Learning what was to be the family Christmas tree this year, the eyes of the four Fischer children widened. Jaws dropped, pretenses fell, traditions broke, needles tumbled from fingers. We were about to have the best Christmas tree ever!

Thanksgiving was, as it is for many, the feast of feasts. Our table would be laid out with a smorgasbord of dishes, numbering higher than we owned serving dishes causing spare plates and the odd baking dish to be used in their place. The extra leaves for the table would also have made their appearance, extending the table from its usual six feet to a whopping nine feet.

Approaching the door, you hear an odd scraping of sorts from inside. A moment’s pause, head involuntarily cocking to the side, you take in what you are hearing, curious of the foreign sound. Something metal and, by the sound, with ample weight is being drug across the floorboards. Then a pause, a few clinks of metal on metal, a soft groan, mechanical click, and then silence inside once more.

On April 8th, 2024, Vermont was directly in the path of the total solar eclipse. Experiencing this once in a lifetime event was nothing short of surreal.

…as children we play a lot. Each day is exciting and big things are always happening. We grow into our formative years with this experience of what daily life is. But, it’s just not.