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Photo Credit: Vermont Farmers Food Center
Today at the Farmer’s Market we were just about to walk out the door when I spotted it…the table selling seeds. (Must be my gardener’s instinct). Lots and lots of different kinds of seeds. When I walked over and spoke to the mom that was with the kids at this table I learned a lot and thought that I would share for a very good cause.
The table belongs to a group of Shrewsbury homeschool kids that are conducting a fundraiser for the Vermont Farmers Food Center (a/k/a The Farmer’s Market) selling Fedco seeds. These kids –Silas Hamilton, Seamus and Avery Martin, Cedelle and Emmett Sirjane, and Manolo Zelkin with the help of parents, Licia Gambino Hamilton and Martha Sirjane are hoping to raise $3,500 to donate to the Center.
Since I’m not writing for the Rutland Express anymore (since they stopped publication) and I miss that ability to connect the cool things and people that I come across with people that might not know about them, I thought that I would post here about this group and their efforts in the hopes that folks in the area who plant their own seeds would take advantage of this fundraiser and help these kids with their goal. These kids are selling a variety of Fedco seeds (over 30 different types) to raise money for the Farmer’s Market to help with the work that remains to be done in and around the building and grounds. The kids have a table at the market and have set up and designed their own website
http://seedsworthsowing.webs.com/
and Facebook page where they can be found at Seeds Worth Sowing. They’ve even hand stamped (in multi color, mind you) each and every one of their seed packets. Making a very delightful display as you can see.
You can purchase your seeds in person at the Farmer’s Market, or you can order them by mail and you can pick up an order farm locally from Pierce’s Store or Mount Holly Library. You can also download an order form while in your pajamas from the comfort of your own living room from their website (for my very lazy friends). If you mail in your order form, you can pick up your seeds from Pierce’s Store on March 21 from 3-6 p.m. or at the Mount Holly Library on March 24th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or at the Rutland Farmer’s Market on March 16th or April 6th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For the charge of mailing ($1.95 to $15 = $3.95 shipping fee; $16 & up = $5.95 shipping fee) they will even be happy to mail your seeds to you so you can just walk to the mailbox for your seeds. So, friends of mine that are not in Vermont and want seeds, go to their website, download the form, mail it in with your payment and wait for your seeds to arrive via the postal service from our lovely little state of Vermont.
The group extended its original order deadline to March 31st — so I encourage you to take advantage of getting some good seeds to get that garden started and help out an industrious group of kids with their ambitious (and totally doable) goal of raising $3,500. After all, any of us that shop at the Farmer’s Market will benefit from their hard work in raising these funds.
Related articles
- What Kind of Seed Are You Sowing? (phenum01.wordpress.com)
- sowing seeds (balconyberlin.wordpress.com)
- What to do in March (digginwivdebb.wordpress.com)
- GARDENING: Winter seed sowing can be started now (cindyhelens.wordpress.com)
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Time to Start Seeds (prweb.com)
- 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow from Seed this Spring (prweb.com)
Today is the last time for 88 years that the numbers in the date will be the same. The next will occur on January 01, 2101 or 01-01-01. Today is expected to have a record number of weddings, since it makes remembering your anniversary super easy and 12 is the number associated with lucky and perfection — another reason to celebrate a “perfect” match.
The total height of the day will come when the clock reaches 12:12:12 on 12/12/12. Here’s a link to the timer counting down the seconds to this infamous time and date.
Enjoy your day of perfection!
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- Lucky 12! (avadfan.com)
- In calendrical quirk, Wednesday will be 12/12/12 (boston.com)
- 12-12-12 12:12:12 – Celebrating the Century’s Last Repeating Date (knowledgenabler.wordpress.com)
- 12 12 12 (newinzurich.com)
- Only Once Ever 100 Years ~ 12-12-12 (theothersideofugly.com)
Here’s a legal tidbit that you might find interesting. Surprise, surprise but lap dances aren’t “dramatical or musical art performances” that qualify as an exemption from New York State sales tax.
