Autumn has arrived

The leaves in this area are beginning to explode into amazing color. This weekend's drizzly weather hasn't been ideal, but it hasn't concealed the fact that this is going to be a spectacular foliage season in Vermont.

(From the Addison Eagle website)

Yesterday, Brandon hosted a number of fall events, including the Chicken Chasers Barn Dance and Silent Auction. The chicken-related artwork that had been hanging all over town during the summer (part of the "What's Hatchin' in Brandon" project) was taken down and auctioned off. In place of the chickens, residents participating in the "Make Your Own Leaf Person" project have decorated the town with elaborately costumed scarecrow-like "leaf people." (Many of the convincingly designed Leaf People are positioned near crosswalks, making for somewhat slower than usual driving through Brandon's village.)

Last night, we drove our sons down to Hathaway Farm (north of Rutland just off Route 7) for a nighttime trek through the 12-acres of corn maze there. Hathaway Farm does a good job with its maze and places a Snack Shack tent inside the maze itself. The boys had a great time.

TIGERS 35, Otters 6

We noted in our preview that the Middlebury Union High School Tigers were highly motivated to play a strong non-conference game against the Otter Valley Union High School Otters. The Tigers certainly did play a strong game against the Otters varsity football team at Brandon's Markowski Field yesterday, winning 35-6.

Aside from attendance, there were few bright spots in the game for the smaller Otter hosts. However, it must be noted that Division II Otter Valley fared just a bit better than one of Middlebury's Division I opponents this season (Middlebury defeated Mount Anthony, 41-6, two weeks ago).

The game result drops Otter Valley to an overall record of 2-3 and improves Middlebury to 3-2.

The contest against Middlebury should be good preparation for next week, when the Otters visit South Burlington to take on the undefeated, division-leading Green Knights of Rice Memorial High School. Rice, now 5-0, defeated Division I Burlington, 16-8, on Friday and has surrendered a total of only 14 points this season while scoring 147. In a similar matchup earlier this season, the Otters were shut out, 16-0, by Lyndon Institute (also 5-0 this year, with 131 points scored and 16 points allowed).

CT→VT: Our move, part 2

Some background

(Return to Part 1)

I spent my earliest years in the Bronx, New York. When I was about 11 and a half, we moved to Danbury, Connecticut. Moving from a fourth-floor apartment to a raised ranch on a half acre didn't cause much in the way of culture shock, as my grandparents for many years had a summer home nearby in New Fairfield. I was already somewhat acquainted with Connecticut and comfortable in the area. I appreciated many of the changes: waking up in the summer to the sound of birds singing, being able to ride my bike in relative safety on the streets, eating hickory nuts that had been dropped by a tree along our driveway, making "forts" out of branches in the small bit of woods that lined the backyard. Aside from one year, during which I lived in a tiny apartment just over the New York State line in Patterson, I spent the next thirty-seven of my forty-eight-plus years on Earth living in and mostly enjoying western Connecticut.

My wife Anna grew up in the Waterbury, Connecticut, area and went to college at the University of Connecticut. When we married in the autumn of 1991, we moved into a home - a pretty split-level ranch on a half acre on a dead end road - in the town of New Milford in southwestern Litchfield County. In terms of land area, New Milford is a very large town. But it was not very built up when we moved there.

It was not a wild frontier, by any means. There was plenty of shopping and a fair number of industrial and office buildings and a fine hospital. But there was also a great deal of open space. In our neighborhood, in the south of town just off Route 7, there were a number of unused and lightly wooded lots. Along commercially developed Route 7, there were vast stretches of woods and open fields. It wasn't entirely a country setting, but it was country enough for us.

Anna and I appreciate quiet and a degree of seclusion. We want our home to be a place where we can enjoy each other and our kids and our pets without intrusion. We like to see trees and fields and hills around us. And we generally dislike seeing other people's houselights. Our home was ideal for us. Large evergreen trees created walls along the back and one side of the property. Several trees and a large front yard shielded us from the road. One side neighbor was a bit close, but you could only see that house from garage windows that we kept curtained.

