Green Mountain Meandering Missives

  Nearly every Friday afternoon, beginning around Noontime, there is an anti-war vigil held by one or more protesters in front of the federal building on State Street in downtown Montpelier. This afternoon, one gentleman -- who had mentioned that he is 100-years-old -- held vigil alone with a large dual-sided sign with two messages, despite the heat, in order to call attention to the plight of Palestinians at the hands of the government of Israel. Text of sign (side 1): TO MY FELLOW JEWS  IN ISRAEL- HOW COULD THE NAZI  GENOCIDE OF JEWS  1933-45 BE FOLLOWED BY  THE ISRAELI  GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS  TODAY? Text of sign (side 2): KILLING & STARVING: WHAT NAZIS  DID TO JEWS  80 YEARS AGO,  MY FELLOW JEWS  IN ISRAEL  DO TO PALESTINIANS  TODAY _____________________ I DON'T HEAR GOD CRYING Update 1 : Had come across the gentleman around 12:30 PM, after briefly attending the community meal held at Christ Episcopal Church ...

  Mountains and Valleys of Hope Why are hopes merely lofty mountains, otherwise, far-off beautiful scenic valleys, somewhere in the distant and hazy horizon, only to be gazed upon, be dreamed about or imagined by those  who have the faith or vision to do so, elsewise eventually scaled or ventured toward by those few souls daring to risk the arduous, lengthy, trek or otherwise be left to either  artists to draw, paint or sketch panoramics, as well as poets and writers to pen and publish flowery sonnets, prose, articles, novels or books, never to be truly experienced and lived by most, save by those willing to make their hopes reality for both themselves as well as others, dreaming, envisioning and seeking something much better and different for all of humanity. This has been a question, among others, too often gone unanswered, through the ages, at least until a future generation finally does so. Morgan W. Brown Monday, March 4, 2024 Montpelier, Vermont, USA Photo: Camel's ...

Have never considered myself to be a religious person per se (i.e., one to practice religion), however, I have tended to view myself as being a spiritual or rather to be a spiritually motivated person and, speaking for myself only (of course), have usually not felt comfortable in most churches or attending formal church services.  In fact, my church of choice has been the outdoors, found among nature. Yet, when someone I know and well respect mentioned about their being a Quaker last week, something that I had not previously known, I felt drawn to seriously consider becoming a Quaker myself, particularly after having done some online research about being a Quaker and, finding that Quaker way of life as well as core beliefs, principles and values appear to mirror as well as closely align with my own, seeking information about where Quaker meetings are held in the area as well. Not only did I email the person about it, but I also posted on Montpelier's Front Porch Forum (FPF) askin...

First photo taken by a neighbor last weekend. For those who might have missed it, after posting the previous days reports and updates (12/22nd and 12/23rd), there was a follow-up update posted and also later edited, regarding Saturday’s events and related matters, as well, here . As had been previously mentioned in yesterday’s report and update, tentative plans for today (Sunday, December 24th), Christmas Eve Day, are yet to be determined, however Roaming Santa does plan to get out and about when he is able to do so. Second photo (taken by Ken Russell; shared with permission): Roaming Santa out front of the Vermont State House on Thursday evening. Roaming Santa’s Wish List : Recently, during one of the greet and waves in downtown Montpelier, Santa had asked someone what they wanted for Christmas and, after answering, the person asked him what he wanted as well. After pausing to think about it for several seconds, the reply was that what the person had mentioned sounded good to him too....