This has been a dreary Novemberish day. There have been a few snowflakes in the air, but nothing stuck. There was just a trace of snow in my measuring tube this morning, but nothing on the ground to measure. It's altogether too soon to be shoveling off the deck and measuring snow depth!
     I heard from Homer Fitts today. He's doing pretty well, he said, and has moved to The Gardens senior living apartments in Williamstown. Homer said he was fortunate to be able to get in, and feels good about being there. In case anyone wants to send him a note or visit, he's in Apt. 309, and the address is 2844 VT RT14, Williamstown, VT 05609. His phone there is 802-249-4653.
     He said he still misses Joe's Pond, so I'm sure he'd love to hear from anyone here. He didn't say if he has his computer hooked up, and I forgot to ask, but I expect he does - or will have it going soon.
     So the geese are heading south, the other critters that hang out all winter are storing food for the winter. Black bears are on the move this time of the year storing up as much fat as they can by eating nuts, berries and wetland roots. They have a keen sense of smell and hear very well, so normally you would not see them - they are usually shy around humans unless they have found human food, and then they can be pests and often have to be destroyed. Their eyesight isn't very good, but even so, they will know you are around before you spot them, usually. It's always best to give them plenty of space if you do come across one. 
     We recently heard of a couple of instances of cars hitting bears on the highways - one in Waterford, as I recall, and another in the southern part of the state. Try to be extra observant, especially on the interstate. We have moose, deer and bears wandering about this time of the year especially - along with raccoons and skunks - that are often trying to cross the highway, especially at night. 
     The same is true on our back roads, but usually we aren't traveling as fast as on the throughway, so we have a better chance of avoiding a collision with wild animals. Still, it can happen when you least expect it - day or night.
     One of the facts we're trying to find out for the West Danville history is when the railroad station was removed in West Danville, and what happened to it. Did someone buy it, or was it hauled off to a dump someplace? If anyone knows, send me an email - janebrowncabot@gmail.com.

 We awoke to a white world this morning. I measured one inch of snow on the deck and reported the first snow of the season to CoCoRaHS. It seems early, but that's only because we've had unusually warm weather so recently. It's a huge chance to adjust to!

Here is the latest work schedule on the Route 2 project over in East and South Cabot. They are winding down now, getting ready to pull out. The bridge being straightened should be a big improvement, especially for commuters this winter. That was always a very dangerous curve. Drive carefully - it always takes a while for folks to get the hang of driving on snowy roads and possibly ice again this time of year - and lost of folks are still driving with summer tires. We have to not only remember to adjust our own driving, we have to watch out for other drivers on the road.

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Proposed Work Schedule, Week of 10/22/18, Cabot-Danville US 2 Reconstruction [Cabot-Danville FEGC F 028-3(36) C/2] 

Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019.

 

Slope and ditch work from the Goodrich property back towards Houghton Rd. will continue next week. 

Work on driveways will continue. 

Side road work will continue at Houghton Rd. 

Excavation at Last Road will continue next week.

TRAVEL ALERT:  A speed reduction zone of 40 mph is in place for this project. There are increased fines for speed violations within the construction zone. 

TRAFFIC INFORMATION: Construction vehicles will be entering and exiting the work zone throughout construction hours, and as a result, alternating one-way traffic patterns with flaggers will be in place. Delays can be expected.
 

Please focus on safety when driving through the construction work zone and remember, it is against the law to use a hand held cell phone while driving in Vermont.

Contact Natalie Boyle, Project Outreach Coordinator, EIV Technical Services, with any questions or concerns in regard to this project at 802-855-3893 or nboyle@eivtech.com

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Natalie Boyle

Director of Communications

EIV Technical Services

www.eivtech.com

The City Lights Building

106 East Allen St., Unit 506

Winooski, VT 05404

cell:  802.855.3893

office: 802.497.3653 ext.1037

Here is the obituary for Margaret Fitts. It didn't come out in the newspaper in time for the funeral, but I know many of you will be interested in the full life Margaret had. She was an inspiration for all of us, and she will be sadly missed by her family and many friends.
     We are watching the thermometer go down steadily from the high 40s around noon to 38F now, and still sinking. We have had rain showers most of the afternoon, and I expect those will be snow showers later tonight. According to the forecast, there may be measurable snow in some of the higher elevations. I guess it's time, but I wouldn't mind if it held off a few more weeks. I don't expect the snow (if we get any) will stay long - but still, it's cold and dreary, more  like November than the middle of October.
     I hope you are thinking about getting your winter tires on - it won't be long before you'll be really glad you did! Even these wet days, the back roads can be really nasty. A neighbor told me that last week when we had rain she nearly ended up in the pond going along West Shore Road. It can be tricky, for sure. Mud is just as slippery sometimes as snow. So be careful. Another danger recently is trees and limbs down in the road. You can come upon them very unexpectedly, and it can mean a nasty scratch on your car or something broken. We've had some high winds recently and some limbs have come down her and there - I noticed on Route 2 coming home from West Danville there had been a tree down in the road. It had been all cleaned up by the time I came along, but I could see where it had been. Expect the unexpected is the rule! Take care, drive safely, and if it does snow, use extra caution and watch out for the other guys who don't have a clue.