Even assuming a modest pace of development, we imagined we'd be comfortable in New Milford for a long time. Well, I guess it was a long time - more than twenty years.

Things change. And development doesn't always take a modest pace. The woods and fields along Route 7 gradually shrank and disappeared, replaced by large stores and restaurants and their parking lots. I recall years ago walking a number of times through a pretty field with large old trees which has since been flattened and asphalted over. We saw K-Mart come in. Big-Y took over a shopping center north of there. Then Walmart moved in to the south. K-Mart was replaced by Home Depot. Staples and T.J. Maxx opened a plaza and then developers began clearing and leveling an enormous stretch of open land across from Walmart.

By that time, we had fled the Route 7 corridor and scampered across town. We moved into a newer home in a very small subdivision with large, lightly wooded yards and many acres of thickly wooded sloping land across the street. We fought just a bit against encroaching civilization, bringing a horse and a bunny and six hens onto our new two-acre property with us. We composted manure, grew a few vegetables and ate a whole lot of eggs. Anna regularly rode her horse down dirt trails into the woods and over the streams across the street. Traffic hummed not far away, but we had an oasis of calm and quiet. For a while.

To be continued.

CT→VT: Our move, part 1

'Why I went to the woods'

(well, not to "the woods," actually; it's more 

like farmland, though there are some woods nearby,

and a bit of swamp, too, but we don't live in that).

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close..."

- Henry David Thoreau.

Umm... Yeah, I suppose some of that applies to our situation. For example, I DO always shave close! I sort of also sympathize with Thoreau's philosophical objection to living "what was not life" - the set of rules imposed on individual existence by outside forces. And my wife and I do sincerely share Thoreau's desire for a simpler, more deliberate existence..., as long as all the essential elements - you know, Internet, cellphone signal, good TV reception - remain readily available. (By the way, Thoreau only mentioned much later on that his family home was just a couple of miles away from his "sturdy and Spartan-like" existence in "the woods." What a wuss!)

I'm sorry to report that is the extent of my agreement with Thoreau. You see, I'm not much of a marrow-sucker. By that, I mean that I'm not the kind of person who seeks out all the raw and exciting natural experiences. I'm sure there are plenty of those experiences in Vermont - I just read about a guy who shot and killed a 500-pound bear in his backyard down in Pownal - but that's not what I'm looking for. Despite my surname, I don't hunt. I don't mountain-climb or hike or go boating or even ski. I tend to avoid anything that looks in any way interesting. Boring is just fine for me. And it may be fair to say that our move from Connecticut to Vermont in the summer of 2012 was, at least in part, a quest for ultimate boredom.

I'll get into explaining some of that in Part 2, which will be posted as soon as I think of what to write and have the time to actually write it. I imagine what I've written so far is enough for an introductory Part 1. So that's all you get for now.

Middlebury gridders to visit OVUHS

Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., the Otter Valley High School varsity football team hosts the Tigers of Middlebury, the only Division I opponent on the Otters' 2012 schedule. The game will be played at Markowski Field in Brandon.

The Middlebury Union High School Tigers are a perennial Division I powerhouse (7-3 in '09, 10-1 in '10 and 9-2 in '11), who have struggled at times this year. The Tigers trounced defensive pushovers Mt. Mansfield, 28-6, and Mount Anthony, 41-6, in Weeks 1 and 3 of the season. However, they lost very close contests to Essex and Rutland in Weeks 2 and 4.

(Division I is led by the Hartford High School Hurricanes and the Essex High School Hornets, both 4-0. Essex narrowly defeated Middlebury, 21-20, in Week 2 of the season. Hartford and Middlebury are not scheduled to face each other in the 2012 regular season.)

Defense has been Middlebury's strength. The 2-2 Tigers have allowed only 48 total points through the frst four games. Coming off a painful 15-13 loss to Rutland last Friday night, the Tigers will be highly motivated to capitalize on Saturday's matchup with the Division II Otters.

Otter Valley, also 2-2, had been turning in good defensive performances of its own until last week's game against Milton, in which the Otters surrendered a season-high 38 points. Before that contest, the Otters had been allowing just 13 points per game. That figure shot up to 19.5 after the Milton contest.

