A Friend to Tea

I love tea. This probably stems from my mom and I's post homework weeknight chats when I was in high school when she would bring me tea and we would gossip about all sorts of things. My dad didn't really like the gossiping and I think my mom might feel guilty about it sometimes. However, I have realized how very important those chats were. They were the only time mom didn't hound me about things moms hound about. Instead we were girlish and giggly - just what you are supposed to be when having tea. Giggles caused by the simplicity on a friendship and a conversation, without the need for wine.

My delights in the thrills of tea also are steeped in Anne of Green Gables tradition and now that I am re-reading the entire series as a 34 year old, I am realizing just how much of an impact that Anne-girl has had on my life. In fact, I plan to shut down the Vermont PR office early today so I can frolic alone in the bountiful mirages of a budding spring.

There is nothing more special between friends than sharing the sanctity of kindred spirits and the always sought after bosom buddy; so on a sunny day in mid-February, I did just that...

Skipping work like a true manifestor of my destiny to be able to put aside the grind for when the truly important things in life present themselves, I vibed off to my fellow kindred spirit's farmhouse in Northern Vermont and we had tea. And we watched all eight hours of Anne of Green Gables and Avonlea.

We began with a tea spread which was complete with nice napkins, dainty finger pastries, a tea pot and fun cups, candles, rocks and crystals, fresh flowers, lady fans...




Half of the day we watched, cried, ate naughty little treats, and drank delicious tea from of dried spearmint, peppermint, and chamomile from my garden last year. We also decided I was Anne and Christine was Diana, determined we most definitely are bosom friends, and Christine (aka Diana) shared a lock of her fine, black dreads - sigh....

Of course I forgot to mention the day started with Christine's nub tailed little kitten climbing to the roof of their barn, walking the ridgepole, and then falling to the ground where he bounced up, quite proud of himself. Christine was in hysterics. I was in total amusement as it was, well, so Anne!

The second part of the day we completed watching Anne and enjoyed sushi and some more tea - tea and sushi also do create quite the spread!




I have a few blogs in my queue to write and was sparked to get to this one when I saw a Yankee Magazine Teahouse article written by another blogger who writes all about tea! Check out the Tea Pages Blog - http://teapages.blogspot.com.

PS - To Katrina of the Tea Pages Blog and other tea enthusiasts who enjoy Vermont Vibing - please check out the Harmony English Tea Room at Brandon Music! Perhaps it can be considered to be in the tea anthology!

Kitty Spa Day: Avoid Taking Cats to the Vet

A crazy cat lady is another talent to add to my interesting assortment of activities and shenanigans. In addition to relishing in this role with my award winning beast Fee, my vocal sour puss Tela, and my naughty bombing around Bonhan (The Mitch made us get Bonham so he wouldn't just have step-cats), I have also had my share of costly run-ins with the vet and have learned the disheartening lessons of the sometimes shifty business of making money off of the aching hearts of pet owners. So, I thought it was high time I share some of my expertise in the area of cat health management...

Overall Wellness Tips:

1.) Whenever you bring a new kitty into a home or move a kitty from a home, take it immediately to the bathtub and wash it with a high gloss flea bath shampoo. This will do two things:
- Kill off any possible fleas before they can infest your home (no matter where meow meow comes from, this is WAY better than having to deal with an infestation - even if you are told there are no fleas).
- Immediately conditions your cat to want to be clean as it territorializes its new home.

