Episode June 16, 2017

June 16, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe along with her kids Eli and Ira discuss the day’s studio abnormalities, the comfort of night rain, the challenges of maintaining farm machinery, errant tractor parts & the old fixer, the timely arrival of draft horses, more on weed whacking with scissors and a bread knife, the mysterious location of West Barnet VT, counting round barns, why we say “banging a right”, the relationship between heading for the hills & cell phone reception, a rule-of-thumb involving guys in pickup trucks, sliding kids out of bed by the feet, revisiting one of Butch’s unique methods for dealing with sleepy children, avoiding browser tracking, the hazards of girly stuff like bobby pins and miniature umbrellas, homage to the oldest pair of Carhartts, John’s conversion to Arborwear pants, plotting work-arounds for the ten-day bridge repair project, late for fencing class again, the finer psychological points of pressing flowers, unpacking the orange Land Rover in the parking lot, the depressing saga of Smith & Hawken’s corporate takeover x2, being sandwiched between Ben and Jerry, getting familiar with the animals on your road, why one golden retriever is just like any other golden retriever, highlights from the last-day-of-school picnic, Vermont diversity thanks to costumes, a tradition of Conservation Camp, asking your adult children to follow you on Spotify, questioning the time and place for cancer jokes, distraction nation, being forced to claim yourself as yourself for commercial purposes, a person no matter how small, being the shortest in the class, a septic alarm debacle at the museum, wrecking the day, a choice of being beaten or neglected, sibling rivalry revisited, a tic-tac-toe losing streak - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Don’t Call Betty [Carbon Neutral]; Bow Thayer and the Holy Plow [Way of the Gun]; Kristina Stykos [Forgiveness].

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Youtube, or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio. Made possible in part by generous support from station sponsors Howvale Farm, The Grease Collective and Mountain Folk.

Episode June 9, 2017

June 9, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss when babies cry and when they do not, the deeper meaning of retrograde, where mythology and astrology connect, the ridiculousness of a world on steroids, learning to cope with the first amendment, how to make a good segue, another event tent on the green, an overly elaborate salad description that goes on and on, taking the pepperoni out of vegetarianism, gravitating towards good habits, a tussle over cat throw-up, the host of baffling relationship issues that come along with using tech support, a nice but useless guy named Rhys, struggling to crack the login code when things aren’t working, unequal relationship dynamics at the restaurant, pretending to listen to “the specials”, new ideas for how to order food, fantasizing about self-serving at the automat on a rainy day, the ecstasies of metaphorical travel, dealing with rubber boots all the time, a sheep give-a-way, the how and whys of free roosters, whacking chicken meat, a new hipster butcher shop in Montpelier, a really hard spelling word, the pros and cons of adults not having to go to school, eschewing the deli counter at the supermarket, a unique gift certificate for falconry, midnight telemarketing calls from China, donkeys out again, trying to match-make Studly and Uncle Roger’s draft horse, single pets, whether to pick lice over bedbugs, when you can call something a mountain, confusion over the definition of a hill - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Jonathan Falby & Zac Johnson [Good Folks Behind You]; Kristina Stykos [Love the Distance]; Chris Kleeman & Malkum Gibson [Big City Rag].

Episode June 2, 2017

June 2, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a failed photo op, feeling bad about looking like a pig, marginalizing other species, more on wearing costumes, turning the corner on aging, the wrong kind of compliment, losing our cuteness, the potential advantages of having your molars removed, crying until you choke, a tendency to put people in metaphorical closets, the new trend of weighted blankets, a look at paint thinner in children’s cereal, searching for one sane person among many Trump family members, monkey brains, how the world views not wearing socks, nostalgia for the old fashioned shoe store, some catch phrases to promote our show sponsors, the nuances of “calving”, free couches on Route 110, new furniture trends in Toronto, a dearth of hangovers, a timely visit from the pig farmers, a contemplation on our origins, tweaking the train emotion, bringing back the land bridges, a fantasy about driving to Europe and beyond, one person’s reason for snubbing the equator, “bury me in my Carhartts”, how astrology affects table manners, the challenges of transitioning from May to June, when summer warped time, decision-making in ticks, a comparison of fundraising websites, the vanishing middle class, the pros and cons of feeling excluded, playing it cool, loving the things that you make, a good kind of narcissism, experiencing rejection at the thrift store, the trouble with typing - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: The Cousins Project [Jealous Girl]; Doug Perkins and Patrick Ross [Fiddle Tune Medley]; The Highwoods String Band [Roll on Buddy]

