What a glorious weekend (so far) to officially end the summer. I've spent quite a bit of time today watching the progress of "Gustav" and trying to imagine what it must be like for those people having to pack what they can and leave ahead of the storm. It must be heart wrenching, especially since they are being hit again so soon and haven't fully recovered from Katrina three years ago.

There seems to be quite a lot going on around Joe's Pond this weekend. Lots of people having gatherings and enjoying boating activities in spite of very brisk winds on the water. We were at camp for a little while visiting with our kids and some of their friends, and that's always fun.

We went to Hardwick yesterday to recycle, and from there went over to Greensboro to Willey's Store, which is always fun. The short trip over is nice because of the beautiful farming country along the ridge between Hardwick and Greensboro. In Greensboro, we stopped briefly at the boat access at Caspian Lake, but there wasn't much going on there. It was a little before noon and the weather was still pretty dreary. At Willey's, though, there were the usual summer folks coming and going. We found what we were looking for right away and headed back to West Danville where I picked up blueberries at Hastings Store. Jane said they come from "Buggy" and Barbara Morse, who used to live not far from us on Brickett's Crossing Road. They are now just off Rt. 2 at Danville Hill Rd. where they have started a tree farm like they had before they moved, and apparently also have a very productive blueberry patch with the best berries I've had for a long time; so I have been freezing some of them for next winter. I'm told it's been a really good year for blueberries locally.

We took pictures yesterday: Slide Show

We hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend, and that you travel safely and enjoy the last days of summer. Did you know Labor Day was first osberved with a parade by the Knights of Labor in New York City in 1882? I found on the internet some conflicting information about who started it, but the sites I visited seemed to agree on the year and place. Have a good one.

I've spent most of this beautiful day inside working on the Blodgett book. But I scooted outside a couple times just because it was so nice. Fred is recovering from a "summer cold" - not that it's much different from a "winter cold" except it's rarer, I guess. He hasn't felt sick, but the sneezing, coughing and sniffles are unpleasant. So far I'm still healthy, and I think I may have successfully dodged it.
Note: The above was written on Thursday, August 28. I was called away and didn't finish that day.

Friday, August 29.
Not only have I been mostly inside today, too, I've been frustrated by the computer almost constantly. I'm working in Publisher, and have a bunch of pages (164 right now) made up of pictures and text that I'm editing ready to publish. The computer saves my work about every 10 minutes, and it takes two or three minutes for it to gurgle through everything. Two or three minutes doesn't sound like much, but when everything is frozen and nothing works, it seems like an eternity. Sometimes I find something else to do - file something or make a phone call - but mostly I wait and stew. I could probably stop the automatic save and do it manually from time to time, but with that many pages at stake and having had a few bad experiences with lost material because I waited too long to save my work, I will endure the pain and let the computer do its work.

Part of the process of redesigning the web site is that we're going through everything that's there and sort of "house cleaning." It has been a learn-as-we-go experience until now and there are duplications and stuff that's now obsolete or inaccurate that must be taken off. Big job, and it demands patience as well as know-how; fortunately Fred has both and doesn't mind spending long hours in front of a screen filled with mysterious combinations of numbers, letters and squiggles. Some day soon we'll have a coming-out party for the new look.

The minutes of this month's Cabot Select Board Meeting and other information can be accessed at: http://cabotvt.us/Selectboard.html

This is a picture of a barn that was taken down a few years ago on Ducharme Road in Cabot. It was a very large structure, as you can see, and housed poultry. We will be adding this and some others like it to our collection at the historical society. A member of the Ducharme family has donated the photos and will be sending more information about the barn and the family.

We're off to recycle tomorrow. I'm going along in order to do some errands in Hardwick. We may take a little side trip to Greensboro to visit Willey's Store - always an interesting stop to make and we haven't been there in a while. Willey's is well known as one of a dying breed of country "everything you need in one place" stores. They have groceries, hardware, clothing, appliances, tools, hunting and fishing gear, pet food and supplies, gardening supplies - it's an if-they-don't-have-it-you-probably-don't-need-it kind of store. We'll take pictures!

I was out hunting berries again today and found some maples that were pretty well along as far as color is concerned. Our fall foliage display is generally the last week of September through the first couple weeks of October, but it sure looks as if it might happen a bit earlier this year. The colors aren't as bright as I've seen some years, but perhaps that's because it's still early. It does seem to me I'm seeing more color earlier than usual, though.

It was a beautiful day to be outside and I really enjoyed my walk even though I didn't find any berries to speak of. The road crew was out with the grader and that was a welcome sight. The roads have had some pretty serious pot holes and bumps.

For those of you who are interested, the minutes of our Joe's Pond Association meeting are now posted on the web site. You can go to the home page and find them under "JP Assn" on the main menu.

