JOE'S POND BLOG

2012-01-29T11:09:00.005-05:00

We got a little more snow overnight and earlier this morning. Now the sky is brightening and the snow has stopped. I measured half an inch at 9 a.m., and I don't think we got much more after that.

I've had a couple of inquiries about snowmobiling, and about all I can tell people is that here at Joe's Pond we've had some activity - but not a lot - and judging from the lack of snow depth we noticed yesterday as we traveled west to the Barre-Montpelier area, I'd guess the snow is best in our area, Walden, Cabot, Marshfield, West Danville and Danville. South and east of us got snow from this last little "clipper," but not a lot.

I had a report yesterday on the ice and fishing at Joe's Pond. Bill Rossi called while we were away and left a message that he'd talked to a fisherman in front of their home and was told the ice is about a foot thick and the fishing is great. I thank Bill for the message. I looked back to last year on the blog, but didn't find any reference to ice thickness during January. I have to move on to other work this morning, so didn't spend any more time looking; I expect 12 inches is about normal compared to other years. I did notice one entry that mentioned there seemed to be more fishing shanties on the pond than usual, and we were thinking the same this year, but I guess that's normal, too.

I'm working on reproducing a very old book for children that is in our Cabot Historical Society collection. It had belonged to Abby Osgood, a gift from her cousin, Priscilla Marsh. Abby was probably the daughter of Moses and Lucinda Osgood, but the records I have aren't clear about that. The little book was apparently published in London, probably in the very early 1800's. It has color lithographs and is a combination of linen and paper, in very bad condition, but I have been able to copy the pages and my hope is to produce a replica which we can put on display alongside the original, and because the original is too fragile to let the public handle, they will be able to see the lovely pictures and read most of the verse. This is one of the pages that is in better shape than most of them. My biggest disappointment is that the last page has only the picture - no print at all, so we'll never know the outcome of the story.
Unless, of course, I'm somehow able to locate another copy, which isn't likely. I've spent several hours searching the internet and find references to the Grandpapa Easy's series of children's books, but no actual copies or text information.

I must press on - spring will be here before I know it and I'll need to have the things I've been working on ready for display at the museum when we open.

I just looked outside and noticed it has started snowing lightly again. Should I cheer of grumble . . . ? I guess I'll cheer - I think our friends, Bill and Diane Rossi went skiing today and they will be very glad of any extra snow we get.

2012-01-28T08:05:00.001-05:00

Upcoming Programs at the Jaquith Public Library:

Wednesday, February 1 at 7 p.m. Classic Film (1937), [Lost Horizon]directed by Frank Capra, and starring Ronald Coleman, this classic adventure tale tells of a British diplomat and others whose plane crashes in the Himalayas, leading to their discovery of the mystical land of Shangri-La. At the Jaquith Public library in Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m. Poetry Reading with Local Authors: Sherry Olson, Carol Henrikson and Sarah Hooker. These three talented poets will surely provoke deep thoughts and stimulating discussion. Refreshments will be served.At the Jaquith Public library in Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Sunday, February 12 at 2:30 p.m. The King and the Thrush: Tales of Goodness and Greed. Montpelier performing artists Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder present their award-winning folk storytelling show for children and adults. "Compelling"--Times-Argus, "Utterly captivating"--7 Days, “Masterful, incredible, not-to-be-missed!" --School Library Journal.At the Jaquith Public library in Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 15 at 7 p.m. Learn about the Onion River Exchange: a way to exchange services with other people in your community. This method of time banking creates an hour for hour exchange. For example, your hour of gardening can get you one hour of car mechanics or your hour of painting can get you an hour of gardening. All of this without spending any money! Allison Underhill, director of the program, will explain how the exchange works and what you need to do to join.At the Jaquith Public library in Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m. Documentary film presentation about Mongolia. Susan Ross Grimaldi will share two short documentary films about her exciting and physically challenging travels in China (Inner Mongolia) and Mongolia. A quote from Susan’s report on her trip: “We were able to meet with the Duar shamans in Northern, Inner Mongolia and observe their work and witness their ceremonies. We also interviewed and filmed them. In Morin Dawa, we attended a Nassam festival, and were received as invited guests and shown every courtesy with our digital video and still photography.” Refreshments will be served. At the Jaquith Public library in Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.Come to the Jaquith Public Library's Annual Contra Dance at Vivien and Michael Fritz’s barn at 693 McCrillis Rd. in Marshfield on Saturday, March 10 at 7 p.m.!!! This is an event not-to-be-missed. It is a fundraiser so you can help the library while having lots of fun dancing and listening to the music. This will be our third annual contra dance and it has gotten rave reviews in the past so please join us!!! With Susannah Blachly and Susan Reid on fiddle and George White on guitar.For information call 426-3581 or e-mail: jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com

2012-01-27T22:08:00.005-05:00

We've been rained on most of the day, with the temperature right around freezing, so there is quite a bit of ice on everything. So far we haven't lost power, but I expect some other places may have. The ice is pretty thick and heavy, and the snow is heavier. I was surprised at how heavy the snow was when I began shoveling the deck to get to my rain/snow measurement tube this morning. It was soggy with water.

I measured two inches of snow on my snow board, and even with all the rain there were 11 inches of snow still at the stake. A woman called from Burlington today looking for historical information and when I mentioned we have almost a foot of snow she was thunderstruck. She said there is practically none there - what they had washed away in the rain. I volunteered to hunt for a headstone she needs a photo of, but not if the snow is too deep by the time I get a chance to go. I really don't want to go in on snowshoes or have to shovel snow away from the stone in order to get a picture. There may not be as much snow in the Lower Village as there is here on the Plain, and I can't go until sometime next week, so we'll see. In the meantime, I found a few things she may be able to use.

I watched some of the debate last night but slept through most of it. Ron Paul is quite the one-line comedian, but over all, I didn't find it very entertaining or enlightening. Perhaps over the next six months the pace will pick up . . .

There is a bit of scanner chatter regarding road conditions tonight. In some areas the highways are a bit slippery so the sand/salt trucks are still out there. It's been a long day for them. Schools were closed in most eastern and central Vermont areas, and some people didn't make it to work this morning because of the road conditions. Right now there's a tractor trailer in the St. Johnsbury area that's not able to make it up a hill. I didn't catch what road it's on, but the road crews are headed that way to help. It's a good night not to have to travel. The forecast is that tomorrow will be better.

2012-01-26T16:53:00.004-05:00

The day is darkening, and not just because the sun is going down. There are also thick clouds coming at us from the west, bringing snow, then rain, sleet, freezing rain and eventually turning to snow again - all in the next 24-48 hours. That has been our weather pattern for most of this winter. You'll see a weather advisory posted below from the electric companies across the state. They are preparing for an interesting night, no doubt.

Fred went with Bill Rossi to St. Johnsbury this morning to take care of some business there. They stopped at Bill Dimick's Thurston and Dimick Auto to say hello to Bill and leave some Ice Out tickets with him. In the next few weeks we'll have them at other outlets in the St. Johnsbury, Barre and Montpelier area, but for right now, if folks can find them locally, they are happy. On the way home, Fred and Bill picked up the mail at West Danville and Fred noticed the lunch menu for today. I'm not sure what "frizzled" hamburg is, but I bet it is good. They put out some really good food there at Hastings Store. And they always have great baked goods.

There's some talk about a restaurant again in Cabot Village, where "Goldie's" was. There was an open house last week and several people were interested in possibly opening a restaurant. Nothing definite, though.

We learned recently of the death of Laura "Peg" Abbott, who was librarian in Cabot for many years and later worked at the Vermont Historical Society. She and her friend, the late May Wheeler, in 1984 cataloged information from the headstones in all seven of Cabot's cemeteries. It was a huge undertaking, but it was very well done and I used it, with their permission, when Velma Smith and I digitized that information a dozen or so years ago. I made a photocopy of May and Peg's book which I still use frequently. The digital info is only available at the town offices although Tara, our town clerk, has spoken about the possibility of making it available on line. I used a DOS program especially designed for cemeteries, and I don't know if it could be converted to something that would be accessible on the web.

Another friend, Eva Hale, died this past week. We knew Burt, her late husband and also Steve, their son who worked with his father in construction. Steve died a few years ago, and we often mention how much we enjoyed that family.

Time marches on and we all know we're here for only a relatively short period so we'd better make the best of it. Just the other day I opened a little notebook my mother, Lettie Bolton, had kept. There was a slip of paper with her hand writing on it: "I shall pass thru this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I may do, let me do it now, for I shall never pass this way again."

I was curious, so I searched the internet to find out who wrote that bit of wisdom. Turns out it is thought to have been Stephen Grettet, a Quaker missionary, but William Penn has also been credited with it, although Wikipedia said it's more likely Grettet's. That little message reminded me of so many people we have known who absolutely lived up to that advice, and many others we know who practice it every day. There are some very, very kind people in the world, thankfully.

Stay warm and safe, and if you live in our neighborhood, read the message below so you are prepared in case we lose our electricity.

2012-01-26T16:16:00.002-05:00

Storm and Outage Alert

by Susan G on January 26, 2012

For immediate release: Jan. 26, 2012

Utilities offer safety advice in face of possible ice event and power outages

Vermont utilities are advising customers in the eastern and central parts of Vermont of the potential for ice damage that could cause downed trees and limbs, and lead to power outages late this evening and into Friday. Customers across the state could see power outages late tonight and into Friday.

Utility forecasts include the threat of up to a half inch of ice in eastern and central Vermont, combined with sleet and snow, which could cause power outages.

Utility crews are on standby to ensure a strong response if the ice accumulations bring significant problems. Government officials are also coordinating efforts to assure the necessary resources are available.

Utilities urged customers to be sure to have flashlights, batteries, food and water available in case they lose electrical service, and suggested that friends, family and neighbors check on elderly Vermonters who may need help. Candles are not recommended as light sources during a power outage due to fire risk.

The utilities offered the following advice:

Before outages occur, be sure you have a phone that is hard-wired and does not rely on electricity.
Fill a bathtub with water before you lose service so the water can be used to flush toilets when the power is out. PREVENT UNSUPERVISED BATHROOM ACCESS TO CHILDREN.
Treat any downed line as if it is live. Report the line to your local utility and fire department, stay at least 50 feet away from the line, and keep children and pets away as well.
If using a generator, read and follow the owner’s manual before starting the generator. Never operate a generator inside any structure or near a structure. Use a transfer switch to ensure electricity is not accidentally fed onto a line where line crews must work.
Keep freezers and refrigerators closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage.
If power goes out, turn off all electrical appliances except one light so you’ll know when service returns. Then, turn equipment back on slowly.
Never use grills inside for warmth, as the fumes can be poisonous.

2012-01-25T22:07:00.004-05:00

It's been a really nice day today - temperature has been in high 20's and we even had a little sunshine just before sundown. Tonight is a moderate 20 degrees and I think it's clear, but I haven't checked. I can see the lights across the pond very clearly, so I'm sure it isn't snowing.

I woke up this morning with curry combs on my mind. I don't know where that came from, but I tried to remember if we used the same kind of comb on the cows as we did the horses. I used to get to curry comb the horses - big muscular draft horses that would lean into the comb and nearly crush us against the wooden stalls. I seem to remember that my grandfather used a similar comb to clean off the cows, too. The cows were much cleaner than lots of them are today. They were on a raised platform with sawdust bedding and there was a gutter behind them that caught most of the manure, but sometimes a tail would get messed up and - well, not a pretty sight if she switched her tail and swiped whoever was milking her. The stable was kept relatively clean - there always seemed to be a hoe handy by the scuttle.

My Grandfather Bolton was a whistler. He would come into the stable whistling softly and one by one the cows would turn and look at him and sometimes moo as he passed by. We could tell they knew him and trusted him. He kept records on all his cows. They were big Holsteins with distinct black and white markings that he carefully recorded on special record sheets with cow outlines he filled in the distinguishing markings on and wrote in production records and history for each cow. They each had a registration number and a silver metal tag on one ear with their number on it. I suppose that's all done on computers now. My grandfather liked the big Holsteins even though their milk didn't have as much butter fat content. They produced more quantity and that seemed to be his goal.

The big barn was efficient in it's own way. The cows were on the main floor of the barn, and scuttles behind the cows opened to let the manure drop into the pit below which was accessed in the spring. The manure had to be shoveled into the spreader so it could be spread on the fields. It was easier when we got a Farmall tractor with a bucket loader, but still a dirty job nobody enjoyed. Above the stable was the hay loft, and there were handy scuttle holes so we could throw hay down for the cattle. It was designed so the hay fell in the passageway that ran between two rows of stanchions - milking cows on one side, young cattle on the opposite.
There was a wooden cart on iron wheels that would hold a bag or maybe more of grain, and that was wheeled along the passageway and each cow or heifer got a measured portion of grain, mixed according to whatever formula my grandfather thought they needed, depending, I guess, on the time of year and their size or need. There were water basins between every two cows.

This is the farm as it used to be - the smaller barn was for the horses and there was space for a wagon, buggy and sleigh, plus hay storage above the stalls. I think there were four or five stalls. Those barns are gone now. The big barn burned in the summer of 1969, and the horse barn was taken down. The house remains, and there are more modern barns with twin silos there now - but except for an occasional renter, it's been mostly vacant for the last eight or ten years since the Sousa family left. Times change.

I took a picture of our Woody, getting his morning drink in the bathtub. Water tastes much better there than from his dish in the kitchen, but he has a strange way of drinking. Take a look: Woody Fred brushes him every morning, literally from head to the tip of his tail, and Woody relishes the attention.

2012-01-24T23:25:00.004-05:00

Our January thaw has robbed us of at least 3 inches of snow and left many driveways like skating rinks. It rained quite hard for a while last night. Today I had the scanner on and while I didn't hear of any traffic accidents, there was a call about a woman who had fallen on the ice and another when a man in Northfield was hit by a car - I don't know if it was ice related, but it could have been.

I didn't even attempt to climb Jamie and Marie's hill today - their driveway was one of the icy ones, like ours. Fred spread wood ashes on ours first thing this morning and that made it ok. Jamie had contacted Marty Larrabee to sand his.

Our granddaughter, Tangeni, has two teeth!! I talked with Monika today and she said she thinks there may be a third tooth showing up, too. It's amazing how quickly babies change and develop. Monika said Tangeni is well on her way to creeping, too. She's coming up on seven months. We haven't seen her in a while, so I'm sure when we do we'll notice a big change.

Big sister Jo-Ann is busy with basketball and school activities. She had a tournament this past weekend, but we couldn't make it. We'll get to some of her games before the season is over, though. We really enjoy watching her team play. They're getting better all the time and by the time they are in high school, they'll have some good experience.

There is quite a village of ice shanties in the cove off the fishing access. That's Homer's camp, the yellow one, and the shanties are clustered mostly in front of there - right where our Ice-Out flag needs to go around April 1. They apparently like to fish in deep water because the depth there is close to 100 ft. This picture was taken yesterday afternoon.

2012-01-22T22:45:00.003-05:00

Another cold day, but with the bright sunshine, it was quite pleasant. Bill and Diane Rossi went skiing today and Diane said it was nice on the mountain - a bit cold, but tolerable and they were home in good season. Fred and I did our climbing exercise about mid-day and it was still a little slippery under the very dry snow that fell yesterday and overnight. I measured another 3/4 in. this morning, but at the stake there are still only 14 in.
This was the view from our living room early this morning.

