received, so I thought I would open it up to FPF. If you would like to see the list of recommended financial advisers, email me and I’ll pass it on.
Business owner offers $5,000 reward on FPF for info about fire
The Stowe Reporter used the Morrisville Front Porch Forum recently to learn…
A Morristown man is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for a fire that destroyed his business last year. But state fire investigators say the blaze wasn’t suspicious and there is no active investigation.
Most traditional media outlets in Vermont use their local FPFs for leads to stories that they investigate and report on. We’re glad to play this role… and others. Further, we appreciate when proper attribution is included in the piece, e.g….
He posted a notice on Front Porch Forum last week, offering a $5,000 reward in hope that someone would contact state police with information.
Stowe and the surround communities are fortunate to have the Reporter and the Record digging into local stories.
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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