I was heartened last week by another sterling example of the Vermont tradition of people stepping up to help neighbors in need, in this case neighbors whose driveway was washed out by the flooding in Middlesex.

The family with the flooded-out driveway was fortunate to live next door to an experienced excavator operator. You may have heard of him – Governor Phil Scott, wo saw what needed to be done and volunteered his skill and equipment to git’ er done.

If you believe as I do that the chief executive of our state needs to set a positive example for the rest of us, join me in applauding the example set by our governor.

Another story on WCAX showed how the people of Cabot came together to repair a flooded-out bridge that isolated five dairy farms on a town road. It reminded me of my own town of Kirby, after the 1973 flood washed out all but one of the roads leading into the town. The milk tanker couldn’t get into three of our large dairy farms. The next day there were ten wheelers, bucket loaders and backhoes busily repairing the washouts to get the tanker in. It wasn’t FEMA or VTrans. It was neighbors in south Kirby who like Gov. Scott had the equipment and knew how to git ‘er done.

Here’s a big gold star for all of us who pitched in to help, and again made Vermonters proud.,