We are saying goodbye to some of our Joe's Pond friends this week as they leave to get kids back in school. Labor Day is a real cut-off date for lots of folks to get their boats out of the water and, even if they don't need to leave right away, they'll be starting to pack things up and wind down. Even those of us who hang around all winter shift into a different mode. For me it's trimming back plants in the flower beds, cleaning out bird houses, stuffing some of the lawn furniture back into the storage shed. It's still very nice sitting out on the deck, so we won't clear that off for a few weeks yet. We'll also need to put away stuff in the garage that's collected over the summer and get ready to put the wood under cover. We also like to keep room for the snow blower in the garage. If we have just half as much snow this year as we had last, Fred will be glad to have it handy for those several trips each day needed to keep the driveway clear.

The nights are getting colder so I'll need to bring in my large house plants soon. I usually cover them for a week or two, and that extends their time outside well into September. Each summer they get larger (two Scheffleras and one avacado tree) and it's a problem deciding where to put them. I've had them so long they are almost like family, so I don't want to discard them. I have smaller stuff to bring inside, too, but those aren't nearly as overwhelming. I'll begin making room for them all soon.

I received photographs today for a book I'm putting together on the Blodgett family, long-time residents of Cabot. Rev. Fred Blodgett wrote two exceptionally informative manuscripts. The first was about the Cabot he knew as a boy. It has details of buildings and people long gone. The second is a record of his family, complete with genealogy going back to the 1600's. Rev. Blodgett's wife donated the first manuscript to the local library and I was able to copy it recently for the Cabot Historical Society. I learned of the second manuscript from his niece, my friend Mary Blodgett Fearon, who was generous enough to donate it to the historical society. Mary's sister, Helen Blodgett, has photographs of many of the family Rev. Blodgett wrote about, and I spent much of today copying those to include with the manuscripts. I am combining everything into a hard cover book which will be available in our research center, and the original manuscripts will be properly preserved. One day, we hope to have this kind of material also available on line. The Blodgett papers are just part of a wonderful collection we now have of genealogies, journals and historical writings.

I've just read an article from The Wall Street Journal given to me by Jack LaGue. It's about old timers like me - bloggers over 50. I had no idea there are so many of us, but on the other hand it never occurred to me that perhaps it was unusual for older folks to blog. According to the author, Ronni Bennett, even four years ago she turned up only "a dozen or so" older bloggers, and now there are thousands. Bennett writes about aging on her blog and remarks that "aging isn't the sexiest topic in town." Isn't that the truth! There's not much about getting older that's fun or exciting, let alone sexy; but some of us gain confidence and if we're lucky maybe a little wisdom as we gather candles on our birthday cake. I don't know that age has given me much wisdom, but I've certainly found out there are lots of intelligent and interesting folks out in cyberspace so I'd better be careful what I say.

I agree with Ms. Bennett that blogging is a great way to make friends or to set down and firm up your musings or opinions, but I believe there are a lot of people, especially older folks, who really don't want to use a computer, for whatever reason. And that's okay. What I think is really important is for people of any age to tell their stories. I really like the idea of keeping a journal or a diary. I never was faithful about it myself, although I made feeble attempts to keep a diary when I was in high school. I think it was too much work to write in it regularly and I lost interest in favor of writing stories or silly poems or sketching, like most teenage girls. I have read some wonderful diaries that were written long ago by both men and women and that were cherished by their families for years before being turned over to our historical society. People took time to write thoughtfully and diligently back then, and sometimes one can get a real sense of the person and life as it was years ago.

My grandfather Bolton always kept a diary. His were filled with accounts - business transactions with the storekeepers, his neighbors, or his family. He didn't write about his feelings or his plans, disappointments or achievements. Just the important stuff like the weather and keeping track of income and payments. He noted how many dozens of eggs were shipped to Boston, how many loads of hay they took from a certain field, when the corn was planted and when it was harvested or how much maple syrup was made. He kept close account of the hours worked and wages paid to hired help. He noted how much was paid out for flour, molasses, sugar, clothing or services. And at the end of each year there was a complete accounting of his stock - oxen, horses, cattle and other animals on the farm.

My father kept a diary, too. After he died and we came to live here in the house he and my mother had built, we often checked his diaries to find out things like how old the furnace was, when the water well was drilled, or when the septic system was last pumped. He was quite faithful about writing in his diary, and when they were older recorded when he or my mother weren't feeling well or when they took a trip or someone came to visit. Like his father before him, it was important to set down certain information, but he never indicated how he felt about anything. That, I guess, was too personal. Sometimes my mother would make entries in the diary. Apparently they shared those little books, recording bits of their life together. When my mother fell ill and died, he never wrote in his diary again.

Now, instead of diaries, some of us blog. It's a journal - a web log, thus the name "blog." Thanks to Jack and Sue who brought me that article, I've given my blogging a lot of thought and I've decided that even though my blog doesn't have a theme and lots of times not any real direction, I have at least a few readers who are kind enough to tell me they check in regularly to see what I'm up to. That makes my day, so I'll continue relaying what's going on here at Joe's Pond or in surrounding communities, letting folks know if something is lost or found, and I'll include your comments when you ask me to, and share my own random thoughts when there's not much else to write about. Blogging gets to be a habit.

