Seasons

Vermont for me is not only a home but also a lifestyle. Growing up in Vermont, one of the main things that you cope with is needing to plan activities according to the seasons and weather. For instance, the outdoor activities that go on in this state are strongly based on the weather. Being a Vermonter means being able to withstand the freezing twenty below weather of January, to the ninety-five degree temperatures in July, to the muddy roads in March. Living here ten years from now, (that’s hard to think about), at the pace that our population in the United States is growing, you never know what your home town will be like in a decade. Many things are important to me in Vermont, the biggest being how well I know my friends and community. If you go down to the local Co-op you know or at least recognize the people working and shopping there.

My parents talk about moving, and I just roll my eyes. “Never.” I tell them, ignoring when they say that maybe, a time will come when I don't have a choice. “Until I graduate high school,” I say, “I'm not leaving Vermont.”
With the economy the way it is and IBM laying off workers everyday, conversations like that happen a lot. Although my parents complain about the cold, the isolation, and the smallness of the state we live in, I know that in their heart, they don't want to move either. They just like teasing me about it.
Vermont has one of the smallest populations in the country. Only Wyoming has less people, and even Wyoming has a bigger city than Burlington—the smallest largest city in a state.
Vermont is a state where once, cows outnumbered people. It's a state where sometimes, you have to stand on park benches to get service for your cell phone, and where the state capital doesn't have a McDonald's.
And that's why it is what it is.

I’ve never really realized the things I do now about Vermont. I’ve live here all my life and never really appreciated it. And even though there are some little things I would change, there’s a lot I wouldn’t. One thing I really come to appreciate and admire even is Vermont’s four seasons. There are the ones we love the ones we hate, but I love them all. They each have a certain something.
Spring…the clean up of winter. “Out with the cold in with the dew” my grandma always says. The leaves grow back on the trees, the flowers start to grow back, and my mom gets to harass my dad about mowing the lawn, just kidding. Spring. To me, is like a new beginning.
Yes summer! School’s out, and the warm weather is here, for a, little bit anyways. Hanging with friends, and just enjoying
the outdoors. Summer is definitely the most comfortable out of all the seasons.

My parents talk about moving, and I just roll my eyes. “Never.” I tell them, ignoring when they say that maybe, a time will come when I don't have a choice. “Until I graduate high school,” I say, “I'm not leaving Vermont.”

With the economy the way it is and IBM laying off workers everyday, conversations like that happen a lot. Although my parents complain about the cold, the isolation, and the smallness of the state we live in, I know that in their heart, they don't want to move either. They just like teasing me about it.

Vermont has one of the smallest populations in the country. Only Wyoming has less people, and even Wyoming has a bigger city than Burlington—the smallest largest city in a state.

Vermont is a state where once, cows outnumbered people. It's a state where sometimes, you have to stand on park benches to get service for your cell phone, and where the state capital doesn't have a McDonald's.

And that's why it is what it is.

What is the most important thing to you about your life in Vermont? This is a question I get asked when my relatives come to visit, their inquisitiveness overloading with questions, inquiries, and wonders about Vermont. So, this one's for my relatives...To be a Vermonter is a great honor. I love my hometown of Fairfield, love the people in it. I love knowing faces as we drive by cars on the road, each new face smiling and waving hello, just passing by, commuting to their next destination. We all know each other. I love my town and my Vermont. The season's changes in Vermont are most the important things about Vermont to me.

When I think about Vermont, the first thing that comes to mind is the seasons. I love fall for its vibrancy. Going for a walk in the heart of a forest in early October can be magical. Every thing about it is perfect. The way the leaves crunch under my feet, the colors lighting my path – red, brown, yellow, orange, purple. When I listen closely the only sound comes from a nearby stream, joined by the occasional call and reply of birds, or maybe a deer I startled with my presence. Then I inhale the scent. It smells vaguely familiar, like gingerbread and freshly disturbed soil.

The sun is beating on my back
Ice cream is melting in my hands
A sip of cool lemonade
It sends a chill though my body like an ice cube being dropped down my back
A dribble of sweat runs down my face
The sweltering heat is killing me

But the days get cooler and the nights get longer
It seems like the world is on fire
The air is crisp and full of life

By Sophia Ava Trigg
Champlain Valley Union High School, Grade 10

Seasons

Summer is like a fluffy green blanket
falling over the world.
Spreading happiness to the stars above,
but also spreading loneliness
to all that are not here at this time of year.
Green spreading all over, making the flowers bud.
My mom helps me in the garden,
but it won’t be for long.