2.) Share bathroom positive time with kitty. Many cats already like running water and allowing them to hang out in the bathroom with you should be considered a bonding experience. This serves a variety of very useful purposes in communicating with your cat:
- Cats respond to bathing and grooming - owner grooming encourages cat grooming. The bathroom is a great place to brush your cat, check kitty over for signs of health issues, and other "spa" activities (see below).
- Water drinking (like sips from the sink) encourages water drinking which is very important for cats, especially with so many prone to urinary tract infections.
- The steam from the shower is great for respiratory infections and cat herpes (when a cat has a cold).
- Water and bathroom noises are good for cats to feel less skittish and being used to the bathroom will help matters greatly for when kitty might need first aid and keep him from being so freaked out.
- And in my experience, the most important reason for consistent and positive bathroom bonding with kitty is when your cat does not feel well, they will go into the bathroom and act weird when you are not in the bathroom. It's their way of telling you they don't feel well and it is time to check them over or actually make a trip to the vet. People say they wish their cats could tell them when they don't feel well and if you engage in bathroom time, they will be able to tell you when.

3.) If you want your cat to be able to travel in a car, it must start as a kitten by bringing them on trips that do not involve going to the vet. It is easy for cats to learn and adapt when given the chance while they are young. Bring them to a friend's house or home for the holidays with a smaller litter pan and food bowls. Set up the items as soon as you enter the visiting house and kitty will love the exploration. Then he will equate traveling in the car with visiting a new home. This will also help your cat be more social with people and less skittish in new environments.

Remedies:

1.) Runny eyes, puss in eyes, aka pink eye - other wise known as conjunctivitis. Before you go to the vet, purchase some basic saline solution with boric acid as an ingredient. Drop one drop in each eye twice a day. Should clear it up!

2.) Sneezy kitty, cat has a cold - most likely this is cat herpes - highly contagious and it seems cats can get it from the human cold - weird. Do a few things:
- Run the shower without the fan on and let kitty have a sauna! If you have been hanging out with your cat in the bathroom like suggested above, this won't freak them out and it will really help clear them out - just think how much better you feel when you breath in lots of steam when you have a cold!
- Give kitty Lysine. Lysine is recommended to help reduce flair ups in human herpes and works for cats too (remember, we have lots of the same diseases at kitty)! Lysine comes in big white pills and cats can't handle the same dosage as humans so what I do is crush it up and make a mixture of one pill and water in a little container where I can extract the liquid with an eye dropper or liquid use syringe. Then I squirt a mouthful or two in my cat's mouth twice a day until well over the cold.
- I keep kitties eyes cleaned out with a warm, wet Q-tip. You should clean out your cat's eyes of sleepy seeds daily - it will help prevent eye problems and help your cat be used to you poking around its face for when he really needs it!
- Force feed water - using the eye dropper or liquid syringe, I give cats with colds lots of forced extra water when they have a cold. They need prompting just like we do!

Cat Spa Day:

A proactive way to take care of your pet and to limit vet visits overall is to not simply engage in at home emergency management, but be proactive and keep tabs on kitty. So, every couple of months (I should do it more), I have kitty spa day. It consists of:
- Using an over the counter ear mite solution and cleaner to clean out kitty ears. This doesn't work if your cat has mites - for that you need to go to the vet, but it does help ears from getting infected and more prone to mites. So, I make sure I carefully clean out any gook from the ears.
- Brush their teeth! Yes, they hate it, but it is so good in the long run. I have cat tooth brushes and toothpaste and scrub their little teeth (The Mitch has to help with this). My two older cats have gingivitis and I am trying to avoid the several thousand dollar charges to clean their teeth, so I have been cleaning them. If the gums bleed, I also carefully apply hydrogen peroxide to them to help fight infections. And, I will tell you, Fee's teeth are starting to clear up - it's working! Hydrogen peroxide is also great to use in any open cut or wound - but very very careful in the mouth as it's not meant to be swallowed. I dab with water after and rinse their mouth with the eye dropper/water syringe after brushing and before using the hydrogen peroxide.
- Clip the nails! They have gotten used to this and I am now comfortable with where to cut (BEFORE the pink - that is tissue!).
- Bath them! Ok, Fee is weird and likes the water and a bath, but for the most part, I use cat bath wipes and wipe them all over. Then I brush them which they LOVE! The they are soooooo happy and purr and rub all around and of course I finish with tarter control cat treats.
- The Vet - I am not a vet avoider - just a minimalist since half the time they don't even know what to do or just prescribe stuff to get you to spend money. But, it is important for cats to have their yearly check up and be up to date on all shots - this I definitely do!