I've been busy researching information for a man in Canada on some Cabot relatives. I couldn't find much that I think will be helpful, but while I was looking through the books Anne and Stuart Smith (of Walden) did indexing articles in old newspapers at the Fairbanks Athenaeum, I came across one particular item I had to chuckle over. It wasn't spelled out, but it appeared that seven sisters married seven brothers in Saco, Maine, on Christmas Eve, 1832. Martha, Eliza, Sarah, Mary, Judith, Virginia and Peggy Wells married Theophilus, Richard, Thomas, Titus, John, E. and J. Hutcheson, in that order. Remember the movie "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" ? It came out in 1954, so no doubt many of you never heard of it, but I thought of that when I saw this. I wonder what the whole story was - perhaps it was "arranged" by the families.

We heard from our sister-in-law, Ella, in Colorado today. They finally got some snow and she said it has been cold, -1 yesterday. I guess their snow cover has been a little better than ours, but they don't have as much as usual.

We also heard from Bob and Lillian Buzzi in Winter Haven, Florida today. Lillian needs more Ice-Out tickets - she's got all their friends and neighbors excited about the contest. She said they were enjoying 79 degree weather today. At about that time our thermometer still wasn't out of the single numbers, but at least it was above zero, not below. Ticket sales here have been slow but pretty steady. I have been sending lots out for both members and friends of the contest who have sold tickets for us for several years now. I love hearing from those folks - some of them have never even been to Joe's Pond, but they still buy a bunch of tickets each year and (I guess) distribute them to friends and family. We've also had requests from some of our regular local outlets for a supply of tickets so they can begin selling early - Natural Provisions in both St. Johnsbury and Williston, Harry's Hardware in Cabot and the Walden Store at the Four Corners have joined Joe's Pond Country Store and Hastings Store to have tickets on hand for their customers.

Diane said this weekend there were several vehicles out on the ice, so I guess it must be good and thick. With no snow cover to speak of, the ice is probably plenty thick. We've had lots of below-zero weather and the rain we've had hasn't been much or the weather that warm long enough to do much damage. We have another rainy spell coming up . . . there goes some of our snow! It's been that kind of winter.

2012-01-19T15:39:00.008-05:00

I got a really cute link from son Bob today. He thought Woody would like to see it, too . . . take a look: Cat and Dolphins
Looks like love at first sniff. When we see something like this, doesn't it make you wonder why people can't get along better? Like one viewer said about the video, "Who says we're the most advanced species?!"

Today has been cold - again. Bright sunshine didn't raise the temperature much. The overnight low was -14.8 and with wind chill factored in, -25.4. When we left to go to St. Johnsbury around 9 a.m., it was still -5 and our garage door was solidly frozen down. It wasn't a big job to loosen it, and we weren't surprised after the sudden temperature changeover yesterday. I heard on the scanner tonight is going to be in the single numbers above zero and we're going to get from one to three inches of snow. Such a roller coaster in the weather so far this winter.

I had the window quilts over the big windows last night, and when I opened the one on the sunny side this morning, there was an interesting perfect round of condensation right in the middle of the glass. The only explanation we can think of is that the sun hit that spot before any other and warmed the glass. There is a plastic vapor barrier sandwiched between the quilting and the curtain material, and that is all one piece, so the warmth must have come from outside to make that pattern.

It was still -5 in St. Johnsbury as we went about doing our errands, and this afternoon it barely got out of the single numbers above zero. Now the sun is dropping behind our hillside and the thermometer is heading down again - about 12 degrees outside my office window. When we stopped to pick up mail this morning in West Danville, there were quite a few people around, but nobody was stopping to talk for long outside. It has been a pretty day, though, with mostly bright blue sky - nice to be in the car looking out.

This was a farm between Danville and St. J. The main roads were bare, but some driveways are very icy. It's a little strange to be this cold and not have much snow on the ground.

Spring is coming, though. Ice-Out tickets are selling pretty well and I've had several inquiries about ads in the Joe's Pond Association's spring newsletter. That's a good sign, but I know there is no doubt a lot of winter waiting to be delivered to us before April!

There are things going on in spite of the weather - sometimes delayed and re-scheduled BECAUSE of the weather, but people are definitely out and about. Here are a few announcements:

Faith in Action is sponsoring a FREE Community Dinner (Mid-winter Soupfest) this Friday, January 20th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Masonic Hall in Cabot. We have an excellent variety of HOME MADE soups including Chili - both vegetarian and with meat, Clam Chowder, Lentil, Chicken Noodle, Ham & Bean and Veggie, Corn & Shrimp Chowder and a Winter Vegetable Soup! What better way to chase away the winter blahs? Please bring your friends, neighbors, family and come join us!

*****

Just a reminder - Saturday noon-2:00 p.m. is the Goldie's Open House, encouraging conversation and ideas to move this attractive space into commercial viability. Please stop by and invite anyone you think would be interested.

If you are willing, we'd be grateful for a baked item or perhaps a jar of jelly or pickles to fill the bakery case and use as raffle prizes. Drop off Friday afternoon or Saturday morning would be most appreciated.

Jeannie Johnson

563-3147

*****

From Henretta Splain -

We have a firm date for the February Inspired dinner it is to be on Sunday, February 26th at 4:30 pm, hosted by Laurel Stanley. We are excited about the menu since Laurel lived in N'awlins for 3 years. And it is the week of Mardi Gras. The movie inspiration is The Last Holiday, a comedy. The menu is:

Appetizers: Oysters 'Danville', Craw fish cocktail

Entree: Chicken and smoked Sausage Gumbo

Rice

Spicy Greens Salad with Penny Lane Dressing

Baguette

Dessert: Bananas Foster

As always, reservations may be made by calling either Henretta Splain at 563 2478 or Susan Tallman at 684 3836 or the Pope Memorial Library at 684 2256. The suggested donation for dinner is $25.

*****

One more interesting item came across my desk this afternoon from Bill Rossi:

While traveling to Burlington. We went via Afghanistan and met this friend.

I have to say, that's taking the long way around to get there! (Actually, I think it was in Richmond, VT.)

2012-01-18T17:13:00.002-05:00

It's been very cold and windy here today. We've had snowflakes in the air most of the day, mostly whipping by horizontally. Yesterday's rain and freezing rain caused a lot of fender-benders, and crews have been sanding and salting today to cure icy spots. Our road is crunchy but pretty good. Our deck has a sturdy coating of ice and I was glad I had my creepers on when I went out to check the rain/snow gauge this morning. I also had to free the wind gauge that had frozen in place. The spoons were turning, but the direction finder was pointing southwest, almost directly opposite where the wind was coming from. It's a short walk off the end of our drive to reach the wind gauge, and with only a few inches of snow, no trouble at all to go there; after a few snow storms, I may forget freeing it if it gets frozen up. I can pretty well tell which direction the wind is coming from by the direction the snow is blowing by our windows.

Diane and Bill went to Burke Mountain today intending to ski, but it was too windy and the lifts weren't operating. I expect many of the trails were pretty icy, too. With so little snow, it must be difficult to groom them, and any snow they made would be blown away today. I noticed in today's paper snowmobile trails in Vermont and New Hampshire have opened, and that's good news for lots of folks.

We did our noon-time hike/run up Jamie and Marie's driveway today. At the foot of our drive, the wind was ferocious coming straight down West Shore Road out of the north/northwest, but once we got behind the trees, it was pretty nice and at about that time the sun broke through for a few minutes. I had checked before we left the house, and the wind chill factor was -15 degrees. We're about 5 above zero and the wind is ranging about 6 or 7 mph, so the wind chill is down to -7 to -9 range. Still cold enough so it's a good night to be inside. The scanner is quiet, so I guess the road crews are winding down for the day.

I laughed today when I read a letter written in 1862 by a Civil War soldier from Cabot. His name wasn't on the letter, but he was writing home about conditions in their camp (it was November) and that he was doing cooking for several officers. He said he was getting very good at it and wouldn't ever need a woman to cook for him, but then he added that he still might need one because "they are warm in winter." I didn't take much time trying to read more of his letter - it was badly damaged and faded - so I just scanned it and will try to transcribe it later. Some of these old letters make pretty good reading.

I also came across a 1824 document stating that one Mary Coburn was accused of taking grain that didn't belong to her from the H. Walbridge's gristmill. The court found in favor of Walbridge and Mary had to pay $5 for the grain and another $4.34 for court costs. The judges were Thomas Osgood, Matthew Stone, and Joseph Fisher. These disputes were settled quickly, and apparently there was no appeal process. Court was held in those early times at the home of one of the "judges" or sometimes those involved had to travel to the county seat in Danville and appear before a circuit judge. Then the sheriff had to locate the culprit and have him there on the appointed day. The sheriff was paid accordingly, of course.

2012-01-18T12:23:00.000-05:00

Cabot Library Program - Barns - Rescheduled to next Tuesday Jan 24th Due to Weather

2012-01-17T16:33:00.001-05:00

Cabot businesspeople are invited to the Heart of Vermont Chamber of Commerce Mixer and Annual Meeting in Cabot on January 23, 5-7 p.m., at the third floor of the Willey Building. Dinner is included, but RSVP is important. Please RSVP to chamber@heartofvt.com or 802-472-5906 by Thursday afternoon.

The meeting is hosted by the Cabot Chronicle, the meal is sponsored by the Cabot Creamery Cooperative and provided by Cabot United Church.

Jeannie

802-595-7710

2012-01-17T14:33:00.010-05:00

Well, our weather has warmed up and right now we're getting rain - but I dare say it's freezing rain with the temperature at 30 degrees. We had a little snow earlier this morning, and as predicted, it has turned to rain. It's going to go back to snow by evening, according to the forecast. The road crews are busy, and traffic seems to be doing ok at least for now.

I had a very nice note from Dorothea Penar who has a cottage on Narrows Drive. Her son, Geoff is a graduate in 2007 from St. Johnsbury Academy and will be appearing in an upcoming performance in Montreal as Leporello in the opera, Don Giovanni
At right is a photo of Penar in the role of Lescaut in Massenet's Manon; March, 2011 at the Kodak Theater, Eastman School of Music.

Here's an article that appeared in the Caledonian Record about him:
Caledonia Record

St. Johnsbury Academy graduate, Geoffrey Penar will be performing in the opera Don Giovanni in Montreal on January 26th and 28th. Geoffrey is in a Masters program in Opera Studies at McGill. Last May, he graduated with High Distinction from the Eastman School of Music with a BM in Vocal Performance. While at Eastman, Geoffrey performed several operatic parts. "Lescaut in Manon was my favorite part, working with such amazing singers and the great Eastman faculty," Geoff describes.

Geoffrey is a veteran of the amateur Vermont performing arts scene, with Lyric and Stowe theater groups, talent shows, choral groups, and even St. John Evangelist Catholic Church. In high school, he received the highest honor at the All State Music Festival in his junior and senior years, and was a finalist at the Bundy Center Young Artist competitions. At St. Johnsbury Academy, he is remembered for his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He was also featured on the nationally broadcast NPR show "From the Top."

"I love stage performance, and playing saxophone and clarinet, but opera became my passion while working on my singing technique with Bill Reed. Opera combines singing, acting, music studies, and language studies -- everything I love. It's very challenging and gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I nail a performance."

Geoffrey adds, "I was thrilled to be cast in Don Giovanni as the conflicted and comedic Leporello. It’s one of the largest bass-baritone parts in the Mozart opera repertoire. Leporello is the servant to the libertine, Don Giovanni, who serves up wine, women (hundreds of them), and song. Leporello’s disgust with and attraction to Don Giovanni make him a very interesting character to portray. “

This summer Penar will be performing in two emerging artist programs, in Crested Butte, Colorado, and here at the Green Mountain Opera Festival.

Don Giovanni Performance times and location: Pollack Hall, McGill Campus January 26 & 28 at 7:30 PM (Geoffrey Penar’s cast). The content and staging of Don Giovanni is provocatively modern and appropriate for an “adults only” audience.

Geoffrey is the son of Paul and Dorothea Pinar of Shelburne and West Danville, Vermont.

2012-01-14T16:21:00.006-05:00

Brrrrrr. The bottom is dropping out of the temperature here tonight. I guess we will be seeing readings at -5 to -15. There's been a brisk wind most of the day and that made it really cold. The lowest reading overnight was -10.1, and the lowest wind-chill temperature was -25.4. It may be colder tonight, by all reports, but the wind seems to have died down.

In the meantime, we've gained another 6 inches of snow. My stake is showing just over 1 foot of snow! It's very light and dry, so it blew around a bit, but most of the trees are still snow covered and beautiful.

The Sherwoods made it home safely yesterday. Don said they were very aware of it being Friday the 13th - they were first delayed about 30 minutes in Danville where there was an accident yesterday morning, then were slowed by heavy snow squalls in Massachussetts. They were fine until about half an hour from their ferry when they were again delayed, this time by a tree and downed power lines. The ferry was running late because of rough seas, but they finally made it home ok.

We just spoke with our friend who is returning tomorrow from Alaska, and it looks good for her flight. She said in Anchorage, there is a record amount of snow, but nowhere near the snowfall that has fallen in Cordova, not far from them. The temperature is about the same as it is here right now. It was around zero when we spoke with her, and that was about 12:30 p.m. their time.

A while back there was some discussion about the Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Trouble with Harry" having been partially shot at what is now the Burtt farm in Cabot. I got in touch with my cousin whose grandparents owned that farm at the time, to see if she had any recollection. She didn't, but she contacted a cousin on the Walbridge side of her family and found out they did film some of the scenes there. Here is the YouTube clip I had found, and the broad valley scenes (and the sugarwoods) certainly could be that farm.

YouTube, The Trouble With Harry

Someone sent me a "forward" today, and while I generally don't read these things, because I rarely get them from this person, I looked at it. It was about all the products that are manufactured in China (or Mexico) we all use and expect to find costing less because they are not made in USA; however, some, like Hallmark cards, are made in China and we pay a premium price. There were some other products mentioned, but the point is, many products that are made right here actually sell for less - so it makes sense to check where our products are made and compare prices. With money tight for most of us, it hardly makes sense to pay more to support overseas economies.

I watched "Apocalypse Now" this afternoon. I'd somehow missed that movie - released in 1979. It was long and gory, and the horror of war it depicts was a strong political statement back then - and even now seems relevant. It's certainly not for everyone but it was interesting to see Charlie Sheen as a youngster and Marlon Brando, who was in his prime then. Harrison Ford was in it, too, and Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall and several other familiar names; but I didn't recognize the faces of some of them because they were all so young. It occurred to me that some of Charlie Sheen's antics in the not-too-distant past may have been a throw-back to when he made that picture . . . It isn't one I'll want to watch again anytime soon, I expect, but I'm glad I saw it just the same.

Now I'm going to get some supper ready and spend the evening by the fire. I've already pulled the window quilts across the windows, which is no easy task with Woody insisting on being on the windowsill. I had him neatly velcroed in at one window before I noticed his silhouette showing faintly against the outside light. He seems to think the heavy curtains are great fun and velcro a challenge for him to undo. He's a bit of a pest on days like this when it's too cold for him to venture outside or even into the garage.

Be warm and safe.

