The stained-glass windows at the Poultney Methodist Church, built in 1841, have been in place for over 100 years. But time and interior temperature fluctuations have taken their toll, said the Rutland Herald. Cracks run between each colored pieces of glass and there are parts of the window that protrude. The solution to save the windows and prevent future deterioration is to restore the windows. The church has developed a campaign to raise $150,00, of which $120,00 already has been raised or pledged and $27,000 already received. Guy Savino and his brother, Bob, who own the All in Glass Studio Too, will be handling the restoration process. They're hoping to finish the project within the next year. The good news is that the new windows will have thermal protection which will help to protect the windows and reduce energy costs for the church. A step-by-step CD of the entire process set to music will be prepared for current and future parishioners to see. Anyone interested in making a donation for the restoration process can call the church at 802-287-5710.

Ever hear of Woodchuck Day? Waterbury's local radio station WDEV's sales manager, Tom Beardsley, thought up the promotion four years ago, said the Rutland Herald. His hope was to replace Phil as the true spring prophet. "The whole idea just made me start laughing. And it makes sense actually. Who would call a woodchuck a groundhog?" said Chris Graves, a Waterbury resident and self-proclaimed woodchuck. Among the 50 participants was VT Gov. James Douglas, dressed in a suit and tie, among the other fashionistas in oil-stained coveralls and fur-trimmed aviator hat. The celebration raised $1,760 for the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation, an organization that assists Guard families as the soldiers deploy to Afghanistan. But, alas, there was no real-life woodchuck to forecast the next six weeks of winter. He/she left that up to Phil in the end. But, according to Beardsley, "...it's just an idea for something stupid to do in the middle of winter." Better watch out, Phil, your understudy waits in the wings.

Current-day environmentalists think their view of how conserving and recycling is new. Actually, some Depression-era seniors from Wake Robin Continuing Care Retirement Community in Shelburne beg to differ. People learned to be self-reliant and resilient during the Depression, they told the Burlington Free Press. People grew their own food. They hung out their clothes to dry as opposed to using a dryer. Clothes were patched and socks were darned. Then households' efforts took time to save money. Today, time seems to be in short supply. But spending that time could be a benefit and a mental-health break, thought Clare Innes of the Chittenden Sold Waste District. The Wake Robin residents felt their children and grandchildren would probably inherit a world with fewer resources, which will force them to consider the environment every day. These are some lessons to be learned from those who lived it.

Bag Balm. It's the ointment in a tin can with the cow's head users claim helps all sorts of things, including sunburn, squeaky bed springs, dry and cracked fingers, diaper rash, and much more. Bag Balm is manufactured in Lyndonville by the family-owned Dairy Association Co., Inc., and run by six employees, two officers, and a sales force, reports the Brattleboro Reformer. It began its healing powers as a topical cream to soothe the irritated udders of cows in 1899. Since then, it's traveled the world with Admiral Byrd to the North Pole, Allied troops in WWII, and recently to Ground Zero in New York for the paws of dogs searching the rubble. Even though humans now embrace it, dairy farmer Willie Ryan of Craftsbury still uses it for its original intended purpose on his cows. "...don't ask me how (it works), but it does," he said. Why should cows keep such a good thing to themselves?