DARKNESS BY DAY- DARKNESS BY NIGHT

I’m sitting on my porch watching a crazy storm. Here in Vermont we are on “tornado watch” which is weird enough in itself, but the sky has gone as dark as 10pm, darker than the eclipse at 4:30 in the afternoon. Thunder and lightning require I give some dog-dope to poor Coco who is terrified of storms… poor girl. The clouds move in layers in opposite directions. Luckily I live on the eastern side of the hills so I don’t take the brunt of the force.

The colors of the flowers on the porch flash; coral, electric yellow, acid fuschia and red. Hummingbirds come and rest on the rim of the feeder to get out of the rain. Dennis the cat dozes in the chair next to me like a limp bundle of socks, bless him. Being bookended by him and Coco is sort of amusing. They make a graph who’s invisible line runs across my lap which illustrates “zero to sixty.” I’m not holding out much hope that my delphiniums will still be standing when this is over. I can’t bear to look. I’d leave the porch but the air is so cool and soothing. It seems like forever since I wasn’t sticky and overheated. This is just too nice. The horses are standing out in the rain eating to their heart's content. No bugs, a nice shower and maybe a good roll in the mud. Given the choice, horses always choose rain over their nice stalls. They don’t care that the lightning is exploding across the sky. They just don’t want to be trapped. I feel the same. The power goes out. 

The next morning, the power is still out and I find all three roads out of my area too damaged to drive at certain points (including my driveway) so they are temporarily closed. There are deep jagged chasms and total washouts that leave nothing but huge boulders in the bottoms of road-wide ruts like a lightning fast glacier. Many of my neighbors have corners of their foundations washed out or covered in mud. I’m so worried for them… But on the bright side, scores of people are out in their rubber boots digging and moving things. It’s how Vermonters are; prepared and kind in a crisis. Trucks line the roads in front of damaged houses. 

When I finally manage to get into town much later in the day I run into a friend who lives down the road. They give me the terribly sad news that a kind neighbor died last night in the flood trying to help someone else. They were simply swept away. Like I said, that’s how Vermonters are; helpers. I am so devastated.

Vermont’s weather is unlike anything it’s ever known. It’s getting worse at an escalated rate due to climate change, and still, even people who believe in climate change do nothing about it. It’s so hard to be motivated when you learn how little is recycled. Why do we bother? But also, why are we running toward our own extinction!? Why can’t people see how worth it this planet is? Why can’t we fall back in love with it as a whole species? And why the fuck is love such a controversial, divisive topic? All the religions say it is the most important thing. And for those not religious, it’s just common sense; it’s the freest, cleanest fuel that regenerates itself…

Please drink a toast to my good neighbor who drowned trying to help other human beings. And if you have the resources, please donate to the VERMONT RECOVERY FUND. Be safe out there and don’t stop loving, no matter what asshole fucking politics say or do. 

LOVE.

Addendum: Thank you for all of your kind thoughts for my neighbor. I need to clarify that I did not know him, but I know another member of his family. This may seem a small thing but I don’t want to give any false impressions. I am still very sad about it none the less. He was out doing what other Vermonters do without a second thought; looking for people stuck, or in trouble. Flood waters are no joke. A piece of the roadway had been eaten out from underneath which caved in and flipped his vehicle, dumping him into the raging water. Be CAREFUL out there and NEVER drive into floodwater, even if it just looks like one big puddle. I care what happens to you.