2012-01-13T23:22:00.003-05:00

Skating Party on the Common in Cabot

Saturday January 14^th, 1:00 till dusk

Come to skate, or to watch (and be entertained!)

Light refreshments

Skating coach Susie Socks available

for advice and demonstrations

2012-01-13T11:20:00.003-05:00

I have the scanner on this morning - there's a misty rain falling and the temperature is hanging at just about freezing. There are reports of slippery ramps on the interstate, and a few minutes ago a warning that there was a head-on collision on Route 2 opposite the school and the road was being closed. About 15 minutes later there was a report of an accident on Route 5 somewhere north of Lyndonville in the Sutton area. Requests for sand trucks are frequent. There is almost no traffic going by our house, but I can hear plows and sand trucks over on Route 15 clearly when I'm out on the deck.

I measured another 3.5 inches of snow this morning. By noon, this rain is supposed to turn to snow, with another 4-6 inches possible. There are about 9.5 inches showing at my stake this morning. We're making headway, but slowly.

We still haven't heard from our friend who is hoping to fly out of Anchorage, Alaska this weekend. I checked yesterday and air traffic seemed to be normal, so we're hoping she will make it home to Vermont without any problems.

2012-01-12T17:32:00.004-05:00

Northstar Monthly has a new web site. Check it out -

North Star Monthly

Kingdom Guide

Living Healthy Vermont

Features:

The North Star Monthly is now downloadable in its entirety to your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. In fact, any device that can read PDFs for the regular newsstand price of $1.75
Kingdom Guide and Living Healthy are downloadable in their entirety free of charge.
Subscriptions and renewals can be purchased with just a few clicks
Learn about some of our regular contributors on the "Voices" page
Get up to date advertising rates and distribution details for all three publications
Surf through our growing archives for free

2012-01-12T15:51:00.003-05:00

NOTICE!

Jaquith Library Book Sale Date Change.

The book sale advertised for January 21st will be on January 28th. Please note the New Date.

*****

We are getting a taste of winter weather today. It has been snowing all day and although it seems to be letting up a bit as the afternoon wears on, there are still snowflakes in the air, lots of wind, and the temperature remains just below freezing. Road crews have been busy and I expect they'll be out trying to keep the roads from icing. This messy weather is going to last at least a couple days, from the forecast. It looks as if we'll have gained between 3-4 inches of snow, but then may lose some if it turns to rain.

We saw Diane and Don Sherwood last evening. Diane is doing very well with her injured collarbone. Her arm is in a sling, so her activity is limited, but she says she's doing ok and Don is helping out a lot. It's frustrating to be on a skiing vacation and not be able to take advantage of the new snow.

Don asked me how long I'd been doing this blog, and I guessed it had been three or four years. Fred looked it up by checking the archived blog entries and found the first entry I apparently made. Here it is:

First Blog Entry

I was surprised that it has been so long. I noticed there were a couple of comments for that first blog, but they didn't seem to be related. I was new at managing the blog then, so probably didn't realize I didn't need to publish them. In case you want to look back, you can find a list of all the archived entries at the right of this page. Scroll all the way to the bottom for the earliest. I glanced at the November entries - one about a big fire in Hardwick, and one about the new home being built by Greg and Laura Keenan on the former Clayton Smith property on West Shore Road. Lots of pictures, too.

In the Hardwick Gazette this week there was a letter to the editor about rescuing two loons - one that had become trapped on Lake Eligo when it froze over, and another that more or less crash landed on a Morrisville street during a rain storm. They believe that one mistook the glistening street for open water. Both were successfully rescued and because at least one had an injured wing and wouldn't be strong enough to fly very far, so both were transported by volunteers and released into Casco Bay in Maine. Eric Hansen, who has helped with Joe's Pond loon emergencies, said the loons should be fine after being released in the ocean.

Bill and Diane Rossi have been getting Joe's Pond perch from Everett Drew, and they report they are especially good. Everett's been getting good catches for about two weeks now, we understand. I don't know where he fishes, but if it's him we see in back of the big island, he hasn't been out there a lot - or at least we haven't seen him there much. The Fish and Wildlife Service are reporting that Newark Pond has been opened for the first time for ice fishing. They report there is an abundance of large yellow perch there.

2012-01-11T22:48:00.002-05:00

In May, Northstar Publishing, publisher of the The North Star Monthly and Living Healthy, will compile and distribute the region's most comprehensive reference guide and community almanac. A one-of-a-kind, one-stop resource for 43 communities in the Northeast Kingdom. The guide includes complete historical information and statistical data for towns, local and state government, the arts, schools and education, employment and industry, state forests, museums and historical sites, clubs and organizations, human services, hospitals, places of worship and much more! This publication is a must for people relocating to the Northeast Kingdom or visiting the Green Mountains.

25,000 copies circulated across the county, state and country

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ADVERTISING DEADLINE: THURSDAY MARCH 1ST 2012

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Contact Justin, Vicki or Angie at
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Phone/Fax: 802.684.1056 Email: info@kingdom-guide.com

2012-01-10T08:04:00.001-05:00

2012-01-09T22:06:00.006-05:00

How about this? Green eggs on your birthday! That's what Fred got this weekend. He got other gifts, too, but I thought this was one of the most unusual I've ever come across. Here they are, in contrast to our regular store-bought eggs, and here are the girls who laid them. He received a full dozen green eggs, and they are really good - not because they are green, but because they are so fresh. In spite of what some folks claim, I think it's generally accepted that an egg is an egg, no matter what color the shell is; the difference comes with how fresh or not fresh it is - unless, of course, it's an ostrich or duck egg. We used to have ducks as well as hens when I was growing up, and the duck eggs were not only bigger, but seemed to be richer somehow. I remember my mother used to have a hard time adapting recipes when she used them in baking. We thought these green ones were pretty cool, and while I'm happy to share the pictures of hens and their eggs, we not likely to share the eggs. Sorry!

I had a very nice surprise when I opened my e-mail late last night. Some time back I'd had a note from a woman who said she was the niece of Gladys Wood, who taught school at the Plains School in about 1935. Ms. Wood had boarded with my grandparents on the farm. Her niece said she had died, and among her treasures were several photos taken during the time she was on the Plain. I was delighted when the scans came last night. Among them were several pictures of my family back then - uncles, grandparents, and there were also some of the school.

At the top, the school room as I remember it - what a rush to see the picture. At the time, the Plains School was new - it was built in 1929 - and earned a "Superior School" rating. The door by the piano led to the boys' cloak room, and there was a door from the stage that opened into that room; on the opposite side of the stage was the girls' cloak room and a similar stage door.

In the middle photo, the school is beyond the open fields, near what was then the Cate farm. The Bolton farm was up a hill at the left of the picture (bottom photo) and out of the frame on the right was the Maynard farm and the old school house where my mother first taught school. She later taught at the new school and was there when it was closed in 1949 and then she and the few remaining students then went to the village school. The big barn above burned in 1969. The smaller barn which was a horse barn, was eventually taken down when my uncle Bill owned the place. He built the present barn and erected the two silos where the cell tower is now.

It's a long trip down memory lane, but what a joy to look back and compare then and now. Many things have changed, people have come and gone and there is little that is the same except the land itself - and even some of that has been filled in or scraped away or blasted to smithereens to make new roads, a manure pit, a pond or two, or a level field. Some of the fields and pastures have grown into forests, buildings have burned or been torn down, new ones have been built and the landscape is different, but what fun to recall growing up there with neighbors like the Maynards, Barnetts, Gambles, Demaraises, Fosters, Shatneys and Stones.

*****

Cabot's homegrown theater company enjoyed a successful debut last year with our performance of folk and fairy tales with a twist, with a lot of kids on stage. For this spring's production, we are staging a full-length mystery thriller, and hope to involve a number of adults and teens, as well as continuing to have younger actors as well. There are also plans in the works for a possible one-act summer children's play, for kids who are interested in a smaller acting commitment. Also, TLC is doing theater in their after-school program right now, for children not quite ready for the big stage.

In "Murder Takes the Stage," a small theater in New England is preparing to launch a new production critical to its survival. The hiring of a talented but high maintenance Broadway actress to insure the show's success fills the scene with cross-currents of tension. Then, when real life murder intrudes, solving the crime requires the talents of the local sheriff and an aspiring actress to untangle the connections among the various members of the company.

Auditions will be held on Thursday, January 19, 7-9 pm and Saturday, January 21, 2-5 pm in the Cabot School Performing Arts Center (no appointment is needed). Those auditioning will be asked to read from the script, and may also prepare a monologue if they wish, but it is not necessary. Everyone is welcome to audition; for some roles only adults or teens will be considered, while others may be played by children or adults, and preference will be given to residents of Cabot. If you have questions, or would like to be part of the production staff, please contact Karen Mueller-Harder at karen@praxisworks.org or 563-2669.

*****
OPEN HOUSE

Saturday afternoon gathering

at the Cabot Inn

3075 Main Street, Cabot

Saturday, January 21

Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Raffle drawing for prizes at 1:45 p.m.

1 raffle ticket per attendee

Additional tickets for non-perishable

food items for Cabot food shelf

Please stop by after trash and recycling

for coffee and a light bite

Share ideas for next steps for the

historic and cultural treasure

formerly known as Goldie’s Gathering

Please stop by

Sponsord by

Cabot Chronicle

UDAG Committee

Cabot Worx Development Group

2012-01-08T12:17:00.003-05:00

2012 KINGDOM GUIDE PHOTO CONTEST

Now Open

Deadline: March 1, 2012

We looking for photo submissions of LOCAL people, places and activities that illustrate life in the Northeast Kingdom. The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers but limited to 10 submissions per person. One winner will be selected and the photo will be published in full color on the glossy cover of the 2012 Kingdom Guide. The winning photographer will receive a free subscription, in addition to other prizes, and their name and bio published along with their photo.

How to submit:

E-mail your photos to: info@kingdom-guide.com

Mail photos on CD or Floppy Disk to: Kingdom Guide, PO Box 319 Danville VT 05828

Drop your photos off at the office: 29 Hill Street, Danville VT 15828

Acceptable Formats

We can accept any files that can be opened by Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Publisher.

Size

At least 9 inches wide and 12 inches tall (smaller preview images are accepted as long as larger files are available upon request). Resolution: 300 dpi or better

Last year, we received more than 200 photos from more than 30 photographers!

2012-01-07T15:58:00.003-05:00

Today has felt like spring outside. Our temperatures have been above freezing since about 9 a.m. and stayed in the 30's, even with no sun. What little snow we have is settling - I measured 6 inches at the stake at 9 a.m. and now it's showing 5 inches.

Joe's Ponders will be sorry to hear that Diane Sherwood took a tumble while skiing at Burke a couple days ago and dislocated her clavicle (collar bone). I expect it's a pretty painful injury. Fred fell on the ice a number of years ago and I believe that was what happened to him - now he has a little bump on that shoulder, but the doctors told him there really isn't much they can do, and to just let it heal. We're hoping Diane's will heal quickly. I guess the skiing hasn't been great so far this year, but with warm weather nearly every day, it's probably very nice being out on the slopes.

We knew that the ice was pretty thick - 7 inches when Everett Drew was out around Christmas - and now we've seen the first of the fishing shacks out on the pond in front of Don Walker's and Ned Hamilton's. We haven't seen any snow machines on the pond, but I'm sure there will be some soon. Hopefully the ice is uniformly thick so there won't be any accidents. Authorities have been warning that most lakes and ponds don't have ice thick enough to be out on, but apparently we've been enough colder here at Joe's Pond that the ice is ok.

We heard that Jeff Downs, owner of Joe's Pond Country Store, underwent an operation at Dartmouth Hitchcock this week. We don't have details, but we certainly wish him well. I don't know if you knew this, but Jeff loves to ski. That was one of the reasons he came here, he told us. I'm not sure how much time he's had to ski - I think the store keeps him pretty busy.

I was shocked and saddened to see notice in today's paper that Harry "Nookie" Foster, former owner of Harry's Hardware in Cabot back in the 1970's, died unexpectedly this week. He was 73. Nookie and his wife, Martha, have been long-time and faithful workers for our historical society. Their "Old Crow Craft Shop" off Route 215 is a wonderful place to visit. We will miss him, and our deepest sympathy goes to Martha and their family.

Did you notice the article Fred posted this morning titled, "Mr. St. Johnsbury?" It is about Don Mullallay, our friend at WSTJ radio. I've mentioned Don many times here - we go way back to when I worked at the station in the 1950's. The article is very good - touched on many highlights of Don's long-time association with local radio. It didn't mention that in his comparative youth, when he first started working at the radio station, he was known for his singing voice which was very much like Frank Sinatra, we thought at the time; he was also quite a dancer. Of course, back then jitter-bug was the popular dance, and he certainly knew how to "cut a rug."

Every year at Ice-Out time, we get in touch with Don and he graciously invites us to come to the station to promote our contest. As many years as he's done those interviews, he still manages to interject something fresh to talk about that makes them great fun. It was always fun, too, when his daughter, Linda, was working with him. They made a great pair on the air.

There isn't much live radio going on these days, but St. Johnsbury can be proud to have Don on the job every morning at WSTJ. You will find the interview on home page, or click here to read it: Mr. St. Johnsbury

I'm out of news for now, I think.

2012-01-06T14:53:00.000-05:00

CABOT CHRONICLE LOVE NOTES

The Cabot Chronicle is creating a special section in February. If there is someone special you'd like to send your valentine greetings to in the next issue of The Cabot Chronicle, simply send us your greeting along with proper payment before January 15, 2012.

$2 for the first 20 words and 10 cents per word after that up to 50 words ($5.00). Send your Love Notes to inbox@cabotchronicle.org or call 563-3338. Drop money at Cabot Coalition office or P.O. Box 245, Cabot 05647.

2012-01-06T14:48:00.002-05:00

CABOT RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Basketball

for the Primary Grades (p-2)

will begin Saturday the

7^th of January from

8:00 until 9:30AM

There will be registration

at the gym on the 7^th from

7:30 to 8:00AM

Please be prepared with contact info, insurance info and $10.00 registration fee per child

If you have questions, please call

Libby Hale 563-3226 libbyhale1@gmail.com

Rebecca Nally 563-3503 rmnally@yahoo.com

2012-01-05T08:33:00.003-05:00

We learned Tuesday of the death of Marjorie Keach, mother of Bill Keach. Bill and wife, Bo, have a cottage on Narrows Drive. Bill's father, Ken, died last September. Here is the notice as it appeared in yesterday's Caledonian Record: Marjorie Keach
Our deepest sympathy to Bill, Bo and their family. Those of you who may wish to send condolences may direct them to the family at: 2300 Daniels Farm Rd., Waterford, VT 05819.

Our morning temperature has moderated to 20 degrees - and it's snowing! Not a heavy snow storm, but fairly steady and we hope it may amount to something good. With only 4 or 5 inches on the ground in most spots around here (more in the mountains), we haven't seen many snowmobiles out yet, and although the ski areas had no trouble making and keeping snow these last few days, it's been so cold not a lot of folks were brave enough to be out there, especially with miserable winds. But things seem to be looking better for the next few days. Once winter gets started, we may have a doozie.