The Otters have not ranked among the top scoring teams in their division. Through four games, they are averaging 22 points. However, their scoring numbers are held back a bit by a Week 2 shutout by Lyndon Institute. Ignoring that game brings their per-game total up by more than a touchdown.

Return unused/expired medication on Saturday

The Vermont Department of Health reminds residents of the Green Mountain State that Saturday, September 29, is National "Take Back" Day (an initiative of the Drug Enforcement Administration).

You can clean unused and expired medications out of your medicine cabinets and drop them off at a large number of locations for proper disposal. In the Whiting area, medications can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Addison County Sheriff's Department, Vermont State Police Barracks, in New Haven, VT.

Other dropoff locations in the region include the Ticonderoga Police Station (135 Burgoyne Road) in Ticonderoga, NY; the Rutland County Sheriff's Office at the Diamond Run Mall (46 Diamond Run Mall Place) in Rutland, VT; and the Windsor County Sheriff's Department in the Pierce Hall Community Center (38 South Main Street) in Rochester, VT.

Otters JV defeats B&B Academy

The Otter Valley Union High School junior varsity football team bounced back from last week's disappointing home loss to Mount Abraham to notch a big win at Burr & Burton Academy yesterday afternoon. The JV Otters turned in a season-best 32 points, while holding the Bulldogs to 14. The JV squad next plays Oct. 8, when it hosts the Mill River Union Minutemen.

Varsity notes
The varsity Otters host the Division I powerhouse Middlebury Tigers at one o'clock this Saturday afternoon at Markowski Field in Brandon. They then head out on the road to face the Division II-leading Green Knights of Rice Memorial High School on Oct. 6.

Adirondack view

Looking west toward the Adirondacks this afternoon.

Stunning sunrise this morning

Watched this morning as dawn became a fiery spectacle and a line of clouds seemed to crash against the Green Mountains in the distance.

Town charter of 1763

Today, I posted the text of the original Whiting town charter of 1763 and the related list of original land grantees. I pulled the text from the excellent local history, Our Whiting, written by Harold and Elizabeth Webster back in 1976. Visitors may access the text at this location:

1763 Whiting Town Charter

YELLOWJACKETS 38, Otters 20

The Otter Valley Union High School varsity football team surrendered a season-high 38 points in a 38-20 loss to the hosting Milton High School Yellowjackets last night. Both teams are now 2-2 on the Division II season.

Milton had not been expected to put on an offensive show against the stingy Otters defense. The Yellowjackets had scored an average of just 16 points through their first three games. But those three included contests against league-leaders Rice Memorial and Lyndon Institute.(The Otters were shut out by Lyndon two weeks ago and haven't yet played Rice Memorial.) Rice Memorial has allowed only six points this season - those were all scored by Milton. Lyndon Institute has allowed just 16 on the season - those were all scored by Union-32 while Lyndon strolled to a 53-16 win last night.

Next Saturday, the Otter Valley varsity plays host to Division I powerhouse Middlebury. The black and orange Tigers of Middlebury are coming off a disappointing loss to Rutland and are just 2-2 this season. The Tigers have not had more than three losses in a season since 2008.

On Monday afternoon, the Otters junior varsity visits Manchester for a game against the Burr & Burton Academy Bulldogs.

Church Fall Festival tomorrow

The Whiting Community Church Fall Festival is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 22) between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The church is located at the four corners in Whiting's village (where Route 30 meets the Leicester-Whiting and Shoreham-Whiting roads).

Events will include a pig and turkey roast, crosscut saw competition, relay races, egg toss, horseshoes, obstacle course, pumpkin decorating contest and pie contest. There will be carnival games for the kids.

Magnifying glass sales skyrocket!

The twice weekly Addison Independent newspaper apparently is doing its part for ocular health by incorporating a vision test with yesterday's issue of the newspaper. In addition to checking our eyesight with the microscopic type used in that issue, the Independent is doing its part for newsprint and ink conservation efforts. Or... perhaps somebody over there is screwing up the layout... badly.