We had a great End-of-Year party this afternoon at the Joe's Pond Association pavilion. It was a beautiful day, absolutely perfect for getting together with friends to cook out and usher out the summer season for JPA. Members of the Board and the usual faithfuls worked hard to make it another memorable gathering and those of us who were there thank them for their hard work. The food was delicious and plentiful - nobody went away hungry, I'm certain. The business meeting was the shortest on record, I believe - just under 30 min. A lot of ground was covered, but since there were no issues and everyone wanted to party, Tom kept things moving right along. We took some pictures. Slide Show

While we're sorry the summer season is over, those of us who can hang around into the fall or who live here year around still have wonderful days of sunshine and beauty to look forward to here at Joe's Pond. It's unfortunate that the nice weather arrived too late for many people who scheduled their vacation time earlier in the summer.

I talked to Kevin Johnson today at the party and he said the bottle pick-up went very well on Saturday. Lots of folks had their returnables ready for the youngsters to pick up and Kevin said they are very appreciative of the good response.

I didn't get a report on how the Poker Paddle for the Danville senior meals program went - perhaps someone can let me know so I can post something here.

Fred has finished another course on web design, so you will probably notice a few changes in the web site in the coming weeks. I think this will be the last course he'll take for a while. With wood coming about once a week, he'll be busy stacking and within a few weeks it'll be time to bring our winter supply into the garage. I have to wonder how much drying went on this summer - even though the wood for this season has been outside supposedly drying for at least a year, with so much rain the process may have stalled a bit. When he isn't working on the wood or other usual chores, we'll be adjusting the web site pages. I'm not sure yet what's in store - I do know we will be color-coordinating and updating, hoping to make the site more user-friendly and useful. We will certainly be interested in any suggestions you have.

I'll post the minutes of our meeting within a few days. You'll find them in the JPA pages listed on home page of the web site.

We're certainly having our summer weather now. Lovely warm days, cool nights - perfect pond weather. Unfortunately, we're at the wrong end of the summer, but that can't be changed.

There are signs of fall, too. Our old hydrangea bush is loaded with blooms again this year. It could be because we've had so much rain, but it almost always has lots of blossoms. I picked some last night and paired them with some purple phlox. It makes a dramatic bouquet, and smells wonderful.

Our little crab apple tree is loaded with apples, as usual. Even our regular old apple tree that's been there for well over 50 years, I'd guess, is loaded with apples. Last year I think we counted two apples about the size of golf balls way at the top. I'm heading out to pick up a few for a deep-dish apple pie. The deer love them, too, and we are happy to share.

Today is the day Kevin Johnson and his team are picking up cans and bottles to earn money for uniforms. Have your returnables ready - it's a good cause.

Joe's Pond Association members - the end-of-the-year meeting is tomorrow, Sunday, at the recreation field, 2 o'clock meeting, pot-luck meal at 4 o'clock. This is a members-only meeting - hope to see you there.

For those of you who like gymnastics, here's something from 1988 - I guess he/she never made it to the Olympic Games . . .
Click Here

This from Jeanne Gruggel (Narrows Drive) tonight:

This morning we found evidence (droppings) of a large animal on our property, down by the garden -- maybe a bear or moose. It's in the same place where we saw a bear last summer -- maybe the same bear that swam across the pond in the pictures on your blog from earlier this summer. Has anyone else seen similar evidence?

I went into the woods to pick berries today and whenever I do that, I'm always very conscious of the fact I might be trespassing on some bruin's territory. Today there was quite a bit of wind and I knew the bear would probably not hear me and I might not hear the bear. There weren't many berries, and I didn't see any living thing bigger than a squirrel. I guess the bears know a better place for berries . . . Oh, yes, I forgot - I DID see something bigger'n a squirrel - Fred came to see if I needed help picking.

Mark your calendars - the fireworks in 2009 are scheduled for July 3rd with a rain date of July 5th. Don Sherwood has been able to nail down the date early this year and hopes to have the rail bed location again for shooting them off. We'll keep you posted.

Also good news - the runaway boat that was retrieved yesterday has been reunited with its owner, Mark Nicholson on Old Homestead Road. His thanks to everyone for saving the boat from being damaged or possibly going over the dam.

Please let us know if you lose something, find something, or need any kind of message to be out there for other Joe's Ponders. I'll gladly post to the blog, or you can post items yourself on the "Comments" page.

This came from Dee Palmer tonight -

Hi Jane,

My brother-in-law Frank Dolan helped rescue a boat today that came off it's mooring and was floating by their camp. He was assisted by some people in a party boat who towed the boat to their camp at 136 Otis Dr. Frank didn't get their name - it was very windy and he couldn't hear them. It's a white and blue Larsen with a blue cover and came from somehere on third pond. Can you put this info on the Joe's Pond blog?