Episode May 26, 2017

May 26, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss owning a new trucker hat, being cool when no one is there to see it, whether or not photo-shopping is “real”, reconstituting life, locating a bad mouse smell, eschewing flim-flammery, embracing The Grease Collective, more on cheese, unpacking the relationship between the dinner-making ritual and drinking wine, a peaceful end to the old stove, analyzing a photo of two electricians for sexual content, Gordy’s “little houses”, the mystery of the Port-o-let, deep intelligence, a tip about dogs & this year’s “Strolling of the Heifers”, forcing cows to do things they might not want to do, speed dating for entrepreneurs, celebrating the washing away of pig manure, gut reactions to different types of photos on Facebook, declarations of royal connection, the selfie-cleavage algorithm, using Pluto Square to Venus as an opportunity for personal growth, more on the contradictions of parenting, a case of local tree stump art, a visit to the baby’s dentist, tipping service providers at weddings, bumping into Frank Keene at Will’s Store & his retirement woes, looking forward to dying in a pasture, no-shows at the school dance performance, passing off the wrong zip drive, the domino effect of one person’s lateness, the difficulty of saying something twice, sharing photographs of your occupation, why to avoid using the word “rant”, being genuinely happy vs. showing off your happiness on social media - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Wagtail [Wagtail/Daphne’s Ramble/Meadowdance]; Doug Anderson [Dance Floor]; Rick Ceballos [Shifting Sands]

Episode May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss trying to make it up to Joni, a missing conniption fit, tips on how to screw up an introduction, confessions of a former bookworm, distinguishing between sneaker monograms, the sly truth of turtlenecks hung on hangers, taking Mom to a new cafeteria & other adventures at the elders facility, throwing on spandex, the practice of using non-edible ingredients in school lunches, becoming a new person in less than a month, a failed effort to shoot lightning, more ridiculous aging issues from the 40-something set, mean children taking aim at Emily’s pooch, the futility of closing Google ads, thinking positively about ticks, a disastrous spelling challenge, the problem with trying to see God, plastic bike noise, the end of the hobo days, grappling with the concept of nature’s wrath, the freedom of saying stupid things, casting a generic safety net, defining a yawning problem, the comforting sound of the dishwasher, imagining a world without snacks, avoiding worn out nick names, what the dog brought to the school picnic, John’s childhood of forced farm labor, a lengthy review of the show’s sponsors and our feelings towards them, embracing germs as an immune booster, not loving other people’s children, gardening advice with a unique recommendation concerning goutweed, barn chores vs. flower gardening, a new solution for invasive plants including Pandas, misunderstanding the autonomy of Alaska and Puerto Rico, the rightness of coffee for certain personality types, going on the deep web with TORS - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Mark Struhsacker [Light in the Window]; Wagtail [One Clear Moment]; Julie James [Going Home]

Episode May 12, 2017

May 12, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Host Kristina Stykos and guest co-host Joni Cole discuss how what you had for breakfast relates to what you wished you’d had, revisiting Dr. Duffy’s roses and the unexpected arrival of a very smelly cheese, the identity of the Route 14 jogger revealed, different ways of sitting in a chair, writing as exercise, saving lives through art, engendering happiness via the creative process, starting somewhere, anywhere, the freedom of being able to save your previous drafts, sinking your teeth into revisions, using a pen, embracing the haphazard, honoring blobs of thought, unlearning the expectation of perfection, being saved by muscle memory, the mysteries of texting a landline, a vaguely remembered leftover exit to nowhere, the terror of forgetting passcodes, too many Waynes, what to do when obscure Facebook friends go through life-changing events, infusing positivity into online comments, responding to the commons, dealing with the hovering negative miasma, imagining a gathering of the naysayers, getting off the couch on a Friday night, feeling responsible for a technophobic parent, combining play and work into plorking, the irresistible smell of books, the dangers of eating while reading, how to start off your to-do list from a position of strength, finally getting the air-bag recall repair done two years later, the ascendency of the check engine light, the beauty of a newly sharpened shovel, putting the ass in occasionally, thinking sideways as a way of navigating the world, how adequate practice affords more wiggle room in performance - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Patrick Ross [Soldier’s Joy]; Kristina Stykos [Valleys All of Blue]; Judevine [Lizzy Mandell]

