Ok, a bit of a departure here for me, but it is the time of year when baked beans are very popular, at least with me. My grandmother made baked beans and always brought them to every family gathering. I loved them, and I asked her to teach me how to bake beans. I wanted …
Author Archives: Ed Pirie
Lost Valley
During the “war” my grandfather bought an old Vermont hill farm in Washington. Gas was being rationed and it took more gas to go to his camp on Joes Pond so the hill farm in Washington was a good option, at least for him, and later, for me too. This hill farm was soon for …
Something I Have Noticed About Rural Vermont (and I am a lifelong Vermonter)
We all like and enjoy the pastoral and country images that are brought to mind when we think of rural Vermont. For years, publications like “Vermont Life” and “Yankee Magazine” have depended on all the enjoyment their readers got from the simpler, peaceful, and nostalgic way of life these images have conveyed on their pages. …
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More of a local issue, but maybe bigger – atvs
Fair warning: I have submitted this piece to the “Times-Argus” Something not considered in the atv story – the homeowner This piece will create a pile of opposition, but I am sorry, it needs to be said. Just like there are good motorists and bad motorists, there are also good atv users and bad ones. …
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No, We Are Not Exceptional -spoiler alert – (I am bitching about our health care insurance system)
Yesterday, I spent over 3 hours (closer to 4 hours than 3) on the phone trying to dig out of a health insurance debacle. This tragedy started on Sunday when I went to pick up my wife’s prescriptions at the Walmart Pharmacy. The pharmacy tech asked me if I was prepared to pay over $300.00 …
Pointing Out Some Hypocrisy
I noticed that the state of Louisiana has issued evacuation orders to its citizens in the path of incoming Hurricane Ida. These orders are being made to protect the citizens of Louisiana and provide for public safety. This can easily be described as an order that restricts or takes away individual rights. Historically, states in …
Riding with Paul Revere and Such…
All of us would like to think we can return to some sort of a pre pandemic normal. I am not so sure we can – just yet. I have been to at least one social event this summer where my suspicions of many attending not being vaccinated proved to be correct. So all of …
A Man At Peace With His World (me and power tools)
This is a hard post to write, not because it is dripping in some sort of partisanship, but because it is about me and the stage of life I am now in. For those of you that know me, you know my age is 69 and I will be 70 this November. I am far …
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What I Think About Where We Are At This Time With The Pandemic
To dispel the idea that a large part of the labor force is choosing to sit at home and live the good life on unemployment: A significant number of Americans in the age 50 and older group chose to retire since the beginning of the Pandemic; for many, the choice is having some quality time …
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Our Gun Culture
And yes, we do have a gun culture. I grew up in Vermont and my family were hunters. The annual hunting seasons were looked forward to every year. It was another time for cousins and relatives to get together and enjoy each other’s company. For us younger cousins, it was more time with our best …