Thanks,

Dee Palmer

That would be the Hosmers who have the boat. Their phone number is 684-2279. Thank you, Dee, for passing this information on to us.

Did you cover your tender plants tonight? I don't think we're headed for a frost - yet - but is sure feels nippy out there. The thermometer here at 9 p.m. is reading 48 degrees. Fred started a small fire in the soapstone to keep the house cozy, and it sure feels good.

I've been working on old photographs of my family today, having scanned a bunch over the weekend. Some were in pretty bad shape, and I've been using Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 to enhance them. I was amazed at the details I saw when I began working on some of them. In one there was a horse in the background of a photo I'd looked at dozens of times and never noticed; another clearly shows the farm that used to stand just beyond the school house on Cabot Plain, known as the Cate farm years ago. Several families had lived there before it burned to the ground in 1953 - I first remember it as the Badger place, and a few years later when I was in school on the Plain, a family by the name of Desmarais lived there. After that, I was away at school and lost track of it until it burned. I recently was given a photo of the farm when the Cates lived there, and I was very pleased today to see the faint but unmistakable image of the place as it was in later years, the way I remember it. It's been a day of nostalgia, working on those photos. There were lots of photos of my grandparents, my parents, aunts and uncles when they were young. Above is my Aunt Mabel Bolton taken in about 1932. According to writing on the photo, she was heading off to school in Boston - perhaps after Christmas break - in a snow storm. There is always wind up on that hill. The long high-drive to the upper level of the big barn was blown down in the hurricane of 1938. The photo we took last week shows the silos and one-story buildings built after the original barn burned in 1969. Both pictures were taken from about the same angle, in front of the still standing farm house. but I was struck by the contrast. Times change, for sure.

Did you hear on the news tonight that record companies are returning to producing vinyl records? It's the latest technology fad, apparently - and proves once again that what goes around comes around. Suddenly people are realizing that music recorded on vinyl simply sounds better than on CDs. Maybe it's due to better sound systems, and people simply like vinyl with substantial jackets, pictures and information on them. It's an interesting development, I thought.

Don't forget that Kevin Johnson's group of boys will be picking up returnables all day on Saturday; also, remember there's a Poker Paddle that day, if you're going to join the fun or be a dealer. Saturday's weather looks pretty good if the forecast holds. I'm guessing the weather may not be so great for the end of the year JPA meeting next Sunday, but with the side curtains at the pavilion, and the well-roofed BBQ, weather shouldn't be a factor unless it gets really wild. Hope to see you there.

According to all reports, we are now going to have summer here at Joe's Pond. We aren't sure what season the weather we've been having fits into - perhaps it should be classified with another of Vermont's unique seasons, you know, "mud season," this year closely followed by our "rainy season" . . . doesn't leave much time for summer!

We went into town to get haircuts this morning, and I stopped at the Danville Town Clerk's Office to pay our camp taxes. We have a small pie-shaped piece of land where our water well is that is in Danville, and the rest of the camp property is in the Town of Cabot. It doesn't matter which town - taxes went up in both this year, as usual. Fred took a picture of the Green in Danville, looking at the post office; then, when we got to W. Danville and I went inside to pick up the JPA mail, he got a picture of the dam. What a difference a couple weeks has made in the amount of water going over the dam!

I talked to the folks at the Environmental Court where the appeal on the Sousa farm's cell tower installation will be considered. I didn't learn much except that this procedure is going to take some time. There are two related cases, and docket numbers have been assigned, but are not on the court calendar yet. The judge will look at each case from the beginning and make her decisions; she may or may not agree with the decision of the Cabot Zoning Board of Adjustment to issue a Conditional Use Permit.

In the meantime, it's fair time here in the Kingdom. Click here for a list of fairs around Vermont: Fairs

Like Jane Larrabee said after Danville Fair, it's a sign of fall - well, actually, she said we'd better get out the snow shovels, but given that our seasons are out of whack this year, I'm going to put that idea on hold for a few weeks, at least. The Orleans Fair was last week, but Caledonia County Fair in Lyndonville is coming right up, Aug. 20-24; also the really big one, Champlain Fair in Essex, Aug. 23-Sept 1; did you know we have a Vermont State Fair? It's in Rutland, Aug. 29 - Sept. 7; and then, the World Fair in Tunbridge, Sept. 9-14. When Fred and I worked at Social Security Administration, we sometimes were assigned to go the fairs to set up a booth and talk with people about Social Security. We met some really nice folks and always enjoyed a day out of the office. There's always lots going on at the fairs - and I love fair food. Lancaster Fair used to be a good one to take in, too. The fairs do signal the end of summer, though. A summer all too short this year.