In a pretty close (4-3) ruling the New York State Court of Appeals decided that despite its entertainment value (uh-hum) exotic dancing does not qualify as “dramatic or musical arts performances” sufficient to permit it to be exempt from sales tax. The petitioner sought to have the court overturn a tax court ruling that was affirmed by the appellate court. The petitioner, owner of an adult “juice bar” in the Albany, New York area was trying to assert that lap dancing should be part of the exemption that the Legislature intended when it stated that “dramatic or musical arts performances” were not subject to sales tax. Now the purpose of the exemption as stated by the Legislature was to promote cultural and artistic performances, and while there are those that might disagree with me, I don’t think that lap dancing was what was going through their minds when they crafted that language. I could however be very wrong — you never know.
Perhaps the problem with the argument is that the law being what the law is, the petitioner was required to demonstrate (or bears the burden to show) that the fees constituted admission charges “for performances that were dance routines qualifying as choreographed performance”. The Court of Appeals determined that the petitioner and its expert witness (there really is an expert witness out there for everything I have learned over my years as an attorney) failed to present any evidence depicting such performances and the expert didn’t have any personal knowledge or observation of the “private” or lap dances that occurred at the club. That leads one to believe that had the court been provided with demonstrative evidence (and I will leave that to your imagination) perhaps the petitioner might be in a different position right now.
The dissent (those members of the court that disagreed with the majority opinion) plainly stated in their opinion that “those people that paid the admission charge paid to see women dancing. It does not matter if the dance was artistic or crude, boring or erotic.” As the dissenting judge put it plainly put it “Under New York Tax law, a dance is a dance.”
Just thought that you would find it interesting that not all law is exactly that boring.
English: Saying grace before carving the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner in the home of Earle Landis in Neffsville, Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today is the day, back in 1863 when President Lincoln declared the first official Thanksgiving celebration by the nation would take place on November 26, 1863. The fourth Thursday of November was officially recognized by the United States as a national day of thanks. This came on the heels of the victory at Gettysburg.
Thanksgiving was officially celebrated on the fourth Thursday until Franklin D. Roosevelt changed it to the third Thursday of November in 1939 to help an ailing country get those extra shopping days in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Congress didn’t much like that and it was moved back to the fourth Thursday of the month.
Happy Wiggle Your Toes Day!
Today is, believe it or not, National Wiggle Your Toes Day. It is a day to set your toes free and wiggle away — exercising those toes! I personally cannot think of a better place to wiggle your toes than in the sand of the beach — but that’s just me. Sandy beaches are made for toe wiggling.
Wherever you choose, find some time today to go barefoot, walk through the cool grass, the warm sand or a puddle. Wiggle those toes!
I came across this on Food In Jars website which is a pretty cool website about…well…food in jars. Canning, pickling, storing, preserving… all that need stuff that you feel compelled to do when you live where I live because everyone else is doing the same thing. Marissa over at Food In Jars was talking about a Kickstarter idea that she donated to that came to fruition and it is quite ingenious. It is a BPA-free plastic lid for mason jars that allows you to “shake, pour and store” from your mason jar. The lid is called reCap and it is available for sale here.
It permits you to use your mason jars as a pourer without removing the lid which makes it a much more user friendly drinking container for those who use their mason jars as such or for pouring salad dressings or other liquids out of the mason jar without making a huge mess. Pretty cool, huh? i think I might have to grab a couple of these — according to reCap’s site, if you buy three or more, shipping is free.
Photo: reCap Mason Jars
In case you had any doubt that maybe I was stretching it a little when I said it was still cold here …… this is the forecast for the next four days. Where the heck is spring???
