Voter registration is now online, at last

Riptonites and all Vermonters can now register online to vote.

 The new software also allows voters to request and track absentee ballots, retrieve directions to polling places and view real-time election results, officials said...
The online system allows Vermonters to register to vote by filling out a six-part questionnaire, similar to the paper documents available at town clerks’ offices all over the state.

Here's the direct link: http://www.vermont.gov/portal/residents/index.php?id=81.

Community sawing bee November 1

Our REAP group is holding a sawing session on November 1st, from 9 am to noon. The location: the shed next to the fire department.

From email:

We’ll be finishing up the birch slab wood we purchased in September. It ought to dry quickly and be ready for those who need it this winter, but it’ll want to be cut, split and under cover. And there are still plenty of logs to keep us busy for the morning. As always, come when you can, stay until you need to leave. There’ll be refreshments to keep us going. Bring a saw, a splitter, a splitting maul, or just yourself. We’ll find a way to keep you busy.

Summing up this year's Ridge Run

The Addison Independent offers its overview of this year's Ridge run.

Andrea Chesman on homesteading

The Free Press interviewed Riptonite Andrea Chesman about skills and practices for homesteading.

The article quotes Andrea offering "Five tips for exploring self-sustainability"

1. Plan a garden for next summer. 
2. If considering animals, “chickens are the gateway animal.” 
3. Identify maple trees on property and try backyard sugaring next spring. 
4. Scout for old apple trees on your property or in your neighborhood 
5. Think about what you might have to barter with others.

The article also references Andrea's latest book, The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How.

Bill McKibben arrested in Burlington

Riptonite Bill McKibben was arrested this week.
This was a deliberate move, a political protest:

McKibben, a Ripton resident, said he hoped his protest at the Simon's Quick Stop and Deli Mobile station on South Winooski Avenue would draw attention to recent evidence that suggests that Exxon Mobil Corp. knew about fossil fuel's role in global warming several decades ago — and shaped drilling strategies accordingly.

Bill wanted to avoid one media spin:

 "I don't want this story to disappear in all this media clutter," McKibben told journalists and a dozen or so supporters. "We need to let people know what we now know about Exxon Mobil. In a noisy world, this may be what we have to do."

The Ripton Ridge Run is racing ahead

This Sunday is the annual Ripton Ridge Run.

Road work on 125

This morning there's some road work on 125.  When I drove through it this morning the crew was a little less than one mile below the general store.