Readers of the Independent may recall that, last week at this time, we received a newspaper with vast unprinted areas at the tops and bottoms of the pages. This week, smaller pages AND tiny, little type.

Yesterday's paper (left) has dramatically smaller type than the paper released three days earlier (right).

I'm guessing this all stems from the Independent's former unusual practice of publishing two different size newspapers - a tabloid size early in the week and a standard sheet late in the week. It looks as though someone is tinkering with the layout, either because they have no idea what they're doing or because they are trying to adjust the end of week newspaper to more closely match the one put out at the beginning of the week.

Advertisers cannot be happy about the situation. Those who purchased ads for the end of week issue have had them shrunk. That probably hasn't impacted the big advertisers - a full page ad is still a full page ad. But some of the smaller ads have been reduced to the point of being unreadable.

Beautiful day

Technically, autumn is still a few days off, but it feels like autumn today. It may still be a couple of weeks until the leaves begin their annual show, but today felt like a good day to get out with the camera.

A large sign over at Whiting Community Church announces a Fall Festival this Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m.

One of the maple trees in our side yard has already begun to turn a golden color.

Yesterday's storm pulled some of early fall-colored leaves from the trees and dropped them around town.

I noticed that a lot more area residents are going in for marshmallow farming these days.

The skies looked particularly dramatic this afternoon.

Wind Advisory for Sept. 18

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for our area:

* LOCATIONS...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VERMONT...THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY
  AND THE ADIRONDACKS OF NORTHERN NEW YORK.

* WINDS...SOUTH 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...FROM NOON TODAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS...DAMAGE FROM FALLEN TREES AND TREE LIMBS MAY CAUSE
  DOWN POWER LINES AND RESULT IN POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 35 MPH OR MORE ARE EXPECTED.
WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

We are also expecting heavy rains today and tonight and gradual wind shift that will leave us with west winds overnight.

Getting cooler, more colorful

Nights have been getting colder lately. We've seen temperatures down into the forties. The field in back has been hayed for the final time of 2012 (an activity our horse watched with great interest). It took awhile, but the eagerly anticipated Vermont autumn seems to be upon us. Two large sugar maples in our yard are leading the way to the colorful season. The "authorities" promise that this year will be especially colorful.

I've noticed quite a crowd over at the farm markets lately. Harvest is big business around these parts. It brings a smile to see the local farm stands, unmanned, with heaps of vegetables, a "Help Yourself" sign and a can for depositing your payment. Back in Connecticut, we did see such things from time to time (there was a farm down the road that invited you to help yourself to the eggs), but not with the same regularity. A generous neighbor recently brought over some excellent green peppers and a small basket of the best cherry tomatoes I've ever had. The tomatoes were firm but thin-skinned, so juicy they popped when you bit them and so sweet that, if you didn't know you were eating tomatoes, you might swear you were eating grapes.

Sadly, we have no harvest of our own to share this year. We will have to do something about that in 2013.

Springfield surrenders season

Springfield High School football has reportedly decided to forfeit the remaining games on the Cosmos' Division II varsity schedule. The Cosmos had few upper classmen on the roster, and injuries have deprived it of experienced players. First-year coach Kevin Tallman and school officials decided to forfeit last Saturday's game against powerful Lyndon Institute, citing the risk to the health of inexperienced players. The school has since given up on its varsity schedule and will play in just junior varsity matchups the rest of the way.

The 0-2 Cosmos varsity was outscored by 108-6 in its two defeats this season. More significant, according to Springfield High School Principal Bob Thibault, has been the injuries. "It's not about the scores for me. It's about safety," Thibault told the Burlington Free Press. "We have young guys going up against full size, Division II opponents, who are big. It's hard for us to physically compete." Several Springfield players have suffered concussions during varsity games.

The Otter Valley Union High School varsity team defeated the Cosmos, 48-6, on the season's opening night in Springfield. Ten days later, the JV Otters beat the JV Cosmos, 30-0, on Springfield home turf.

OVUHS Homecoming Dance

A nice crowd turned out on a chilly night for Otter Valley Union High School's annual Homecoming Dance last night. Our own kids cleaned themselves up and put on some new clothes for the event.

