A YEAR IN REVIEW - IN VERMONT

A few days ago, we celebrated a year in the foothills of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The move was stressful, but we do not have any regrets to bring our child to this beautiful, not-so-crowded state. Of course, it required high-speed broadband to connect to my employer, who kept me on as a remote worker. This limited some of our location choices, but the little town of Guilford on the SE border of VT/MA was an ideal fit for all. We sold the antique "money pit" and bought the open-concept modern "shark house" (nicknamed for the metal shark sculpture embedded in the back yard), high on a hill off a mile-long dirt road. It really needed no updates other than new garage doors! An iconic Vermont covered bridge over a dam with a lazy swimming hole is a short dash down the road. Trail heads peak out of forests and farms. We partake in Vermont's offerings of hiking, wildlife, canoeing, fishing, stargazing, and a welcomed slower pace. My husband is now a local cub scout den leader, and I am Guilford's newest Town Auditor. Our son attends Hilltop, a small Montessori school with a breath taking view and beautiful campus, not to mention fabulous teachers and staff. ​Even with the onset of COVID-19, I witnessed the struggle for many colleagues at the beginning, mostly as we all had to juggle layoffs, furloughs, remote working challenges, and teaching children at home. I was used to having to keep a good routine in order to function, but the homeschooling was a doozy! A good cadence set in a few months, and now I believe that everyone is fairly content with being remote - and possibly staying that way for a long time. But not all of them can say there are bears and moose nearby!