Vermont: My New Blog

Hi all,  I'm taking a break from this blog and have started a new one, Happy Vermont Life. So stop by and check out it.

I think I take strong women for granted.  I am surrounded by them. Let's start at the top with Hilary and move on down throughout the ranks of business (IBM) to media (too many to name) and on down the line. 

Then there are my friends.  They are strong in numerous ways.  Balancing challenging careers with raising kids.  Working for democracy in not so very nice places.   Raising children in a time when so many questions are asked about parenting techniques. 

But in Libya, I was awe struck.   She was petite and beautiful across the hotel lobby.  I noticed her right away and just had a sense that there was some spark there.  It wasn't until the next night at dinner when a colleague and I joined her that I heard her story.  Of how she escaped to Tunisia after Gaddafi thugs went after her.  Of how her brother was arrested and tortured. Of how she helped in the refugee camps.

She is one of the many heros I met 2 weeks ago. I regret that I didn't take her photo.  But these photos symbolize what she fought for - and likely many other strong Libyan women like her.

My Travels to Libya

Libya, he said. Would I go to Libya.  It seemed like such an impossibility just a few short months ago.  But there I was with visa in hand boarding the plane just over a week ago.

And now as I sit to write this, I don't know where to begin to tell you what I saw. Who I met. What I learned about resilience and bravery. And hope.

But let me share with you some of the simple beauty that I saw there.

 From ornate slippers piled up so carefully.

 To Ostrich eggs in a wooden bowl.

To a simple fish pillow with colorful pom poms and a red eye.

But I Can Dream...

This week, some of our friends are in one of our favorite spots, Tulum, soaking up the sun and sipping cold limonadas beach side, probably eating home made guacemole.  Others are in Vermont, where the Snow God has finally decided to smile her grace upon them.

Oh, I am a wee bit jealous as I sit in grey D.C.  So, thank you West Elm for making me feel better. For transporting me to Marrakech, a city that is magical. Intoxicating. A shopper's paradise.  A city I have been lucky enough to visit.  Now, I'm thinking our Vermont barn renovation nook should be in a Moroccan theme. Hmm....

Vermont cuties

Who are these cuties?  And why do they love the city so much?  They are clearly kids who can appreciate cold temperatures.  But they did LOVE, LOVE, LOVE coming back to our house in D.C.

But I know they will miss this too.

Making a List -- In a Vermont Kind of Way

We've been making a list.  Not the checkin' it twice kind but a very special kind nonetheless. 

We're making a list of all the things we'll miss about Vermont, since we will be leaving in just 3 days.  Our four months of Vermont living are coming to a close and we return to the big city in just few days.

Some higlights from our list:

Starry nights.  Clifford Pond.  Fall afternoons near our stream.  Fresh fallen snow. Our tree house.

Walks in the woods.  The quiet. The darkness at night.  Our house.

Vermont fresh food.  Lewis Creek farm share.  Bristol Bakery.  Fresh everything.

Our friends (you know who you are).  The Robinson community.  Starksboro.

We've learned so much about Vermont and know there is so much more awaiting us.

Christmas is Coming....and the Goose is Getting Fat

And the decorations are going up. We had a quintessentially Vermont day.  Too tired to tell you until tomorrow.

The Big Apple, Part 2

Well, the girls weren't the only ones who got to have some fun.   The mommies definitely got into the spirit of the place, with pomegranat martinis in the fancy Rose Room at "oh, that hotel."  Eye candy shopping at Bergdorf's.  Dinner at Mercer Kitchen.  Boot shopping and more on Columbus Avenue.

Although I must say it's hard to determine who had more fun when I look at this photo!

The Big Apple

There were pretty pink dresses to wear. In a fancy, mirrored dressing room.

And piles of tea cakes delivered by a fancy waiter in a fancy dining room with chandeliers.

And a big store with such pretty dolls.

And oh, there was a big park with brilliant fall leaves.

Did I mention we went to New York City? And had a blast!

Facing Hard Truths in S. Sudan

I wrote this last week when I was in Juba:

There are so many things we take for granted. Clean sheets. A mattress. Windows.  Toothpaste. Clean drinking water.  Yet here in Juba, I’m reminded every day of the bounty of my world and the inequalities that exist between the developed and the developing world.  I ride through the markets and look at the window at the women toiling away.  Many I see balancing a large load on their heads, a baby on their back and carrying heavy bags in the hot, morning sun as they walk along a dusty road.

This is their lot in life.  Mine is to drive in a car to work, stopping for a latte, with my child safely in a school or someone else’s care.  Today at the office, the coffee/tea lady came in with a baby on her back. I marveled at her.  How did she find this job? How far did she walk?  Was her child healthy? Later I saw that same baby peacefully asleep on a hard cement patch out near where the cars are kept. What fate will that child have?

Cheeky London

I love certain British words.   Like cheeky and such.  There's something lilting and friendly about British English that makes even the most mundane conversation uplifting. So, here's to British English. And all my Brit friends and colleagues that keep me smiling beneath the surface.

Ah, Fall Colors

I didn't take this photo and I wasn't even there. But can't you just smell the delicious fall air in Vermont and hear the rustling of crispy leaves?  Brad took this at Clifford Pond, just minutes from our house in Starksboro last weekend.

Heading to Juba

Haven't been good about blogging and won't get any better these next 2 weeks. Heading to London on Sunday and then onto Juba, S. Sudan, via Nairobi.  Can't wait to see our newest nation in the world.

It's Friday in Vermont

Happy Friday everyone. Have a wonderful fall weekend!

You know that feeling when you regret that something has not happened, but yet you are relieved? That feeling when you've suddenly been thrown off course but then you steady yourself and realize that you are still standing and it somehow feels better?

That's the feeling I got tonight when my flight to D.C. was postponed 4 times and then cancelled. And then I got that feeling again when the 5:30 a.m. Friday flight was cancelled.

Somehow I just knew it was not meant to be.

So instead we played with new toys like Break the Ice and a loud orange truck that zooms across the hardwood floor.  And ate edamame and beef with broccoli at an Asian place recommended by Nazgul.

And cuddled in bed way past bedtime even if they were a bit cranky.

We are in Vermont afterall. The land of the Fried Oreo at the county fair.

Goodnight.