During 8 p.m. drop off and 11 p.m.pickup, I began to wonder: When did "dressing up" for young women become a contest to see how much skin they could get away with showing? Our daughter, who wore a fairly tight, fairly short, sparkly one-shoulder dress, actually turned out to be among the more conservatively attired females at the event.

Somewhat strange related thought: Why are bare-shouldered, short-pantsed suits not worn by masculine attendees?

OTTERS 20, Raiders 18

The Otter Valley Union High School varsity football team improved to 2-1 on the season with a 20-18 win yesterday afternoon over the Union-32 Raiders at Brandon's Markowski Field. The well-attended contest was the featured event of the Otter Valley Homecoming Weekend.

Union-32 drops to 1-2 with the loss. So far this season, the Otters have scored 68 points while giving up 40.  Union-32 has surrendered 90 points on the season, while scoring 58.

The Otters travel to Milton High School on Friday night to face the 1-2 Yellowjackets. Milton beat high-scoring Burr & Burton (Week 2) and lost to Lyndon Institute (Week 1) and Rice Memorial (Week 3). Its six points against Rice Memorial yesterday were the first points scored against the Green Knights of South Burlington this season. Milton has been outscored this season by a per game average of 27-16.

Otters host U-32 in homecoming

There are some similarities between the Otter Valley Union High School and Union-32 High School football teams, even beyond their common blue-and-white uniform colors. The two teams enter this afternoon's (1 p.m.) contest at Markowski Field in Brandon tied at 1-1 on the season. Each team's loss occurred as a shutout against league defensive powerhouse. (The Otters were shut out by Lyndon Institute last week, and the Raiders were shut out by Rice Memorial two weeks back. Neither Lyndon nor Rice have surrendered a single point yet this season.). The Otters and Raiders both racked up 40-plus points in their victories over winless, defensively challenged squads (the Otters beat Springfield 48-6, and the Raiders beat North Country Union 40-30.

But there are important differences between the teams, as well. And those appear likely to determine this week's outcome. 

• Otter Valley's defense has been an asset. The Otters have allowed an average of only 11 points per game this year. U-32's defense has been absent. The Raiders have permitted 70 points on the young season, an average of 35 per game.
• Otter Valley's victory over the lowly Springfield Cosmos was never in doubt. The Otters were clearly the better team from the opening kickoff. U-32's win against North Country Union was more of a contest. In a seesaw battle, the Raiders needed to come from behind twice to seal the victory.
• Finally, the Otters are playing at home today and should be fired up on Homecoming Weekend. Coach Hill reportedly fanned the flames with his remarks to the team late in the week. The Otters enter the game feeling that they have something to prove, and the Raiders are standing in their way.

Otters JV blanks Springfield

The Otter Valley Union High School junior varsity football team shut out the Springfield High School JV, 30-0, at Springfield yesterday evening. The JV Otters are now 1-1, having lost their season opener at Fair Haven last week.

Otter Valley scored four touchdowns, two extra-point kicks and two two-point conversions in the contest. Alex Hunt (oldest son of this writer) had his first statistically significant action for the Otters, breaking off a nifty run over the middle before being tripped up by a fallen Cosmos defender.

The JV next plays on Sept. 17, when the Mount Abraham High School Eagles visit Brandon for a contest at Markowski Field. The varsity gridders battle the Union-32 High School Raiders this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Otters homecoming game.

"Our Whiting" book

I've really enjoyed reading the book, Our Whiting: Facts and Fables, by longtime Whiting residents Harold and Elizabeth Webster. I'd very much like to figure out a way to share the book online. I'm not certain who would hold the copyright for the work, however.

Harold and Elizabeth Webster both died back in the 1980s. The book's publisher, Russell Farnsworth of Burlington, died in 1980. I have not had any luck finding a living descendant of the authors or the publisher. (There is some indication that Harold and Elizabeth's son Donald moved to Arizona and died in 2001. I believe a surviving great granddaughter may have relocated to the South - I'm working on this.) If any visitors to this site have any relevant information about the Websters or Mr. Farnsworth or the book, please leave a comment.