Welcome to summer, finally! This is something like the fourth day in a row that we've had sunshine and barely a shower to dampen the spirits. Apparently summer is going out on a high - if this new pattern holds.

The following came from Bev and Steve Allen this morning.

Last Sunday we took some friends over to Goldie's Gathering in Cabot for a really nice lunch. At last - a local place for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. The dinner menu and specials look great, too, and the atmosphere is agreeably funky. They serve local and fresh products; the tomato on a cheeseburger tasted like it was just in from the garden! They're open 9-8 Wednesday thru Friday, and 9-1 on Sunday. It's very worthy of lots of support from Joe's Ponders; a great place to take company before a visit to the Cabot Creamery. Here's the website where you can check out the menu: www.goldiesgathering.com

Steve & Bev Allen

Thanks to the Allens for sending this. Definitely visit the creamery if you haven't been there, and there are other interesting things to see and do in and around Cabot, too. You'll find wonderful views on any of the surrounding hills - the trick is to stop when you reach the top of a ridge and look back. I particularly like to take a right just before the common up Danville Hill to the four corners which is the Center of Town historic site. Take a right on the narrow road through the fields, and at the woods you'll come to a place to park where you can stop and look around. This is where the town was first settled - remnants of the first meeting house, the stocks, and the never-used whipping post are there and down the hill to the right is the Center Cemetery where some of the early settlers were buried. After leaving this peaceful spot, continue up Danville Hill, but before you get to the very top, look back over the valley - it's quite beautiful, especially at sunset. Continue on this road to reach Route 2, and then stop at Goodrich's Maple Farm. Glen and Ruth give wonderful tours of their facility and explain in detail (and with a lot of Vermont humor - Glen is something like an 8th generation Vermonter) the process and history of the maple sugaring industry. You'll enjoy tasting and comparing the different grades of syrup and browsing in their gift shop.

If you enjoy local crafts, follow Rt. 215 north from Cabot Village and about a mile past the Cabot Plains Road turn (stay straight on the hard surface), you'll find "The Old Crow Craft Shop" sign on your right, but you'll have to drive into the woods a bit to the shop, it isn't visible from Rt. 215. Martha has some interesting things in her shop.

Further along this same hard surfaced road, you'll come to the intersection of the Bayley Hazen Road on your right. This is a narrow dirt road that will bring you to the Cabot Plains Cemetery. You'll be traveling on the actual military road built during the Revolution. This is also where the first settlers in this area built their farms - the Websters, Heaths, Lyfords, Scotts. This is the only section of that original military road that remains fairly unchanged, but is still used. There were no houses at all on this road when I was young. My grandfather owned a good bit of land on the west side - fields and a sugar woods. He planted potatoes, hayed it, and at one time grazed sheep there, and we sugared every spring. It was known as the Webster Lot since it was the land where the Webster family had settled in the 1700's. He made certain we all knew the history of the land and that there was a family buried under the maple tree that stood in the middle of the field. We were not allowed to disturb the ground around that tree. It is still standing, but has been topped off and a tree house has been built in it. I like to think the spirits of the Webster children buried beneath that tree enjoy romping there and perhaps play a prank on the humans from time to time.

Enjoy your trip to Goldie's and perhaps one of the side trips going or coming.

Did you notice something new at the parking area in W. Danville? That's Doug Spaulding with his hotdog stand. He's planning on being there every weekend from 10 to 3, at least until the weather turns. Bill Rossi and Fred went down today for their lunch and said the dogs are very good. Doug Spaulding told them this is something he's always wanted to do, so I guess he's fulfilling a dream. He was doing a pretty good business this morning when Bill and Fred were there. He has a really neat setup, and the guys were impressed with how clean everything was. I'm sure tourists will stop and take time to browse around at the other businesses in town, too.

I didn't get invited to go for a hotdog today - but I'll stop by soon. I wonder if he has sauerkraut . . . ?

Congratulations to our neighbors, Jenn and Nate Curschmann on the birth Wednesday of their daughter, Sophie Lynn. Sophie Lynn weighed in at 7 lbs. 12.5 oz., and is 20.5 inches. Jenn and Nate live at the intersection of W. Shore Rd., Cabot Plains Rd. and Brickett's Crossing Rd. We are very happy to welcome Sophie Lynn to the neighborhood.

At this moment there is a lot of thunder going on here, so I'm going to finish this up as quickly a possible and shut the computer down. I don't like to be on line when there is a storm brewing.

I received this notice about a meeting to be held in Plainfield on the Upper Winooski Water Quality. Click on the poster to enlarge it in order to read details.

Yesterday I posted about the "Poker Paddle" that's scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23. Pat Moran is also asking for volunteer "dealers" to hand out cards to the players as they paddle around the pond. Pat says about all you have to do is sit on your dock and pass out the cards. If you aren't into paddling, this is a way you can help out. The "Poker Paddle" is for the benefit of the Danville Senior Meals Site - a really good cause. So if you can help them out, give Pat a call at 684-2587.