Episode Apr 14, 2017

April 14, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the radio womb, a new neighbor and the Gadsden flag, mud layers, the perils of taking Facebook quizzes, concern for the intelligence level of people, a stink war between Maeve and the kitchen lamb, the pending conflict arising from tax crunch time, the human Ben and the human Jerry, Alice’s 90th birthday party, anxiety concerning cranberry bogs, the hows and whys of hating dried fruit revisited, another attempt to derail personal growth, the best horoscope of the year, what to do if the sunglasses don’t come off, pretending not to see people in the grocery store, restoring your emotional life with the help of trains, using big bombs & the stupidity of war, a long, unsuccessful search for non-toxic building supplies, designing a portable ballet bar, analyzing galvanized sap buckets, a pitch for organic wine clubs, quantifying exercise and life in the fitbit fast lane, complaints against the unpleasant texture of rice in soup, drawing the line between Cheez-Its and Ritz crackers, the dangers of flossing while driving during mud season, wasting plastic, a thing on the porch & an unanswered riddle, the difference between monsters and animals, a misunderstanding about frog babies, a potential stressor at the hairdresser, getting used to mouths and wet hair, a case of middle age women “saying no” to dance class mirrors, driving behind Paul, the zen practice of staying calm when you’re late, how to deal with a non-punctual spouse, the injustice of having to make car payments on junkers - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Kristina Stykos [Horse Thief]; Julie James [Mud Season Minuet]; Hot Flannel [Temperance Reel]

Episode Apr 7, 2017

April 7, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the pros and cons of Mr. Potato Head, the exact percentage of cows lying down it takes to predict rain, how taking acid during a high school trip to Atlantic City could lead to a larger-than-life game of monopoly, an early beginning to John’s preference for dining with the elderly, possible age limits for hipsters, drawing distinctions between hat types & the new fedora, an unbeatable spelling challenge, ongoing expressions of gratitude for the alphabet song, a complaint about having to write bibliographies, the challenges of explaining erasable typewriter paper to the modern child, following track and trail to find the Ghost Trains of Maine, an update on the lamb in the kitchen that smells like a goat, more in-depth details on diapering sheep, the youthful Vermont look: fact or fiction, the hows and whys of gas-soaked kitty litter, trying to make a birthday cake for Jane, looking for maple walnut ice cream, more on what to do with expired candy canes, the old house, the old man and a case of missing condoms, a scary increase in the number of banjo players, myths about Southern Vermont as perpetrated by Northern Vermonters, whether or not Bart Simpson worked at a nuclear power plant, the relationship between Celtic music and massages, doubts about the island status of Cape Breton, who took the “d” out of refrigerator, making a joke out of Richard, the rudeness of GIFS, the fallacy of counting views on social media, three quarters of a swear word - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Highwoods Stringband [There’s More Pretty Girls Than One]; Bow Thayer & the Perfect Trainwreck [Noreaster Snow]; Brian Clark [Wishes]

Episode Mar 31, 2017

March 31, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a pathetic view of robins, resisting the tide of opinion concerning squirrels, consternation about the radio signal, the disarray caused by phone delay, the flawed humanity of newscasters, a case of parking in front of the lamp post, the strange confines of obedience, riding the wave of TGIF into the weekend, a giant dance block, chasing an elusive toothbrush, more on planetary influences, another boring dream, earwigs in the pillow syndrome, an objection to segmented insects, the dangers of lawn furniture, being surprised by manatee appreciation day, an analysis of the choked vocalizations of pigs, what might make a person unsuitable for farming, an encounter with frostbitten skin, the mysteries of spatchcocking revealed, how death equals life, how to pronounce yin & yang, a quiz & tongue-twister related to the venerable Paramahansa Yogananda, a proposal for “Back to the Womb” week, potential harmful effects of sleeping on your right side, pressurizing your head with elastic, new uses for old calendars, a rant about bra straps, loose talk about underwear on the House floor, an innovation to curb road rage, what happens when you try to put God on your license plate, rules about what you can & can’t name your children, the stupidity of number superstitions, a free tattoo removal service, how to break and replace your own doorknobs, time travel beds, iPad troubles continued, getting used to bad tastes as rite of passage, the metaphysics of making life as good as it can be, how too much coffee can turn your legs to rubber, substituting sugar for alcohol, making carbonated maple sap, an argument about who owns your mailbox, breaking the law using your mailbox, the old school postage-due courtesy, an inspirational quote dealing with boats & the spirit of generosity - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Doug Anderson [River of Whiskey]; Davey Davis [It All Goes Better With a Beer]; Kristina Stykos [Three Jigs]