I admit it wouldn’t be the first time there was some chance of snow on the ground for Easter, but jeepers, the forecast didn’t look like this all winter long……
Tonight Slight Chc Snow Lo 26 °F |
Sunday Slight Chc Rain/Snow Hi 45 °F |
Sunday Night Slight Chc Snow Lo 28 °F |
Monday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 45 °F |
Monday Night  Chance Rain/Snow Lo 26 °F |
Tuesday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 44 °F |
Tuesday Night  Chance Rain/Snow Lo 28 °F |
Wednesday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 42 °F |
Wednesday Night Chance Rain/Snow Lo 28 °F |
Cover via Amazon
Happy Gilmore and Groundhog Day are two of our favorite movies. Both of these movies are funny and have pretty universal appeal. Both DVDS are well worn in our house. Either can make you laugh even when you don’t much feel like laughing. That, in my opinion, is one of the signs of a good comedy. You laugh — a lot in spite of yourself. That being said, I personally am by no means a Bill Murray fan. Oh, I know there are lots of you Bill Murray fans out there, but sadly I am not one of them. If I had to pick one of our favorite comedians, easily around here we lean toward Adam Sandler. His films are funny, but funny in the “guy sense” of the word – simple comedy, you know it’s coming but you still laugh when the punchline hits. Sure, there are those that say that Sandler movies are predictable comedies, but what is wrong with predictable comedy? It’s nice to throw a movie into the DVD player and be able to sit back, relax, munch on your popcorn and just enjoy the movie and laugh. Laugh because it’s funny, laugh because it’s silly, just plain old laugh. There is nothing wrong with laughing– in fact we could use a whole lot more of it in this world. A good belly laugh is priceless– think about it. As an aside, it’s also good exercise since you move a lot of muscles when you laugh.
When you live in a house of men, like I do, there quite honestly aren’t many chick flicks being watched. I’m not a big horror movie person (they scare me and not in a good way) and while there is some good sci-fi out there, there’s a lot that just isn’t worth watching. Comedy, on the other hand, well — that’s pretty universal, it appeals to the little ones who may be hanging around visiting, the teenagers and the adults. Therefore, when we sit down together as a family to watch a movie, chances are it’s a comedy.
I think that we’ve seen just about all of Adam Sandler’s movies — Happy Gilmore and Mr. Deeds being two of the favorites around here. While Billy Madison, Grown-Ups and The WaterBoy weren’t quite my personal cup of tea, but they certainly had the boys rolling around on the floor and that, well, that kind of laughter is just plain contagious.
Sandler, who hails from Brooklyn, just across the river from where we lived in New Jersey, sports a boyish charm that just makes his comedy and even his romance believable and appealing. His comedy is different from the slap-stick of Jim Carey which I don’t always find amusing and honestly isn’t quite good enough to fill up an entire movie. Sandler’s boyish charm, combined with his gift for being funny, is what was great about both of the romantic comedies that he starred in with Drew Barrymore and made them work. The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates are two “chick” flicks that have made it through with the seal of approval from the men in the house — on more than one occasion — thanks to Sandler’s humor. The duo of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler clicked and together they make those films just plain cute as well as funny.
I have to admit that Sandler’s “Grow Old With You” song hits a chord someplace in my heart whenever I hear it.
Sandler’s lastest release, Jack and Jill is set for home theater release this week. While his female star in this film isn’t Drew Barrymore, there has to be some type of good belly laugh involved in Sandler playing both the male and the female stars — and isn’t laughing what it’s all about?
By way of full disclosure, I was selected to write this post.
Sponsored by “Jack and Jill”, Now on Blu-ray™, Combo Pack & DVD
Image via Wikipedia
Today is the birthday of one of Darmouth University’s more famous students, Dr. Seuss. Theodor Seuss Geisel, a Massachusetts native attended Darmouth college where after being disciplined for less than admirable behavior (he was caught drinking) and being forbidden to write for the college humor magazine. Not one to be subdued (and for that we all should be thankful) he began writing under the pen name of Seuss.
I don’t know any families who haven’t grown up with Seuss. Some of my fondest memories of reading with my boys surrounded reading books with the rhymes of Dr. Seuss. One of the coolest places with the Seuss Land at Universal Studios, they had the most fantastic Seuss bookstore. It was amazing.
Some interesting Seuss Facts:
- He adopted the “Dr” to his pen name of Seuss after completing college as a consolation to his father for not pursing a medical career.