VIKINGS 16, Otters 0

When you look at the averages, the Vikings of Lyndon Institute aren't noticeably bigger or more experienced than the Otters of Otter Valley Union High School. On average, the Otters varsity players are a little older, while the Vikings varsity players are just the slightest bit larger. But the averages neglect the fact that Lyndon Institute has much of its size and experience packed into the body of a single player. Senior Vikings starter Curtis Randall is listed in the football programs at six-foot-four and three-hundred-thirty-three pounds. On a high school football field, Randall is a "presence."

Randall and head coach Dan Nolan's Vikings shut down Otter Valley in the Otters home opener yesterday at Markowski Field in Brandon. While the Otter defense turned in a solid effort, the offense was incapable of finding the endzone. The final score was 16-0, Vikings.

Lyndon Institute had been expected  to pose a problem for Otter Valley. In the preseason, Otters head coach Jim Hill said he expected the Vikings to be tough. In the first week of the season, as the Otters spanked the much less experienced Springfield Cosmos, 48-6, the Vikings shut out Milton by a score of 14-0. Early last season, Lyndon's ground game tore apart the Otter defense, as the Vikings notched a 30-16 win.

With yesterday's win, Lyndon Institute, 2-0, moves into a first place tie with Rice Memorial in the Vermont Division II high school football standings. Neither Lyndon nor Rice has surrendered a single point this season. (The Otters travel to face Rice on Oct. 6.) At 1-1 on the young season, Otter Valley is tied in the division with Bellows Falls, high-scoring Burr & Burton, Fair Haven, Milton and U-32. U-32 visits Markowski Field next Saturday afternoon at one o'clock. Springfield and North County Union are winless in the division through two games. Springfield already has surrendered more than 100 points.

Glorious evening sky follows storms

The area experienced some severe storms yesterday (Saturday), though we fared considerably better than our friends in southern New England and the New York City region. There were tornado warnings around our old home in Connecticut and a couple of tornadoes touched down briefly in eastern New York City.

I had just parked the car in a Middlebury parking lot a little after four-thirty in the afternoon when the skies opened up. It was like being in a car-wash gone haywire. What must have been 50-60 mph winds were forcing the torrential downpour into a horizontal direction. The wind bounced my car around considerably and seemed intent on flipping it over. It began gusting from what I perceived to be the south and continued for about ten minutes, though it seemed like forever. The wind direction then changed dramatically. It seemed to be coming from the west for a few minutes.

By five o'clock, the heavy winds and downpours were over. About an hour later, we went out to dinner at Rosie's Restaurant (it was prime rib night, but none of us ordered that) in a light rain. After dinner, as we drove through Cornwall on our way home, a spectacular double-rainbow emerged over the Green Mountains in the eastern sky. People pulled their cars over along Route 30 to look at it and photograph it. The kids were mesmerized. I was shocked to hear children of the video-game era remarking, "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" I didn't have my camera with me - I must learn to bring that thing wherever I go - and the cameras in our cellphones just weren't equal to the task. We reached home in Whiting with just enough life left in the rainbow to take a bunch of photos and a short video.

The rainbow vanished as the sun set behind the Adirondack Mountains. But Mother Nature was not yet finished with her colorful evening display. She treated us to this dramatic sunset.

And, this, photographically explains our greatest problem so far living in Whiting: We never know which direction to look! The views in every direction are simply spectacular. We are almost fearful of the natural beauty that awaits in the Vermont fall and winter ahead.

Second game tougher for Otters

At this writing, with just minutes to play in the contest, the Otter Valley Union High School Otters appear to be overmatched by the visiting Lyndon Institute Vikings. The Vikings have a 16-0 lead in the Otters' home opener at Markowski Field in Brandon. Here's a look at the Otter Valley varsity football roster for 2012:

More aerial mosquito-spraying tonight

We were buzzed a few times by planes yesterday (Thursday) evening, as the Vermont Department of Health began its aerial spraying of mosquitoes in the Whiting-Brandon area. However, the spraying program could not be completed because of unfavorable weather conditions, including lightning and poor visibility. The Health Department plans to complete the spraying tonight (Friday), according to a press release on its website.