Episode Mar 24, 2017

March 24, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss earring loss, behind-the-snow-plow syndrome, the returns of tidy white & dreamy green, concerns about books whose titles end with the phrase “for dummies”, the worst Vermont ski lift exit ramp ever, gravity’s inherent badness, an honest plea for the global reduction of humiliating circumstances, comforting ideas for dealing with abject terror, a strange reference to french fries and pizza, myths about telemarking, a vicious attack on dried fruit, the return of disturbing textures, a question about hiding your mouth with your hand and more chewing analysis, new bibs at the nursing home, how to quickly get on the wrong side of a teenage boy, a vintage hair tutorial, an unrestrained shout-out to Mongolia as the train goes by, 70 unread emails and those yet to never be read, unearthing embarrassing archival messages between Emily & Kristina, a fond recollection of apple grading at the conveyor belt, what mothers always do when in the passenger seat of a car their child is driving, how the original concept for 11th Hour Radio came to be, paying more for groceries as a lifestyle choice, what to do when social dance class moves to a less convenient location, doing it in the barn, how an off-hand remark led to the inadvertent naming of Butch’s boat, an update on the current crop of messy lamb infirmities on the farm, difficult issues & near paralysis while shopping at TJ Maxx, good reasons for misunderstanding the word “Namaste”, fake spiritual news, the fact that nothing fits, a surprise call-in from Keith, options for dog-sledding to Greece, the hazards of bringing up old fights during a fight - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Nick Cowles [Sensitive New-age Redneck]; Susannah Blachly & George White [Raven King]; Robert Resnik [Sand and Foam]

Episode Mar 17, 2017

March 17, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss “science-y space” vs. “beautiful space”, Maga the celestial pygmy warrior astrologer, charting a collision course for your shadow realm, finding mummified toads in the house, more cat misbehavior, reminiscing about clocks with hands, a midnight equine rescue operation, reaching an arm’s length into the rear of a horse, pretending to follow a conversation when you have no idea what the person is talking about, your kids making you feel stupid, a confession about proselytizing spiritual “truths” to your parents, running out of firewood during a blizzard, substituting off-road diesel for home heating oil in a pinch, a story of horse-logging, losing your magic, shooting pictures of your yard, fancy-pants towns in Vermont and their inverse relationship to telephone poles, holding back swear words, a missing train, what it means to go retrograde, listening to Emily’s stomach (again), karma, charmed lives, and two kinds of people, hippie parents & their conservative children, water buffalo identification, new uses for forks, how to make a paperclip screwdriver, avoiding personal growth, objecting to the word “interesting”, looking back to our first dreams and goals in life, being intimidated by people’s reputations, the hows & whys of artistic-emotional-basket-cases, sounding waspy, getting over your fear of singing, too many ski runs & too many GoPros, the sadness of big blue screens, the old farmer who lost his chores, handling wood until you die, the smaller part of a person, missing the party - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Charlie Shew and Pat Jones [Snow]; Rick Ceballos [Arepika/Tiger and the Comet]; Brian Clark [Cairns]

