Vermont Seasonings: Short Stories from Back Home - Paperback

by Olivia Ballinger (Illustrator), Susan Winters Smith (Author)

This book contains 44 short stories which are a historical collage of Vermont's four seasons and what life was like in rural Vermont in the 50's and 60's (or maybe a little earlier or later). They express what I believe is the true essence of the soul of the Green Mountain State, drawn from events from my own childhood and from stories told by friends and relatives. Growing up in rural central Vermont in that time period was a great blessing. We lived briefly in Chelsea and Williamstown and then in the little village of Shady Rill in the town of Middlesex. I learned about nature firsthand, cherishing the fascinating creatures of the natural world. I hunted for salamanders under rotting logs, wandered through swamps catching green frogs and turtles among the blue and yellow swamp iris, swam with the trout in Shady Rill Brook and caught bumblebees in jars.
From the snow glistening in winter, blizzards, icicles and sliding: the Maple sap running in spring, along with mud ruts, peepers and red trillium; the earth glowing in summer with swimming, fishing and hiking; and the reaping of the harvest in the fall, with haying, berry picking and church suppers, we Vermonters welcome the coming of each season as a part of our heritage that reminds us of who we are.
Yes, it is nostalgia, with the usual pains of life here and there, yet I avoid anything too violent or tragic. Of course those things happen, but I choose to emphasize the happy memories and let them overshadow the not so joyous ones.
-Susan Winters Smith