11th Hour Radio

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss drafty windows, an argument for skirts, the timeless fashion trope “beauty is pain”, the last of the red maples, burning more wood to save on oil, a plan for improving taxation, a future without rural living, the ten most popular vehicles in Vermont, why you shouldn’t buy Emily’s Subaru, cars that look stupid, colors that aren’t colors, the horrors of a vaginal chimney brush, doctors who admire your cervix, some confusion about China, the “brain method” for tanning hides, hidden secrets of dry cleaners, the truth behind a printer’s bang, fusing exclamations into one punctuation mark, when your tea smells like chemicals, preparing your house for out-of-state guests, revisiting patchouli, yet another weird, unpleasant house plant, a Halloween parade cancellation, more on getting rid of clowns, movies that desensitize, being dispirited by pornography, trying to make rainbows through an unconventional prism, two beautiful young women from Cape Verde,

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss when you mistake a chainsaw for a planer, a laundry quandary, missing the grange hall supper, overdoing it at the “all-you-can-eat” breakfast, how much bacon, the consequences of being a woodpecker, losing your tan, Emily’s inventory of body flaws, possibly removing your eyebrows, stumpy dwarf syndrome, clashes vs. contrasts, a review of Mr. Yuck, dead-ending with personal growth, an unfortunate surplus of feral pigs, the discovery of incredibly old stardust, searching for a mysterious plaque in Wales, limerence & luxivore, when love is not entirely love, the ins and outs of hosting 17 guests, more on shop vacs & hovercraft, the difference between problem dipsticks and problems handling your dipstick, Pluto’s subterfuge, acting out planets in the first grade play, attraction to Laplanders, staying warm with a space heater as winter comes to the Italian castle, Eli’s emerging interest in becoming a beach bum, an autumn laminating project,

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the corn qualities of candy corn, how lowering your expectations can be a successful strategy, our sponsors, cleaning toilets, what happens when the “do not drive on the lawn” sign gets removed, hives vs. an itch, the joy of gigantic dumpsters, viewing astrological sun sign as nationality, the exaggerated personas of radio personalities, what the Air Force pilot said to Kristina, when your sister blows your cover, encountering your high school boyfriend at a wedding, pondering past unhappinesses, a classic earworm from the Alps, some confusion around fording streams and fjords, dying in Alaska, the black hole of Amazon, being rich enough to buy an old truck, the blind spots of short people, the book designer’s spider bite, watching the goal post move, poor lighting and dark days at the Victorian museum, the efficacy of headlamps, double dog daring, a close encounter with the Barnum and Bailey circus train, an unlikely performance on a unicycle ut

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a water buffalo sighting, the dangers of step stools, a new kind of flossing, waking up with vertigo, unpacking the common use of the word “suck”, practicing a minimalistic social life, using soft serve as leverage to control your spouse, what Roy said to Kristina, some corny comebacks, studying a brain & comparative sizing, a recipe for Delicata squash donuts, a fantasy about fans, liking plain things, when biking was simpler, deviant spandex, how transgenderism gets too caught up in clothing choices, whether or not men can be into kittens, bonding through eating, being too poor to go out to eat, proper garnishing of veggie burgers, debunking diner bread choices, trains as metaphysical construct, boob vanity, when implants go awry, maybe the worst idea ever for Halloween decorating, therapeutic magnets, how to banish feelings of betrayal, magic necklaces, the cleansing power of sound, pining for bell buoys, the terrors of teaching your child

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe and guest host Ira discuss “Fair Crud”, the comforting confines of a colonial kitchen, age limits for bumper cars, trying to reach Eli, the baby on the wheel barrow, a poison ivy situation, a diaper metaphor, whether or not babysitting is boring, calling a time-out for adults, when buckets double as hats, bib overall snow pants at the museum, first frost, going to the dump with Butch, being recognized by Snook, the ego boost of local celebrity, a fond farewell to Creemee season, the implications of trading name tags, being overwhelmed by a house plant, why Myra makes mushroom videos, a case of “too-much-chewy-cheese” pizza, the terror of night blooming, the strange allure of corpse flowers, neurotic avoidance of friends in public places, new techniques for circumventing small talk, difficulty crossing the Midway at the Tunbridge Fair, why the train sounds sad, looking forward to a weekend of haying, the finer points of sharing French fries, possible ties

