Life Became Very Blurry

Schools are central to Vermont's communities, bringing together families and other community members to ensure the promise of the next generation. They are also institutions built around the idea of putting children in classrooms together, and during COVID-19, that suddenly seemed like an incredibly dangerous idea.

Closing schools sent shockwaves across Vermont, and teachers, students, and parents found themselves in uncharted waters, trying to keep too many balls in the air at one time. In the sixth episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we share the experiences of schools during COVID-19.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

Most people spend a good chunk of their life at work, and the time we spend there is key to our self image and the way we move in the world. What if that all suddenly changed? COVID-19 swept in almost overnight and upended our usual way of going to work. Vermonters lost jobs, changed careers, worked from home, or suddenly found themselves labeled "essential." What did that feel like?

In the fifth episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we share the experiences of Vermonters at work during COVID-19.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

No single group of people had more direct experience of COVID-19 than medical professionals. The entire healthcare field experienced seismic turmoil during the pandemic, and for many people who worked in it, their lives would never be the same.

In the fourth episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we share the experiences of Vermont's medical professionals during COVID-19.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

For many people, family was central to their experience of COVID-19. That could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Missing family meant sadness and grief, but isolation from the larger world could mean more quality time together.

In the second episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we share stories of people's experiences with their families during COVID-19.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

The threat of COVID-19 upended almost everything about daily life, but what was it like to actually experience the disease itself? For some people, it was a bad cold; for others, it changed everything.

In the second episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we share stories of people's experiences with having COVID-19.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

 

Pretty much no one alive today has experienced anything as far-reaching or as completely overwhelming as the COVID-19 pandemic. It felt like the whole world had turned inside out in a matter of weeks, days, or even hours.

In the first episode of our new limited-series podcast, "Life Became Very Blurry," we tell the story of March 2020 - those first few hectic weeks when COVID-19 arrived in Vermont.

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

 

”Life Became Very Blurry” is a podcast sharing the voices of Vermonters as they recall the experience of COVID-19. It is based on a three year project collecting oral histories and other records of the pandemic, and released in March 2025 for the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.

Funding for the COVID-19 collecting project was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Life Became Very Blurry Podcast is produced by Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society and Mary Wesley, Andy Kolovos and Will Hamilton of Vermont Folklife. Oliver Purdue mixed this episode.

Our theme music is the track “Never Mind The Forecast” from Jericho based artist “Expected Guest.” Find more from Expected Guest on Bandcamp.com

For more background on this episode, please visit: https://vermonthistory.org/railroads-1989

For more background on this episode, please visit: https://vermonthistory.org/school-consolidation-farewell-to-the-one-room-schoolhouse-1986

For more background on this episode, please visit: https://vermonthistory.org/first-vermonters-the-abenakis-1976