On Monday, I went with Judy and Eileen north a couple of hours to the Vermont Country Store. It was a clear, warm day as we left Troy. The further we drove , we noticed  what my husband calls, “the four-letter “S” Word . . . . .  SNOW.

Just a dusting but undeniable!    Oh well, I guess it is time!   Why, you might ask, do we live up here in the frozen tundra of the US?   Good question !

Vrest and Ellen Orton opened The Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont, in 1946. They were inspired by childhood memories of Vrest’s father’s general store in North Calais, Vermont, which opened in 1897. The Weston store was the first restored rural general store in the nation. “I can still recall my father’s store, where most of the men came in the evenings to wait for the horse-drawn stage that brought the mail from Montpelier, thirteen miles away,” Vrest Orton said. “The store was warm and cozy. It smelled of harness, coffee, smoky kerosene lamps, tobacco, and sugar maple wood burning in the big stove.”

Wall of creams and remedies for head to toe!

Table after table of “Retro Toy Joy!”

Who doesn’t remember and love the penny candies even  if you have to pay  today’s prices!

 And who doesn’t love Vermont Cheddar Cheese?  There is a serve yourself, as much as you want  tasting room  filled with dips, sauces, cheese, cookies and jams and preserves with little bite-size  crackers .  Nice of them to cut small bite-sizes to help us avoid calories from all those delicious Vermont products.

It was a fun day with friends and  memories of days gone by.  I was able to find some stocking stuffers , taste some Vermont cheese and condiments while  avoiding the snow. That may end later today as there is a rumor that snow is on the way!

Though  there are still colorful  leaves on the trees, once it begins SNOW always prevails!