The Orwell Bugler

Once a year, whether Orwell needs it or not, the Bugler sounds. This one's for anyone who's ever yelled at their dishwasher, their phone, or Siri. Joe and Andy talk about using AI for home repair, woodworking, websites, and walk-in coolers, plus why you should keep your guard up (this thing lies, cheats, and wants you to like it). Plus rumors not news from around town: library tech help hours, kickball on the freshly mowed back 40, band concerts, berry picking, and why Joe's household now only watches "ball" and "bus."

On Black Friday at the Orwell Free Library, Andy and Joe set up their mics at the weekly coffee hour and try to guess whether anyone will actually show up. Andy has already posted a photo of his smoked turkey carcass simmering into stock, and the guys kick things off with a debrief of Thanksgiving at his house: pork roast instead of turkey, why he loves "meat you actually have to chew," and the quiet joy of a holiday with no gift pressure—just family, food, and football in the next room.

They're soon joined by guest Sandra Owens, a local jeweler, storyteller, and self-described "snow swimmer." Sandra shares her first Thanksgiving since losing her husband four months ago and how it felt to shift from hosting to being hosted. From there, the conversation wades into deeper water: how cold swimming has become her most reliable medicine for grief, anxiety, and the general heaviness of life.

Sandra explains what she calls her "internal toolbox," the micro-strategies she uses to make cold water safe and healing, and a recent dawn swim where she looked up from the 45-degree lake to discover the Northern Lights rippling overhead. Along the way, they talk snacking gardens, mushroom CSAs, nervous breakdowns in the 1980s, and why discomfort can sometimes be a stone wall with unexpected magic on the other side.

The episode wraps with an invitation: if you're local and curious, come to Friday Coffee Hour every week from 9–10:30 a.m.-ish and the 10:30 a.m. story time at the Orwell Free Library for little ones—no polar plunge required.

Joe and Andy return after a break for a catch-up. They riff on daylight saving vs. standard time, Joe's issues with houseplants, and holiday gifting (including the dangers of wrapping coffee-maker cleaner in a jewelry-sized box). The guys wade into the great Yankee Swap rulebook, get ready for Halloween (from trunk-or-treat to shovel-dragging street specters), and talk about how being banned from Facebook reshapes local participation—for better and worse.

There's village life aplenty: shout-outs to Food & Farm Fest, the Artist Fest, the new bandstand, and the first meeting of the Orwell Village School Student Council. The episode ends with a proposal for a community-building Orwell golf tournament stitched across neighbors' backyards—think mini-golf meets block party!

Learn about the Food and Farm Fest by visiting the official website: https://www.orwellfreelibrary.org/foodandfarmfest

The Orwell Buglers triumphantly return to talk about the Orwell Food & Farm Fest on Sunday, July 14th! Andy & Joe discuss the lineup of farmers, food, music, crafts, lectures, and more from noon to four on the green. Hope to see you there!

Our entry into the Orwell Free Library Teen Advisory Group's (a fine, upstanding group of young people, let us tell you) Appreciate Orwell Contest! We hear from a bunch of people in town about what they love about Orwell before sharing our thoughts.

A little Town Meeting Day, a little Little League, a call for anyone with memories of The Orwell Orgy (the 1970s music festival that wasn't, get your head out of the gutter) to get in touch with us, and more on this month's Orwell Bugler!

Our live episode was pretty fun! We had a few special guests, in particluar Steve James from the Addy Indy who was taking pictures for an upcoming feature. We'll do it again soon!

This episode starts off with (apologies to Noah Kahan) a version of his hit song "Stick Season" that we're calling "The Real Stick Season." We're even working on a parody of the music video too, which will be out soon-ish.

We then head off on a road trip! We go all the way down to Chipman Point Marina, and then when we can't drive into the lake, we head back east all the way to Mutton Square Road, and then over to Knox Hill before we stop on Andy's family's land where he shoots a squirrel.

After that, we head down Knox Hill, across Young Road, and then to the northern part of town where we loop over Hibbard Hill, down Daigneault Hill, head across 22A, and then back to 73 to end up in front of Andy's store were we interview the State Biologists that were in front of the store for Youth and Novice Weekend.

This entire episode occurs in real time, so you could literally drive our route and listen to us talk, if you're interested in doing that sort of thing.

In this episode, we bring you all the rumors, not news from beautiful downtown Orwell, Vermont: the foliage report, Camp Sunrise, the Orwell Fire Department's parade, sports, weather, and more.

After that we take a deep dive into Andy and Joe's musical history as they talk about music that influenced them as they grew up. Maybe you'll discover a new artist to follow!

🎺🎺🎺🎺!!!!! It's...the Orwell Bugler!

Another leasurely summer episode, this one recorded from the Orwell Town Green after sunset. All the sounds of an Orwellian summer greet you with this episode: the buzz of insects, the chirping of frogs, the sonorous tones of the town bell, and the revving of engines ripping through town at 50 miles per hour.

Join us!