Daybreak Wednesday 1/17/24

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Cold, mix of sun and clouds. There are snow showers in the mountains and up north, but for much of VT and NH, including us, today will by dry and partly sunny, as yesterday's low pressure moved off to the northeast overnight. Highs today maybe in the low 20s, with winds from the west pulling wind chills into the single digits. Lows tonight once again in the low teens.Snow quilts. You may have seen this, too: the patterns left by the elements after last week's snowfall. It looked like nothing so much as quilting—on lawns, across fields, over stretches of meadow. Here are examples from:

Grantham man hospitalized after Monday night fire. The fire had "fully engulfed" a 950-square-foot house by the time firefighters arrived, reports Christina Dolan in the Valley News. Zachary Beaulieu, who lived on the second floor with his girlfriend, mistakenly thought that she and their dog were still inside and had gone in to find them—by the time he jumped from a second-story window, Dolan writes, he'd "sustained severe injuries." A DHART copter flew him to Boston; he remains in "critical but stable" condition. His girlfriend was treated for minor injuries; the dog was unharmed.Orford listserv hits the news. Not because of anything on it, but because public access was blocked due to "violations to Google policies," reports the Journal Opinion's Alex Nuti-de Biasi. Selectboard chair John Adams told Orfordites in a public notice that it was unclear how long it would take to unblock—and that the town's set up two new lists: one read-only list in Google Groups for town business and official notices, and one where most other Upper Valley towns gather, on the Vital Communities lists. Signup instructions for both are on the Orford town website.SPONSORED: NHPR’s The 13th Step Live at AVA Gallery Feb. 8. Join the team behind New Hampshire Public Radio’s podcast The 13th Step at 6:30 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 8 at AVA Gallery in Lebanon. Host Lauren Chooljian will take you behind-the-scenes of her multi-year investigation into a culture of sexual misconduct in American substance use disorder treatment communities. Lauren will answer questions about the podcast and the issues it raises, from trauma and recovery to freedom of the press. Limited tickets available, hit the burgundy link or here to reserve your seat. Sponsored by NHPR.J. Crew Factory to replace Maurice's on 12A. The "collegiate-conscious clothing store chain," as John Lippman writes in the VN, is scheduled to open in the Upper Valley Plaza—which JC Penney anchored until 2020—sometime this summer. It's "a rare new commercial tenant at a shopping center where some of the storefronts have remained vacant for years," Lippman notes, and is moving into the space that women's clothing store Maurice's has filled for a couple of decades; that store closes next week. Lippman adds, "It is not clear" if the new store will affect the J.Crew store in Hanover.This could be a boom year for crossbills. That's because it's a boom year for white pine and spruce cones, writes Northern Woodlands' Elise Tillinghast—citing former VT Center for Ecostudies head Chris Rimmer—and the beaks of both red and white crossbills are perfectly designed to get at conifer seeds. "They may even be raising chicks here," Elise writes in this week's "This Week in the Woods". "Crossbills’ dependence on conifer seeds extends to their breeding cycle. When the food is abundant, they’ll mate and raise young in even the coldest months of winter.""A witch, fairy godmothers, a demonically possessed chicken, and a dog made of bones..." Those aren't even the main characters in Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher's fairy tale for adults, but, writes Kari Meutsch in this week's Enthusiasms, "you will fall in love with every single one of them." The main character is Marra, a princess whose sisters have married well in dynastic terms but pretty terribly when it comes to their personal lives; she sets out to make things right. "Adventures ensue," Kari writes. "This is the fairy tale I wish I had while growing up, and am so incredibly thankful to have it now."SPONSORED: Upper Valley Baroque Chamber Concert, Jan. 20 in Hanover. Upper Valley Baroque brings four of their “superstar” musicians together to create a stunning concert of Baroque chamber music. Works by Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, Geminiani, Telemann, and Bach. Two shows, 2:30 and 7:00 pm, both at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, 40 College St, Hanover. Tickets at the burgundy link (scroll down), here, or call 203-240-1164. Sponsored by Upper Valley Baroque.Feb. 9 is Winter Bike to Work Day in NH, and Manchester seems to be all over it. The Upper Valley? Well... Admittedly, it's a lot easier to imagine hordes of cyclists cruising the streets of a city in winter (unless we get a major snow dump). And, says Manchester Ink Link, there'll be no fewer than three breakfast stations around the city for bike commuters that day, with hot drinks and snacks. There are also spots in Nashua and Littleton. But according to the NH Winter Bike to Work Day site, nothing's planned around here. Say it ain't so!Abortion, bid to boost NH health care workforce among the health policy bills facing NH lawmakers. Annmarie Timmins runs down the issues legislators will confront this session, including a measure to spend $32 million to boost the numbers of health care workers by expanding student loan repayment and building a "workforce pipeline" beginning in middle and high school. There are also eight abortion-related bills coming up: two would restrict abortions beyond the state's current 24-week ban, the rest would protect or expand existing rights.When NH voters go to the polls next Tuesday, town elections workers will have done a lot of prep work. That, report NHPR's Olivia Richardson and Todd Bookman, is because their workload is expected to be heavier than normal this year thanks to the write-in campaign on behalf of Joe Biden, the state's new affidavit ballot law, and new election technology in some towns getting its first real workout. The affidavit law affects voters who register without valid identification; the write-in campaign affects every poll worker trying to determine a voter's intent. Town officials are asking for citizens' patience.“If you can’t figure out how to hold a chicken right, you’re not a very kind person.” In the early days of the pandemic, Amory Rowe Salem traded some flour and sourdough starter for a flock of fluffy chicks. You might have assumed she’d end up with grown chickens and some amusing stories. Less predictable is her moving tale, via Longreads, of how the chicks and her own brood grew in tandem, bonding in happiness and pain, and the life lessons handed out by their little urban flock. "Our first year of chicken-keeping had been full of tiny wonders and short on heartache. But as we rounded the bend into year two, with a flock of a dozen, the poultry actuarial tables were turning," Salem writes.Seems like a fair trade. In April, people from all over will descend on the far northern parts of VT, NH, and ME for the eclipse. But there's another once-in-many lifetimes event happening this year: For the first time since 1803, two different broods of cicadas—XIX, which emerges every 13 years, and XIII, which shows up every 17 years—will appear at the same time. That's millions and millions of the bugs. And it's going to be loud—only not around here, says Alvin Buyinza for MassLive. Instead, you'll need to visit the South or Midwest if you want to experience it. In 2025, though, New England gets Brood XIV. (h/t to David Brooks and his Granite Geek blog for noticing.)The Wednesday Vordle. If you're new to Daybreak, this is the Upper Valley version of Wordle, with a five-letter word chosen from an item in the previous day's Daybreak. Give it a try!

