Vermont Dead Line

Thursday, October 24, 2013

How 6 lines of poetry can knock you sideways. From the master, Alfred Lord Tennyson:

THE EAGLE

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt he falls

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Laid to Rest, Again

Woodlawn Cemetery, Rochester, Vermont

On August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene, which had been downgraded from a hurricane, blew through Vermont leaving a path of devastation. Irene "pummeled the slopes and valleys of Vermont with heavy rain and wind. Rainfall totals of 3-5” were recorded throughout the state, with many areas receiving more than 7”, especially on higher, eastern slopes.6 As a result, major flood waters and debris poured through our river ways and communities, from the Mad River valley south to the Deerfield River, affecting 225 municipalities. In many areas, flood levels rivaled or approached the historic flood of 1927, which for 83 years has been a benchmark of Vermont floods.6 Irene’s devastation sent the state into disaster mode, and to date, the storm’s effects are still being realized." -anr.state.vt.us

4 people in the state died as the result of the storm, and the town of Rochester struggled to identify cemetery remains after the storm. (Click on link to read about this towns total isolation after the storm hit Vermont, in 2011).

It was a hard blow to a community already destroyed by the affects of the storm - bridges and roads were demolished - several houses were reduced to toothpicks. "The scene at the cemetery was perhaps most shocking: a whole section washed away, bodies strewn about in the open air, caskets poking out of debris piles and glinting in the post-storm sun." - AP

"There were exposed bodies and caskets lying around the river bank, and a cemetery sexton began camping at the entrance of the cemetery to shoo away the curious and to report to family members about what graves had been affected." -AP

The experts in some cases used DNA, in an attempt to identify the remains. "Family members were not asked to look at the actual remains. Six weeks later, about half the remains have been recovered, but only half of those have been identified." -AP This cemetery, being well above the waterline had survived the floods of 1927 and the Great Eastern Coast Hurricane in 1938.

2013, May ~ 28 bodies were, again, laid to rest in Woodlawn, with help from FEMA, state and local funds. 24 bodies have never been recovered, and the search has now stopped. Some of the headstones that were recovered, have been restored, others - that are considered private property - were not recovered and the families will be ultimately responsible for their replacement. A rededication of the cemetery took place in June, 2013.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

When myspace was cool...

I was recently cleaning out my emails, when I discovered that I kept my old profile on myspace. About a decade ago - it is hard to believe it has been that long! - When myspace was cool and one could create awesome profiles and be anyone you wanted to be. At that time, I was "Lady Denyse". My character was a ghost, who, in her past life was High Lady-In-Waiting to Queen Igraine, of Pendragon Castle, wife of Uther {father of King Arthur}, and I was secretly in love with Uther Pendragon - a love which could never be mine! The best part of having a page on myspace was finding very dear friends all over the world, and with whom, I still keep in touch on Facebook and occasionally via email.

Side note: I had deleted my original profile, and tried later to re-create it, by not only did myspace change how someone's page could be displayed, but the magic of the former page had lost all of its glory. This page still floats out there in the 'space' of the Internet, but I am not active on it. [Also, I should add, someone from Germany stole my entire profile and recreated it for herself. I should have been flattered, but no, it really made me angry - how dare her steal my endeavor at trying to be unique! She even stole some of the "about me" section and made it her own!!! Tisk! Tisk!]

My original 'myspace' story follows, with pictures aplenty of my old avatar. Hope you enjoy it!

I am Lady Denyse

Spirit of Pendragon's Castle;

Daughter of the Holy Isle of Avalon;

I am lost, roaming through thread-bare notions

that someday I will find my true love.

Haunting this dark and lonely castle.

Eternally concealed to mortal eyes...

I am [the spirit] Lady Denyse of Pendragon Castle. I was a daughter of the Great Holy Isle of Avalon, where I once mastered the Old Ways of Herbal Lore and Magic. At Pendragon Castle, and as High Lady in Waiting for her Majesty, Igraine, I was responsible for the personal attendance to my Queen's daily dressing, the brushing of her hair and preparation of her herbal baths. No one could compare to her great beauty, with her long strawberry tendrils which held a natural curl; and, her pale but profound sky blue eyes. Her skin was radiant, especially when with-child.

I secretly and shamefully loved her second husband, King Uther. I was not a relative of Uther, but a confidant and beg you never to consider me in any way a concubine of his Majesty, for I never was. I never before held affection for any man with red-hair, as I secretly considered them all surreptitious like a fox and I did not trust them; that is, until I met Uther. His hair was a deep auburn and his eyes were shades of the sea - a glorious emerald. I fell in love with him the very moment that I set eyes upon him. Uther, nor Igraine, never knew my true feelings.

With aid from Merlin, a spell was cast to ensure their love. I was angry with Merlin for many years!

But alas! Uther and Igraine entrusted me entirely and I was a life-long faithful and loving servant to my beloved Queen and King, torn between service and a longing for a love for which I could never have.

I was present for the birth of Arthur. He was a serious young lad and took lessons from both the Druids and the Christian Priests. He reveled in mastering both sword and horse. He was a master student of the great wizard Merlin, and with his half-sister, Morgan le Fay, beloved daughter of Igraine and Lord Gorlois, he was educated in Isle of Avalon.

King Arthur's Coronation was an elaborate event with brightly woven banners of red and golden dragons strung in the Great Hall. And finally, I was fortunate to have witnessed the sword Excalibur after it was extracted from the Stone of Caledfwlch. Seven moons after his Coronation, and after attending Arthur's great marriage to Guinnevere, I developed a cough and fever, from which I would never recover.

I am doomed forever to linger here in spirit haunting the empty corridors of this abandoned castle. And, alas! there are others with me, floating aimlessly in the cobwebbed veil of time...