Quarry Hill, Vermont's Legendary Hip Refuge!

These last few days have been unlike anything in my memory-- or that of nearly anyone who lives in Vermont. The 1927 flood nearly destroyed Vermont; but many have said that Hurricane Irene has been much worse than the Great Flood of '27. The Hurricane of 1938 might be closer to what happened here, but it is hard to say. I do not think Vermont has ever had such focused destruction centered upon it before.
The roads are out everywhere-- we in Rochester still can't get to most other towns. There are people without homes, and people eating and even sleeping in the high school gym (there have been meals served there each day).
Vermonters rise to occasions, and they-- we-- have certainly had to do so at this point in time. I'm proud of the way people are caring for one another, even though there has also been some vandalism and other unpleasant actions on the part of a few. I feel very proud to be a member of the Vermont community and to be a native Vermonter (even though my parents were born "away"-- Irving in New York and Barbara in Tucson, Arizona-- which makes me not quite a Native Vermonter from the point of view of fifth and sixth generation Vermonters.

"Just 'cause the cat has kittens in the oven, that don't make 'em biscuits," Pete Sutherland, the remarkable fiddle player, once told me. (He may have been kidding, I don't know). But I feel like a native Vermonter. The Gods of the HIlls are not the Gods of the Valleys, said Ethan Allen. I can not think of any statement about this land with which I agree more.
I feel at home here-- and so do many people who were not even born here.
Yet, I understand the sense of deep, deep home felt by the fifth generation Vermonters as well. If I were one of them, I'd be very proud of that. Anyway-- here we are-- trying to help one another-- flatlanders and native Vermonters alike. We are helping one another and we are here in the same boat. And it's wonderful to watch.
People are brave and enduring here-- as enduring as the hills (despite the topsoil washed off them by the Hurricane).

It's a wonderful thing to watch and to be a part of. Thank you all, for the inspiration, and the assistance, and the sense that Vermonters really care about one another. I hope to be able to pay back the favor, one way or another, in all the rest of my days in this beautiful country.

--Ladybelle Fiske