Back in Vermont, Bernie’s mittens good for business

Jayne Webb, owner of Encore Designer Consignment, sews a mitten with a style similar to the pair U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, wore at the presidential inauguration last week. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Bernie mittens. Those two words took the internet by storm when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was seen at the presidential inauguration donning his Vermont-made mittens crafted from recycled sweaters.

Jen Ellis, the school teacher in Essex, Vermont, who made Sanders’ mittens, got a series of media interviews, and people have churned out hilarious memes right through the weekend. But it hasn’t only been good for a laugh; it’s also been good for business, and Jayne Webb knows that all too well.

Webb, the owner and curator of Encore Designer Consignment, runs the downtown Woodstock shop with her husband, Dan. She sews mittens using recycled wool and cashmere sweaters and a pattern similar to the one the famous Vermont senator wore, and customers have noticed. Starting on Thursday, orders for mittens flooded her website, even causing her site’s purchasing software to crash at one point (it was back up in 10 minutes). 

That was a first. Here’s another one Webb shared on Saturday. 

“I woke up this morning and sold all the pairs I had just made yesterday,” Webb said. “That’s never happened.” 

She’s thrilled that it did, too. Before last week, Webb was in the midst of a tough January, following a holiday season that brought fewer out-of-state shoppers into the store. A number of the people who have come in are second-home owners who have been living here since March due to the pandemic. Overall, Webb found a lot of people were just browsing to get out of the house, not necessarily to shop. After New Year’s weekend, visitor traffic disappeared within days — more quickly than usual. With all that, the sudden surge of sales for her Tweed River Farm Mittens brand has been a life-saver. 

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Webb said. 

On Saturday, Webb had a bunch of mitten palms pre-cut for sewing and some brand-new fleece ready for the inside liners. She sometimes sews in the store when traffic is slow, using a Singer Featherweight made in 1949. 

“The original Singer Featherweight my grandmother had in 1937 is what I use at home, day in and day out,” she said. 

Webb said “the older the better” when it comes to sewing machines, adding older models are more durable and more convenient. 

“I can take it apart and clean it and put it back together,” she said. “There’s no computer, like some of the new ones today.” 

Webb, who lives in Pittsfield, Vermont, has owned the Encore shop since 2012, and started making mittens a couple of years ago. Making mittens was the plan for Sunday, as the orders have just kept coming. At this point, the Bernie mittens craze is showing no sign of stopping. 

— Gareth Henderson

Encore Designer Consignment is open Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday. For more information, visit encoredesignerconsignment.com or email info@encoredesignerconsignment.com .

Jayne Webb displays one of the mitten pairs in her shop, Encore Designer Consignment, in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Biden: ‘This is democracy’s day’

An American flag in Woodstock, Vermont, during the Fourth of July. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Before a silent National Mall but with a message of hope, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the new president and vice president of the United States on Wednesday. With that accomplished, history was made: Harris officially became the first African American, the first Asian American and the first woman to hold the country's second-highest public office.

The historic moment gave joy to millions, but it was not before the usual inauguration crowd of thousands. Amid heightened security and the pandemic, the National Mall was instead filled with a majestic public art display of nearly 200,000 flags — including American flags, and flags from every state and territory — representing the many people who couldn’t be there to share the moment. With applause from the smaller, distanced gathering assembled, Biden took to the podium to address the nation for the first time as its 46th president.

"This is America's day, this is democracy's day, a day of history and hope, a day of renewal and resolve," Biden said.

That resolve was severely tested in recent months, during an election fraught with unproven allegations of election fraud and swirling conspiracy theories. Rage about the election result fueled the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, in which supporters of former president Donald Trump tried to derail the Congressional process to complete the certification of the presidential election. That attempt failed, as Biden noted, but he put it in a larger context, about the power of the country's foundation.

"Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause: the cause of democracy," Biden declared. "The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and at this hour my friends, democracy has prevailed."

Unity was the main theme, and a quality Biden said the country greatly needs. He acknowledged there are Americans who are not pleased that he was in office, and calls for unity often ring hollow today.

"I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new," Biden said.

He noted that through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World Wars, 9/11 and other dark times, we've overcome challenges together.

"Through struggle, sacrifices and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed," Biden pointed out.

Going forward, he said Americans must guard against "lies told for power and profit" and speak up for truth.

"We must stop the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured," Biden insisted.

The president also spoke directly to those who voted against him.

"Hear me out, as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart, and if you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy. That's America," Biden said. "The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation's greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion, and I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans."

All Americans, in one way or another, have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Biden led a brief moment of silence for those who lost their lives, their families and the country. As he did several times, the president pointed out the simultaneous challenges we face, including threats to democracy and truth, the pandemic, systemic racism, growing inequity and climate change.

"Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is, we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we've had," Biden said.

He urged people to set aside politics and forge a united front against the coronavirus.

"In the work ahead of us, we're going to need each other, need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter," he cautioned.

Biden also recalled a different January, in 1863, that also saw rife division throughout the land. It was the month that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Upon doing so, he said, "If my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it."

"Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation," he said. "And I ask every American to join me in this cause."

Biden also pledged to put the people first in his work as president.

