Greetings, Craftsburglars!

Can you believe it? Only TWO WEEKS left until Green-Up Day! Holy cow. Or, as they say in Spain, Santa Vaca. (Actually, they don't really say that. I made that up myself, but it always cracks me up.)

It may be snowing as I write this, but I've seen some spring beauties and trout lilies, peepers and wood frogs, and those kyewt yellow-spotted salamanders converging in the wetlands. We've even jumped in the lake already. So spring is marching forth.

Friends and family from elsewhere have asked me, "Just what the heck is Green-Up Day?" I tell them that this is a time-honored Vermont ritual that has taken place for over 40 years on the first Saturday in May in which We the Peeps grab some FREE green bags, pick a section of road, and march our tails out there to clean up the trash. They gasp, "Oh! What good citizens you are!" And I say, "Yeah, it's like that here."

It harkens me back to my childhood, when my Old-School New Englander dad used to make my sisters and me pick up trash in our yard every week. We would whine and complain, "But Daaaaaad! We didn't even puuuuuut it there! Why should we have to pick it uuuuuup?" We were really dramatic. And Dad would firmly and kindly remind us that we all have a responsibility to take care of where we live and take pride in our surroundings. Dad taught us right. Dad was a good man. He sure would've loved Craftsbuggy.

Bags and gloves are available at the town clerk's office. They will also be made available at several other of your favorite haunts--the stores, the library, Sterling (thanks, Micki), etc. And I'll even have some in my car, so if you see me, ask for some! You can start any time. You don't have to wait until Green-Up Day itself. Collect it up, and then bring it to the town garage (not recycling) on May 1, where there will be a town truck waiting.

So, get your green bags and get out there and enjoy. See anything particularly large out there that you can't manage? Let me know and I'll try to get it. Anything and everything. And if you get a chance, please let the town clerk or me know what sections you plan to hit, and we'll put it on our map.

Thanks, everybody! And, as ever, stay positive and test negative!

Suzanne

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