I hope this helps some folks and cats who need it!

Deb Markowitz - She's Got the Vermont Vibe

Why?

I'll tell you why...

I am not political, although I do know how the world should be run :). But my energies have to be on my life purpose and mission: to help people think out of the box by being me (not being a politician). So I have to find other kindred spirits out there to support in a world where politics basically suck ass and an apathetic public whom I am just tapping my fingers along with for a nationwide coup. I think I would implode with irritation if I hadn't started my own business to make a difference where I actually can so I have to give it up to folks like Deb Markowitz with her optimism, integrity, and realness.

I don't give two flips about this view or that view and think political parties need to be abolished along with people who live off the system, overpopulation, and puffy faced old politicians who claim to love America but who hate Americans. Besides, this political fiasco we live in doesn't let anything get done anyway since checks and balances have turned into "let's just fight with each other until these stupid Americans actually step up and do something about this mess."

So why Deb Markowitz? Because:

~ When I worked at a marketing agency pretending to by a stereotypical PR chick and was working on a project Deb was involved in, she was so very nice to me and I will never forget someone's kindness even if I was too little and stereotypical to be remembered.
~ Every time she has spoken at an event, she has lingered and chatted with people about things regular people chat about and when annoying little PR chickies like me try to introduce themselves to her, she was nice - not acting like so many other prominent people have - oh, you know how they act.
~ When I started my business I found her office very, very, very easy to deal with and was immediately impressed.
~ When I heard her speak at an event this summer she told her story in an interesting, compelling, and funny manner which made me feel very good about some of the abrupt decisions I have made and actions I have taken.
~ Following that event, we left the parking lot together and she told me some of the best business woman advice I have received in a long time (and as a women who started her business at age 30, I need a LOT of advice) - don't flop around with lots of handbags and accessories - it makes you look scattered. And, no - she didn't tell me that, she was simply telling some funny stories of things she learned, but from that I made a concentrated effort to try to be less scattered with all of my crap. Flashbags gals - you need a Deb Markowitz for Governor Bag and I will buzz it all over the place! Deb's entire way of communicating is impressive and the type of story telling I strive for with my PR clients.
~ And lastly, Deb Markowitz actually called me on the phone, took the time to listen, chat, laugh, and not be pushy about money.

In Vermont, it is about community, truth, honesty, and being real. And I bet Deb Markowitz read Anne of Green Gables as a girl because she knows about being a kindred spirit - hey, maybe she'll comment on my post!

Deb - I have no money, but I have a voice and I am in!

Vermont Vibers - forget about politics - think about community and good people - www.debforvermont.com.

Valentine's Week

I made similar commentary to Valentine's Day last year (and you can check out the post here), but basically I think Valentine's Day sucks for single people and having been a single person for many, many years in the past, I can say that without being too big for my britches. But, now I am finally not single and I can say that Valentine's Day is a great reason to focus on your sweetie since the hum and drum of everyday life often makes your sweetie more of a punching bag than a lover. This doesn't mean having to buy dumb crap at the drug store, but flowers are a necessity this time of year (especially ones you can plant later) and the scope of the Vermont restaurant landscape and the Valentine's Day menu performances are silly to skip out on if you have someone to dine with.

The punching bagness I sometimes feel as a Vermont public relations professional, sadly gets bounced over to The Mitch on occasion. He is never slow to point this out and I am always quick to know it is not fair and a few weeks ago I decided I would celebrate The Mitch for the entire week leading up to Valentine's Day. Beginning with dinner at Tourterelle's last Friday, I spent the week making The Mitch his favorite dinners, doing extra chores that he usually does, and giving him a massage with the magical oils I made from lavender in our garden.

