Unruly Dogs Distress a Neighborhood

We're told there has been a problem with unruly dogs on the Danville side of the lake. A few years ago we had problems on the Cabot side. It's been a little while since we've put a reminder in the JPA newsletter asking people to keep their pets under control at all times, so I'll mention it here.

Even though your pet is normally gentle, remember that being in unfamiliar surroundings or situations can cause any pet some anxiety and that's when they may exhibit uncharacteristic behavior. For the safety of your pet and other animals or humans, please be sure to use a leash and keep the animal within the boundaries of your property. Neighbors don't appreciate doggie-do on their lawns, nor do they want to be on the alert when meeting or passing you and your pet. So be a thoughtful pet owner and your neighbors will appreciate you and your pet.

Yesterday we posted a link to Danville's web site and their Animal Ordinances. You'll find the link on the home page. We will try to include some of Cabot's rules and regs, as well. Setting up the web pages takes a bit of time, and my web master (husband, Fred) is presently spending a good part of every day cutting wood to keep us warm in winter.

We started a fire in our wood stove this evening. (We have a nice little Hearthstone, manufactured in Morrisville, Vermont, that heats the whole main floor of our house throughout the winter.) It seems to be a little early to start up the stove, but it certainly felt good to take the chill off - and it was very pleasant eating dinner by the fire. Quite a change from just a week ago. Last Friday at this time it was pretty hot and steamy, and tonight my thermometer is reading 50 degrees and still creeping downward. The forecast is for temps in the 40's, with frost in some low-lying areas; but apparently the Northeast Kingdom, for once, is not included as being in danger of frost bite. I've noticed a definite blush of color on several maples in our area, though, so I think we may have a more colorful foliage season than we did last year.

Fred found where a bear had dug a bee's nest out of the ground down on our lower lawn area near the woods. It happens just about every year - we find where the sod has been torn up and there are remnants of the honeycomb scattered about. Sometimes in our woods we find where the bears have torn apart an old tree stump to get at the insects. We haven't seen a bear this year, but we know for sure they are working the area.