2012-01-05T08:32:00.001-05:00

CABOT RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Basketball for the Primary Grades (p-2) will begin Saturday the 7th of January from 8:00 until 9:30AM

There will be registration at the gym on the 7th from 7:30 to 8:00AM

Please be prepared with contact info, insurance info and $10.00 registration fee per child

Please call Libby Hale 563-3226 libbyhale1@gmail.com Or Rebecca Nally 563-3503 rmnally@yahoo.com with questions

2012-01-04T10:47:00.006-05:00

After a pretty cold night, I thought we were going to at least have a bright, sunshiny day, but now the sun had dulled and we're left with a temperature of about 5 above. Although things are supposed to improve during the day, it's a slow start and I've left the window quilts over the windows in the main part of the house, not wanting the cold blast of air behind them to escape. So far they've worked pretty well, but I wish I'd made the ones for the big living room windows a bit differently. I adapted existing drapes, and they aren't as heavy as I'd like. I think I can add another layer quite easily, and that should help, but I have to wait for the spirit to move to tackle the job.

With fewer windows available, our cat Woody is showing signs of cabin fever. He knows it's too cold to go outside, but he misses being able to sit in the window and watch other critters. He takes an occasional trip into the garage, but in three or four minutes, he's knocking to come back inside. So he follows us around, pokes at the curtains to try to open them up, races unexpectedly in front of us when we are walking through the house, and is generally a nuisance, poking his nose into anything and everything we do.

I can understand. This deep cold and the dark windows depress me, too. But here in my office, I have a plastic "inside storm window," so I don't usually use the window quilt unless it's way below zero during the daytime. I like to see the snow and weather outside, and remember all too well working in offices where I had no immediate access to windows - but then I was younger and probably too busy to mind that much.

The temperature got to -10.1 last night, with a wind chill of -25.4. It was COLD! We went to a basketball game in Waterford last night - it was early, 5 o'clock, but bitterly cold. We saw several people we knew, and someone asked if the pond was completely frozen over yet. I was able to assure them it was, and that Everett Drew reportedly has been out ice fishing since before Christmas. At that time he reported 7 inches of ice. I'm sure after the last couple of days and last night, it is much thicker now.

That's Jo-Ann, No. 3, in action in last night's game. They won over St. Johnsbury, 31-17. It was a good game, and Jo-Ann's baby sister, Tangeni, enjoyed it just as much as we did. In the picture below, that's her and her mom as they arrived at the game. Once out of her warm snowsuit, she contentedly chortled and cooed enjoying on all the action going on. After about half an hour, she needed a snack, so mom got out a cool gadget that's a squeeze bottle with a spoon attached so you can fill it with baby food and avoid having to carry separate dishes and spoons. Tangeni kept an eye on the game while mom worked the spoon so she didn't miss a thing.

Here is an announcement that came yesterday:

Tuesday, January 10^th

6:30 to 7:30 pm at the Cabot Library

Himalayan Adventure with Christina DeRuzza.

This past October, Christina DeRuzza, of Cabot, left for a company sponsored two week expedition in the Himalayas from Lukla to the unexplored Lunag Massif.

Come relive the experience with Christina up the Everest trail, then west toward the Tibetan border of Nepal. There will be a slide show and video presentation.

2011-12-31T23:16:00.000-05:00

2011-12-29T16:38:00.004-05:00

We just heard about a very unfortunate experience one of our Joe's Pond families were forced to go through over the holidays. Many of you know about Bob and Dotty Noyes' grandson, Nicholas, who has Batten's disease. His parents took him to Disney World in Florida, which means a great deal to him, and on their way home just before Christmas, Southwest Airline wouldn't let them have his special seat on the flight. Here's the story as it appeared on FOX News: News Report

This family has been through so much, something like this is the last thing they should have to deal with. We hope the airline looks carefully at their regulations and the training of their crews so they will deal with situations like this better in the future.

We had a cold night last night, and a bright but cold day today. The thermometer got to -6.1 last night and hasn't been much above 10 degrees all day, with a bit of wind to keep things even a bit cooler. I haven't been outside except to take my CoCoRaHS measurements at 9 a.m. Fred, however, has been out several times, blowing away the couple inches of snow we got overnight, picking up the mail, etc. I'm getting over a "holiday cold" and take great pleasure in doing as little as possible. However, I did feel inspired this morning to take down all the Christmas decorations. The tree was in the way of getting the window quilts over the big windows in the living room, so once that was gone, it was best to get everything else taken care of, too. I usually leave everything until after New Years, but I suddenly wanted to get it taken care of early.

There hasn't been much e-mail activity in the past week - which is good, because I haven't been very attentive to the computer. Before and just after Christmas we had lots of lovely e-mail greetings and messages from family and friends, and we thank all of you. I've noticed a sharp decline in regular greeting cards this year, and some of the people who sent e-mail messages or cards mentioned they were "going green." I can certainly understand that - I don't like tossing those beautiful greeting cards, and although there are some ways they can be recycled, I haven't found many good prospects in the past few years. I didn't send any regular cards out this year. I'll write a few letters a little later to friends and family who don't have computers, but I did my holiday greetings all on line.

Now it's time to think about New Year's Resolutions. I'm afraid I don't do well with those, so I won't even pretend to make any. I just hope 2012 turns out to be a nicer year than the last one - more peaceful, more jobs and fewer homeless and hungry, few or no awful weather catastrophes, and less political nonsense. It's time for things to turn around in this old world.

2011-12-28T10:19:00.003-05:00

This is what we look like this morning. Yesterday and last night we had .80 in. of rain that washed away a whole lot of our snow. I'm seeing 4.5 in. of snow at my stake in the back yard, but when I look across at the hills above Rte. 15, there are bare spots. However, the good news (for some) is that there are a few snowflakes in the air this morning. The temperature hasn't started to drop much yet, I'm reading 35 degrees, but it's going to plummet late this afternoon and get really cold.

Those of you who know a little of the recent history here at the pond know that every year, right after the Christmas holidays, Don and Diane Sherwood come to go skiing. And every year, almost without exception, we have rain. I wasn't sure when they were arriving this year - except the snow showers we had yesterday turned to rain late in the afternoon, and guess what? The Sherwoods had arrived. Maybe Mother Nature is trying to override their effect this year sending us new snow and near-zero temperatures. We'll wait and see how this turns out.

The pond is like glass again, but I think some of it may not be frozen yet, and with light snow falling, the surface will become rough and not so good for skating. The roads have all been sanded and seem to be fine as long as one doesn't drive too fast.

Here is a recent news release from the library in Marshfield -
For Immediate release:
December 26, 2011
Contact: Susan Green
802-426-3581 or 426-3717

Mondays at 10 a.m. Story time. Join Sylvia Smith for story time, for children birth to age six and their grown-ups.At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Playgroup following the school year schedule. Join our community for playgroup, including stories, arts, songs, nature activities, and cooperative games.At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Fourth Mondays at 7 p.m. Monthly Book Group

The monthly book group continues in 2012 with the book: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese for January. The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent is February’s pick, and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow is on deck for March. The group meets the fourth Monday of every month. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 4 at 7 p.m. Classic (1941), directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. This classic commentary on Hollywood tells the story of a disillusioned director who decides he needs to know more about the common man in order to perfect his craft. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. Potential Health Concerns of Wireless Devices. With Ray Pealer, an East Calais resident and one of the state’s foremost experts on the subject of wireless technology. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 18 at 7 p.m. Local author reads from his book: Lanthan Mire: Impending Consequence of Doom by Paul Luciano. Paul Luciano (AKA Lucian Harke) is a Vermont-based fiction writer and musician. The book, featuring fictional character Lanthan Mire, is an adventure story about an other-worldly being sent to a lost planet and the inspirational powers of sound. In support of the book and CD, Paul performs a type of musical theatre. He shows a space/nature-orientated silent movie while playing tracks that range from slow broody surf to all out thrash and recites passages from the story (in character). Despite the dark facade, the story is a positive one and incites readers to follow their inspiration to great heights and never lose hope. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m. Acupuncture for Winter Health with Pamela Brady. We will talk about illnesses that typically present during the winter months and the different acupuncture treatments to address them. There will be a presentation and demonstration. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Friday, January 27 at 7 p.m. Film Program: Rick Winston presents Alfred Hitchcock’s Art of Suspense. Hitchcock famously said, "Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake." His career spanned forty years and many film eras. There will be twelve film clips, starting with the silent “The Lodger” (1925), through his British films like "The Lady Vanishes," then on to Hollywood, with favorites such as "Notorious" and "Rear Window." Rick will discuss the evolution of Hitchcock’s craft; how he worked with his favorite collaborators; his wry sense of humor no matter how grisly the subject matter; and explore some of his favorite themes. Note: this presentation is rated G, with all gruesome acts taking place off screen! At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Saturday, January 28, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friends Annual Book Sale. Start out the New Year by cleaning out those bookshelves and getting some new reads. Bargain books on all subjects from cooking to biographies to history and novels. All books $2 or less, with children's books as little as 25 cents. Prices will be further discounted toward the end of the sale. From 12 to 1:30 all books are free. Everything is a bargain, and your purchases help support the library. At the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield: 426-3581 or jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

2011-12-25T15:25:00.006-05:00

I didn't expect to be writing on the blog today, but I decided to share the pictures of our family Christmas Eve party, so here I am. We were at Bill and Monika's. We had a lovely dinner, and everyone was able to be on hand. Even though we are all in close proximity, we don't always keep in touch or see one another often, so we have lots to catch up on when we're all together.

There had been a little snow during the day, but the roads were fine.

When my mother was alive, she decided one year to make "teddy bears." She got a pattern and started sewing and stuffing. Various infants were the recipients of her sometimes unusual bears, usually made from colorful fleece, back when fleece was used mostly for bathrobes. After both my parents had passed away and Fred and I came to live here at their house, I found the pattern Mom had used - and a finished big, blue bear! I put it away and mostly forgot about it until baby Tangeni was born in July, but because the bear is so large, I decided to wait to give it to her. Christmas seemed like perfect timing.

Jo-Ann opened her presents from us and her aunts and uncles, and then she asked her parents to open one of theirs. She had made a very nice ceramic "fish bowl" for her dad, and a lovely ceramic heart for her mom. We were impressed by the colors and the design, and although she protested saying she is "not artistic," we all heartily disagree. You'll see both items in the short slide show.

After we left Waterford, we stopped at McDonald's in St. Johnsbury for a coffee for me. St. Johnsbury was unusually quiet, and I thought the streets were not lighted as nicely as I remembered in past years. Down at the old railroad station where the Welcome Center is (above left), there were lots of decorations, but not many along Railroad Street (above right) or up on Main Street.

Here's the short slide show: Christmas Eve

It's still snowing lightly and has warmed up to about 20 degrees. It went to -6.1 degrees last night, so Santa must have had a cold ride when he visited our area.
Everything has been very quiet at Joe's Pond today - almost no traffic. It's been a lovely Christmas Day.

We've had lots of lovely cards, both regular and e-cards, this year. Homer Fitts wrote that he and Margaret will not be heading south this year - they are going to enjoy winter at their home in Barre. Homer said they have lots of friends there and lots going on that they both enjoy. That's good for our Ice Out Contest. The flag and clock are set up at Homer's cottage, and sometimes we've worried that he wouldn't get back from Florida in time to give us a hand. In spite of the present cold weather, it won't be long before we'll be charging ahead to get as many Ice Out Tickets as possible sold. It's been a strange start for winter here, so we have no clue what our spring will be like or when we might expect the ice to be gone and the contest over.

2011-12-25T09:06:00.002-05:00

2011-12-24T23:15:00.001-05:00

2011-12-23T15:39:00.003-05:00

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WINTER SHUT DOWN

12/23/11

THE PROJECT IS NOW CLOSED DOWN FOR THE WINTER!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-23T10:18:00.004-05:00

We have snow! Plenty of it. For now, we have about five inches on the ground, having had about three inches fall overnight. There was still a couple inches at my measuring post yesterday, even though there was bare ground south of us. We were in St. Johnsbury and there were only patches of snow on the north facing hillsides. It felt like spring, and everyone was out doing last-minute shopping before the weather changed.

When we left, our driveway was extremely slippery, but West Shore Road was well sanded and the main roads were bare - at least, they looked bare, but we were careful as it was perfect conditions for black ice. By the time we got east of Danville, the day began to brighten, and soon the sun was shining bright as could be and it felt like April instead of December.

This morning is a different story. Absolutely lovely out there, but I expect the roads could be a little slippery. The top picture is our back yard this morning; and the bottom one is the view from our living room, looking at the pond. If you look closely, you can see the white of the pond beyond the trees in the center of the shot. All that lovely clear ice we showed you yesterday is covered up this morning.

Pam Hebert sent me a link to a You Tube video I think you'll enjoy. She said to watch for the photo credit at about .31 seconds into it.
Stuck in Vermont: Four Months After the Flood

Did you see "Rachel Hebert" credited on the Grace Potter video? Rachel is Pam and Joe's granddaughter, and she and her dad, Chris, were at the concert. Chris posted the video he and Rachel took during the song, "Mad Mad River" on You Tube, and the folks at Stuck in Vermont asked permission to use it. Cool, isn't it? Thanks to Pam for letting us know about that.

It was interesting to see the comparisons and how far the state has come repairing all the damage done last spring by Hurricane Irene. When you think about how long it takes for most road projects, ones even a fraction of the size of most of the repairs needed after the flood, it's amazing how it got done so quickly. I'm sure some are not permanent fixes, but even so, traffic is moving and people can get to where they need to be. I heard someone on the news the other night say that being able to completely close those areas to traffic was a great help in getting the work done speedily. Some folks had to travel many miles around the work sites, but we've heard few complaints, and everyone understands and cooperated.

2011-12-21T15:33:00.005-05:00

A few minutes ago, in the rain, we were surprised by the appearance of Ray Rouleau. Ray and Cyndy are here for the holidays and he was out for a walk to get some exercise, in spite of the rain. Fred was outside preparing for icy conditions on our driveway later on if the rain begins to freeze. Ray said he loves this weather . . . I'm not sure how Fred talked him into shoveling the deck, but at least we helped him get that exercise! One thing about it, he'll be back in the warmth of Florida in a few days while we'll be shoveling snow for the rest of the winter, I expect.

2011-12-20T22:44:00.005-05:00

Another cold day with hardly any variation in temperature - mostly in the teens and now 10 above. Tomorrow we're due for a big change, according to the forecast.

I just received some "cool" ice pictures from son, Jamie. He took these from West Shore. He said he was in the vicinity of Drown's and Decker's, and also at Keene's. Further up the pond, near the Wells cottage, he said the ice was white - it apparently hadn't thawed, so it was "old" ice. Isn't nature beautiful? We don't often see the pond with ice that's this clear of snow, and of course this won't last long. If the weather turns warmer, it will get slushy and then we'll probably have snow fall on it and freeze, and that will ruin the glassy surface we see in these pictures. I have no way of knowing how thick the ice is, but I doubt it would hold up much more than a confused duck or goose coming in for a landing.

In the early 1980's when Fred and I were living year around at camp, we had a mostly open winter - lots of cold weather and very little snow. We were able to skate the whole length of the pond with very few rough patches and no snow. We used to sling our hiking boots over our shoulders and skate to what is not Island Drive, then park our skates at the edge of the ice and hike up to the Walden store to get the Sunday papers. We had a wonderful black lab named "Clint" who went with us, but what we hadn't realized was how difficult it would be for him on the ice. He made it up ok, but when we started to come back, he sprinted down the east shore, looking for a better way to cross. Fred had to go after him and carried him home - no easy feat on skates as Clint was a big dog. After that, we left him at home when we went skating. He liked it that way - he stayed clear of ice after that first trip.