Episode Mar 10, 2017

March 10, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss 3-CPO & repercussions pertaining to the first generation of robot names, calling the whole world dumb, indifference as a way of relating, a dating dream, an unlikely threesome, using ancient exclamations such as “Fi” to chase away stuff, being caught in limbo between towns, gossiping at town meeting, an unexpected ramification of John being on the select board, typically inadequate microphone technique at public meetings, a few unfortunate cases of bullying, remembering peach trees in the back yard, novel ways of getting exercise in the winter, healing through sheep, how Lisa took the sick lamb, wrestling down & flipping uncooperative ewes, the connection between blatant frontal attack & a metaphor for life, looking for Robbie Strindberg, the joys of editing yourself, setting up headphone mixes, reminiscing about gold stars, Cousin Steve’s all night drive from Brooklyn, the flawed concept of “identical cousins”, bad long-term psychological effects from growing up with jingles & sitcom theme songs, a lime green onesie, skiing in costumes, changing your personality with clothes, vehemently eschewing stripes and polka dots, looking deeper into the millennial generation’s spiritual mission, a border patrol officer’s sneering challenge, visiting Canada’s government on a day trip, when is too much worship of the “celebrity-in-chief, some baffling text message abbreviations, being stumped by an I.Q. test, totally misunderstanding wombats and many other low-profile animals, arranging horn sections - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: The Cousins Project [Rescue Me]; Stefan Lundin [Aldrig nansin foll jag ner i bon]; Kristina Stykos [Remembering]

Episode Mar 3, 2017

March 3, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss fader positions, ice in the fields, a DUI incident, more about milking, what it means to be a pill, things that happen when the moon is far away, an alphabet reversal, recent reports from an eclipse live-cam in Chile, a weird love for Johnny Cash, saving up for a trip to see Willie, a case of itchy legs, the nuances of sleeping with lambs, a new use for baby booger suckers, giving credit where credit is due, obstacles that keep us from going to dance class, three “Emily Howes” & the passing of one, getting specific with self-love, ridding yourself of devices to weigh yourself, knowing when to hit “Send”, the challenges of lining up a farm sitter, fantasizing about Grand Central Station, dealing with Midwestern flatness, hiding from tornados, saying goodbye to an important inanimate object, dealing with the toxic elements of a new wood stove, instant dinners, adding oily substances to your face, bad advice about drinking, a controversial wine bar renaming effort, confusion about the pre-fix “trans”, the relationship between human nature and punishment, reviewing “an eye for an eye”, Unitarians learning about Jesus, the misappropriation of Fabio’s look to a certain religious figure, comparisons between Lego, Playmobile and Fisher-Price people, vegan sausage, thinking about eating while eating, the fakery of PMS, a rash of bad jokes, announcing the new 11th Hour farm video on Youtube, generalizing about all Bobs, free money from the State of Vermont - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Paul Asbell [Police Dog Blues]; Smokin’ Grass [Sweet Marie]; Michael Oakland [The Grand Design]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Feb 17, 2017

February 17, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss their own unique version of fumbling-DJ-syndrome, more on why Emily is still eating Kellogg’s Corn Pops, tips for digesting “Franken-food”, an alarming discovery of hot cocoa mix in bulk at the coop, coping with the horrors of seemingly endless grocery store aisles, a common phobia of meeting people you know unexpectedly, an ongoing rant about man-buns, how to pinpoint the hippie generation with exactitude, bread in paper bags, a mass mooning in Chicago, who sleeps at a Trump Tower franchise, an untimely IUD expiration, some flagrant snow worship, the joys & dangers of jumping off the roof, overly pregnant sheep, anticipating a big, huge 2 minute film release, longing for Jim and lambs in general, an unfortunate castration, hating downhill ski culture in its many forms, how the kind old ridge-runner spent three hours on the bunny slope with Kristina, making two left footed boots work, adverse conditions at the Mount Washington Hotel, Amtrack as a metaphor for the love train, unwrapping candy while driving, a bad lamp arm, going to the hospital for Valentine’s day, factoring cheating & lying into your plans, the satisfaction that comes from cutting construction paper hearts, a trip to the Necco Wafer website, resolving difficult issues with friends, whether or not we can control our reactions to things, living with turmoil, picking up new words like “drams”, learning hipster moves from our Vermont kids who move to Brooklyn - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Doug Perkins [St. Anne’s Reel; Fisherman’s Hornpipe; Leather Britches]; Bow Thayer [Chateauguay]; Kristina Stykos [Broken Wings]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Feb 10, 2017

