Another day that's been unusually warm and sunny.  Not complaining, just saying - it's a little unnerving to have this kind of weather in December.  We should probably just enjoy it, and I certainly do.  The way everything freezes up at night and melts in the daytime reminds me more of spring than fall.  We'll get winter, I'm sure, and probably more than we're ready for, but with such a late start, it surely cuts down the number of snowy months, unless March and April dump more snow and cold than normal on us.

We have been struggling to get some DVDs done for the Cabot Historical Society.  Several years ago I made one (with lots of help from Fred) and when those sold out, we did another one a couple years later.  Only doing them once in a while means every time there is a learning period, plus I always decide to "fine-tune" things a bit hoping to improve it.  This time the learning curve was greater because we'd upgraded computers and no longer had the same program that we'd used before.  Fred stuck with it over the weekend and did a test copy yesterday, that worked very well.  Today we ran

off a bunch of them and we're ready for the "Christmas rush" - we have five extras!  I know, they aren't a hot item, but every now and then someone wants one to give to somebody connected to Cabot one way or another.  Fred says he has a master copy now and can make 'em within a few minutes, as long as I don't decide to change something!

These projects are often an unexpected learning experience.  We found out during this project that sometimes the labels that go directly on the DVD create tension on the disk over time and eventually prevent it from playing on some machines.  There are certain types of labels that work better, but I have only the kind you get at Staples that are paper and pre-glued, which is what causes problems. So I did an insert for the jewel case this time.  It's a lot easier than lining up the design for the disks, I have to admit.

I also finished the class yearbook I was working on and sent it for printing.  It should be here in about a week.  I'm always anxious to see the books in print after working on them on my computer.  I know lots of people these days prefer reading books on line, but I think there's something special about holding a book in your hands and turning real pages.  Most of the books I produce are for the historical society, and are for preservation purposes, but still, it's fun to see the finished product.  I couldn't do the exact size of the original, but I was able to reproduce the cover so it will be a smaller version of the original.  This is what it looks like.  Except for the size, it looks exactly like the original - on my computer, at least.  Finally, after all these years, the Class of 1948 will be represented in the archives at the Cabot Historical Society.

The West Danville History Committee will be taking some time off during the busy holidays, but we have plans to meet again in January.  We think we have collected about as many photos as we're going to, and we have a heap of information from various sources, so there will be plenty to work with once we get going in the writing stage. 

Here at Joe's Pond we'll soon be busier with Ice Out.  Ticket sales have been fairly steady throughout the summer and fall - we've sold over 500 tickets.  There will probably be a flurry of tickets coming in after the holidays because people have included them in greeting cards or as stocking stuffers, but then it will be slow until March.  We have sometimes had extra sales when someone gave them out at wedding receptions as gifts for guests, or sometimes a business buys enough to give their employees for the holidays, but nothing like that has happened so far this year.  The on-line printable tickets are available now, but tickets you can pay for on line won't be available until March 1st.  

This weather makes me wonder how much ice there will be.  Nobody knows, and that's what makes the contest such fun.  Anyone who wants tickets can contact me or Diane Rossi; we both have a good supply.  Enjoy our freaky nice weather while you can.