Mötley Crüe Big In The Rut?

Isn't it weird the things people do when they're waiting for The Bus?

We took the Bus on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) to Hannaford's and while waiting for our return bus retreated to the bus shelter rather than roast in the sun.

It's not the first time we've sat there but it is the first time we noticed a bunch of stickers on the shelter wall.

Randomly, the stickers appear to be from CDs, predominantly the works of Mötley Crüe.

Not that we have anything against Mötley Crüe in particular but why would you have a bunch of Mötley Crüe stickers with you? Alternatively why would you take your Mötley Crüe CD labels and decorate the bus shelter with them?

Just strikes us as a little weird and random. Not as random as the Bus being free each Saturday or as random as a freak tornado warning interrupting our American Idol party though. We might randomly place some Lee DeWyze stickers around The Rut tomorrow, just for fun.

Grand Union's Grand Pickle

After a month away, our shelves were seriously bare so we hit Rutland's Grand Union for a quick restock.

With our tummies rumbling, we were easily distracted but one particular item caught our attention. A giant jar of Herr's Blossoming Onion crisps. It wasn't because we're particularly fond of crisps but rather because there was a glaring inconsistency between Herr's packaging and the sales pitch from Grand Union.

To be fair to Grand Union, Herr's crisps are apparently inspired by Outback Steakhouse's famous fried appetizer, the Bloomin' Onion (note they didn't even get the spelling right. Damn Aussies, always doing everything differently!). But at $4.99 for a giant jar, how can you go wrong?!

Secret Life of The Bus Drivers Part 2

We already know that when bus driver Ross Vumbaco isn't behind the wheel he can be found behind the drum kit giving his band Bogo Guppy the beat.

On Saturday we saw another of The Bus' drivers out and about. We think his name is Garry (we heard a passenger call him that once, probably not the greatest source but it will do for now).

Anyway, Garry and his wife are dog lovers, in fact they own some inordinate number of dogs.

We spied him outside Petco on Saturday, clearly stocking up on supplies and we were greatly amused when we caught sight of his personalized license plate.

Any guesses what it says?

Corgi 9! We LOVE it!

There's No Place Like The Rut

We've just arrived back in Rutland after four weeks away. Some things have changed (Connick's has a stall at the Rutland Farmers' Market, hooray) and some things have remained the same (the mall is still devoid of any character whatsoever).

The one thing that remains refreshingly the same is the Rut's ability to make us laugh via the random things that we see on one given day. We kid you not, our first day back in The Rut, we snapped the following:

1. A bra strewn on the sidewalk on Woodstock Avenue

Out for an afternoon stroll, the four members of our walking party had a laugh out loud moment when we walked past a bra on the sidewalk (hey, we'll readily admit small things amuse small minds). We were a little way away from the closest laundromat so we don't think this fell out of someone's laundry bag. We hope it was a little spring fling and nothing nefarious.

2. A fire next door to Applebee's

After a few drinks at the Downtown Tavern we headed to Applebee's for a very late dinner and were somewhat shocked to see what appeared to be a raging fire next door. No one was panicking so we quizzed our server who just shrugged his shoulders and said 'oh, that's our neighbors, they light fires all the time'. Fair enough, it was a pretty cold night for May.

3. A woman carrying an open laptop while crossing South Main Street with her family

Not sure why you would need to have your laptop open while out on a walk (she's behind the girl with the giant purple ball). Random GPS application? Hell, we have no idea, we just love the entire photo - from the giant ball to the laptop to the dog straining to get off its leash.

It's great to be home! There really is no place like the Rut.

No Sandwich For You

The Rutland Farmers' Market will return to its outdoor location at Depot Park in just under a month (on May 8) and Rut Girl for one can't wait.

Sadly Connick's Sandwich Shop on Terrill Street, our favorite place to eat in Rutneyland, won't be there. Apparently there is no space at the market, in fact those in the know say that demand to have a stand at the market is so high, Connick's can't even get on the waiting list.

We did however read in the Rutland Herald last week that the market is trying to have part of Evelyn Street closed so they can accommodate more vendors (a decision on that should be made at the upcoming aldermen meeting) so there is still a chance.

Joe Brown who owns Connick's with his wife Patricia was hoping to sell bread (which is amazing by the way) and make sandwiches but apart from the lack of space apparently he was told the market isn't keen on having food there. So maybe we won't see Connick's there after all. Does that reasoning strike anyone else as odd by the way? On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing. We don't think the current bread vendors would take well to another competitor. We smell a bread war!

Oh well, its the market's loss. We hear Joe is taking it all in his stride. He has huge plans for his blossoming eatery including making and selling European style bread, (who needs the Farmers' Market?!), pain au choclat and croissants (we're so there).

Corners Inn Closes Its Doors

If you've visited the website for the Corners Inn Restaurant in the last week and wondered why you've been greeted with a blank white page, it isn't because of a website problem, it's sadly because the restaurant has shuttered.

Chef and Innkeeper Fredric Byarm sent out an email last week announcing that 'operations from this date forward are no longer the responsibility of Marby Corporation nor Fredric Byarm'.

We emailed Fredric to see if we could find out more, including if he had plans to re-appear in a new location next season but we received an auto response which said 'sorry but this company and all operations have been closed'. That was a week ago.

Then today Fredric announced via Facebook that he had secured a job with the management team at the Woodstock Farmers Market. Which is probably just as well.

The restaurant business is a tough game, one which Fredric is no stranger to. Last season he was behind the failed Twilight Bistro at the Mountain Green Resort at Killington, which this season reopened under new management (the front desk's words, not ours) as the classy sounding Double D's (we never made it there and sadly it is due to close for the season at the end of this week).

What went wrong at the Corners Inn then? The restaurant located at 52 Upper Road (between Killington and Woodstock) was in an awkward 'blink and you'll miss it' location. The night we dined there we had to turn around after driving right by it.

The reviews were also mixed with one Rutneyland resident describing it as 'one of the worst restaurants we've ever been to' while another stated the 'dinners were very slow....and that other patrons got up and left'. On a more positive note, one New Jersey diner described their meal as 'interesting and delicious'. We had a similar experience. Rut Girl thought her Carbonara was pretty bland but her friend Butternut loved the duck.

Coincidentally we see that someone with the exact same name as Fredric is due for an arraignment hearing at the Windsor District Court at the end of the month. The food wasn't that bad.

Sandra & Elin Aren't The Only Ones Hurting

We all know Sandra Bullock and Elin Nordegren are hurting at the moment with their respective men playing away from home (Bombshell McGee? Really Jesse James, what were you thinking?!).

It seems there is someone in Rutland that's hurting just as much.

One of our readers spotted this house on their morning commute today. The home on Curtis Avenue is sprayed with multiple obscene slurs (so look away if you are easily offended) . Clearly someone isn't happy.

We hear that moves have already been made to remove the offensive spray so if you're planning on a drive by, it may be too late.

It actually bears a striking resemblance to some of the messages that have popped up on Bombshell McGee's MySpace page. We know Sandra Bullock has a home in Vermont (her sister Gesine owns a confectionary (her spelling, not ours) business in Montpelier) but we're pretty sure Bombshell doesn't have a home here so if you know anything about the back story to the Curtis Avenue home, email us - rutgirl@gmail.com - not that we condone the actions, we're just interested is all.