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There's a new Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, 252 or 520 pieces, just in time for these long nights by the fire. Plus, of course, fleece vests, hoodies, sweatshirts, even a throw blanket. And hats, mugs, and—once you work up a puzzle-piece sweat—tees. Check it all out at the link!

And for today's music...

There's just no way Eric Bibb would not have been a musician. His father was Leon Bibb, a folk singer and actor who performed at the first Newport Folk Festival and whose home in Greenwich Village, when Eric was a youngster, was a regular hangout for Pete Seeger, Odetta, Dylan, Paul Robeson, and Eric's uncle, the Modern Jazz Quartet's John Lewis. Eric Bibb became a blues guitarist—but with a decided folk sensibility. He moved to Paris at 19, then to Stockholm, where he eventually settled. His songwriting, though, often focuses on his home country with what one reviewer once called a "tough love" sensibility—delivered in a measured, warm, never less than engaging voice.

here with his wife, Ulrika, performing recently in Stockholm.

See you tomorrow.

The Hiking Close to Home Archives. A list of hikes around the Upper Valley, some easy, some more difficult, compiled by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. It grows every week.

The Enthusiasms Archives. A list of book recommendations by Daybreak's rotating crew of local booksellers, writers, and librarians who think you should read. this. book. now!

Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.

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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt      Poetry editor: Michael Lipson    Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt   About Rob                                                 About Michael

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