The Brandon block shown on the aerial spraying map (below) will be sprayed in its entirety. The Whiting block along Stickney Road and south will also be sprayed. The spraying will take place between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Residents should take a few precautions against exposure to the Anvil insecticide that is being used. Stay indoors with windows and doors closed and air conditioners off during the spraying period and for at least a half hour afterward. Bring in laundry, toys, pet food and drinking bowls, and consider picking ripe fruits and vegetables before the spraying starts.

Two area residents were recently diagnosed with a mosquito-borne illness known as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Both were hospitalized. One of the patients died five days after his diagnosis. The Department of Health recently discovered EEE and West Nile virus in mosquito pools in Whiting.

Other blog posts on this topic:

• Mosquito spraying tonight (collection of Health Department documents) (Sept. 6)
• Dick Breen, 87, educator, of Brandon (Sept. 5)
• Aerial mosquito spraying map released (Sept. 5)
• One dead of EEE, mosquito spraying to begin (Sept. 5)
• Mosquito-spraying discussion in Brandon (Sept. 3)
• Two area residents hospitalized with EEE (Sept. 2)
• West Nile virus found locally (Aug. 25) 

Mosquito spraying tonight

Here is a collection of documents disseminated by the Vermont Department of Health regarding the mosquito spraying in the Whiting-Brandon area tonight (Thursday) between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Additional information is available through the Health Department website.

 

Otter gridders host Lyndon on Saturday

The maroon and white Vikings of Lyndon Institute come to Brandon at one o'clock Saturday afternoon to face the Otter Valley Otters. Both teams started the season off with victories last week.

The Otters dominated at Springfield last Friday, beating the Cosmos by a score of 48-6. But the Cosmos were not a true test of Otter abilities. Springfield was winless last season and has managed just two victories in its last twenty contests (dating back to a season-ending loss in 2009). Lyndon Institute should be a greater challenge.

The Vikings went on the road to Milton last week and earned a 14-0 win over the Yellowjackets, Much is expected of Lyndon Institute this year. The team improved to 4-5 last year after two dismal seasons of 1-8 (2010) and 2-7 (2009).

Dick Breen, 87, educator, of Brandon

State health officials have identified the first Vermont resident to die from Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) as retired educator Dick Breen, 87, of Brandon, WCAX-TV reported.. Breen was longtime director of the Vermont Principals Association. He lived on an emu farm in Brandon that experienced a serious outbreak of EEE among its livestock last September. Nineteen of the birds died from the virus.

Breen was diagnosed with the virus last Thursday. He was hospitalized. He died at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington on Tuesday.

The Vermont Department of Health has scheduled an aerial insecticide spraying in the Whiting-Brandon area to combat the mosquito populations that transmit the EEE and West Nile viruses.

Aerial mosquito spraying map released

The Vermont Department of Health has released a map of tomorrow night's aerial mosquito spraying areas in Whiting, Cornwall, Shoreham, Brandon, Leicester and Salisbury. The spraying is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

It isn't the most useful map in the world, but I'm guessing that aerial mosquito spraying is not a terribly precise science anyway. (In Whiting, the spraying will be performed across the entire width of the town from the Cornwall line southward nearly to the village. Spraying will also be done in adjoining areas of Shoreham, including Wooster Road, Cutting Hill Road and Webster Road; Cornwall, including Wooster Road, Parkhill Road, southern portions of Route 30, Delong Road, Galvin Road and Swamp Road; and Salisbury, including small sections near Creek Road and Hubbard Road to the west of Dewey Road.)

So, if you are clearly in the purple boxes or really anywhere near them, you should take a few precautions against exposure to the Anvil insecticide that is being used. Stay indoors with windows and doors closed and air conditioners off during the spraying period and for at least a half hour afterward. Bring in laundry, toys, pet food and drinking bowls, and consider picking ripe fruits and vegetables before the spraying starts.

The Health Department has provided information on Anvil here.