*****

We told you that when we visited the Sousa farm a couple days ago we found there was no evidence of work being done on the planned cell tower there. Yesterday I learned that an appeal has been filed in the state's environmental court against the decision of the Cabot Zoning Board of Adjustment's approval of the Conditional Use Permit. This will doubtless delay, or I suppose could even prevent the installation. I have left a message with the Vermont Environmental Court in Berlin requesting information. If I find out more, I'll let you know.

*****

Fred and I went to Elements last night - a very nice evening with wonderful food and service. On our way, we stopped to see the washout Jane Larrabee had told me about yesterday. I was absolutely amazed. There must have been a wall of water 15 ft. high coming down that gorge. There was debris hanging on tree branches way higher than the now normal flowing brook. It may have been a beaver dam let go somewhere above - or just the torrents of rain coming too fast on the already super saturated earth, but as Jane said, that road has weathered 100 years or more of storms, and it's hard to believe it would suddenly be taken out like that. The photos don't really do it justice - it is truly an amazing sight. But if you go to see it, be very careful. The pavement is cracked and the ground beneath could give way and you'd fall 12-15 feet into the brook.

The giant hammer in this photo is the weathervane at Leferrier's Construction. We were parked just below their house.

We are always impressed by the mountains as we drive east from West Danville. It's very nice to have blue sky and sunshine (again today!!) and I think gradually everything will get back to normal.

The summer is coming to a close. It's hard to believe that the last meeting of the season for the Joe's Pond Association is a week from Sunday, on the 24th. Members should check our "Schedule of Events" for details. Kids are heading back to school and folks who aren't year 'rounders begin to plan their trip south. We can't say it's been a great summer weatherwise, but we've sure had plenty to talk about. I think those who can stay into the fall will be rewarded, though. The weather is fickle, and we never really know how the foliage is going to be, so don't hold me to that prediction, please.

Beautiful bright sunshine, at least for the start of the day. A welcome change to have two days in a row of sun, but forecast is for showers later on today.

I picked up the mail in W. Danville this morning. Quite a bit of Ice-Out Contest activity; Jane Larrabee said lots of people asking for tickets. We've had a few printable tickets off the web site sent it, too. Everything seems to be running smoothly.

Garey was in the post office, looking a little pale, I thought, but he said he's feeling better. He was really busy, so I didn't take up his time chatting. At the counter, Jane and Mary were also really busy with customers. Jane told me the road that used to be the old Route 2 before it was straightened, is washed out completely just past Leferrier's Construction. She said it had weathered a hundred years of rain storms, but apparently this summer did it in. She said there are barriers up so nobody will get hurt. I was sorry I didn't have the camera. I left both it and Fred at home. Fred wanted to work on his latest wood delivery, and I didn't think to take the camera - he usually sees to that. We'll try to get pictures soon, though.

Here's something some of you may want to join - a poker game! This came from Pat Moran in Danville:

On Aug 23  at 10AM we are hosting a Poker Paddle on Joe's Pond to benefit the Danville Senior Meals Site.  With the support of Local Businesses we have a few 'fabulous' prizes to award.  Suggested donation is $10 and best hand wins.  We hope to see a few of the many paddlers that live on the Pond come out and support the local community and have a little fun.  We'll meet at the Town Beach.

Pat Moran, Danville.
684-2587

You may know that this is Old Home Week in Cabot. It started off on Saturday with Alumni Day. There are a couple of events you might like to plan to attend. On Friday, Ken Klingler is in concert playing 50's to 80's music on his 12-string guitar. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at United Church of Cabot.

On Saturday, there will be a Flea Market and Church Fair on the Common from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. You'll find baked goods, plants, attic treasures, crafts, and bargains. You can also find lunch there - even corn on the cob and - a real treat, Sugar on Snow, with maple syrup, pickles, and donuts, plus REAL SNOW! The Sugar on Snow party is from 10:30 until 3 p.m.

Take the kids and plan to have a fun day with lots of interesting things to do and great food in the bargain.

*****

We took a hike today to the Sousa farm where Unicel has plans to install a cell tower on one of the silos. The farm is located above the hill in back of our house, but there is a lot of woods, berry bushes, slash, swamp and rough going between us. We went from Jamie and Marie's house, which is just above ours, and took the old road that used to be a shortcut to Cabot Plain. It was thrown up years ago and there are trees across it now, a small brook running down the middle - it's nearly swallowed by bushes and weeds. When we got to the field, it was thick with grass, weeds, and thistles, matted and soggy from the rains. It was tough going, but beautiful weather and, as usual on the Plain, a brisk wind was keeping us cool. We took pictures along the way and at the farm. I've made a slide show for you. This farm was once thriving and well-kept when my grandfather ran it. I have wonderful memories of growing up there. There were 960 acres of fields, pastures and wood lots, all neatly ordered with crops, livestock and buildings - alive and thriving. It was very sad to see it abandoned, even though the original barns are now gone and the house is hardly recognizable. There are no other farms on the plain now. All have been abandoned or the buildings gone and the land sold.

