GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Showers tapering off, sun eventually… and maybe frost tonight. This welcome rain is thanks to a cold front that came through starting late yesterday, and though it’s on its way out and clouds should give way by early afternoon, the cooler air will stick around. Highs today in the low 60s, and with gusty winds out of the north/northwest this afternoon, things will definitely feel more like fall. Lows in the mid or low 30s, with a decent chance tonight of frost in the deeper valleys and some rime on mountaintops.
As summer turned to fall in the Upper Valley… Etna photographer Jim Block was wandering around out there with his camera. What he captured, among other things, was an astounding array of dramatic cloudscapes, morning fog, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets from Norwich to Enfield to Sunapee. Plus hiking landscapes, foliage, snakes, cows, plants, and an array of mountain views that make you glad we live in a place like this.
Pomfret turns to Hartford for some of its emergency services. The town relies on Woodstock for most of its residents, but now, reports Liz Sauchelli in the Valley News, about 350 residents are under Hartford’s protection. With the reopening of the Quechee fire station this summer, Pomfret Selectboard Chair Ben Brickner tells Sauchelli, response times to that corner of Pomfret can be cut by as much as eight minutes. “This complements our existing Woodstock partnership,” he says. “It’s
about optimizing response times based on geography.” Pomfret will pay Hartford $12,530 this fiscal year for the coverage.
Hauling water for cows in Chelsea, watching irrigation ponds dry up in Norwich: Upper Valley farmers try to get through the drought. Last night’s rain will help a bit, but as VT Public’s Sabine Poux reports, it’s been a tough stretch for area farms. In Chelsea, dairy farmer Tim Roberge of Oughta-Be Farm has been relying on a spring—and a water tank hauled by his tractor—to get his cows the 1,500-2,000 gallons they need each day. “I will probably haul water till Thanksgiving, until it's just too cold to do it,” he says. And at Norwich’s Sweetland Farm, Norah Lake was forced to pull plants early and has seen hay yields drop as the farm’s runoff-fed ponds have emptied.
SPONSORED: Vermont North By Hand open studio tour this weekend, Oct. 11 & 12. This Saturday and Sunday, one of the best arts events of the year brings you into artists’ studios and workshops throughout the Upper Valley. Admire the arts and crafts of our hills and hollows, while marveling at the foliage. Visit woodworkers, potters, fiber artists, painters, printmakers, stained glass artists and more. Pick up a gorgeous coffee mug, feel the texture on a hand-woven scarf, or kick back on a custom-built chair—and get to know your local artists! You’ll find the information you need at the burgundy link. 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Sponsored by VT North By Hand.
The new Hopkins Center: some “facts and impressions.” Artful’s Susan Apel took a tour last week, and she’s back with a report on what she calls, overall, “a beauty.” New spaces like the Daryl Roth Studio Theater, a black box that seats about 250; the Morris Recital Hall, with its mullioned windows that “nod to the silhouette of the Baker Library Tower”; a new Top of the Hop with its recently discovered and restored hardwood floors; a dedicated dance studio; the Mindy Kaling ‘01 Theater Lab, scaled to match the Moore Theater and make it easy to transfer from rehearsal space to performance stage; and, of course, Spaulding, which lost about 100 seats in the renovation.
“If this sounds like a rave, so be it.” The Norwich Bookstore’s Carin Pratt doesn’t impress easily, but in this week’s Enthusiasms she’s got a book she wants you to read: Kiran Desai’s new novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. A book about love, immigration, art, books, writing, animals (a ghost dog, bandicoots) and a full-on cast of characters (Carin’s advice: paperclip the family tree at the start of the book “and you’ll be good to go”), it’s an enveloping experience. “To become so immersed in a book, so vested in the evolution of the characters, so interested in the ideas, that you lose all sense of the world around you—that is what a good book can do,” Carin writes.
SPONSORED: Acclaimed comic storyteller, author, innkeeper, and educator Cindy Pierce brings her latest comic show, Glitchy Business, to the Nugget Theater to benefit the Hanover Improvement Society on November 5th at 7 PM. Cindy’s brand of outrageous, bawdy, and honest humor is on full display in Glitchy Business. Tickets cost $75 and can be purchased through the Nugget website or by clicking here. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. The show runs approximately 75 minutes. Due to the mature content of the show, it’s for adults only. Sponsored by the Hanover Improvement Society.