February 10, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss red haired puppets, unabashedly big foreheads, the stability of snowmen, John’s Honda & the broken radio antenna, being stuck with sexist songs, the many words for the posterior, itchy knuckles, making wrinkles work, a great way to cook Brussels Sprouts, dealing with larvae & metamorphosis, a possible connection between tomato horn worms & dinosaurs, this week’s best new metal song from five year olds, filming jelly fish in black & white, four reactions to Trump from Robert Reich, a rich metaphor for life via Meals on Wheels, turning around the scarcity of hope, eye cupping, how to respond to a poke, tickling run amuck, how to protect your record player, freezing your jeans, Jim’s propensity for crashing, a case of sliding glass storm doors absconded, the joys of billowing plastic, when to board up your windows, a clever application for 2x4s, Siberian drug deals & cow catchers, better dreaming during the lunar eclipse, intuiting personal details about Eli’s science teacher, celebrating your biggest food luxury, the rigors of digesting kale juice, misunderstanding Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, a two-Marguerita binge at the Highland Lodge, annoying hipster health tips, living without a salt shaker, holding the bacon in a BLT, when dirty horse blankets end up in a pile with your snow pants, an intentional house plant killing, stupid cat habits, grabbing your life by the hair, the price & efficacy of wood pellets as fuel, an in-depth analysis of “plumber’s crack”, the new cleavage according to haute couture - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Mary McGinniss [We Rise Into]; Lizzy Mandell [Like It Like That]; Erin McDermott [Sometimes]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Feb 3, 2017

February 3, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss tracking down hum, fabric covered cables, the impugned magic of coconut oil, a list of alternative cuss words, reasons for changing the spelling of your name, a modern appropriation of the phrase “shut up”, what grits are, number superstitions, a growling stomach, understanding peanut butter “chocolate” chips, the Super Bowl as an excuse for eating dip, discovering towns made just for small size people, a love affair with hairless guinea pigs, more useless opinions about Groundhog Day, criminal behavior & the transport of wood chucks, how to avoid being jailed, what to do with ugly pottery, embracing porcelain toilets under duress, an 83 year old who does pushups, changing the face of exercise, devising a new mode of existence from the bottom up, the ecstasies of watching the train roll through town, a detailed conspiracy theory for why there are no hovercraft (yet), Bernie Sanders’ chi, energy-filled people, an novel approach to identifying lambs, the complexities of naming cows, “Girl Welcomed to Womanhood with Four-Page Pamphlet”, an admission of family gender bias, how not to get your period, delving into the psyche, a comparison of writing to talking, being charmed by a befuddled lump of silliness, chasing down duplicate words, the pros and cons of using the word “like”, what having herpes has to do with swinging on a tire swing - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Patrick Ross & the Matt Flinner Trio [St. Anne’s Reel]; Jay Stevens [Woods]; Corinna [Laughing Crow Band]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Jan 27, 2017

January 27, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss putting your brain on, tangled wires & gum wrappers, dealing with inappropriate Youtube advertisements in a public school music class, explaining erectile dysfunction pharmaceuticals to a 12 year old boy, the dangers of retractable genitalia, a late night Schwann’s truck sighting, in depth analysis of a particular animated cruller, a new phobia about what ducks might be doing, easy tips for making your cross country ski excursions less bad, the rule of falling shoes, twisting the world back in the right direction, solar panel maintenance, doing fun stuff that’s easy to do, approaching your electronic device from a strategic location in the universe, lots of Johnsons, a debriefing on the abysmal situation regarding politics & Facebook, deciding if and when to engage with haters, people’s expectations regarding agreeableness, normalizing trolls, how to earn the respect of others, “least said, soonest mended”, keeping kindness in your toolbox, occasional constructive anger, notes on the new activism, picking the right muck boots to wear to your mortgage refinance appointment, John’s birthday lambs, generalizations about “hippie shampoo” and why your hair looks so bad, confusing vasectomies and circumcision, how to remove a premature mustache, freaking out over an unwanted tooth, spam supposedly from Woolworths, just how stupid people are or are not, a review of The Eagle Huntress, a creepy dream of mythological proportions - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Jonathan Falby and Zach Johnson [Good Folks Behind You]; Kristina Stykos [Love the Distance]; Chris Kleeman and Malcolm Gibson [Big City Rag]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Jan 20, 2017

