The Switchel Traveler

Today I am renaming this blog to "The Switchel Traveler."

Henceforth my two blogs are:

• The Switchel Traveler – this blog
• The Switchel Philosopher

"The Switchel Philosopher" is for adventures in the world of ideas. The tag line is:

What is a proper relationship between a free people and their government?

"The Switchel Traveler" is for travel adventures in the physical world. The tag line is:

There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

The tag line for "The Switchel Philosopher" is meant to serve as a muse for that blog, where a frequent topic is government and citizenship. The tag line for "The Switchel Traveler" is Hamlet's reminder that we can never know everything. Philosophy alone is not enough; we also need to explore the world.

Why switchel? Because I like it! Also because switchel has a yin and yang aspect to it, and much of life is like that. Even my two blogs have a yin and yang aspect, with one about the physical world and the other about the world of ideas.

Switchel is a non-alcoholic beverage dating back to Colonial times. My mother made switchel for our family when I was growing up on the farm, and we drank a lot of it in the hayfield.

The main ingredients in switchel are sugar, vinegar, ginger and water. The sweet and sour of sugar and vinegar are the yin and yang of switchel. In my part of the world (Vermont), the sugar is usually maple syrup and the vinegar is almost always apple cider vinegar. But variations are allowed. Honey and pomegranate vinegar are also good. Sometimes additional ingredients are added such as lemon juice (or even rum!). Today, commercial versions of switchel are available, for example Vermont Switchel and Up Mountain Switchel.

Oh, another thing about switchel. The ginger tends to settle out, so you have to shake it before drinking. Sometimes life is like that, too.

My blogging history

"The Switchel Philosopher" is my most recent blog. I started it in February 2017, after retiring in December 2016. It is about adventures in the world of ideas, including government and citizenship. Being elected to the town selectboard in March 2017 has contributed to some of the themes on this blog.

"The Switchel Traveler" – this blog – is an older blog and has had two previous names. I started the blog in 2007 as "George's Home Blog" to distinguish it from my "work blog" which I also started in 2007. After retiring, the work/home distinction was not applicable any more, and I renamed this blog to "George's Other Blog" to distinguish it from "The Switchel Philosopher." Today I am renaming it again, this time to "The Switchel Traveler" to more clearly indicate how my two personal blogs complement each other.

Post retirement, my two personal blogs have different and distinctive themes:

• The Switchel Philosopher – adventures in the world of ideas
• The Switchel Traveler – travel adventures in the physical world

Prior to retirement, I blogged about both themes on both my "work blog" and my "home blog." Examples of both themes on my "work blog" included Trip to China and Values. My "home blog" has always included travel adventures. Prior to retirement it also included adventures in the world of ideas, some of which are captured by the labels culture, money, reality and slow.

There are also some earlier adventures in the world of ideas on "George's VAFPDB Blog." I published ten posts there in 2012-13 before resigning from the Vermont Agricultural and Forest Products Development Board.