I remember skating on the pond with my parents one winter (and only one winter) when I was a kid. There was a strong wind and we took a blanket and used it for a sail. Trouble was, it was a really hard trip skating back against the wind. As I remember, there were a number of skaters out on the pond that time.

I've had more than the usual number of e-greetings this year from people saying they are "going green." I hadn't thought about e-mail greetings as being "green", but I guess that's true. It's a hard choice, though, whether to
send a card, which might help a company struggling to stay in business and also help the postal service, but that costs trees and energy to make and will no doubt end up in a landfill. Kinda takes the fun out of getting a pretty greeting card, doesn't it?

I have often complained when I get a card, no matter how pretty, without any personal message, not even a howdy-do, just a signature. Hardly seems worthwhile. But I know people are busy and don't have time to write much - that's my biggest problem with sending cards, I always tend to write way too much and end up only getting only a few done before Christmas and have to send the rest after the holidays are over. That makes the decision to send e-cards easier, I guess.

This would be a good year to donate the price of sending out cards to a food shelf or use the money to buy a toy to donate to a homeless family. I'm saddened when I hear of kids going hungry and families losing their homes because they can't find work. This isn't the way things should be in our country, but the people in Washington who are supposed to be watching out for the folks who sent them there just don't seem to "get" it. They don't understand the hardships so many people are enduring. It makes me sad and angry and ashamed.

2011-12-19T16:44:00.004-05:00

Our weather has warmed up considerably today. It's actually about 34 degrees now, after two nights of near zero readings. By that I mean, a few degrees above or below zero - depending on where the thermometer was and what time it was read. The pond was pretty solidly frozen over as of this morning. There were spots that looked like open water, but upon closer inspection, we determined that it was actually very clear ice without any snow on it. Some of the pond had opened up, so when the temperature dropped night before last, that open water froze making it look as if it was still open. Not solid enough for ice fishermen or snow machines yet, and it looks as if we're headed for milder weather, so it's hard to tell if it's going to open things up again or not. This is at least the second or maybe even the third time it has frozen over - just like the old timers say has to happen.

We could really use more snow, but nobody wants to say that out loud because we don't know who's listening or how much we might get if our wish is granted. It's always nice to have a white Christmas, but we don't want to get foolish about it.

We were in St. Johnsbury again this morning. As we came back to West Danville, the weather had warmed considerably even though we'd only been gone a few hours. These pictures show you we don't have lots of snow, even in West Danville. Next month at this time I'll probably be posting much different pictures.

I got some "creepers" to put on my boots for walking. Fred has had some for a while and today I saw some in the hardware store and decided to give them a try. I'm always fearful of slipping on icy roads when we are walking, especially when coming down our steep driveway. I wore them the first time today and what a difference! I think mine are called "Yak-Traks." I remember years ago people used to have some sharp metal claw-like rigs that they strapped on their boots to keep from slipping. They were sharp and dangerous, but these newfangled things are much less intimidating and probably way more effective. Now I wonder why I waited so long to get them.

I saw in a recent Caledonian Record that the Langmaid/Smith cottage on North Shore Road is on the market. I knew the family had decided to sell, but hadn't seen the ad before. It's always sad when someone decides to sell their Joe's Pond property, but as times change, so do the interests and needs of families. It's a great location, close to the recreation area. It will make someone a nice vacation home.

2011-12-16T22:10:00.004-05:00

This photo came from Jack LaGue tonight. I'm sure Sue (or Jack) sent it to me some time ago, but apparently I didn't post it as when I went looking for it on the blog, it didn't seem to be there. Sorry, Jack and Sue - I really thought I'd posted it to share with those poor souls who are no doubt missing Joe's Pond sunrises as they sip their morning coffee and prepare for another day in the warmth of southern climes.
Here's what Jack wrote tonight:

Below is a lovely sunrise that greeted us one morning a couple weeks ago at Joe's Pond (not the greatest of pictures, but it was a great sunrise)

Jack said the picture was taken a couple weeks ago. The pond wasn't frozen at that time, so there were some foggy, misty mornings. Thanks for sending it, Jack - and I'm sorry I didn't get it posted timely.

2011-12-16T14:58:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I'm truly amazed at the number of people who respond to something I've written here. The bit about Alfred Hitchcock having shot a movie at what is not the Burtt farm has created a flurry of suggestions that it was probably "The Trouble With Harry," that was shot in Craftsbury. Another response was that it might have been a short film he apparently did called, "Vermont the beautiful" - see the comment from Rob a couple of posts ago.

The other thing that has created some interest is the photo of the old cottage that came from Danny Colford's collection by way of Andy Rudin. Craig (and I'm not sure who this is) wrote that it looks like it was on Flint's Point, which is the name of the point of land now reached by Cove Road. I think that is probably right, but perhaps in time we'll hear something from Danny and the mystery will be solved.

In the meantime, we've had a little of every possible kind of weather today. It hasn't been awfully cold - low 30's most of the day so far - and while we were getting light rain last night, this morning it turned to snow and for a while we had a real blizzard going on with lots of wind and blowing snow, even though the snow is very wet. Now the temperature seems to be dropping but the precipitation has stopped. I measured .85 in. this morning, and we've had more during the day.

Our wind gauge is definitely set up in the wrong spot. This morning when I went to retrieve my water gauge I could hear the wing roaring overhead and the trees across the road from us were swaying in a strong north wind - and our wind gauge was lazily turning from north to west to east to south and back, trying to find a steady breeze and the little cups were barely turning. At one point we registered 5 m.p.h., but I could see snow blowing down West Shore Road faster than the traffic goes past. We'll see to moving it, but perhaps not until spring.

I heard from one of my "sources" that Walter Ruf (Sandy Beach Road) has a birthday coming up on Christmas Eve. This is a big one! My source also told me Walter and Mimi will have a family reunion with two sisters, one from Germany and one from New Jersey, to celebrate the event with them in Florida. Very nice. Perhaps Walter will send me some pictures to post here. Happy Merry Christmas Birthday, Walter!!

Bill Rossi let us know this morning the goose that had hung out at their boat house during the sloppy weather yesterday was gone when daylight broke this morning. Diane thought he might be waiting for a strong north wind, and I'd say he wasn't disappointed. Bill didn't tell us what wind speed his anemometer registered, but I'm betting it was right up there. The wind must have been whipping down the pond today. It looks as if the ice has melted or broken up, too, so we're back to open water in most of the pond. Freeze-over number two may be this weekend.

Right now the wind has calmed down and the thermometer is registering 32.2 and the wind speed is changing between 5.0 and 2.0, out of the northwest. At least it seems to be holding pretty steady from that direction, not waffling like it was this morning. Even registering a lower wind speed, at one point over night the wind chill low reached around 8 degrees. I'm glad I wasn't that goose waiting to take off last night!

2011-12-15T17:56:00.003-05:00

You'll see I've had a couple of comments regarding Alfred Hitchcock possibly having filmed a movie in Cabot. We're still working on it.

This picture came from Diane Rossi this afternoon, and here's what she wrote:

This guy hung out here all day....I don't know if he's still here now that it's dark and less windy. We figure he was waiting for a north wind to ride away....

2011-12-14T22:43:00.004-05:00

Today was downright spring-like. Even now, at 10:30 p.m., it's above freezing. The pond was completely frozen over when we went into town this morning. With the warmer weather and rain forecast for the rest of the week, there will be open water again - but like the old timers say, the pond usually freezes over three times before it's solid for the duration. It doesn't always work out that way, but I'm guessing it will open up at least once more before it's solid. There were open spots showing, like in the narrows between the first and middle ponds and where brooks run in, especially the cove at Barre Avenue and West Shore Road. It was quite warm and everything was melting in St. Johnsbury, but here we still have a few inches of snow on the ground in most places.

Fred got this picture early this morning of a red squirrel in our crab apple tree. They usually scamper off to hide the apples in their dens, but this little guy was enjoying breakfast in the sunshine. Woody, the cat, was watching from his bed by the big window, but wasn't interested in going out to chase the squirrel. We're a little surprised there are any squirrels left around our house. One would think those that haven't been caught by the wily cat would be smart enough to steer clear of where he lives. I guess the need for easy food for the winter out weighs fear of felines.

Yesterday we were in Cabot Village and as you can see, Harry's Hardware store is all decked out for the holidays. They are still working on the roof of the Willey Memorial Hall, so we had to use the back entrance to reach the library. On our way home, we found this young fellow crossing the road. There were other cattle on both sides of the road and they all seemed to be well fenced in, but this one had apparently managed to find a way around or through the fence. The Burt's have very high wire fences around their apple orchards - we expect that's to protect the trees from deer. They are using more of their fields for orchards now, and have moved the cattle to some of the other fields.

I heard today that the Burt farm was used in one of Alfred Hitchcock's movies some years back - perhaps when it was owned by Bob and Barbara Davis. The Walbridge family owned it before that; but I have no recollection of any movie company being in Cabot. I'd be interested to know more about this - nobody can remember the name of the movie, and I Googled for information and came up empty.

Here's an announcement:

CABOT RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Basketball

for the Primary Grades (p-2) will begin Saturday the 7^th of January from

8:00 until 9:30AM

There will be registration at the gym on the 7^th from

7:30 to 8:00AM

Please be prepared with contact info, insurance info and $10.00 registration fee per child.

Please call

Libby Hale 563-3226 libbyhale1@gmail.com, or

Rebecca Nally 563-3503 rmnally@yahoo.com if you have questions.

2011-12-13T15:56:00.001-05:00

Faith in Action Northern Communities Partnership is hosting the Cabot Community Holiday Dinner on December 16th at the Masonic Hall in Cabot. We'll begin serving at 5:30 pm and will have Ham and Turkey, veggies and desert available. This dinner is open to anyone and is provided free of charge, so if you know of anyone in need of a free meal or who will be alone and needs community over the holiday season, please pass this information on to them!

There will be holiday music with Mary Cobb and some members of the Cabot Community Chorus!

If you would like to volunteer for this event or contribute a dish, please contact Naisha at 563-2197 or Faith in Action at 563-3322.

2011-12-12T11:10:00.003-05:00

Bright sunshine this morning, and about 34 degrees - warmer in the sun, of course. We've had a little breeze to keep things cool, and it's really quite a pretty day.

I had a note over the weekend from Sue LaGue. Sue and Jack are getting ready for their first winter at Joe's Pond. Actually, this will be the first winter here for Richard and Carmen Gagne, just down the road from them, too. Both couples built homes here last winter, and visited frequently as the building process was going on, but now they are able to sit back in their cozy homes and enjoy the very different world of Joe's Pond in winter time. Here's what Sue wrote:

Well, the ice is starting to form and stay on Joe’s Pond. Its been interesting watching the wild life this season. Yesterday, we saw an otter swim by, a gaggle of geese and 2 loons. I hope the birds have finally migrated now. We are enjoying our buttoned up place here. We are still doing some decluttering from the move but have settled in for the winter and can even use the garage for one car.

We know they will all enjoy being here at the pond - it's quieter than in summer, of course, but that can be a good thing.

2011-12-11T23:12:00.005-05:00

Andy Rudin sent this link from the New York Times about Vermont's recovery from the floods this summer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/us/vermont-rebounding-from-hurricane-irene.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
Thank you, Andy.

He also sent me copies of some old photographs taken at Joe's Pond and given him by Danny Colford, whose home on Route 15 burned this summer. Unfortunately, some of Mr. Colford's treasured old photos were lost in the fire, but he sent some to Andy. One that I recognized right away was of this cottage. This is from a different collection, but it is definitely the same place and I believe it was located either on the point now known as Cove Road, or possibly along Clubhouse Circle. You can see a large barn which I believe is the Ewen farm above Sandy Beach Road. Perhaps someone will recognize the place and let us know. Andy will be contacting Danny Colford to see if he knows whose place it was.

The second picture has a sign "Dew Drop Inn," but I don't have a clue whose cottage it was. It could have been located on West Shore Road, or perhaps Birchbound Road or Edgewood Avenue.

2011-12-10T22:24:00.005-05:00

Today has been a little more like winter - some snowy sunshine this morning and just blah this afternoon. Temperature has been in the 20's. We went down to Bill and Diane's late this morning and as we got out of the car, we mentioned that it was quite a bit warmer at their house than up at ours. That, of course, was on the road side of the house, and we were sheltered by houses on both sides and their garage. Later on, when Fred was out on their boathouse deck helping Bill put up his new weather station, the wind was bone chilling - sweeping down the pond in great gusts right out of Canada.

Turns out Bill and I got almost exactly the same weather station. Fred and I got ours set up a couple days ago, so when Bill asked Fred to come down to help with his, we both went. You've heard the jokes about how many it takes to change a light bulb; well, today it took four of us to set up a weather station. As usual with these things, the instructions, if they are sent with the unit (and only part of them came with Bill's) almost always omit simple details that would make life a whole lot easier. Things like what diameter pole will work to attach the wind gauge to, and maybe a template for attaching the monitor to the wall. Sure, we can figure these things out, but as long as they are writing instructions in ten different languages, maybe some technician would think to include that kind of stuff and that maybe putting the rain gauge out if you live in winter isn't such a good idea . . . but we figured it out. Here's a very short slide show of Fred and Bill doing the hard part outside. Diane and I watched from inside and handed tools out the door to them when called for. Weather Station Installation

There was a lovely moon tonight. I got this picture at about 6 p.m. The temperature will be in the teens tonight, so by morning there will probably be more ice on the pond. A few more of these really cold nights will close it in, I expect.

This notice came today about the Cabot Development group meetings:

The group decided at its last meeting to make second Wednesdays at 7 p.m. the permanent meeting time. Please mark your calendars. I have secured the Masonic Hall for 12/14 and 1/11.

Jeannie Johnson

802-595-7710

2011-12-10T16:13:00.001-05:00

To do our part to help our neighbors during this season of giving Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc. will be collecting donated toys now through December 21^st to be distributed to local families in need. Please bring your unwrapped new or gently used donation to the Masonic Hall Mon-Fri, 9am – 2:30pm. December 21^st will be our last day for collecting these much needed donations.
thank you.

2011-12-09T19:34:00.006-05:00

We went with friends to the Danville Inn Restaurant for dinner tonight. I'd had a yen for chicken pie, and Steve Cobb, owner of the inn, makes a really good chicken pie with big fluffy biscuits topping it. We had a lovely meal - everyone ate more than we usually do, but it tasted so good - you know how that goes.

This is our group - left to right, me, Mary Encarnacion, Elizabeth Weidmer, Don Encarnacion, and Fred.

In addition to knowing about Steve's chicken pie, I also knew he has wonderful decorations in the dining room this time of year. Actually, the place always looks beautiful, no matter what season it is, but his Christmas decorations are especially nice. We tried to guess how many ornaments were on the tree, but everywhere we looked there were more, so we gave up.

There were still storage containers with more decorations waiting to be put up. I expect it takes Steve lots of hours to do just the tree, let alone the rest of the dining room and so many other rooms in the big old inn. Here are some pictures. The tree, and Santa waiting to greet guests, then Mr. and Mrs. Claus in a sleigh - a child's old-fashioned buggy type sled.