January 20, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss what to do with ABC gum, strange uses for school lockers, confronting the difficulty of bending wood for snow shoes, what petting puppies can lead to, the mysteries of barking, pretending not to be sick, how to rock gnome pajamas, revisiting unicorns, a special Russian football team, “Best of Ducks”, making cactus candy, pragmatic benefits of keeping a copy of the constitution in the bathroom, twisting history, tips to winning the geo-bee, conspiracy theories concerning environmental philanthropists, the hazards of teaching skiing to toddlers, putting your children on a leash, learning to be your own president, finding the time to fight back, a few definitions for “over-sharing”, toning down your presentation, deciding when to get involved with other people’s business, the problematic nature of secrets, ratting people out, decoding album art, the use of the electric guitar as a penile extension, romance vs. humor, sexy head shots fallen by the wayside, professional photographers’ storage issues, simultaneously throwing away other people’s possessions and your moral compass, a new crop of lambs on the horizon, putting a heinous inauguration behind us, moving forward with determination into the future - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Davey Davis [Old Hippies]; Patrick Ross & Matt Flinner [Buffalo Gals]; Kristina Stykos [Pastoral]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Jan 13, 2017

January 13, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss mono vs. dysfunctional stereo, Saturn’s disciplinarian influence, bad things coming in twos, the pros & cons of being a unicorn, a take-down of Murphy’s Law, whether or not happiness can be enforced, striking a balance between media consumption & being in nature, applying logic to the making of tea, how to characterize a childhood of hiding in your bedroom, dropping things into the sound hole of a guitar, living in the harsh reality of our world, the complexities of sporting a black eye, a bedroom drama featuring a dressage whip and a riding crop, deconstructing “goat yoga”, hallucinating horns onto a herd of sheep, discovering a proud partnership involving gas and the Red Sox, an uncomfortable attachment to L.L. Bean, possible repercussions of putting ashes on your driveway, what the moon can do, more bad information about cheese, tip toeing and habitual compliance, the social acceptability of anger in men, teaching yourself not to cry and then having to undo the training, reading hour & a sad, racist children’s book, analyzing the aesthetics of the Velveteen Rabbit, the benefits of going mute, worries about house construction, a new Twitter follower, rainbow carrots, a surprising wild bird encounter, the ins and outs of teaching parrots to swear, bad animals, a bird seed wedding cake, learning more about a 149 year old junk food company, an absurd comparing of notes, the challenges of translating an exciting life onto paper - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Rick Davis & Green Mountain Fever [Wild Daisy]; Turnip Truck [Cash on the Barrelhead]; Kristina Stykos [Three Jigs]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Episode Jan 6, 2017

January 6, 2017 Kristina Stykos

Host Kristina Stykos and guest co-host Kendra Colburn discuss guilt-driven civic duty, weatherization & the an exciting “old stove” change-out program, the problem with new fangled mufflers, a comparison to sheep and lemmings, a professed propensity for nude laundry hanging, covering up your soul with clothing, searching for a world filled with reflections of ancient sunlight, a warning sign for slacker DJs, foo-fer-all, facing up to a deeply blank brain, chronic anxiety as a way of life, the charm of foibles, developing attachments to alternative news media personalities, the joys of pushing away materialism, how a rare edition of Alice in Wonderland came to cross “the pond”, a brush with the classic tomes of Oz, the fantastic heyday of children’s books circa 1950 and one local author celebrity, avoiding women’s beautiful voices, the pros and cons of professional jealousy, an unusual meeting of tacos and zero gravity, the romance of freight trains, not letting anything get in the way of your mission, weird emotional stuff and circling around work, a ukulele kidnapping, gestating a musical cake that goes flump, the balance between trust and discipline, paid vs. unpaid projects and corresponding trepidation levels, rejecting the lightness of down comforters, mispronouncing words, more on polyester blankets, counterproductive health measures, whether or not to take pills, holding onto vices, appreciating out-of-tune banjos, systematic dishonesty & ignoring red flags - and so much more!

Featuring music from Vermont musicians & friends: Kristina Stykos [I’m a Stranger Here]; Bow Thayer [Epitome]; Patrick Ross & Aaron Johnson [Flintlock]

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or tune in Fridays at 11 am to hear this show live on WFVR-FM South Royalton, Vermont 96.5 FM, streaming online or rebroadcast at Royalton Community Radio

Show Notes