June 27th, Wednesday – The Healing Center; Marshfield, VT; Coming Attractions Yet to Visit

So today was another appointment day.  Slowly, ever so slowly I’m coming around.  I’m just, now, beginning to get feeling back in my left foot, I’m finally able to sit for more than 10 minutes at a time, and I’m once again beginning to feel sort of like my old self.  Still a long way to go but I’m getting there.  Thanks, of course, to my wonderful wife who is the best caregiver in the world – at least in my humble opinion.

Thanks also to the Healing Center and Dr. Pamela Milosevich who is a holistic chiropractor.  So once again off we went to see the good doctor.  This is the entrance

to her office and here is a picture of the doctor herself, who came in today on her day off to treat me.  She is adamant about getting me back to health before we leave this area.

Her approach to treatment is a holistic one.  That means according to her:  The word holistic stems from the Greek word holism, which means total, entire or all – when applied to the practice of chiropractic care, a holistic healer will always seek to treat the human body (and mind) as a whole organism that is far greater than the sum of its parts.  Suffice to say, whatever she is doing it is beginning to work and I can’t thank her enough!

Since we haven’t been able to do any sightseeing, how about a little history regarding Marshfield where the Meadowcrest Campground is located.  After that I’ll give you an idea of some the local attractions we’ll be going to within real soon – hopefully.

The independent Republic of Vermont chartered the Town of Marshfield in 1790 and named it for Isaac Marsh, one year before Vermont became the 14th state to join the United States of America. Located in the northeast part of Washington County, the 44 square mile town of Marshfield is bisected by the fertile valley of the Winooski River on its 88-mile run to Lake Champlain.

A village center evolved where the stagecoach roads to Cabot, Danville, and Montpelier converged with the small industries along the falls of the Winooski River. A network of roads linked the widely dispersed farms to water-powered grist, saw and wool mills in the village center.

In the early 20th century the old stagecoach road along the Winooski River, known as the River Road, was paved in 1932 between Plainfield and Marshfield and given the designation U. S. Route 2. Automobile travelers vacationed overnight at five private tourist cabin locations along the highway. Electric lines reached local houses and barns in the late 1930s, and in the early 1950s bulk milk tanks were introduced to the dairy farms. The bulk tanks, milking machines and pasteurizing equipment led to the demise of many marginal farms that could not afford the new technologies.

The fires of 1905 and 1909 destroyed many buildings in the village, the devastating flood of the Winooski River in 1927 and the national depression of the 1930s made it difficult for the town to recover economically. Later in the 1960s, the population began to increase with a back-to-the-land movement that attracted new residents from urban and suburban living to Marshfield’s countryside.

Marshfield has evolved over time from an almost self-sufficient agricultural and small manufacturing economy to a more complex mixture of economic activity. The town in the 70’s introduced zoning and planning to encourage responsible growth while maintaining the historic rural character of the community.   The town of Marshfield today is a small, rural, primarily residential community characterized by a population that is both economically and demographically diverse.

OK, upcoming attractions.  Before we leave this area we hope to visit the following:

• Rock of Ages – guided quarry tour takes you to an overlook of the Smith Quarry. At nearly 600 feet deep, it is the largest operating deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world.
• Hope Cemetery – a cemetery in Barre, Vermont. The city calls itself the “Granite Capital of the World”, and the cemetery is known for the superb granite craftsmanship on its memorials and tombstones.  They are awesome!
• Goodrich Maple Farm – can you say Pure Maple Syrup!  All Natural, No Preservatives, No Additives
• Cabot Creamery – a video tour of the cheesemaking area, (actually MORE up close than the walking tour!), as well as a look at the history of the co-op.  Time also to sample cheese, and chat with the wonderful staff.
• Braggs Farm – our visit will include a free guided tour of the family operated maple farm, where traditional sap buckets and wood fires are still used to make 100% pure maple syrup. And if we are up to it, we can even walk through the nearby wood where they hang our 2000 buckets to collect the raw sap!

So, we may be down but not out.  For whatever reason, the good Lord has seen fit to slow us down a bit.  He has His reasons.  We just need to keep the faith and we’ll be back at it soon enough. Most importantly, we’re still even in slow motion traveling along, singing our song, side by side.

I’ll say good night for now.  The rain has started and promises to keep coming through the night and tomorrow.  As always though Graybeard is keeping us warm and dry.  We thank you for sharing our day with us.  We trust your day was a good one.  In closing, a thought for all of us as we awake to a new day tomorrow:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before