Saturday, January 31, 2009

THE KIDS!

Over the years many of you have heard me talk about my two beloved cats, Alex and Isaac. They are basically like children to Rick and I and we love them dearly.

The first cat of my very own I got when I was 13. It was spring of 1980 and I was at a farm with my father to purchase seed potatoes for the garden. A big gust of wind blew and slammed a barn door shut, almost catching a tiny little barn kitten when it did. The old Vermont farmer picked up the little critter and tossed it to me saying "take this kit'n home 'fore it gets kilt".

I will never forget looking at my father to see if it was ok, but what was he supposed to say - the old gent had just givin it me! :) So, we headed home with this absolutely loving cat which I soon called "Tator", named for the Potato farm where he was recently born.

Tator was grayish in color with tiger kind of stripes and big double paws. He loved to sleep on my bed, drink milk, lay in sunny windows and wake me up promptly at 6AM every morning with a deep yawl. He would kneed the blankets if I didn't respond. He was determined to disallow morning sleep-ins!

On Christmas Eve in 1992 Tator had a seizure and was later diagnosed as diabetic. We started administering insulin shots on a daily basis and he lived a wonderful and happy life. We eventually lost Tator September 25, 1997.

So, eating lunch at Wendy's one Saturday afternoon the following year, Rick said "we need to get another cat". Oh my god, I was so excited! The search began and over the follow couple of weekends we logged 1,000 miles on my new car looking at kittens all over New England. We eventually discovered a breeder in Lempster, New Hampshire that raised kittens as a hobby. She was a full time nurse but had a great set up for her hobby at her house. Clean, neat and very healthy kittens. It was here that we found a handsome little kitten already named Alexander.


ALEX - Born June, 1998


Alexander, whom we now call Alex, is a Persian. His color is known as Shaded Silver, but he really looks almost completey white at first glance. He is certainly a lap cat and wants to be with you wherever you are. Try sitting in my recliner at night without him at your feet! He has big green eyes, a quiet little meow and he likes to watch the birds outside the living room window.

One early summer day in June, 2001 we received a note from the breeder that included some pictures of her newest litter of kittens. There was this adorable little blondie that had the brightest blue eyes at the time. Immediatly we could justify getting a "friend" for Alex. So we drove to Lempster and looked at the little guy in person. He was the sweetest kitten ever. So we agreed to adopt him and we returned in July to pick him up at 6 weeks old.



ISAAC - Born May, 2001

We named the newest addition to our family Isaac. He is an Exotic Longhair and he has a huge personality. He likes to be brushed, loves to follow you around the house and talks really loud. He doesn't like to be ignored, loves his treats and likes to lay on the table in the sunporch.

Now you know all about the little ones that we have at home. They really are our babies!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

AM I CRAZY?

AM I CRAZY? My dear friend Carolyn Tonelli once ran a newspaper ad with that as the heading. Why? Because she was running for a seat on the Randolph Selectboard! Carolyn's ad obviously got some attention because she went on not only to win a seat, but severed for several years as the Chair of the board. I consider myself privileged to have been able to join the board during her chairmanship. I worked closely with Carolyn and I ended up serving the community for nearly 6 years as a Selectboard member.

Now, about 8 years after I left the Selectboard, I have decided that it is time to run for election once again. This year there are two positions on the board who's terms are ending. I have decided to run for a 3 year term. My decision to run isn't based as much on my unhappiness with our current town leaders as it is with my strong belief in community service, and the encouragement that I have received from friends over the past couple of years. I really do enjoy being able to help guide the town that I know as home. I was born in Randolph and have been here for all of my 42 years. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to serve in the past, and hope that the voters of Randolph will support my efforts once again.

Randolph is a great community. Small town with a big personality. We have the luxury of having a fabulous state college (http://www.vtc.edu/), a hospital (http://www.giffordmed.org/), excellent schools (http://orangesw.k12.vt.us/), Chandler Cultural Center (www.chandler-arts.org/) and an active town government (http://www.randolph.vt.us/). Oh, and they have one GREAT Realtor (http://www.randolphvtrealestate.com/) - That would be ME!

So Carolyn, if you are reading this, do you think I am CRAZY???

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

IT'S A BLIZZARD OUT THERE!

3:45 PM - Rick cleaning the first 8" from the deck.

4:30 PM - Clearing the paths, getting ready for 8" more!

WOW, what a storm this is turning into!


Winter in Vermont - and it sure looks it today. The weatherman forecasted 12" - 18" of snow for Central Vermont and it looks like we will get every bit of it. It started snowing in Randolph around 6AM and hasn't let up yet.

All this snow certainly is pretty, but it seems like a lot of hard work the older I get. It used to be fun when I was a teenager! Now I understand why we have family and friends that either winter in Florida or have moved there permanently. They are probably relaxing by the pool!


I haven't spoken to my sister today, but I am sure she just LOVES this snow. Not! I don't think I have ever seen anyone that hates snow more than her, yet like me, she is here in Central Vermont! Probably because most of our families are here.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Welcome To My Blog!

Rick Carrier & Dennis Brown



Welcome To My Blog! I finally got around to setting up a blog. This will be a great way to keep in touch with family, friends and business acquaintances, and to share my life experiences. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful life filled with the perfect balance of work, travel, family, friends and community service.


My career is important to me and you will read shortly about changes happening with my business. I am very excited to be making a change in the near future and will share this with all of you very soon. The real estate business is ever changing, and I think that we will see many changes in business models and practices over the next couple of years.


I will also be able to share with all of you the great trips that I get to take. Rick and I love to travel and I will try to post updates and photos of the places we visit.


Check back often as I hope to update this site at least weekly, and maybe even more frequently.