A spiny water flea turns up in Newfound Lake, which could be bad news for NH. To be sure, the tiny invasive was spotted two years ago in Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam, but as NH Bulletin’s Molly Rains writes, it’s tough to eliminate once it arrives in a water body, and the fact that it’s spreading (possibly on fishing tackle) is disconcerting. Though it’s harmless to humans, it can tank zooplankton populations, which in turn leads to photosynthetic organisms at the bottom of the food chain running amok—think green, murky water—and robs young fish of a food source. Rains takes a look at what might be done (clean boats and fishing gear, for instance).
Toughest state in the nation if you’re living only on Social Security? Vermont. At least, that’s what Realtor.com says in a new study of all 50 states that looked at median Social Security benefits and a UMass-Boston index of what it takes for older Americans to meet basic needs. On average, Realtor.com reports, VT retirees face monthly living expenses of $2,628; the state’s median Social Security benefit is $1,954 per month. Housing costs consume almost 43 percent of the typical retiree’s Social Security check. The result is an $8,088 annual deficit in earnings vs. expenses. NH is better, but not much: It’s fifth from the bottom, at a $6,564 annual deficit.
NOAA says we’re in for a warm winter. AccuWeather says it’ll be “intense and stormy.” What gives? Well, explains Compass Vermont, it has to do with how much weight you give a weak La Niña that’s forecast to form this fall. Ordinarily, they’ve been good for snow and nor’easters—hence AccuWeather. But the folks at NOAA think the overall trend toward warmer winters is going to outweigh this year’s specifics. One big wildcard: the polar vortex, which could produce colder-than-normal temps this winter. Compass VT comes down in the middle: good snowfall in the mountains, but “a constant battle along the rain/snow line” for the broader valleys (like us).
Fundamental to our evolution as a species: stone tools, fire, and … glue? Yup, the “sticky gunk” that holds things together. SciShow’s YouTube video explains that the earliest glue ingredient—tree resin—was used by Neanderthals some 200,000 years ago to make a tool out of two rocks stuck together that could (and did) kill an elephant, a huge improvement over two million years of single-rock tools. Humans around the world then started heating animal parts for their sticky collagen, and eventually created superglues to use in battlefield hospitals and operating rooms. Next up: adapting underwater adhesives from mussels for surgery.
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HEADS UP
In Claremont, an opening reception for “Learning From Nature”, an exhibit of plein air painting. The show, which features the work of eight artists in River Valley Community College’s Plein Air Group, “invites visitors to experience nature through the eyes of artists who have immersed themselves in landscapes both near and far.” Noon at RVCC; show runs through Jan. 9.
At Dartmouth, Shiori Itō and Susan Brison and “A Light in the Black Box”. The Japanese filmmaker and the Dartmouth philosophy professor have both spoken publicly in their work about their experiences of rape and its aftermath. They’ll be sitting down together for a conversation about it, sponsored by the Dickey Center. 4:30 pm, Haldeman 41.
Also at Dartmouth, “Varieties of Abundance and American Politics”. Johns Hopkins University political scientist Steve Teles takes on the "abundance agenda” that’s gained some traction on the left: the idea that reducing obstacles in the way of building things in America is key to rebuilding both the economy and civic life. “How will this new approach to policy shape American politics going forward? Can conservatives, liberals, and progressives agree on this issue?” 5 pm, Rocky 001.
The Mohamed Abozekry Sextet in Claremont. The Franco-Egyptian oud master has become a pioneer in blending Middle Eastern traditions with jazz. His new sextet—which includes Camille Maussion on saxophone, George Nabil on keyboard, André Segone on bass guitar, Wadie Naim on percussion and Elé Howell on drums—has been touring the US. At the Claremont Creative Center, 6:30 pm.
At the Center at Eastman, “History and Mystery: A Genealogy Starter Guide”. Writer and genealogy researcher Erin Moulton will use a case study to dive into how to explore “the lives of the departed” and the families and history they represent. 7 pm in the Draper Room.
Puppy Love in Randolph. Faced with a sudden onset of paralysis in her young dog and his male litter-mates—and the advice of veterinarians to euthanize them—filmmaker Gail Gilbert, who lives in Evanston, IL, set out to document what it took, both emotionally and logistically, to bring them back to health. She’s on tour with her new film, which screens at Randolph’s Playhouse Movie Theater at 7:30 pm with a chance to meet Gilbert after the show.
John Gorka in New London. The legendary singer-songwriter and folk musician will be at the Flying Goose Pub at 7:30 this evening. Call to see if there are any reservations left to snag: (603) 526-6899.
Valley Improv at Sawtooth. The Upper Valley’s own improv troupe returns to down under at 8 pm.
And for today...
A taste of what’s ahead in Claremont this evening…
See you tomorrow.
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