"I'll keep everything I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not personal interest but the public good, and together, we shall write an American story of hope not fear, of unity not division, of light not darkness, a story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness,” the president said. “May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history."

Powerful moments of reflection surfaced when National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman shared her stunning poem, "The Hill We Climb", becoming the youngest inaugural poet in the nation's history at 22. Gorman recalled the events of Jan. 6 and the resiliency that followed, saying "while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated."

Her message was poignant, created for the nation, the world, and this era, as it looked also to the future:

"Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved we grew, that even as we hurt we hoped, that even as we tired we tried, that we'll forever be tied together, victorious. Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division."

— Gareth Henderson

Love is still the answer

A snow-topped tree overlooks the water along the Ottauquechee River Trail in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

This week, for the first time, the presidential inauguration will be guarded by 25,000 troops in the nation's capital, with National Guard soldiers there from all 50 states. Also, government buildings are heavily guarded throughout the nation.

That's the current security posture following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, of Vermont, gave a first-hand account of what it's like in Washington D.C. right now, during a phone-in Town Hall with Vermonters on Tuesday.

"If you were in the area, you couldn't get within eight or 10 blocks of the Capitol, the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial or the White House," Welch said. He was sad it had to be that way, because Jan. 20 is supposed to be a day of "public and civic celebration," the congressman said.

But the good news is that the inauguration will go forward, Welch said Tuesday.

"That's going to happen tomorrow, and we're going to get Joe Biden working on COVID and on some economic relief," he said.

On Tuesday night, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris hosted a memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor victims of COVID-19, as the nation passed a total of 400,000 deaths from the virus. It was a powerful image of national mourning, and also an acknowledgement of the tumult of the past year, which has impacted the entire country.

Looking at the image of the 400 lights around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was sobering, but also incredibly inspiring. It was a national moment, at a time in our history where we haven’t had many invitations to jointly reflect as a nation, together. Such a moment is beautifully normal, and something we must do, especially after such a challenging time when we need each other.

Tonight, the country is poised to enter a new time of leadership. It begins with much work to do as a nation. Whatever your political view is, it's clear this will be a time of change during an especially difficult part of our history. But instead of retreating to the comfort of tired political arguments, or sinking into fear, we should look forward more simply: Just start this new chapter with love. That is this country's most powerful protector, which will also serve to strengthen the fabric of our society and unveil new ways we can bridge our differences and work together.

We've felt the sharp edge of political division. Now, we have a great mountain to climb, and many hard steps line the path forward. But only one thing leads up to a better future by fostering genuine collaboration for the greater good. Love breaks patterns of distrust and leavens thought, leaving room for compassion to encourage more constructive, more understanding connections. That is the solution to guide the moment. Love has been the answer before, and still is.

— Gareth Henderson

House plans historic impeachment vote

The sun peeks through over the winter landscape in Bristol, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

The U.S. House of Representatives plans to hold a vote to impeach President Donald Trump (R) for a second time on Wednesday morning — a week after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. The Jan. 6 siege left five people dead.

Lawmakers that same night returned to the Capitol to complete the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory, and in the days following, the calls for Trump's removal increased.

The impeachment resolution the House introduced Monday charges Trump with "incitement of insurrection" because of last week's invasion of the Capitol. After weeks of falsely claiming the election was stolen and offering no evidence, Trump spoke to thousands of supporters near the White House on Jan. 6, urging them to "fight like hell". If the vote to impeach succeeds, Trump would become the first president to be impeached twice.

On Monday, House Democrats tried to fast-track a resolution requesting that Vice President Mike Pence activate the 25th Amendment. That option requires a majority vote of the president's Cabinet in order to remove the president. House Republicans blocked the resolution, delaying it a day. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told CBS' 60 Minutes that she prefers the 25th Amendment but will move ahead with impeachment if Pence doesn't take action.

"This president is guilty of inciting insurrection, and he has to pay a price for that," Pelosi said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and a number of other Republicans have worried that impeaching Trump now would only deepen divisions in the country. According to CNN, McCarthy, in a letter to GOP colleagues, suggested other possibilities, including "a resolution of censure under the rules of the House."

But if the House impeaches the president, it may wait until after Jan. 20 to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial. At that point, Democrats would hold the majority in that chamber.

"Let's give President-elect Biden the 100 days he needs to get his agenda off and running, and maybe we'll send the articles sometime after that," said U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the House majority whip, told CNN.

Federal investigations are underway, and the FBI has received over 50,000 tips about the rioters. The FBI has warned that "armed protests" are being planned in all 50 state capitols and Washington, D.C., between Jan. 16 and Jan. 20, media reports confirmed. The Department of Homeland Security is beginning heightened security for inauguration day this week.

On Sunday, veteran journalist Dan Rather explained to the PBS NewsHour his recent statement that "we must cultivate hope while we demand justice." He noted that Biden’s first two priorities will be the pandemic and the economic damage done by it.

"I do think we have to keep our hopes alive and realize we are a very resilient people," Rather said. "We can do this."

At the same time, he said accountability is important in a situation like the Capitol breach, whatever legal avenue that takes.

"There can't be hope for moving into the future, unless we adjust ourselves, and address ourselves, to justice," Rather said.

— Gareth Henderson