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a close call on the highway, teaching teenagers to drive, mixed signals from the poet flagman, coyote calls, dog barking & insomnia, the possible long lasting effects of your ringtone choices, the surprise of a Sunday phone repair, the resolution of 30 years of indecision around ear candles, choosing your favorite chemicals, more on an amazing switch triggered by death, huge train whistle juju, playing it safe while shopping, fitting into other people’s clothes, a return of high waisted pants, wasps who nest under chairs, Ira’s depiction of a bee on a unicycle on a tight rope playing a banjo, Fred Tuttle’s quiz, the struggle to “get it right” when it comes to Vermont’s French place names, pushing back against life’s alarming pace, asking for unsolicited advice from the universe, the crazy quilt of complicated family relations, mosaic as metaphor, how to deal with all the weird characters in your personal history, not wanting to forgive, who i

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a rough week, digestive tea, soothing liquids, an update for Kristina’s lawn aeration job, a dog urine dilemma, being not liked, tip-toers of the world, the Viking role model, a fancy word for a fancy sideboard, where Florida meets Namaste, when Mom forgets how old you are, a few seconds of bliss, cheese denial, how a banana made things worse, the collateral damage of fake flavoring, confusing new road markings, touch screen mania, zoning out as meditation, a delusion fueled by trippy, spaced-out mowing, what it means to be a one-car family, a fake car explosion, the manipulation of a forced hug, not wanting to make a scene, the truth behind “taking the high road”, a stupid little moment, the toxic cocktail of compliance and abuse, lyrics gone awry as in “the girl with colitis goes by”, keeping your dictionary at bay because it’s easier to call your sister, the bubbling nature of our friendships, deleting happy people from your social media feed,

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss singers getting electric shocks from microphones, new wind chimes at the daycare, first world problems at the gnome & fairy village, Kurt, Eminem and our children, Bob Dylan’s only meal at the Fox Stand, a hernia averted, sad news about a cat left behind, John’s ongoing freezer menagerie, a friend’s soup made from sheep’s brains, tips for fly tying, how talent relates to success if at all, the luck factor, placing bets at the race track, cigar smoking bookies in suits, Saratoga’s laxative mineral waters, how to react when a celebrity phones you by mistake, honing in on stoats, the whys & wherefores of shoats, a deep dive into the many oddballs of the alphabet, a story about New Hampshire’s Queen of Flower Essences & her missed opportunity, the significance of Emily’s yawning, a contemplation on debtor’s prison, digitizing your secret crush, idolizing Patrick Swayze, trusting full figured people, hating abs, improving William Shatner,

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss sound check, eloquent words from our friend Courtney, an epic vacation, broken tractors, rainbow lightning, close encounters with star fish, a one-car family, when your boys become men, new footwear, honing in on lawn aeration, a lack of nutrients, hallucinating the sound of the train whistle, donuts from criminals, deciphering man-weirdness, our attraction to those who express what we repress, the drawbacks of collecting everything in the universe, a vision of outbuildings, what metaphoric transformation might look like, love train, peace train, hating the elitist concept of being “a musician”, when your kids grow up, soldiering through school shopping, the nefarious roots of public school curriculum, always being the kid that got caught, when your grown children cook for you, wanting to steal babies, blind spots, a cheap pair of flamingo Crocs, the hoards, a story about Ebay shopping and an amputee, the innocuous ways in which we are mislead, h

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss who can wear a sundress, being chronically too busy, mediocre “self care” advice, irritating sympathy, real bootstraps, Brock’s decision to eat Emily’s calfskin boots, pumping gas in a hoop skirt, trying to ID the farmer with red suspenders, girth and beltlines, problematic dipsticks, mad babies, choosing new glasses frames, a leg-pulling incident, being afflicted by gullibility, a Finnish word having to do with reindeer travel, when jokes are bad, tadpole development, talking like Richie from Boston, cyber-stalking a mysterious Facebook friend, the confusing relationship between the Arctic and Antarctica, healthy skepticism about celebrity E.T.s, how John recycles the covers of Romance novels, grandma’s covert attempt to impart wisdom about the birds and bees, the passing on of culturally acceptable machismo, a husband’s hand illustrated telephone logs as works of art and business venture, an idea for English teachers, how the grandchildren turn

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss questioning your moisturizer, skepticism about coconut oil, the sloth fad, a crooked shade, how Butch calls a waiter, a gig with patio heaters at Vermont Castings, finally coming to terms with flesh colored crayons, a fondness for people who tell you strange facts, a scientific analysis of pepper’s movement through the digestive tract, a banana-eating rabbit, writing poems on fruit, using Christ or cripes as a swear, trivia night with a sex educator, the zombie apocalypse in relation to the storming area 51, passing creepy military installations out west, questioning the Pentagon’s redesign of tick genetics, two different Plum Islands, hiding the fact that your life is a shambles, the questionable efficacy of dosing dogs with chemicals, the ease of finding astrological advice, a revelation about writing & life’s gnarly issues, hiding your Facebook posts, when people tell you to “get over it”, your skin’s natural protective barrier, “what’s in

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss Syd Straw’s emergency housing, girl DJs, special security arrangements for the dog show, what it means to be “intact”, a bar in the barn, the trouble with wine glasses, mice in the sink & on the buffet table, a battery replacement exercise, what to call the children your ex-husband has in the future, the joys of solo tango, dive bombing a relationship, the anomalies of emus, a hiatus from scrolling, an argument for reincarnation, more about Paul McCartney’s body double, firewood delivery and a special billing arrangement, a step beyond digitization, the weight of John’s record collection, a celebrity yard sale, Avery’s sort-of swear, the dangers of parting your hair in the middle, dead lawn mowers, a pattern of dog barking, the nuances of repetitive cat throw-ups, a breakdown of alien antennae, a quick review of Deely Boppers, when Joseph went limp in the guitar store, a lost bowl of spaghetti, the topography of a corn flake, a new use for Ch

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss dysfunctional jacks, an enigmatic lava lamp, the tomboy days, Lady’s loss of hair, a love story about the Milky Way, similarities between cats and cows, dangers of driving with the windows down, why Emily was seen wandering ditches in a Victorian ball gown, the ins and outs of “pocket uncles”, ordering personalized jigsaw puzzles, an unfortunate costuming oversight, having boobs for the first time, the current height of corn, a bogus theory about insects, an unexpected week of social delights, buttery lilacs filled with bees, what a mosquito feels, how good stories nourish, replacing the July 4th holiday with a strawberry celebration, swapping out tanks from parades, a Trump quote gone awry, the fallacies of written history, a revolutionary girl named Sybil, stubby fingered mandolin playing, two essentials for living your life, mean comedians, funny back-stabbers, hanging out with boys, sports vs. athleticism, what happens when you mess up, when

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe along with guest host Ira discuss what hides in armpits, a new use for sticky tape, a blue ribbon for country creativity, the premature demise of the new used mower, whether or not mini-golf is a sport, when adults go on a L.A.R.P., how intelligence agencies infiltrate YouTube channels with false narratives, the embarrassing question of why people listen to the show, apologizing as a way of life, analyzing the squeak of a chair, another epic pilgrimage for a rainy day, a most amazing series of file upload failures, how James Bond and fresh produce might be related, cultural embrace of spyware, asking Alexa about fire trucks, outdated nomenclature for internet connectivity, a miraculous manifestation of Fig Newtons, an unsuccessful sugar fast, the train that came twice, manual spelling correction, drum kit tips, where quiche can go wrong, looking for Vermont’s hidden towns including Chiselville, a fantasy about hitting the gavel, a sad ant, putting saddle

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the power of “Yes”, a case of hacking laryngitis, trucker’s vs. baseball caps, insects in your shoes, a take-down of the human race, going with the flow of illness, a promise to give advance warning, wedding exhaustion, a lame eighth grade graduation, when awkwardness cushions harsh reality, more on Jehovah’s Witnesses & facial hair, the tiny handwriting of God, scoring a root beer float, the Herb Lockwood Award ceremony, how close pretending you’re smart is to being smart, excessive youthfulness, clothing adjustments made in public bathrooms, coping mechanisms for social anxiety, the power of “just showing up”, finding the nuances in your voice as technique fails, a soggy lawn mower accident, looking for an old fashioned garbage can, a crying man at the photo kiosk, leaky roofs that resist fixing, getting stuck on the mundane, trying to run a business despite chronic phone phobia, a game about kinky folk music DJs, secret egoism, a dream of