There is no sign of anything happening at the silos, either. It was our understanding Unicel would have the tower in service this fall, but we didn't see any evidence of work having begun.

Here is the slide show of our trek this afternoon. Slides

We heard today that Garey Larrabee, owner with his wife Jane of Hastings Store, is in the hospital in St. Johnsbury. We'll try to find out more tomorrow and report to you.

There has been more sunshine today than we expected, although there were plenty of rain showers, too. The forecast for the week looks better than expected - things have changed a bit apparently, so now it's looking good for the weekend. That would be really nice. There are warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and ponds that are running high water because of the possibility of bacteria being present. Some swimming areas have been closed because of this. I guess with all the rain we've had, almost anything could be in the water; hopefully it will settle down with a few days of sunshine without rain.

We've been checking in on the Red Sox game tonight, but it's now in the 9th inning and only one point spread, so I guess I'll go see what happens.

This beautiful beast just wandered through our back yard. Woody (our cat) woke up just before she arrived, so Fred picked him up so he could watch the deer. Woody stopped purring and fixed his attention on the deer until she was out of sight. We suppose he remembers being chased by that mother deer early this spring. There was no fawn with this one, and she looked very healthy. The deer will be frequent visitors now, keeping the little green apples cleaned up under our tree. They have kept the hosta in the back yard neatly trimmed this summer, too.

There is little news and lots of rain. It's like last winter when I was writing every day about more snow! The trend hasn't changed; just the season. It gets depressing to see those showers pictured on Gary Sadowsky's morning forecast for every single day this week. One of our neighbors has a theory: he says there's only so much moisture up there and when things turn around we'll get a very dry spell. I see it more as living in a giant mason jar where, every time the sun warms it, water collects on the top and sides, and then, when the sun goes down, the water falls back onto us. But things could be worse. After working a while in my flowers yesterday I decided to be smart about this weeding thing and let the frost take care of things in a few weeks, then start fresh in the spring. I've advised Fred to do the same - stop dodging showers to mow the lawn; it only grows back twice as fast, we end up with muddy tire tracks all over the place and windrows of soggy, matted grass clippings. Let 'er grow! The deer will love us this fall, we'll save gas and frustration, and in the kind of weather we're having nobody is going to care about how the lawn looks. We all have more important things to contemplate.

We ordered our 2010 wood supply a while back. Our supplier brought the first load right away and said he'd try to bring more in a week or so, which he did. The plan was a load or two every week until our order was filled. The last delivery was about two weeks ago and he told us then he was having a hard time getting around in the woods because it's so wet and said he was already back logged (no pun intended) because of the weather. Things haven't improved. Right now I'd just as soon he not bring more - the area where he will unload is so wet I'm sure that heavy truck will leave deep ruts in the lawn - but it may not matter because if we don't mow again they won't show up much. No point in trying to dry the wood now, so let the trees stand a bit longer. It's unfortunate, though because wood is this man's livelihood and if he can't get the product out, he's not making any money. We complain about the rain, but he's got a really serious problem if things don't change.

Some of you know that our son, Jamie, is a lay monitor for the State of Vermont here at Joe's Pond. He goes out on a regular basis to sample the water clarity at various levels during the summer and makes a report to the state. He told me yesterday the samples he took were way cloudier than normal and even at lesser depths, the report was not good. Joe's Pond has never been one of those crystal clear lakes that have a sandy bottom and you can see forever under water. We have lots of brooks leading into the pond that come through fields and out of forested areas that, in hard rains, bring in a lot of topsoil, silt, and whatever else is along the banks, depositing it into the pond. This is not new, and it isn't going to change; but there are some years better than others. As Ray Richer reported a while back, that murkiness helps keep some stuff like milfoil from growing well. See? There's a positive!

I came upon a photo I want to share with you. It was with some family pictures I was sorting through this weekend, looking for a particular one to send to a cousin. This one was taken in 1934 when my mother taught school in West Danville. It is the graduation of the 8th grade that year. She taught grades four through eight upstairs in the building that used to be Larrabee's Building Supply, later was an exercise gym, and more recently was an auction house. The picture was taken on the lawn by the church. You'll recognize the house on the hill in the background, and perhaps you'll recognize some of the names. From the left, my mother, Arletta Bolton, (?) Harris, Clarence Ainsworth, Maida Johnson, Francis Robinson,Frederick Gilbert,Margaret Brown, Richard Gilbert, Paul Sevigny, Blanche Dansereau and Supt. Natt Burbank. With the exception of the Gilbert boys, I don't think any of them are still alive, but their children and friends may enjoy seeing this picture.