- He also wrote under the pen names of Theo LeSieg and Rosetta Stone.
- He is credited with creating the word “nerd” which first appeared in his book “If I Ran the Zoo”.
- His first book was rejected 27 times before it was published.
- The King of Children’s Books never had children of his own.
- He always wore bow ties because he said you can’t dribble on bow ties.
“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting. So….get on your way”
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
Cover of If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss)
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- Dr. Seuss Top 10 Fun Facts (997now.radio.com)
Duffy, Kidd, Diego and Lutheran. Do these names ring bells? They might, but not the way that you think. They are little known, but documented blood types. Researchers in the Biology department at the University of Vermont or UVM, as it is known around these parts, identified two new blood types to add to the list. What? Who knew? In addition to the blood types that all of us can rattle off without thought – A, B and O, there are many more — 30 in all. As of this month, that number now reaches 32.
Image via Wikipedia
Photo Credit: Joshua Brown - UVM
Langereis and Junior are the two new blood types identified by University of Vermont researchers. While the two blood types appear to be predominant among Asian folks, knowing your blood type and having health care providers familiar with all 32 kinds can save your life.
Bryan Ballif, a biologist at UVM stated that the two new transport proteins are ABCB6 and ABCG2 and are the first new proteins discovered in ten years. Both of the new proteins are also associated with anti-cancer drug resistance so these findings are not only important because they identify blood types but also may provide advancements in some types of cancer research and treatment.
According to a press release from the University of Vermont:
As part of the international effort, Ballif, assistant professor in UVM’s biology department, used a mass spectrometer funded by the Vermont Genetics Network. With this machine, he analyzed proteins purified by his longtime collaborator, Lionel Arnaud at the French National Institute for Blood Transfusion in Paris, France.
Ballif and Arnaud, in turn, relied on antibodies to Langereis and Junior blood antigens developed by Yoshihiko Tani at the Japanese Red Cross Osaka Blood Center and Toru Miyasaki at the Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido Blood Center.
After the protein identification in Vermont, the work returned to France. There Arnaud and his team conducted cellular and genetic tests confirming that these proteins were responsible for the Langereis and Junior blood types. “He was able to test the gene sequence,” Ballif says, “and, sure enough, we found mutations in this particular gene for all the people in our sample who have these problems.”
The research is quite an accomplishment and good news for those people around the world who have one of these rare blood types. According to Ballif:
Although these other blood systems are very rare, “if you’re that one individual, and you need a transfusion,” Ballif says, “there’s nothing more important for you to know.”
One of the things that I like about Vermont is that we’re so darn cute. I came upon a notice from the State that they are looking to name two of the new camping cabins at Woodford State Park. So, what are they doing? The State is holding a Cabin Naming Contest. Serious.
The two winners will get to spend two nights in their “named” cabin and the cabin will sport their photo and a framed write up for the entire season.
The catch, if you can call it one, is that the cabins have to have the name of a native Vermont flower. The other two cabins have already been named and are Gentian and Trillum so you can’t use those names.
Deadline is March 1st. Send your entry to: parks@state.vt.us with “Cabin naming contest” in the subject. In the email include your name, address, and your names and explanations by March 1, 2012. You can also mail entries to us at 103 South Main Street, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 05671.
For more information here’s the press release
– now hit the books!
Cute cabins, aren’t they?
Sometimes you come across a bit of news that makes you think — what were they thinking?
Here in Vermont evidently the prisoners were tasked with the job of printing up the new decals for the State Police vehicles. The decals which are printed in the Department of Corrections print shop were noticed recently to contain a slight deviation in the design that contains a cow in a field.
Here is the original design:
One of the inmates thought he or she would insert a little of their own artistic flair to the decals. If one looks carefully, one of the spots on the cow has been revamped to represent the shape of a pig, as noted below. Needless to say the troopers are not happy at the derogatory police referenced inserted on the 16 inch door decals. Some of the decals have already been placed on vehicles. New decals are being printed and will replaced the altered images. Someone, I gather, is not in good graces and their artistic rights may very well be revoked.