The inn is pretty from the outside, too. With lights in every window, it's very welcoming. Pictured here is the front entrance, and then the back wing is just as nice. Beyond is the lawn where one very hot afternoon last summer Steve very kindly set up for three of us to have lunch. My friends, one from Maine and one from Texas, were very impressed with the attention and care we had that afternoon. I wish they could see the inn now, with the snow and the Christmas decorations.

2011-12-09T15:00:00.003-05:00

Today is kind of dreary. The day seemed promising early this morning, but now the sun is gone and there are a few snowflakes drifting down from time to time. There is hardly any wind today, and the temperature has remained at about 34 degrees, although I don't think there's much melting actually taking place. There are still 5 inches of snow on the ground at my back yard stake.

The pictures above are of the channel at the north end of the pond, where water from Walden Mountain and other points north of us flows into Joe's Pond. The second picture is of the water in back of the two islands, and is more protected from wind and shallower than the broad lake south of there, so that cove is one of the first places the pond freezes over. You can see some white at the left of the photo, which is snow in the marsh. The pale blue/white is ice that shifts with the wind and opens or freezes as the temperature changes. We think the pond will be completely frozen over in another week or so. We certainly have a lovely carpet of white right now, and most folks think the snow is here to stay this time.

We installed our anemometer toady. We were able to get it pointed in the right direction with the aid of our compass, and now we're waiting for some wind to register on it. I will attach the rain gauge in the spring. No point in having it out in the weather frozen stiff. I still have my regular rain/snow measuring devices to report to CoCoRaHS, and now I have an early Christmas present in my new "weather station."

While Fred and I are gearing up for winter, our cat, Woody, is quite frustrated now that snow and colder weather have arrived. He still goes outside and tests the climate, but in about five minutes tops, he's ready to come back inside. We use a kitchen timer to remind us to check to see if he wants to come back in. We haven't closed off his entry door yet, but the snow is at least five inches deep for him to navigate to get to it, so we try to let him back in the front door. When it gets really cold, he seems to sense it and doesn't tease to go outside except on very warm days. He's getting older and mellower, and hopefully wiser!

This morning we found him snoozing in Fred's shoes in front of the fireplace. See below. He was sound asleep when we took these pictures, and stayed in this position for an hour or so - until he got completely warmed up, I guess. I'm not sure why he had one paw thrust deep into Fred's shoe, but he seemed very comfy.

2011-12-09T14:59:00.001-05:00

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 12/12/11

DAY WORK:

MOUNTAINVIEW DRIVE: Crews will be finishing up the last remaining water test on the new main. This work is expected to take a day to complete and is not expected to interrupt water services.

Motorists may encounter alternating one-way traffic around this area while crews are working. Access to Mountainview from Route 2 will remain open.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

2011-12-08T09:29:00.003-05:00

We got socked with a fair amount of heavy snow last night - I measured 5.5 inches. We had light rain most of the day yesterday, and it turned to snow around 10 p.m. Fred has been out with the snow blower and I've done my CoCoRaHS measurements, so we can continue our day inside where it's warm. The sun is bright this morning, but there is a gusty northwest wind that makes it seem colder than it really is.

I recently received word that Paul Heiden, son of Judith Heiden who has a cottage on Birch Bound Road, passed away at age 42. Paul lived in Southwick, MA, and loved being at Joe's Pond with his family. I'm sure friends who knew him here will miss him. Our deepest sympathy to all his family. Click here to see the obituary:
Paul Heiden

2011-12-07T15:24:00.005-05:00

We're waiting for the weather to change - radically. Forecast is for a temperature drop with rain and then snow amounting to maybe 6 inches. Right now it's foggy and dark outside, but the thermometer seems to be pretty steady. The overnight low was 31.5 degrees, but with the dampness and fog, people downtown were calling it downright raw and cold. We need to get prepared - it's December, after all, and there will be worse ahead. This picture was taken in West Danville at about 11 o'clock this morning. We stopped at Hastings Store for the mail. We saw Curtis and Jane, and Diane was at the counter - Garey was in the post office; all was normal there. There were some wind chimes on the writing desk by the post office - this fish and another one with a loon on it. There was a third, but we had to get going as people were coming into the store and we didn't want to be in the way as they entered. Nice chimes, though.

I guess lots of people are thinking about this being the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. So far today I haven't heard much on the TV newscasts, but there is so much current news to report, I guess what happened to us 70 years ago lacks drama and importance. Yesterday I was looking through some of the newsletters Rev. Nickerson sent during WWII to all the men and women from Cabot who were serving in the military. The newsletter was called "Contact" - I'm sure I've mentioned it here before - and he began producing it with volunteer help from mostly high school students soon after the war began and continued it until the end of the war, I think the final issue went out in June, 1945. He included local news and letters from those serving, which not only kept those serving in touch with what was happening at home, it also served as a clearing house for information about their friends serving in various parts of the world.

As I scanned the faded mimeographed pages - large, 8 1/2 x 14 sheets of construction paper - I noticed one in 1944 that explained why the men and women (yes, there were a handful of women serving in the WACs/WAACs and WAVEs, no SPARs as far as I know) why they would receive two Christmas packages instead of one. It was because the government set a limit of 5 lbs. per service man or women, and only one to each from any one organization. Because the people in Cabot were very generous, there were two packages sent to each person in the military that year, one from "Contact" and the other from "E.H.Nickerson" - all were actually from the efforts of the Contact volunteers, of course.

As is the case today, those soldiers away from home were very, very appreciative of the gifts they received. I used many references from those newsletters in the section of the Cabot oral history book about WWII, and there are copies of them in the Cabot Historical Society library.

We went to St. Johnsbury again today - my post-cataract surgery appointment for the left eye. I asked Dr. Phipps if he trimmed my eyelashes, and he said he definitely did not. Darn. I was sure my stubby eyelashes were a result of the operations, and I was looking forward to them growing back. I know I never had gorgeous eyelashes, but now I have to adjust to realizing I'm seeing them, like lots of other things, clearly for the first time in many years. It's a real shocker. I'm finding the adjustment a little difficult - unnerving and sometimes unbelievable - and while I wouldn't want the veil of cataracts back, I'm seriously staying away from mirrors and bright lights in public. I guess I'll get used to the "new me," but in the meantime I keep reminding myself that people who are used to seeing me I'm pretty sure see the same Jane as always, and I'm the only one who sees these sudden wrinkles and facial hair in all the wrong places. I'll remember 2011 as the year I aged a decade in one month.

Just as we were ready to sit down for lunch, this partridge caught my eye. It roamed about under the ornamental apple trees for a while, competing for a while with a red squirrel, but then headed for the burning bush shrub closer to the house. The burning bush has lots of little red berries this time of year and I've never seen the squirrels raiding it, but the partridge seemed to enjoy them a lot, first picking them up on the ground and finally hopping up into the bush. Nice bird, and I'm happy they find the berries appetizing.

I heard from Laura Mills this afternoon. Her cottage is next door to the Anderson's on Route 2. She said her cottage and the Greaves cottage next to her were both broken into. She had only a small amount of damage, but she said she's talked to the police and they have a pretty good idea who is behind the break-ins. Marge said a window was broken and a chair, but nothing was taken. Laura said she never leaves anything of real value at the cottage, and I expect Marge wouldn't, either. It does make us sad, though, that these things are going on.

2011-12-06T14:06:00.010-05:00

Season Greetings from The Cabot Chronicle!

SUBMISSION REQUESTS and REMINDERS

We are sending this reminder about our December 15th deadline for submissions, with the hope that our regular submitters, and anyone thinking of sending us something to print, will think to do it, before the mad RUSH of the season is upon us.

So please gather all your timely news, your thoughts, a photo and caption, for the January issue and feel free to submit it to the inbox as soon as you can.

Again, the deadline is December 15th and due to our own holiday obligations, we have to hold tight to this deadline this month.

We can receive advertising through December 20th. Work, work, work, work... like little elves....We look forward to receiving your pieces.

Thank you,

The Chronicle Team

*****

Button Up Workshop

Tuesday, Dec 6^th

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Cabot Library, Willey Building

This informational session is designed to help Vermonters learn the basics of building science and how to improve energy efficiency in your homes.

*****

2011-12-05T10:38:00.002-05:00

I heard from Judy Anderson this morning, and their cottage wasn't actually broken into, but intruders tried. Here's what Judy wrote:

Hi Jane, I just read the blog and wanted to clarify the break-in situation. Jane Larrabee had called the Berwicks to let them know that there had been break-ins along Rt. 2 and maybe they would want to check their place. The Berwick's went to check their place and found that everything was fine there. They checked our place and found that someone had attempted to break in through our basement door. They did do some damage to the locking system but it was easily fixed and extra locks were put into place.

Tom Dente sent me the following which he found online:

Vt. State Police - 5:10 pm Sat Dec 3rd, 2011
At some point during the evening hours around 12/01/11 someone broke into the camp on Joe's Pond. 5 other camps were either broken into or entry was attempted during that same time frame.

Anyone with information should contact the Vermont State Police at 748-3111

INCIDENT: BURGLARY
CASE #: 11B103595
TROOPER: MCGRANAGHAN STATION: ST JOHNSBURY
CONTACT#: 748-3111
DATE/TIME: EVENING OF 12/01/11
LOCATION (specific): 3618 US RT 2 ALONG JOE'S POND DANVILLE
VIOLATION: BURGLARY
VICTIM: Cheryl Chesley
AGE:58
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Sheffield VT

*****

We thank Judy for letting us know details. The Chesley cottage is a few cottages west of the Anderson's. It's good the thieves didn't gain access, and proves it pays to keep your place well locked.

I also had this message from Homer Fitts over the weekend:

HI -

MY GRANDSON'S WEB SITE CAN BE FOUND BY.......

KIPPPMARTIN ...... ON TOP LINE AND THEN PUSH ... GO

THEN LOOK DOWN AND FIND .... KIPPPMARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY

HE HAS SEVERAL GROUPS OF PICTURES......

SKIING, FISHING, JOE'S POND, BOSTON, ETC.

SURE DOES A GREAT JOB PUTTING THINGS TO MUSIC. HE IS

SUE AND ERIC MARTIN'S SON IN SALT LAKE CITY

I went to the site, and enjoyed a couple of the videos. Check it out: www.kippmartin.com
My browser didn't play well at first, but then I clicked on "Couch Mode" and that worked. Great background music, like Homer said, and fun photography. I went through a lot of the videos and the slides, and will go back to see more when I have time. Right now I have lots of e-mails to answer . . .

2011-12-04T17:30:00.005-05:00

Today was a pretty nice day, considering we're into December. It has been in the high 30's or low 40's, and was nice to be outside, especially when the sun was out.
We took a short walk down W. Shore Road and the view of the White Mountains was very nice - see right.

Before I forget, there have been some break ins again here at the pond. If at all possible, do have someone check your property periodically to be sure everything is secure. It's very sad that this is happening, but it's becoming more commonplace almost everywhere, and we need to take extra precautions to protect our property. This time it was the Andersons, on Route 2. We haven't heard if there was a lot of damage, or what was taken.

Bill and Diane Rossi came to visit yesterday in Bill's new car. Pretty snazzy! He had some difficulty getting out of their dirveway during the last snow storm, so figured it might be time to switch to an all-wheel drive. We haven't come to that yet, but it isn't because we haven't thought about it. Since we really don't need to be out in bad weather much these days, and with gas prices what they are and going higher, I've resisted any temptation to go trade for all-wheel or 4-wheel drives. We used to have a Ford Bronco, and before that a Chevvy Blazer that we used to plow with, but we've found the front-wheel drive cars work pretty well for us most of the time. Of course, there have been days when we wished we had a more secure ride, but now if we absolutely need to go anywhere on a day like that, we'll call Bill and go in his Honda.

Aren't these guys handsome? They were hanging out in front of Dolly LaGue's when we went by today.

2011-12-02T15:09:00.004-05:00

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 12/5/11

DAY WORK:

Stone Swale: Crews will be installing a stone swale along Route 2 west of the Danville School. This work is expected to take a few days to complete.

Motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic around this area while crews are working.

Clean-up – Miscellaneous clean-up work will take place throughout the project.

*****

West Danville, Vermont

Greetings on this First Friday of the Month day!

Just to remind you that tonight the HeBrews Coffeehouse is open for action from 7-9 pm. Lynn and Larry Beaudry, singers and comedians of the "Hon and Dearie Show" will be our headliners for the evening. Also "Open Mic" time and a Hymn Sing and storytelling - and who knows what might happen! Refreshments - bring some to share. Coffee, water and punch available. A free will offering to help with travel expenses of our headliners and with coffeehouse expenses. GOOD SHOW AND FUN EVENING for not much expense. Free actually! (Unless you "will" otherwise, of course!).
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.
Carol Borland

*****

Cabot, Vermont

Community Dinner

Cabot United Church

Friday, Dec. 2nd 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Have a great lasagna dinner tonight! Better than cooking!

Take-outs available.

Come meet your neighbors, and bring a friend.

There is no cost for the dinner, however donations are always welcome.

*****
Cabot, Vermont

Saturday night is our annual Memorial Tree lighting on the Common at 6:30,

followed by the Cabot Community Chorus Christmas concert at 7:00 p.m.,

with refreshments following. Start your holidays off right!

All are welcome.

*****
Cabot, Vermont

Hi all. Thanks for your support of bringing Front Porch Forum to Cabot. The site is now live... if you haven't already, please sign up at FrontPorchForum.com

And then please take two more steps...

1. Recruit neighbors to join... send them to FrontPorchForum.com

2. And submit postings... either via our website or email them to cabot@frontporchforum.com

. . . It typically takes many weeks to get a critical mass of neighbors signed up, and people often need to hear about FPF 5-10 times before they actually go to the site and register. Persistence is key!

Thanks again and best wishes. -Michael

Michael Wood-Lewis

FrontPorchForum.com

802-540-0069 x3

From Jeannie Johnson: Hopefully, all members of the Development group have received this message directly. It's really easy to sign up, and they give you the option to also sign up for the Hardwick-Walden Front Porch Forum. Please help us get the word out to your friends and neighbors.

Thank you, Planning Commission, UDAG Committee and Wendy Heilig for running with the ball. We're LIVE!!! (I hope somebody finds that poor cat!)

*****

This will be an interesting experiment for Cabot and the Hardwick-Walden area residents. I have joined - I hope it will be a nice extension of our web site, with an
objective that is both different and similar. Our objective is to bring the Joe's Pond community together with the area towns as well as help members of our Joe's Pond Association members keep in touch throughout the year, no matter where they are.

We're getting some snow this afternoon. Our thermometer is registering 33 degrees, but the precipitation is still falling as snow. It was pretty cold last night - we had a low of 20.3 degrees. It was predicted temperatures would go much lower than than, and I expect they may have in some areas, but not here, according to my new thermometer. Fred took this picture a little while ago when it started snowing. The ground is pretty much white now although it isn't building up very fast. It's just showing up on the trees and grass and some places on the dirt road, but melting when it hits our paved driveway.