I am so infatuated with Vermont dining right now. Maybe it's because of all the Twitter activity local restaurants are so good at or maybe it's because I really am quite a chef myself and experiencing cuisine created by the professionals makes me feel like a palette connoisseur. As my last blog mentioned, we were headed to Tourterelle's which we did indeed do. I reviewed the menu online and knew I was getting the escargot and the bouillabaisse and wondered how adventurous The Mitch would be. He is not the biggest fan of interesting looking things on his plate and does not approve of anything that creeps along the floor of the ocean. But alas, That Mitch got the hamburger and while he savoured the bullish American classic, I enjoyed the artwork - the same design captured in various frames - while feeling very connected to the bottom of the ocean.





As the week wrapped up I felt a bit under the weather and rest, vitamins, fluids, and herbs kept me in the game while The Mitch graciously took over the final days of celebrating Valentine's Day. Always up in the trends, we spent Saturday shopping for records since we decided to return the Wii we got for Christmas and get a record player and surround sound system to compliment the awesome array of old records we "inherited" from my dad. And on Valentine's Day I awoke to a healthy breakfast snack in bed with an English Primrose, a Tulip plant, and a CW Creations necklace.

A day of Vibing began with a neighbor's lovely wooden heart but was ruined by a young Vermont state trooper who thought it funny to follow us through a multiplicity of backroads, slowing down and then racing up behind us. Congratulations to continue to make people not like cops - he was a complete dickhead. When someone flashed us to warn of another enforcer of the law, he happily squealed his wheels to ruin someone else's day. Looks like someone has no Valentine. And it ruined our afternoon of Vibing through the Bristol area looking for potential love nests for our future.

But all came out alright when we arrived at Mary's Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek very early, but were greeted with warmth even though we knew we were throwing off the reservation schedule. It gave us ample time to relax at the bar with a glass of wine and complimentary hummus - thank you. The Mitch and I enjoyed a plethora of bar-side reading and sharing and when our five course dinner table was ready, we were led to the coziest table in the barn board small dining room where every couple spoke at a whisper. Several hours later we made our way to the fifth course - the Chocolate Fest - and closed our week of celebrating our very special love for one another. In addition, Mary's Restaurant was right up The Mitch's ally. No frolicking ocean artforms on his plate, just a solid representation of hearty meat and potato type meals with a savoring twist of elegance and palette perfection that makes me smile. Plus, they have an annual poem contest we knew nothing about and I wrote up the days events in a verse of prose I think is at least a contender - I'll keep you posted and once they announce the results, will publish my romantic, yet deep and honest masterpiece!




Love and Light!

The Waybury Inn & The Pub

Hello Vermont Vibers! I have been one bad blogger - I admit it! I need to write shorter and more frequent blog posts - especially since I have been doing a ton of Vermont Vibing lately! Dining in the winter is a special favorite.

A few weeks ago, The Mitch and I drove the 116 route to The Waybury Inn - this is because I am most recently obsessed with Bristol and want to buy a house there after this mysterious wedding I continue to not talk about! So, down to The Waybury Inn we went because our great pals the Birongs (also owners of 3 Squares Cafe in Vergennes) got married there last summer and were off to enjoy a little winter love reunion. As The Mitch and I are often looking for things to do outside of the Burlington bubble and Charlotte does not have a happening social scene (besides chillin' with Carrie and friends at Spear's Corner Store), we happily joined our friends for dinner at The Pub at The Waybury Inn.

We whisked in running late as we usually do (this is because I have transitional disorder and have not yet found a cure) and sat down to a lively dinner - both in conversation and taste. Leek soup, trout, quail, salmon, tapenade, seafood mountains - no wonder it's Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off To Tae-Bo I Go. Publicity quote for the cuisine - The Pub at The Waybury Inn is located at a crossroads of many potential Vermont Vibes outings and I energetically suggest a casual meal that livens your taste buds and strengthens Vermont's position as the nationwide leader in the best localvore cuisine.

