Experiences

Vermont May Be the Face of a Long-Term U.S. Labor Shortage – The New York Times

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Vermont May Be the Face of a Long-Term U.S. Labor Shortage – The New York Times

The root of the staffing challenge is simple: Vermont’s population is rapidly aging. More than a fifth of Vermonters are 65 or older, and more than 35 percent are over 54, the age at which Americans typically begin to exit the work force. No state has a smaller share of its residents in their prime working years.

Vermont offers an early look at where the rest of the country could be headed. The baby boom population is aging out of the work force, and subsequent generations aren’t large enough to fully replace it. Immigration slumped during the pandemic, and though it has since rebounded, it is unclear how long that will last, given a lack of broad political support for higher immigration. Birthrates are falling.

Canned chicken 🐔 🥫

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When I was at Aldi’s the other weekend I picked up some canned chicken after studying the nutrition facts. I was thinking canned chicken is a convenient way of having meat to add to various soups and stews I’m making up. Unlike normal chicken wrapped in plastic and Styrofoam, you don’t need to keep it frozen or even refrigerated, it can be stuck in cupboard or with other dry goods, and is ready when you need it.

Maybe canned chicken isn’t as healthy as canned tuna, as it’s an omega-6 rather then omega-3 fat but it’s good for a change and is a relatively healthy meat-protein source. It’s also very affordable, the package fully recyclable with urban recycling programs. It would be good in quick soups made up at camp, or even at home when I’m not really in the mood to do much cooking but want a quick chicken soup with carrots and other vegetables.

Change in Grasslands – Pasture in Albany County from 2001 to 2019

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Change in Grasslands - Pasture in Albany County from 2001 to 2019

Multiple, often contradictory things can happen to land cover over two decades, as you can see with this map.
 
Suburban sprawl in the area around the city reduced the amount of grasslands over the 18 year period, while in more outlaying areas the decline of dairy meant less silage and corn was planted but more grass was grown/grazed for beef.
Here is the R code: https://github.com/AndyArthur/r_maps_and_graphs/blob/main/Albany County NLCD Decline in Grasslands.R

 

Fiber is a powerful tool for good health … but[t]! 💩

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Literally that’s how I feel about it but I’ve found you can overdo fiber, especially without enough water it can be really tough on the stomach, and end that connects to the stomach, the poop and fart hole. Pea soup lately has been a real downfall of mine, oh do I like the sweet and healthy taste of fresh pea soup but sometimes I eat it much too dry and it’s punishing on my stomach as it rumbles and come out as gas.