Sights and sounds

We live on Route 7A in Arlington, VT; it is also called the old highway or Ethan Allen Highway. Growing up in central NJ, when I hear the word highway, I think of the Garden State Parkway, Route 1, 287, or the NJ Turnpike, aka Route 95. 

During the day, Route 7A is as busy as some side streets where I grew up. At night it’s almost untraveled from 11 pm-6 am. Since we sleep with our bedroom window cracked open almost all year, I can tell what time it is or the weather. 

I went to bed last night with a feeling of doom and gloom, hoping and praying the weather storm warning would be wrong about the 5-10 inches of snow forecasted. I got up twice in the middle of the night and looked out the window, and luckily there was no snow. 

I woke up to the sound of the birds chirping between 6-6:15 am; I knew it was around that time because of the small number of cars I heard passing by. Traffic starts picking up around 7 am for the work & school rush hour. When I say rush hour, it’s a joke because again, it’s like side road traffic in Jersey.

Besides the birds chirping, I heard the sound of wet tires and light rain, which meant wet roads not slushy or snow-covered. Yay! I also didn’t hear any snow plows going by. Double yay! I laid perfectly still in bed while Marty and the two dogs were still sleeping, listening to the rain.

At 6:30 am, almost on the dot, Klaus, our bulldog, started crying at our bedroom door. He doesn’t have to go out; he wants Marty to go downstairs to wrestle and scratch his butt; it’s become a ritual now while our son Sam is away at college.

When I finally got out of bed a few minutes later, I looked out the window and saw our lush green lawn literally grew overnight. The trees also exploded with buds after the rain. It’s been extremely dry here in Southern Vermont this spring with brush fires, red flag warnings (low humidity and wind), and burn bans.

As a young adult, I never thought I’d be one of those people who say, “Well, you know, we really needed the rain.” As an adult, I know we needed the rain and actually wished for it. I also know that I am an adult because when I drop an ice cube on the floor, I don’t kick it under the fridge; I pick it up.

Heading out to the production kitchen this morning, I looked around how beautiful everything looked, even in the rain. Low clouds covered the mountain that is always in our view, the grass was glistening with raindrops, the birds were still chirping away, and the color green was everywhere in the Green Mountain State.