VOICES FROM OVER THE HILL AND THROUGH VERMONT

On the early morning of September 11, 2001, I had arrived at school at about 6:30 as usual and had no reason to believe it would be other than a typical day. After greeting students as they arrived on their buses and chatting with parents dropping off their kids, I was working with a small group of students in the library for about half an hour. When I returned to our office, Donna, the school secretary, informed me that she heard on the news that a plane had hit the World Tr

On the early morning of September 11, 2001, I had arrived at school at about 6:30 as usual and had no reason to believe it would be other than a typical day. After greeting students as they arrived on their buses and chatting with parents dropping off their kids, I was working with a small group of students in the library for about half an hour. When I returned to our office, Donna, the school secretary, informed me that she heard on the news that a plane had hit the World Tr

Two lads holding onto a double sized tarp, pulling it up over the top of two fully loaded hay wagons when the wind picks up. Those boys fight hard and win, until the wind grabs the tarp as if to yank it and billow it up and off the wagon. The boys do not give up. Meanwhile, a tractor is out in the field chasing windrows that are running faster than the tractor hauling the baler can keep up with. Fully powering the tractor, means the baler is going top speed. The driver looks

I dread hay season. Every part of my being shutters at the thought of beginning another summer of haying. But on the flip side of that statement, I have some great friends down there that join me. I have a red-tailed hawk that has joined me every year for many years now. His name is Falcone and he glides by and comes in for lunch that I prepare for him as I rake the hay up and expose his feast. He is my best friend in the hay field. I also have my barn swallow friends that ci

A storm of rain but no thunder. Cloudbursts but no lightening. Sudden winds and unexpected magic. I was doing the dishes when something called It was just a small voice Nothing special The voice easy to ignore as frivolous or silly or stupid It said go out in the rain like your mother said you could when you were a child There is no thunder, no lightening, it is okay to be in the rain Have fun with it And so I left the dishes behind pulled my eyeglasses off my head my shoes f

His beloved Vespa motor scooter had been stolen. I noticed it missing, early morning. I went back to the bedroom. "Gil, are you awake? Your bike isn't out back." "I know." "Where is it?" "Stolen." He went back to sleep. When he got up he asked me to drive him to the bus station. "You have to report the theft to the police or your insurance won't —" "I've got everything under control, don't worry about it. Could you drive me to the bus station?" He was still half asleep withou