Using the cuisine setting on The Mitch's old digital camera, we enjoyed pretending to be food critics:





We got a quick tour of the Inn after dinner before heading into Middlebury for a little apres dinner and took this fantastic press shot of the Birongs loving their room. I personally thought the romantic CDs and CD player was a classic touch - be sure to include the new Sade CD!

I can't remember a time I had a more enjoyable evening with friends and dinner - The Mitch and I are really digging this double date dinner thing at nice Vermont restaurants and there are so many we haven't hit up yet! Tonight we are finally heading to the long awaited Tourterelle's in New Haven - the escargot has been wafting up Route 7 and into my Vermont PR office for months now. If anyone has a restaurant they want to try and are looking to Vibe a bit with us - let me know! Let's be inspired by social media and then act on it like real Vermonters and support this groovy state!

New Year's in Vermont

Some folks like to spend New Year's in Vermont "getting away from it all." But what if you live in Vermont? The Mitch and I learned we could get away from it all just a few towns over at Bolton Valley Ski Resort. We got fed up with movies showing ski getaways that we always want to take and early in the fall made the decision to forget the rock concerts, parties, and hype-that-leads-to-letdowns of New Year's and get away from it all ourselves. We booked a room for two nights at Bolton Valley and as a PR person who often works with travel writers - here is my take:

Bolton Valley has made a lot of great improvements over the years. No one is immune to hearing about the years of management and financial turmoil they have gone through and I always rooted for the smaller mountain because I learned to ski there and always liked lots of different folks who have worked there. The hard work and Redstone collaboration seems to be working well for them. There is still strange communication issues between marketing/events and folks who work there - for instance not everyone being in the know of pass holder discounts and annoying housekeeping things like the shower water temperature controls. I guess to some out-of-state travel folks this would be a huge irritation, but to us Vermont folks happy to get away, it wasn't that big of a deal (but should be noted, that's why I mention them).

The procedures for picking up your pass have vastly improved and the mountain overall has gone through some needed enhancements. Seems like the windmill is more trouble than it's worth, but an A+ for being bold and trying!

The biggest improvement I saw was the food. I dined at Bailey's several years back and was actually rather horrified at the food - and that was before I considered myself and decent chef. I had the most critical eye going into dinner, but both The Mitch and I were very, very pleased - we had melt-in-your-mouth cuisine and very pleasant service, Bailey's was like a separate intimate experience far removed from the rest of the mountain activities and we both highly suggest it to others.

We were joined for New Year's Eve skiing by our good pals who celebrated into the New Year with us - check out the "eskimo costumes" us ladies wore! Then The Mitch and I relaxed New Year's Day followed by our delicious dinner and then another day of skiing.

I think we might have to go back next year - this Vermont ski resort thing is just the "get away from it all" I need.

Julie & Julia in the Snow

Wow. I just watched that last night. I have been told by countless people that I needed to see that move - I LOVED IT! I knew I needed to see it and that fabulous The Mitch brought it home last night since we've had the Hannah Montana movie from Netflix sitting around the house WAY too long. He also made me homemade chicken pot pie which I am going to crave forever now.



Anyway, with a new year, I need to bring this blog back to its roots of Vermont Vibing which includes positive exploration and energy vibrations and also stay pertinent to the activities in my life which are living at the Charlotte Farmhouse and planning the MitchaRachia Wedding Extravaganza. I will keep my sometimes charged commentary to my PR Blog and steer away from complaining about personal relations which does take away from the positive nature of this blog. That said, I do ask everyone to keep in mind what a blog is - a public diary - and if there's something you want to discuss - by all means, leave a comment, drop me and email, or let's get together in person!

As for snow - how about it??? Yeah Vermont! Here's some photos I took during a snowshoe this Sunday at the Charlotte Farmhouse in the middle of the white blasts from the sky: