11th Hour Radio

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss guerilla armpit washing, the psychology behind refusing to wear shorts, ins and outs of dog castration, John’s midnight rendezvous with Brock, more complications while camping, the saga of the chirping smoke detector, a children’s book-of-month club, being hard pressed to fulfill life’s menial demands, the fate of the “go-to” person, putting stuff in your basement, a jam vs. jelly shoot out, the long-standing debate over killing animals for food, hunting the sacred pools for trout, whether or not ducks have teeth, a special clogging move called “snake bite”, a deeper dive into neutrino behavior, things you didn’t know about the speed of light, love prep between snails, annoying sound effects that should not be there, tips for humiliating a gastropod, a friendly argument about space colonization, more hating on nerdy science programs, a revelation about Doritos and catching stuff on fire, demystifying throw pillows, a penetrating look at what it m

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss dickering, the last known location of Brocklebank Brewery, more mystery driveways, a snapped brake line, the continuing saga of excessive car repair, why it’s hard to move, trying not to worry, how the family dogs came to be pepper-sprayed, an ice cream for Brock the mastiff, a disparaging closer look at Milk Bones, impaired breathing with mosquito netting head gear, a new use for cat blood, the difference between Danny & Dave, driving mice, more fantasies about the Pierre Motel, mice who eat soap, a safe place for pigs, the moral dilemma presented by animal crackers, hating on ginger bread men, lies about Winnie the Pooh, plans to curb John’s book-saving, a nebulous nebula, the invisible flutist revealed, disagreements between birds, what happened to the boy whose salon styled dreadlocks set Emily’s heart on fire, how what goes around came around to the criminal prosecutor, being perplexed as to the status of your virginity, which is worse c

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss summer fires, seven hours of mowing, men & wedding readiness, more inappropriate remarks at the museum, a new variation on poop from little Joseph, wielding the power of bad words, the incongruity of a Snapple banner, mini-dumpsters, not recognizing people, the bad energy of chain link enclosures, aesthetic solutions to fencing, judging people by the color of their truck, the aura of the unmarked police car, unpacking the “mystery driveway” game, how the four directions upset Emily, a redesign for compasses, making peonies live longer, confusion concerning the word “promulgate”, the catch-22 of used car ownership, applying crystal consciousness to vehicle repair, when is “too much” loyalty, another back road mistake, the sad state of one particular Christmas tree farm, multi-national corporate control of Gazetteers, relaxing on the couch with maps, a revelation about the Old Tunbridge Road, imagining a Barbie Tarot, confusing gypsy garb with

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss Victorian hair styles, unwanted remarks by hipsters, the successful adoption of Kiki, a true story of how Kristina came to be known as “Dirty Rachel”, choosing the wrong clothing for work, when tiny summer dresses lead to hallucinations, the pros and cons of complaining, why upholstered chairs get left out in the rain, how many Sharpies is too many, keeping John up at night for no good reason, a dearth of closets, the sudden appearance of fossilized cat throw up, sobbing your way back to health, the moral superiority of early rising, searching for a fix of excitement, the last day of school, lingering self doubt, dark chocolate dip as a metaphor, great words that start with P, an update on the continuing quest for a feather shirt, more on cultural appropriation as it relates to style, a novel approach to playing “Indian” using panty hose, cases in which birds fall out of nests, the dangers of too much cologne or perfume, a premature fledging, the

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss fooling people, a “Rachel” softball jersey, more inexplicable cable entanglement, Ira’s concern about the size of his ears, counting on the placebo effect, Butch’s plastic surgery to improve his eyelids, print shirts that are not Hawaiian, how to make your kids look like door-to-door missionaries, faking your way through end-of-year school concerts, how to take best advantage of chipmunk cheeks, the joys of chatting about Pro Tools with a protégé, a failed holiday trip to Small Dog Electronics, the magic invisibility of the town of Fayston, VT, the discovery of a new trail head and bear crossing, the ins and outs of mastiff adoption, feeling the tingle of beauty, micro-love, strips of sparkle, all trains heading west, a query about rivers and “the other sea”, unpacking wine cooler fridges, poetic use of the term “muckle on”, running into someone you knew in another life, the problem of things being out of context, the challenge of pseudonyms, thr

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss sassafras, driving old cars, carpooling in a car with no brakes, overnight mushroom growth in the soft-top, a double chin emergency, acing Jane’s retirement party, dealing with jilted lovers at art openings, Kristina’s excellent use of body language, an update on the button maker, how to post as yourself, doing a radio show as an excuse for getting together, daring to have friendships, some confusion about carbon dioxide, the complications of selling air, original thinking & stolen ideas, more on Suzy’s school bus restorations, reflections on exploding bass and other fish-related issues, the story of Chippie and his poor choices, navigating via lilacs, making eye contact with rodents, tips for memorizing Shakespeare, new uses for jello, the hands & hidden intentions of Reiki practitioners, a deeper look at “lol”, how to cope with texting screw-ups, how to road test a new acronym, what came up at clogging class, the truth behind out-buildi

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a giant snail’s cuteness, what to do with spent gum, analyzing a different head-space, Emily’s interrupting habit, early morning goat milking, a teenager’s apology, to go or not go to the gala, imagining whole tables of rich people, a ranking of clowns on velvet, when and if politics will intersect extra-terrestrials, the truck drivers’ myth of the black dog, how to dress up like a flying monkey, a possible entanglement between clown cars and golf carts, mispronouncing the word “assuage” then refusing to correct yourself, what to call a swamp if you’re “Pa” Ingalls, dissecting the Yanny/Laurel craze, how to look like a rock star, sleeping in used hotel rooms, a very special guitar strap adjustment, a unique run-in with buckthorn saplings, another unsuccessful merch sales attempt, cheap stakes & wedding signage, mobilizing the forces to combat pigeon droppings, the luck of the shuffle, cooking iPads with Jim, thrift store fashion tips & th

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss bad boys, band breakups, an antidote for feeling grumpy, the ecstatic qualities of button quail, surprises at the hardware store, more on grilled cheese, rabbit rewards, what makes something cute, an obsession with miniature things, tiny coke bottles, a doll hierarchy in which Barbie does not rate, what’s inside a puppet, a green that makes you happy, a lava lamp false alarm, what should not be plastic, a spray paint injury, why you should get rid of ugly laundry baskets, keeping your toothbrush “at the ready”, a reference to Alice in Wonderland, a review of the recent VPR podcasting event, getting ready for someone else’s wedding, the beauty of buds, an innovative approach to getting pigeon poop off curtains, more on making business phone calls, the best driveway in Vermont, a little chit chat about death, a strategy for coping with the impossibility of being alive, questioning your sanity, a comparison of animal cemeteries, time going backwards

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the kids at daycare, when babies are ugly, sheep bleating as speech therapy, what to do when scary television shows come on, a conflict with kid adventure games, missing everything fun, the much-awaited opening of Dairy Twirl, stopping everything for bottle-fed goats, a gas pumping incident, smashing expensive guitars, a very awkward love pat, another inconveniently located theater post, going “red” crazy, the ill-advised building of your life around special moments, Kristina’s bold hip-hop fashion risk, a novel approach to changing the color of your couch, when pens fail, leaving the radio on for your cows, traveling Greyhound now vs. then, tips for going backstage to mingle with celebrities, what to do with your hands, the intersection of mushrooms & capitalism, a quick breakdown of the priestess archetype and why not to include it in your biography, the unsung beauty of Tarot cards, unpacking the work habits of the creatively obsessed, dea

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss lizard consciousness, winter crankiness, adjusting to your own skin, an other-worldly spelling challenge, giving up journaling, when communications go dark due to tragic circumstances, how the brain protects itself with amnesia, fingernail biting and hypnosis, activating the codes, an argument about the Pleiades, a review of the sale books at Inner Traditions, naming your child after a Norse god, debunking angel cards, Tarot cards as “pick-me-up”, an unwanted oil painting depicting voodoo, returning art to the artist, the affliction of fundraising bake sales, using the train as a means to escape your life, dented microphones, the nuances of frog & salamander season, the impossibility of unthawing something, running a Buddhist Airbnb, a new palace in Vershire, a wishing cradle, more messages from a pro-active star cluster, Emily’s vehement dismissal of aliens, an update on the rapture, mid-week songwriting, pie as a food group, beige as an att

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a low tolerance for so many things, perceptions of chewing, drug side effects, a huge doctor with pants, talking to a Pilot, an accumulation of frozen manure, more on the point of money, update on the offending post mistress and her mysterious disappearance, a convenient crash at the IRS, the redundancy of schedule Cs, where your money goes, some interesting conjecture about the people at the top, using astrology to apologize for the planet, a teaser regarding the secret space program, the increasing relevance of “52 Pickup”, catching the slow train, an embarrassing story about a sandwich, in search of simple food, living your life as “that type of girl”, the nuances of breathing on your sheep, long standing issues with rice pilaf, the devil’s chocolate chips, recycling doll’s heads, a new twist on PTSD, bad times at the military museum, meditating on man’s warring spirit, the idea of protecting your guns, an amazing cooking wagon, Kristina’s dre

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the “radio voice” phenomenon, bright white hairs on a black sweater, what a show sponsor didn’t know, eschewing blueberries in cheese, how a Peeps diorama contest went off the rails, what’s happened to wood smoke from chimneys in the village, understanding air as an astrological element, the changeability of love, things to be jealous of, clawing at the gate of ardor, a practical approach to romance, the opossum fad, what you didn’t want to know about marsupial pouches, the sad state of song topics, a baffling duck x-ray, picking the right guitar pick, getting excited about recording, getting back to things you used to do well, naming your child Thackery, more fun with a lisp, the darker side of baby talk, finding validity in your repressed memories, faulty dream analysis, deconstructing funny accents, whether or not to send John to pick up an adoptable infant in India, the virtues of the backyard burn pile, the continuing saga of a pact about ab

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss metal preferences, being poisoned by dentistry, why Kristina can’t smile anymore, the longest needle, the dilemma of the Carolines, another Todd-driven sponsorship, a local restaurant’s gussied-up woodchuck, the dangers of using flimsy jacks to change a tire, springtime road conditions that discourage business, coconut oil hair-doing, what’s inside a dreadlock, an idea about vegetarian leather pants, raising a nice cow but not getting too close, new reasons to commune with nature, remembering the kindergarten circus (again), the infamous panty hose elephant, another obscure pop culture reference from the ‘80s, collecting hand-me-downs, a repeated disappointment for the man with the name which is a fruit, blocking nasty commenters & “ne’er-do-wells”, getting in a snit about de-friending and re-friending, thumb-winging on Instagram, deconstructing a Creemee selfie, the travels of a lone wasp, half-assing birthdays as your kids age, a new source

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss incredulous disbelief, the amazing power of purple, being stabbed by an eye makeup brush, the unfortunate incident at the gas station bathroom circa Thursday, a tried and “true blue” shooting target, knowing nothing about guns, relieving stress with Play Doh, a dildo for the holidays, finding middle ground on Facebook, denture advertising in Vermont, nagging cheese issues, the hardiness of goats, more car names for lambs, new troubles for dirndl wearers, the latest in cow plop bingo, music for “ice out”, doubling up on vowels, a useless term from the financial industry, a boy and two planets on either end of the moon spike, the shame & devastation of being penalized by the postal service, throwing your actual feelings at people, self induced guilt feelings that have no basis in reality, groveling in front of child support professionals, stupid side effects from divorce, self soothing with chocolate products, encountering a typically nice cani

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the power of Hall’s Menthol lozenges, when and when not to talk about your farm animals, an update on how Jim has matured, a breakdown of salt and pepper, more on spilling tea on gear, the uselessness of radio call letters, ambiguous reports on snow amounts, when to cut a tree, avalanches we didn’t expect, Pam Polston at the pulpit, experiments to prove that people are like sheep, Kristina’s mom’s dream to be an arctic explorer, the cost of exploration, a challenge to Emily’s claim about tea cup Poodles, the moral superiority of mutts, the differences between our dads, what to do with inherited baggage, a fierce disagreement over muesli, sleeping in a hooded sweatshirt, threats delivered under the guise of spirit, living in a college town, a plan to finally penetrate the secret mausoleum, dreaming about an arranged marriage, a joint persecution complex, sliding off the road with John, the rights and wrongs of conspiracy theories, a new problem wi

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss a jester’s hat, lack of search engine visibility, makeshift javelins and a broomstick incident, the hows and whys of volunteering for a job at the Fire Department, a small nose fracture, going for a deeper answer to the question: “how are you?”, tricks for writing about things that aren’t interesting, parsing the difference between sharing and manipulating, a long-standing eyebrow dilemma, a revelation about electrolysis, engaging in frivolous research, discovering online karaoke, hidden singing, a word created by Frank Mankiewicz, the truth behind rainmakers, getting disciplined for inappropriate Youtube Superchat behavior, the old fashioned telephone request line, an unexpected visit from Duff, an early suburban neighborhood in small town Vermont, a nymph with a snow bodice, clarifying the price of organic avocados, the problem with fruit in paper bags, an astrological solution to kitchen disorganization, the futile longing to switch town meeti

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss coming down off the hill in first gear, skiing with unhappy, whiney kids, doing cool things when no one’s looking, a life of journaling, dealing with short attention spans, snubbing the road crew, an update on the four boxes of cookies, making a huge mistake with cow colostrum, a new kind of abusive relationship, boys who think they need jacked-up trucks, a lost wallet in Hawaii, an almost forgotten tale of spilled milk, Butch’s enlightened idea for beverage-less meals, the staying power of cheese, several alternate names for the full moon, surprising misinformation about birds, a squirrel with a puppy-dog face, corn cob ferris wheels, getting paid for being yourself, a world without money, a new app that creates a profound effect, sending smells over the internet, the power of sound to motivate, how some people stumble into their profession, the deeper meaning of being a quitter, being fast on your toes, an ill-fated search for a florist, confus

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss lint pills, an eye makeup crisis, identifying the Vermont tumbleweed, #nobodysdoll, ongoing baby name competitions, the wonders of Old Dickerman, choosing between dog and Doug, the robot vs. bot dilemma, more details you didn’t want to know on how flies lay eggs, the ins and outs of seediness, exciting changes in Barre, stuff about midget strippers, marginalizing the already marginalized, ongoing confusion about the Hardrock Café, an embarrassing revelation about your friends’ sex lives, a fascinating national average, sexual harassment at the middle school dance, why men should not ride English, remembering a football player who cried, the amazing spelling of “derring do”, a little used word for deep meditation, saved again by extension cords, being manhandled by girls, how to know when to step in, black light dances, the ridiculous nightmare of split custody parenting, over-reacting to things, questioning the validity of a hormonal rant, new us

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss the last pair of headphones, a Ziploc gift, the stupidity of rating and grading, dissecting the term “douche-bag”, an update on what’s in the freezer, how the living ghost of Emily has come to visit Kristina, what the front end loader did, perfect looking couples, the most handsome man in Vermont, torture-by-typo, mother hen style editing, in search of the mystical refresh button, a little wisdom from Anne of Green Gables, where modesty veers into crippling self censure, recording your first album at 60, form as energy, a new food-related design for iPads, growing up with a paranoid mother, a proposal for “reverse” Valentine’s Day, furniture painting with Fritz, more misinformation on tarot cards, watching astrologers on YouTube, imagining an alien abduction including the taking of core samples, the joys of photographic composition, John’s latest fake-out, shaming your husband for his relationship with his mother, another subtle put-down of curly

In this episode co-hosts Kristina Stykos and Emily Howe discuss getting used to new software, hats with ears, whispering into a microphone, more on the Howe family rope tow, the difference between grips and riggers, a complex situation concerning cough drops, confusion about the plant “horehound”, the useless efficacy of alternate cuss words, Emily’s condescending views on Kristina’s not eating eggs, a breakdown on rolled oats, instant oats and steel cut oats, an ass-saving shout-out, an argument for informed vaccination choice, a chicken pox party, sporting the Steve Bannon look, a beautiful bridge, joining the texting nation, a bi-coastal songwriting exercise, remembering a star-studded dinner with Pelligrino water, queen-for-a-dinner, a wine tasting women’s retreat, questions about spitting, making good use of the gaps in your teeth, the importance of consonants, an epic bad set of Scrabble letters, smug winners, the new feminist erotica, National Pizza Week, Grandpa’s views on teenagers and pornography, a