(when there’s too much snow to plow the driveway, a tractor has to come move it)

Whenever I spend time with friends and family from down south, I get asked a lot of questions about Vermont. I’m reminded of how little I knew about this area when we moved here nine years ago. To be honest, I would have been hard pressed to find my current home state on a map. I’m still not an expert, but I’ve found out a few things.

In the interest of saving time and for future reference, here are the answers to the top ten questions I get about Vermont:

1. It’s the one on the left. The other tall skinny one is New Hampshire.
2. Yes, it’s super, super cold. After all this time I still find the cold ridiculous. But if you dress right and the sun’s out, anything is possible. And snow at Christmas is very festive. And we have beautiful summers and falls.
3. People up here are actually very nice. The rude, taciturn Yankee stereotype might have come from somewhere, but not here.
4. Well, Middlebury is sort of near Boston, but actually a lot closer to Montreal.
5. No, I don’t ski. I actually haven’t done it since right after college. But most people do and I’m sure I’ll get talked into it one of these days.
6. Technically, yes, that means John is a Vermonter. But I think most people from Vermont would say that it takes several generations before you can actually claim that status.
7. I do miss Charlotte. I try to visit whenever I can. When I’m in Charlotte for the weekend, I fly down. It would be about a 15 hour drive. Yep, I really do live pretty far north.
8. I live in a very small town, but there are all sorts of interesting people here and all sorts of things to do. It’s small, but busy.
9. I didn’t think we’d be in Vermont for nine years either, but there’s a lot to love about it and it sneaks up on you.
10. Again, yes. VERY cold.