We had to go to St. Johnsbury again today. It's becoming a daily routine! I dropped Fred off for an appointment and made a quick run to the mall. On my way there I passed a field that had been planted to corn, and there was a really big flock of turkeys feeding there. I was kind of in a hurry so didn't stop to get a picture, thinking I'd get one on the way back. The turkeys had all disappeared by the time I came by again about 30 minutes later. I had to wonder where they would go to feel safe as it was in a fairly populated area in back of St. Johnsbury Center. Lesson learned: Take the picture when the opportunity presents.

We're impressed at how well the village of Danville is cleaning up after the work done this summer. I suppose we all have at least one more summer like last to look forward to there, although it seems some aspects of being torn up may have improved after complaints were lodged causing some changes in tactics by the construction supervisors. We hope the learning curve is still in place next spring.

2011-11-30T15:54:00.006-05:00

This notice came to me this afternoon - an interesting book-signing coming up at the Pope Library in Danville:

We have a guest author Edward Behr for a talk and book signing at the Library, Wednesday December 7th at 7 pm. He will be there to talk about his new cookbook, The Art of Eating, a compliation of the best of the past 25 years from his magazine of the same name. Below is what some chefs have said about Ed and his new book. FYI Ed is a long time Vermonter currently residing in Saint Johnsbury.

From the Inside Flap

"I have always loved Ed Behr's approach to food: he peels back the layers to get to the true, pure heart of a dish. His deep gastronomic understanding allows him to create recipes with a kind of beautiful simplicity."
Alice Waters, Executive Chef, Founder, and Owner of Chez Panisse

"The Art of Eating has been a not-so-guilty indulgence of mine ever since the first issue. Ed Behr has pointed the way to outrageously good meals, whether in Venice or Vermont, with the underlying themes of authenticity and simplicity. Finally, with The Art of Eating Cookbook, we have a collection of recipes that was born of passion and first-hand experience rather than yet another slavish bow to healthy convenience. Bravo!"
Christopher Kimball, Founder and Editor, America's Test Kitchen

"Edward Behr's carefully curated and tested recipes from his always-excellent magazine provide not only fabulous eating but also intelligent and beautifully written lessons from which every cook, both amateur and professional, can learn."
Wolfgang Puck, Chef and restauranteur

"The Art of Eating Cookbook is the cookbook we all wish we'd written. Combining the insight of an epicure with the appetite of a hedonist, it's entertaining, authoritative, and -- most important of all -- delicious."
Dan Barber, Chef and Co-Owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

"For a lucky generation of cooks and readers, The Art of Eating has delivered the seductive delights of tradition--described in fine prose with great recipes--making each beautiful issue a satisfying feast. The dishes in the cookbook are true, simple, and pure, they feel like old friends--even the ones I am meeting for the first time."
Judy Rodgers, Chef and Co-Owner of Zuni Café

"This is no common cookbook but rather an elaborate menu, the delicious contents of which inspire meals for all seasons and occasions. The recipes themselves celebrate in large part the culinary traditions of Italy and France with a clear ring of authenticity that echoes Ed Behr's dedicated travels to the source."
Paul Bertolli, Chef and Founder Fra' Mani Handcrafted Foods

"The Art of Eating has been a source of culinary education for me for many years. I'm relieved to now have a cooking companion in Ed Behr's unique and insightful style."
David Chang, Chef and Owner of Momofuku

I'm sure lots of you will remember Ed - he lived in Peacham in the 80's, and even then had quite a following when he started his newsletter/magazine.

*****

We were in St. Johnsbury again today - I say "again" because we were there yesterday when I went at 6 a.m. to have my second cataract operation. We were home before 9 a.m. This second eye went just as well as the first one, and I'm now well on the other side of this process. I'm also functioning very well at the computer without glasses, and even read the newspaper this afternoon without them. I'll wait a while for things to settle down before I jump to any conclusions, but right now it looks as if I won't need glasses at all. This, after years of glasses and contact lenses, is quite impressive. We were there today for my post-surgery exam, and then we stopped by son Bob's new offices on Western Avenue.

I mentioned a while back that Bob and Jake (Lavely) have formed a partnership and have relocated to Western Avenue, just below the school. This is the building they are in - the entrance in the corner by the el. We took some pictures inside - none of them wanted to be in the pictures, so we had to be content with pictures of the offices - the receptionist, Melissa Blodgett, has her own front office just off the waiting room, and Jake and Bob both have spacious offices. It's a lovely old Victorian building, and very nice inside.

This is Bob's office on the left and Jake's on the right. Bob's has a fireplace, too - and I believe he said they could be used, but I doubt they will use them. The space is very comfortable and very functional - we're glad they made the move from Eastern Ave. to Western Ave.

When we came back through W. Danville, we stopped to pick up any mail and to check the water flowing over the dam. We could hear the water rushing over the dam, but there didn't seem to be an unusual amount gushing through the outlet in spite of some pretty significant rain last night. We've had a little more this afternoon, and I expect either rain or snow tonight as the temperature has been dropping steadily since the sun went down.

When we came through Danville - both heading east and later coming back - there were no delays, although some work is still going ahead on the Route 2 Project, getting things wrapped up for winter. The Green is looking better, smoothed off and mulched, but at the library, there are still mounds of earth and heaps of stones. This view heading west into town looks almost back to what we call "normal."

Speaking of "normal" - our cat, Woody, was acting anything but this morning. He was racing through the house in a very playful mood, and finally ended up on his catwalk watching us make breakfast. He's been outside a little while, but will begin to want to be outside as soon as it's really dark. Unfortunately, it may be a bit too cold for him tonight, so we'll be letting him out and setting the timer so we don't forget him. Even though he has his own door still available, we've been letting him in the front door while we had snow on the ground, and now he's very used to that and we're well trained. Besides, it keeps one or both of us moving when we'd otherwise be sitting longer than is probably good for us.

Here's another local announcement:

Come see what your neighbors have been up to:

Saturday, Dec. 3, 7 pm - Cabot Church

All Ye Who Holiday Music Love
~
A Holiday Music Concert

sung by the Cabot Community Chorus

(By Donation)

Followed by a sing-along and refreshments!

2011-11-29T21:39:00.001-05:00

ELVES WORKSHOP

(date correction)

This SUNDAY, December 4th

2 p.m. -- 4 p.m.

Cabot United Church

Everyone Welcome!

Come and make holiday gifts.

2011-11-27T14:00:00.005-05:00

PRE-SCHOOL - 6^TH

SIGN-UP

FOR

BASKETBALL

MONDAY

6:00 PM

SCHOOL CAFETERIA

2011-11-25T17:32:00.014-05:00

We have had pretty much a "black and white Friday" here, with still plenty of snow on the ground, although lots of it melted today. It was pretty quiet today; Fred went with Bill Rossi to look at cars; it was a guy version of Black Friday shopping. They started off in St. Johnsbury at the Green Mountain Mall and ended up in the White Mountains of Gorham, N.H. Fred took pictures along the way - the weather was fine and the road was good even for Route 2 East, they had a decent lunch at some Italian restaurant, and got back home in time for supper. Here's a slide show: Black Friday Shopping with Bill and Fred

I'm sharing some of our Thanksgiving pictures with you. We were at Bill and Monika's, and enjoyed being with our two granddaughters. Monika's friend, Abbie, from Baltimore, is visiting for a few days - in the top picture is Abbie, Jo-Ann in the blue shirt, Uncle Jamie, Monika and Aunt Marie with her back to the camera. They were playing Scrabble. The next picture is big sister Jo-Ann, then Uncle Jamie with Tangeni - not quite 5 months old now. She is quite a little performer - loved being where the action was, and there was no shortage of attention to her. Everyone got to hold her and play with her, and she carefully examined each of us with a serious stare and then squirmed and giggled, anxious to get to the next lap.

That's her dad feeding her with Jo-Ann holding the bib that dad forgot, and mom waiting to administer vitamin drops. Tangeni loves all the attention, and after she had some cereal and a bottle, she zonked out in her little basket seat while the rest of us had our turkey and ham and all the trimmings. Grandpa Fred said he thought babies cried a lot, and was impressed Tangeni was far more inclined to giggles and chortles than tears.

We had a wonderful meal with good conversation and lots to eat and lots of laughter. Bill deep fried one turkey and did another in the oven - both were delicious, and I would not want to choose one method over the other, but he said it takes much less time time for it to cook in the oil. Aunt Marie brought her wonderful Swedish Apple Pie, and Jo-Ann's blueberry pie was a big hit. I'm so proud she has mastered pie crust like a pro. When she asked me for directions to make pie crust she was only 11 and I expected she would be discouraged, but her first try was a success and she's been making pies ever since - plus lots of other baked goods.

Monika, Jo-Ann and Abbie told us stories of living in Africa, about what it was like growing up and going to school there, and the present unrest in countries bordering Mali, where Abbie is from. We were struck by how courageous it is for people to leave their homes and move to a foreign land so they and their children can have a better education and life. Like Monika and her mother, Floriana, Abbie is a lovely, friendly, and gentle lady, and we enjoyed our time with her yesterday.

I've had very little e-mail today, but late this afternoon I got a request for 100 Ice-Out Tickets. People are beginning to think about having them available to put in their greeting cards, so from now on there will probably be a rush on them until after Christmas. Then it will pick up again as spring nears.

In the meantime, Christmas is just around the corner - the stores are bursting with merchandise and Christmas music sets the mood in the malls. We began to see some Christmas decorations way before Halloween in some of the stores, but now they are running at full tilt, heartened by the snow this past week, hoping the economy is picking up and shoppers will be spending lots of money this year. I'm enjoying the Christmas music, too. 'Tis the season!

2011-11-24T09:21:00.003-05:00

Good morning. We thought you might like to see what our world at Joe's Pond looks like this morning. The rain did not reach us yesterday as predicted - instead, we got a little more snow. We now have about 10 inches on the ground, but if the forecast is correct, it will be gone in the next couple of days when temperatures will be in the 40's and maybe 50's. We know that the temps here will likely be 10 degrees or so lower than what the forecast is saying - just because we live in this slightly unusual weather region that extends from West Danville over Cabot Plain, west almost to Marshfield and north to Walden.

There was a three car pile-up on Route 2 just north of Goodrich's Maple Farm at about 5:30 last night. One person was injured, but I don't know how seriously. She was from North Hero - I believe the name is McCullen.

There were numerous fender-benders yesterday, with vehicles having to be pulled out of ditches, but nothing too serious, as far as I know now. There was probably lots of traffic on the road - travelers going to be with family for the holiday, but most people know to drive carefully in snow conditions - and even if there isn't snow on the road, there may be black ice.

Speaking of ice - notice in the picture of the north end of the pond (above) - the white showing at the far left of the shot is the marsh that is frozen with snow on top of the ice. The water temperature is getting down to the freezing point, and a seriously cold night could finish it off.

Have a wonderful day.

2011-11-23T22:16:00.003-05:00

To all our friends,

Fred & Jane

2011-11-23T09:35:00.005-05:00

We have snow on the ground this morning - plenty of it! This is the view from our windows looking down at the road. The "few inches" predicted turned out to be 8.5" here by actual measure at 9 a.m., and it's still coming down steadily. The flakes are bigger, and the temperature seems to be steady at about 32 degrees, so the snow is pretty heavy. According to reports, there are some power lines down which have closed some roads in the Central Vermont area, and other roads are reported as not great for traveling.

Our road here on the west shore of Joe's Pond has been plowed - the crews were out early, so traffic seems to be moving easily both here and across the pond on
Route 15.

Fred was up early and out with the snow blower, but before he left, he spotted this fellow high in one of our ornamental apple trees. Partridges often hang out in the ornamentals - I think they feast on the little berries.

Woody looked out the door and quickly decided this was a good day to stay inside. He's been curled up on his bench by the window where he can watch the birds and snowflakes in between naps. He watch me shoveling off the deck for a few minutes, but by the time I got back in the house, he was sleeping again. He has a good life! And he's endlessly entertaining for us.

Yesterday I changed an arrangement in the kitchen so now one access to his cat walk overhead is gone. He woke up in the middle of the process and sat in a nearby chair looking up at the top of the cupboard which used to be his "landing," and I could practically see the wheels turning as he tried to calculate how he was going to jump up there without his usual route. He still has access by another route (or two), depending on how hyper he is. He is able to spring straight up at least five feet from a sitting position, and if he has a running start, I'm sure he'd double that, easily. He does this quietly, so I'm sometimes startled when he plunks down on the back of my chair after navigating across the fireplace mantle. How he gets by the clock and all the little decorations usually there, I can only imagine. This is a huge contrast to when he runs through the house sounding like a small pony.

The road crews are busy pulling people out of ditches and trying to keep off ramps sanded, etc. The scanner is crackling with activity this morning. I'm glad we did our errands yesterday.

2011-11-22T16:29:00.007-05:00

We decided to pick up what we needed for Thanksgiving today instead of waiting until tomorrow when we're going to get a fairly decent snow storm. It was in the low 20's when we left, and Woody was warming up in front of the fire, content to have the house to himself, probably. He spends quite a lot of time cuddled up to pieces of wood in front of the stove, but he was so close this morning, we wondered if he was cold or just mesmerized by the glowing coals. He was curled up in my chair when we arrived home at noon.

It seemed much warmer in St. Johnsbury, but I'm guessing it didn't warm up much here at Joe's Pond because I took pictures of the cove by Point Comfort as we were heading home, and there was still a thin layer of ice visible close to the shoreline, even at about noon. Tonight I can see that the marsh at the north end of the pond is frozen over again, and it will be white by morning, with two to three inches of snow, if the forecast is correct. Then on Wednesday we are due for another four or five inches, which isn't a lot except it is enough to make the roads slippery and travel plans may get upset.

The road work through Danville is winding down rapidly now. The paving has been finished and even the crosswalk painted. Looks nice, and it's smooth as silk - a big improvement over the rough and often slightly muddy trails we had to follow, single file, throughout the summer. Traffic is flowing steadily both ways.

This afternoon, Fred and Bill Rossi went to the Bothfeld's farm to pick up a turkey for Bill and Diane. It was a pretty nice day and Fred got some pictures. This is where the fresh turkeys are kept - on a day like today, I expect the temperature is just about right inside that big van. They were busy - Fred said several people were there to pick up their turkey for the holiday.

Fred took a picture of the Cabot Creamery complex as they were coming down Bothfeld Hill Road. Seeing his picture reminded me of one I have in the Cabot Historical Society collection - not a really old one, although we have a number of them taken through the years - this one was taken in 1966 - not all that long ago, but there's an amazing difference in how the plant has grown. You can see Whittier Hill road behind the buildings in both photos, so the two views are very similar, but taken forty-five years apart.

To those of you who may be traveling tomorrow to be with friends or family for the holiday, Fred and I wish you a safe journey and to everyone, we hope your Thanksgiving is a lovely one.

2011-11-21T16:56:00.002-05:00

Faith in Action Northern Communities Partnership is sponsoring a Free Food Share on Saturday, December 3^rd from 10 AM – 1 PM at the Walden Fire Station (located at the corner of Routes 215 and 15) for Cabot and Walden residents and Food Share Program Members. There is no cost of any kind but we do ask that you please take food according to the size of your family so that there is enough for everyone. For questions or further information about any of our many free volunteer services and programs please phone Faith in Action Northern Communities Partnership at 563-3322. Thanks for your participation.