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a little notebook for ABC gum, the summer color of Creamsicle, dealing with pollen, dancing with “The Great Riddle”, flagman Paul Easton’s cheery wave, not being dead, the invasion of Sky Net, Ira’s retreat to sitting in cardboard boxes, Kendra’s mom’s subscription to VHS tapes, confusion about Jehovah’s Witnesses with beards on bikes, more on the book selection at Will’s Store, a poster board cache & what happens to office supplies that sit on the shelf for years, continued use of malfunctioning bellows, hoping for a tinker’s arrival, shortening prayers with a snap of the fingers, a made up millennial word, a message from otters, what to do for fun, slacking off on your expectations, honing in on locomotive whistle codes, protecting the rear of a train, an aphid infestation, temperature dips at the salvage yard, a fluorescent lamp disaster & horrifying light bulb decisions, outbuilding fantasies, abandoned sections of laminated bowling a

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss getting the hang of it, knowing all the buttons, evil twin appliance repair, the merits of the inexpensive shop vac, cat vs. dog shedding, rural drug busts, Zen enlightenment through sweeping, more on the Tom Petty model Pono, a robot toilet of the future, a modern twist from Kohler, complications related to the purchase of black nosed sheep from France, a woodchuck who saved the day, the conflicting tones of a train whistle, tradesmen protocol, a complaint about diminishing upper body strength, dancer’s legs, being out of proportion, how to properly refer to a person with dwarfism, watching tiny people water ski, the winter’s first wood delivery, forced friendship, when your ex moves on to the next relationship too quickly, small town self censorship, who or whom, compartmentalizing as a way of life, talking nonsense, chronic blurting, honesty as a liability, avoiding interaction by staring at your cell phone, the stupidity of psychology, why we

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a free chair give-a-way, what happened to Harold Luce’s tables, whether or not to leave John alone with brides-to-be, the dangers of local satire, funny things that cows get into, a film stunt gone awry, a popular idiom for bribe swapping, Kristina’s visit to a hidden Druid enclave on an unmarked dirt road, the best way to make a Stonehenge, Butch’s connection to the People of the White Pine, a sharing of the sacred pipe, missing Susie’s moonshine parties, summer inebriation, the old Dreamland dance hall at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, things that can go wrong with a land line, one very important phone message that got cut off, looking for a long lost foster child, the hidden reach of evil plans, being frozen and locked inside in a cold museum, a string of unfortunate events, figuring out who’s in charge, God’s subcontractors, the questionable assertion of AI, the trouble with fallen angels, where it all began, whether or not heaven is as great as they

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a short history of multi-tasking, when being competent isn’t enough, a pro bono gardening job, how the vet’s dog Jake showed off, analysis of a horse’s bite and a visitor who should have known better, the confusing nature of meridians, whether or not to ask people to “like” your Facebook page, a pet breed spelling challenge, a strange strategy for buying pants, tips on how to not look at yourself in the mirror but still see your clothes, how stores can actually elongate your body’s image, ending bathroom scale rituals, another very difficult vacuum repair (to be continued), a Chihuahua doorbell, being thankful for your appliances after a traumatic encounter with humans, when a squeeze toy becomes evil, the difference between being tired and being weary, the trials of getting a new business up and running, the shame of being in debt, bureaucratic oppression, putting cash in toilet paper tubes and mayonnaise jars, eating as an evasive maneuver, whe

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss Emily’s weird problem with her sinuses, a lack of burping function, how it feels to be six, several reasons why the illuminati might like New Zealand, a comparison between pretzels and rebar, processed food and weight gain, an old box of Pop Tarts, the relative merits of various lawn ornaments, gnome realism, fake wishing wells, the history of gazing balls, Frog Prince sculpture, using Facebook for venting during coffee breaks, when large becomes Venti, a disagreement about Stowe’s traffic signals, crashing a chiropractor’s conference, a brush with fate and an encounter with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., exorbitant ticket prices for Jacob Dylan, taking a foray into the criminal life, confusion around the word “camaraderie”, a deep dive into pellucidity and limpidity, luminosity and mirth, damaging your eyes with books, exploring the forth-class portion of Harolyn Hill Road, hearing children scream, a look at older dams, towns that were flooded, the glo