Two people have been diagnosed with a mosquito-borne illness called Eastern Equine Encephalitis. One of the patients has died. Vermont had previously seen EEE infections in livestock but never in human in the state. The discovery of EEE and West Nile viruses in mosquito pools in Whiting in late August prompted Health Department action. A public meeting on the proposed aerial spraying of insecticides was held in Brandon last night.

One dead of EEE, mosquito spraying to begin

The Vermont Health Department says one of two patients in the state diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has died, according to reports in the Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald. Additional details about the patient were not made available. EEE and West Nile are two deadly viruses spread to humans by mosquito bites.

The Health Department plans to begin aerial spraying of insecticides in the Brandon-Whiting area tomorrow (Thursday) night. Ground spraying has already begin.

The aerial spraying of Anvil insecticide (Sumithrin) will be conducted between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. in two four-mile-by-four-mile squares, according to the Rutland Herald. One of the squares will cross Route 30 between Cornwall and Whiting (centered on Stickney Road). The other will be along nearly all of Grove Street in Leicester and Brandon.

The Health Department advises residents to stay indoors during the spraying and for about 30 minutes afterward. Doors and windows should be closed and air conditioners should be turned off during that period. If Anvil spray comes in contact with eyes, rinse immediately with water. Exposed skin should be washed. Exposed clothing should be washed separately from other clothing. Pet food and water bowls should be brought indoors.

Mosquito-spraying discussion in Brandon

Officials with the Vermont Health Department will discuss efforts to control the mosquito population in the region during a meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Tuesday) at the Brandon Town Hall, according to a report by WCAX-TV.
The department plans to begin aerial spraying of insecticides as early as Wednesday evening in response to two diagnosed human cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The aerial spraying would be centered on the Whiting-Brandon area.
EEE and West Nile virus were detected in mosquito pools in Whiting. Ground spraying is already being performed by the Brandon, Leicester, Salisbury, Goshen Mosquito District.

Two area residents hospitalized with EEE

There are now at least two human cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in area hospitals. According to a story in the Burlington Free Press this morning, two people from the Addison and Rutland County area are being treated after the presence of the EEE virus was confirmed.
About a week earlier, as reported here, West Nile virus and EEE virus was detected by Vermont health officials at two mosquito pools in our town of Whiting. Residents were warned to take precautions against mosquito bites.

The state is now considering aerial spraying of insecticides over the area where EEE was found. An aerial spraying program could begin as early as next week, weather permitting.
Health Commissioner Harry Chen released a statement saying, "The severe form of EEE is a terrible disease, and we want to take every reasonable action to prevent people from becoming infected." Chen noted that the viruses could continue to spread through mosquito bites until the first freeze. While insecticides should reduce the risk, Chen warned residents to continue to take personal precautions against mosquito bites.
The EEE illness can take two forms. A person may experience chills, fever, pain in muscles and joints for up to two weeks. In more severe cases, the virus reaches the central nervous system, causing fever, headaches, mood changes and possibly convulsions and coma. There is no vaccine for humans.
Officials suggest avoiding outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, covering arms and legs while outdoors, using insect repellant, and eliminating the standing water where mosquitoes breed.

OTTERS 48, Cosmos 6

The Otters started the Division II high school varsity football season under the lights Friday night, smothering the Springfield High School Cosmos, 48-6.

Springfield wasn't much of a test for the visiting Otter Valley Union gridders. The Cosmos, who won a state championship back in their undefeated 2008 season, have fallen on hard times, turning in back-to-back losing seasons in 2010 and 2011.

The Otters appear to be back on the winning track after five consecutive losing but competitive seasons. Otter Valley Union had its own undefeated, championship season in 2005, when the school competed in Division 4.

With the opening game in the recordbooks, the Otters are tied atop their division with the Burr & Burton Academy Bulldogs (who beat Mount Anthony, 52-33, at home Friday) and the Bellows Falls Terriors (who won at Fair Haven Union, 20-14). Four teams in the ten-team division have not yet played.

Otter Valley's junior varsity visits 2011 Division II champion Fair Haven Union on Tuesday night, Sept. 4. The next varsity contest will be home against the Lyndon Institute Vikings on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8.