2011-11-21T15:34:00.010-05:00

We had word from Brad Towne this morning that his cottage on Otis Drive was broken into and a television was taken. He was fortunate not much damage was done. Here's what he wrote:

Jane,

FYI:

Our camp was broken into, most likely between 11/9 and 11/19. The thieves ripped a 26 inch Visio LCD TV from its wall mount bracket. Fortunately , that was all that was taken and there was no other damage. They “gently” jimmied the door so that I didn’t even realize we had been broken into until I saw that the TV was gone. The State Police investigated and think that these were likely relative amateurs who saw the TV through a window and went after it. The State police officer also thinks they probably did this in broad daylight. We’re installing a security system now.

Brad Towne

This is very unfortunate. We've not had a lot of this sort of thing in the recent past, although from time to time there is a break-in or items are missing from storage areas, lawns, etc. We don't know if there is a connection, but about a week ago the alarm at a cottage on West Shore Road went off. There was no evidence of tampering or anything wrong when authorities got there, but it makes us all more wary.

This spring I had a report that the Keenes lost some items over the winter, and we have learned it's not safe to leave things such as kayaks or canoes or other items with any worth outside or in unlocked storage sheds or under porches, etc. That makes it easy for thieves to come in the winter when not many people are around and just help themselves.

Unfortunately, there will probably be more of this sort of behavior as money gets tighter and jobs are scarcer. We've had more bank holdups and robberies at convenience stores in the past year or two than I ever remember before. The best anyone can do to protect themselves is, first put everything away, lock it up and block windows so would-be thieves cannot see what you have inside. Install a security system that screeches loudly so neighbors will hear and at the same time will notify police that something is going on that shouldn't be. It's important to give a close and trusted neighbor or the authorities a key and instructions about shutting off and resetting the alarm, too. I've heard about these things going off in the middle of the night and nobody could get in to shut the thing off. Neighbors are not happy when that happens. So, when you install your security system, be sure the proper authority has all the information to deal with it if it goes off.

We are expecting a really cold night tonight. The thermometer has been dropping steadily since about 2 o'clock and is now at 24, down from around 50 degrees. It may be a good time to try out my wonderful (I hope) window quilts, although I was thinking we'd probably only use them when it was below zero . . . we're anxious to see if they seem to make a difference, but when we're heating with wood, it's a little harder to judge. Fewer trips to the woodshed I guess would be the goal.

We went to Cabot this morning. There's a problem with the Veterans' Memorial plaque that was installed a number of years ago - a couple names were inadvertently left off, and we're hoping to be able to come up with a solution. I was surprised when we got to the Willey Building, where the monument is on the front lawn, and found workmen installing a new roof. They are removing the cedar shingles and replacing them with a metal roof. The Willey Building was finished in 1921, so the roof might have been replaced at least once. I doubt it is the original roof. I should have asked the workers, but I was dealing with the area being taped off where the monument is and finally got permission to cross the barrier and work stopped as I was escorted by one of the workmen onto the front lawn to take the pictures I needed. This is the stone and bronze plaque.

On the way home, Fred got some pictures of the mountains. This is looking east at the White Mountain range. The second picture is looking west at the Mt. Mansfield-Stowe ski area. Looks like there was good skiing there today.

2011-11-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

The Class of 2016 at Cabot School are selling citrus as a fund raiser for their planned trip to Washington D.C. You'll find information on our web site Comments Page

Also, I received this notice yesterday:

At the last Cabot Worx meeting, Gary Gulka promised to send the Economic Development Section of the Proposed Town Plan to the group. Here it is. [Note: I cannot include it here because it is a pdf file, but you can e-mail me Jane Brown or the Cabot Development Committee to have it e-mailed to you.] There will be a Planning Commission hearing on December 15 on the whole Proposed Town Plan, prior to the Commission presenting the plan to the Selectboard. The Selectboard is expected to hold its own hearing on the plan before accepting it.

Also, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 14, at 7:00 p.m. for the next Cabot Worx meeting. The group agreed to change the regular date of meetings to the second Wednesday of each month, to avoid conflicts with UDAG, School Board and the Selectboard. Hopefully, we will settle in to a regular date that works.

The Economic Development Section of the Proposed Town Plan is an interesting document. Even if you have nothing to add or comment about, you'll learn a great deal about the Town of Cabot as it is today and what the committee hopes to achieve for the town's future. As you can see by the above notice, there is still a long way to go before the plan is accepted, so if you have suggestions or comments, there is still time to attend the hearings.

2011-11-20T11:51:00.002-05:00

Cabot Public Library

Thanksgiving Hours

Tues	11/22/11	9 am to 6 pm
Wed	11/23/11	Noon to 4 pm*
Thu	11/24/11	Closed
Sat	11/26/11	Closed

*Please note this is a change from our normal hours.

2011-11-18T14:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday, November 19, 2011: Crews will work for about four (4) hours painting lines on the recently paved roadway. This work is planned for mid-day. Painting of crosswalks, etc will take place next week.

Painting will require alternating one-way traffic around the work area while the paint is applied and also while it dries.

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 11/21/11

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, crews will stop working for the week on Wednesday, November 23^rd at 12:00 pm and will not return to the project until Monday, November 28^th.

DAY WORK: Monday through Wednesday

Shoulders – Crews will be cleaning up the shoulders along Route 2 from Marty’s to the Village Green.

Line Striping – Crews will continue to work on painting pavement markings throughout the project. Please note – with the cooler weather upon us, the paint may take longer to dry so the construction packages will remain in place until vehicles can travel over the newly painted areas.

Traffic delays may exceed 10 minutes while crews are painting on Route 2. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly for delays.

Line Striping is weather dependent. Inclement weather may require painting to be postponed and rescheduled.

Clean-up – Miscellaneous clean-up work will take place throughout the project.

Motorists can expect traffic delays from the alternating one-way traffic around the construction zone. Traffic control will be present to maintain traffic flow. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly for delays.

2011-11-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

PRESCHOOL THRU 6^TH GRADE

BASKETBALL

SIGN-UPS

*LAST CHANCE*

MEET THE COACHES

MONDAY

NOVEMBER 28

Be there 6:00 to 7:30

IN THE CAFETERIA

Questions

Libby Hale 563-3226 libbyhale1@gmail.com

Rebecca Nally 563-3503 rmnally@yahoo.com

CABOT RECREATION DEPARTMENT

2011-11-17T15:02:00.004-05:00

Fred took some pictures when he went to the post office and bank for me today. Some of you know that Green Mountain Power has been replacing the penstock that leads from the dam in West Danville to the power plant a short distance south. I think it was a year ago this spring that spring runoff caused damage to the banks along the brook below the dam leaving some of the big wooden penstock literally hanging in mid air. The power company was in the process of replacing the wooden penstock from Molly's Falls Dam on the Cabot/Marshfield town line, but I don't think replacing the one in West Danville was scheduled to be done this soon.

However, because of the danger of serious damage if the penstock broke where it was unsupported, things were shut down at West Danville and for about a year, no water has been flowing to the power plant. This has probably contributed somewhat to the high water levels at the pond because without being able to open the penstock to help during spring runoff or heavy rains, it was far more difficult for the power company to regulate the water level.

It seems that everything is back in operation now - and may have been for a while, but we haven't talked to anyone at the power company so we can't say for sure when the penstock was opened and became operational. It's somewhat reassuring to know GMP will have better control now they can open the penstock if and when needed; however they are still mandated to keep the water level in the pond within a very slim margin, and this may still be very difficult, depending on what Mother Nature throws at us in the future.

I thought those of you who know about the project would like to see the pictures Fred took. The project is impressive. Here are the pictures, plus some to update you on the Route 2 Project in Danville - now winding down in preparation for winter. Penstock and Route 2 Projects

You can see the sort of weather we're having here today. Heavy clouds just waiting to drop either rain or snow out onto us. It's been cooler today - only 38 degrees now (3:30 p.m.) - so it's a good bet we'll have some snowflakes in the air, if not on the ground, tonight. Soup and sweater weather.

Here is a reminder:

CABOT

FREE COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER THIS FRIDAY NOV. 18 5:30 TO 7:30 AT THE MASONIC HALL

Faith in Action and Friends are sponsoring this free dinner to celebrate the Cabot community & all those who volunteer and those who Participate in our many programs & services.We hope you will all come for this neighborly meal and to see the new work the town is doing with the new rear handicapped ramp & exit, the new, under-construction HC bathroom. Volunteers are needed to help with the meal & clean up. So please call 563-3322 or drop by the office early in the week to learn more! SEE YOU THERE

2011-11-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

E-COMMUNITIES IN A DIGITAL AGE - RESCHEDULED for February 16, 2012

Click Here to Register

When:
Thursday February 16, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM EST
Add to my calendar

Where:

VT Technical College

124 Admin Drive

Randolph Center, VT 05061-0500

Driving Directions

Hello,

The November 19 workshop has been rescheduled for February 16, 2012 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center. It will be the same great agenda and presenters but a different date and location.

If you registered and paid ahead of time, please contact Joanna Cummings, workshop coordinator, about whether or not you would like to keep your registration active for the February 16 event.

To register for the February 16, 2012 event, go to http://evermontworkshop.org

I can be reached at: joanna@snellingcenter.org

We appreciate your consideration and apologize for any inconvenience.

Joanna Cummings

Snelling Center for Government

2011-11-16T16:00:00.005-05:00

We trundled off to St. J. early this morning for my appointment with Dr. Phipps. My eye is doing fine and I'm all set to get the other one done after Thanksgiving. Then I'm going to have to get a different pair of computer glasses - what I'm using now are a tad too strong, fine for the eye that still has the contact, but not for my "new eye."

I had told the technician who checked my eye when I first got there that I'd felt logy a few days after the surgery, and thought it might have been due to the onslaught of eye drops required. She noted that on my chart and when I saw Dr. Phipps, he said the only other person he'd ever heard use the word "logy" was David Letterman one night on his show. I guess it isn't a common word - but I've used it many times when I've been feeling a bit off; other times I've used it to describe a car that isn't very peppy or the sailboat when there's not much wind.

I like words. I boarded with an aunt and uncle one winter when I was in high school and kept a notebook of my uncle's expressions. It was a treasure trove and I would dearly love to have it now, but unfortunately, it was in a some pocket that didn't get emptied and went through the wash. He was a great story teller and I'm sure my notes would have brought back lots of those tales he told over dinner on winter evenings.

When I worked for author, Bill Lederer, in Peacham, I was fascinated by his set of the Oxford English Dictionary. After I'd worked there for some time, he told me how impressed he'd been to find me looking up a word soon after he'd hired me, and that nobody else had, to his knowledge, ever utilized the dictionary. I didn't confess, but when I pulled one of those big volumes off the shelf, I didn't have a clue what I was in for. All I wanted was to check a spelling or something as I was transcribing what he'd written - or maybe it was some unfamiliar word he'd used and I wanted to know what he was writing about - that happened a lot! - and needed a dictionary. Once I'd seen all those books had to offer, I was hooked, and I used them often.

I saw my friend, Dot Desrocher and her daughter, Susan, when we were in town this morning. I don't see Dot often any more, but it's always a joy to chat with her. She and Susan were remembering when we all lived in the same neighborhood and the Dimick boys and Susan and her brothers, Jim and Tom, were all in school together. It's nice that Jim and his wife, Karen, have a cottage here at the pond. Susan said she and her family get a kick out of being part of the Ice-Out Contest, too.

I picked up lots of Ice-Out tickets from Hastings Store today, and I'm beginning to have requests for tickets people want to buy to include as gifts in Christmas cards or for stocking stuffers. It's amazing how much fun folks get out of filling out an Ice-Out ticket and then following our Ice Reports at the end of winter when everyone is looking for a break from snow and cold weather.

Speaking of weather, ours has changed considerably today. We had lots of white frost on the ground early in the day, but it was sunny here this morning. In St. Johnsbury there seemed to have been no frost, but there was a layer of foggy haze that never really went away. (See pictures of Burke Mountain and the intersection with Route 5 and Hospital Dirve.) Here at the pond we had a few sunny breaks this afternoon, but around four o'clock I noticed it was beginning to sprinkle. The good news is that the temperature is still around 50 degrees, so perhaps the rain won't turn to snow overnight. Sorry, deer hunters, but I don't want to shovel the white stuff just yet.

Going through Danville was a breeze today, and paving through town is progressing nicely. I expect they are wrapping things up so when the weather turns really sour, they can fold up their tents and leave until spring. It's no surprise if a bunch of folks in Danville Village are hoping for snow, the sooner the better. Snow will not only mean construction will cease, but for a few months at least, some of the scars on the village green and along Route 2 will be covered up and perhaps folks will be able to forget for a while all the noise, mess and inconvenience this project has brought.

2011-11-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

Upcoming Events at the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield at the Old Schoolhouse Common:

The Monthly Book Group meets on the fourth Monday of every month. There is no group in December. The January book is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese. The discussion of the book will be on Jan. 23, 2012. Please join us for this stimulating way to meet with other people and talk about books!

Tuesday, December 6, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Button-up Workshop at the Cabot Library. Button-up Vermont is an educational workshop designed to help Vermont homeowners understand the steps they can take to make their homes more energy efficient and comfortable. This is a co-sponsored event of the Jaquith and Cabot Libraries.

Wednesday, December 7 at 7 p.m. Classic Film: Adam’s Rib (1949), directed by George Cukor. This classic battle-of-the-sexes stars Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as a married couple who are also trial attorneys duking it out on opposite sides of a celebrated divorce case.

Sunday, December 11, Sunday from 3-5 p.m.: Performance Shakespeare - Performing Elizabethan Verse with Jim Hogue. If you think that performing Elizabethan texts so that audiences understand what you are saying and thinking and doing is worthwhile- then come to this workshop! For people of all ages.

Wednesday, December 14 at 7 p.m. Local Author Reading with Sam Stockwell. Sam is a poet with a beautiful feel for words, people and life. She will read from her collection.

Holiday Concert in December at the Jaquith! Watch for posters and details for this event!

Call 426-3581 for information or e-mail: jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com or visit our website:www.marshfield.lib.vt.us

2011-11-16T11:53:00.003-05:00

JUST A REMINDER THAT THURSDAY NIGHT'S MEETING OF THE CABOT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND THE UDAG COMMITTEE WILL BE AT THE WILLEY BUILDING, NOT THE MASONIC HALL, 7:00 P.M.

*****

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WATER SERVICE INTERRUPTION UPDATE

NOVEMBER 16^th, 2011 – 11:00 am

Water service has been restored to the following areas:

Peacham Road
Dole Block

2011-11-15T14:05:00.001-05:00

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WATER SERVICE INTERRUPTION

NOVEMBER 16th^TH, 2011 – 8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Crews are planning a water service interruption for the following area, Wednesday, November 16^th, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm:

Peacham Road – Beginning at the intersection with Park Street and extending along Peacham Road towards the Fire Station to the Town water district limits.

This water interruption will include all residents and businesses along Peacham Road from the Park Street intersection that are connected to Town water services.

2011-11-14T22:09:00.002-05:00

Reminder:
Development Meeting

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 7:00 p.m.

Willey Building

Agenda will include deciding on specific projects and creating structure

~ Everyone invited to join in the continued conversation and actions concerning

Cabot's Community and Economic Development ~

Mission: Plan, organize, support and coordinate efforts that enhance and improve the community

and economic health of Cabot. Our purpose is to provide a community forum to work together.