This is the time of year when I start dreaming about my garden. I am haunted by what lies underneath that implacably deep layer of snow. Today, it’s been snowing hard since 5am, so the spring seems even further in the distance. But I pulled out my gardening schedule anyway. This is the timetable I use for starting seeds indoors under lights, transplanting outside, and two phases of planting directly outside (first phase for the cool-weathers like spinach, broccoli, arugala, lettuce, mesclun, peas, and then later for things like squash.) According to this schedule, I will plant the first indoor seeds around March 1, for things like leeks and brussel sprouts. Tomatoes, eggplant, and pepper seeds come later, probably around April 1.
Here’s a photo of the garden this weekend. As you can see, the four raised beds, the hoop greenhouse, and the beloved lavender and multi-herb patches are all buried. In some parts of New England, the conventional wisdom is to plant peas on St Patrick’s Day. But that never works up here in the Northeast Kingdom. I won’t be able to plant anything in the ground (outside the greenhouse) likely until the first week of April.
Believe it or not, Guildhall, Vermont is home to an accomplished architectural historian. Allen Hodgdon was born in Granby, Vermont and lived his entire life–except for going away to college and graduate school–in Lancaster, NH and Guildhall. Allen was the first person Edward and I met when we moved here from Boston in 2004. We encountered him behind the counter and tending the wood stove at the Guildhall Village General Store, which he owned and operated. He was the first to give us an insider’s perspective on the Town and to answer our questions about the beautiful public library that sits next to our home.
Since the late 20th century, there just haven’t been many schools in Essex County. The four biggest towns, Concord, Lunenburg, Brighton, and Canaan, all have their own schools. And until the last decade, two small-town schools remained, one here in Guildhall and one in East Haven. Most of these late 20th century schools have been elementary only, with middle and high school students tuitioned out–the two exceptions were Canaan and Concord. A few years ago, after several protracted and quite bitter citizen battles, the high school in Concord, Vermont closed. One high school remains in the entire county, in Canaan, a town in the furthest corner of northeast Vermont, abutting Quebec and New Hampshire.
This year, the Vermont legislature passed a series of modest, common-sense gun control measures. (S.55) We outlawed bumpstocks, limited the acquisition of certain high capacity magazines, expanded background checks, and raised the age to purchase firearms to 21 (with certain exceptions). The passage of S.55 here in Vermont was difficult and wrenching, as Vermont, until now, has had the fewest gun restrictions in the nation. Here’s a photo of me on the Vermont State House lawn, at a pro-S.55 rally.
In August, in conjunction with the county prosecutor and the bar association, I organized two Expungement Clinics at my office here in Guildhall, for residents of Essex County. This was a great opportunity to clear certain criminal convictions from one’s record! We will probably do more of these sessions in the year to come.
This was the worst political nightmare of the year, on the national scene.
The tomatoes, eggplant and peppers have gone by, sadly, and I’ve harvested all the squash and cucumbers. But we still have a lot of kale, arugala and swiss chard in the ground. Might even last into December if we throw some garden fabric over it.
I’ve been a practicing Vermont lawyer since 2012. Here’s a screenshot of my law partner Tiffany Young and I. 
I was sworn in formally on September 14, at the New Hampshire Supreme Court, in Concord. Afterwards, Edward and I had a nice lunch to celebrate.
Do you dream of a move to Vermont, or dream of owning a second home here? Are you interested, however, in a more authentic and untouched part of the state? Is there really such a place left in Vermont? This post is dedicated to you then, the ones who’d prefer to avoid the stereotypes, the tourists, and the mass marketing.
What was so irresistible about this little town and county where not much happens? Where to start? The house with its graceful, stately fence facing the most charming New England green I think I’ve ever seen, with a public library, courthouse, sheriff’s office, church, and town office where you can pick wild strawberries on the common in June and July. The three fireplaces, in the living room, dining room, and study. The glorious wrap-around porch where we have sat many an hour watching the Connecticut River and the flood plain full of birds and wildlife. The spacious lawn where I’ve since installed raised beds and grow herbs, flowers and vegetables. Where every house, including ours, is listed on the historic registry maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
I spent hours in the garden, and it’s almost there. I’m not sure exactly how to describe my garden, but I think that over the years it has evolved into a sort of hybrid of cottage and kitchen garden, with a little chaos and a little control– flowers, herbs, and vegetables mixed in together.
Finally, I got a good start on my container herb garden. I put tarragon and basil seedlings into windowboxes and pots on the patio–I love my kitchen garden! I still have yet to plant the borage, anise, coriander, basil, cilantro, fennel, and dill. But my perennial herbs look pretty good: lemon and english thyme, oregano, sage, lemon balm, lovage, savory, chives.
Here’s my indoor seedling setup, under lights.
We have a fair amount of interesting artwork in our yard now. Here are the fiddlehead sculptures, which I adore. Seeing them poke out of the snow has helped me get through this long winter. I can’t wait for the real, edible fiddleheads to be harvested.
For the first time since November, I walked down to the flood plain and stood on the banks of the Connecticut River. It was downright intoxicating. Happy Earth Day from the Northeast Kingdom!