We have added links to two church web sites, one in W. Danville and one in Danville. Look on the drop-down menu for "Links" on home page. Check the Hastings Store link while you're there. There are new features coming up on that site.

I can hardly believe we've had two days free of rain! If it rained last night, I didn't hear it. It was the first night for quite a spell that I haven't been awakened by the drumming of rain on the roof and against the house. I've wished ever since we did this house over that we had put awning type windows in the master bedroom instead of casements. I knew better, but for whatever reason I can't remember now, we're stuck with windows that have to be closed when it rains, preventing getting any fresh air. The overhang on one side helps some, but in storms like we've been having this summer, it just isn't enough.

I actually got into the flower garden to work today. I was busy all day yesterday with other stuff - the alumni luncheon and then at the Cabot Historical Society doing inventory. I didn't see many people I knew yesterday that I don't see on a regular basis. There were lots of strangers there, and some I knew by name when they introduced themselves - probably because of the work I've been doing for the historical society - but as far as finding people who were in school when I was, that just didn't happen. Most of the people there had lived in the Town of Cabot when they went to school. Having gone to grade school on the Plain and only spending my four high school years in the village, I really never got to know a lot of the other students. Someone told me yesterday that she never really realized there was a Cabot Plain. I wasn't surprised. I didn't know much about the village, either, until I went to high school. We always went "the other direction," towards W. Danville, Danville and St. Johnsbury. Even now, it seems strange to head off in that direction, and I'm always glad to come back to the Plain and Joe's Pond, leaving the noise of the village behind. The big trucks from the creamery and other loud traffic can literally call a meeting to a halt. I guess one gets used to the racket.

Fred and I walked early this morning. We haven't been walking much at all with all the rain, and this morning it was fresh and cool, a perfect morning to be outside. We were greeted by the herd of cattle opposite the field where the horses are. This morning the horses took a back seat for our attention because the cattle were very vocal. They put on quite a show - a resounding chorus of voices bellowing in unison. There were a few still off in the woods somewhere, lending their voices from time to time, but never showing up to join in with the main group.

As I sit here at my computer, the day has declined and I've had to take a minute to close the house up. Fred got the lawn mowed and I'm enjoying the smell of the newly cut grass; but the air is cooling down and we'll probably have a little fire in the wood stove tonight. Let the rain begin - again.

(New slide show at bottom of post.)
We're going to dodge the rain showers and head out to do errands today. It will be interesting, too, seeing any water damage along the way. Towns especially in the Central Vermont area were hard hit by the deluge of water yesterday - gulf towns along Rt. 12, and a few north of us. According to the forecast, later today the rain will begin again and last through the weekend. We'll all be growing gills and webbed feet before the summer is over. I know I've worn my barn boots more this year than any year I can remember since I left the farm of my childhood.

Speaking of childhood - I've agreed to speak to the Cabot alumni group on Saturday at their luncheon. That should be a hoot. I have never gone to one of their gatherings although I've belonged to the Alumni Association for quite a number of years. I'm looking forward to seeing people I probably will be embarrassed that I don't remember and being surprised at who they are. I'm awful with names. Lots of times I recognize a face but don't have a clue who it belongs to. I'll spend a few minutes telling them about the work I've been doing for the Cabot Historical Society, and then I'll be back at the historical society in the a afternoon - working. It's going to be another soggy day, and with gas prices the way they've been, could be there won't be as many people around as usual. We'll see.

We need to get going, but if we get some good pictures this morning, I'll post them later.

Later: The Passumpsic River was very swift today, almost over its banks in places. We took pictures as we came off Railroad Street onto Concord Avenue heading east. We were across the river from The Old Mill exercise club and Elements restaurant, near where the Moose river flows from East St. Johnsbury into the Passumpsic. Lots of water going over the dams, for sure.

As we were leaving this morning, Fred snapped a picture of our "lower 40" - the lawn below our house - quiet, peaceful, even a faint glimmer of sunshine. If we walk there, though, the ground is wet with the water running off the hillside above. No raging waters here, but still everything is very soggy. I haven't had to remember to water my hanging petunias or any of the outdoor plants this year, but I have had to empty gallons of water out of the two big containers for my scheffleras. Poor things don't get a chance to dry out. Here are the pictures we took this morning:

Slides

After the rain let up a bit this morning, Fred and I went down to our camp on West Shore Road to check the water level, tie down anything that might float away, and survey the area. The water in the pond was high, but not much higher than it has been most of the summer, given that with a day here and there when we had no rain and with the rubber dam open as much as possible, things have been relatively stable. We were there at around 11 o'clock, and I imagine by now the level of the pond has come up considerably. We took pictures, and they will give you an idea of how the water was pouring into the pond - and we looked at only two sources - the brook between our cottage and Ned Hamilton's, and the runoff between Jane Ward's and us coming from the culvert and the ditch on the hill going up to Rt. 2.

We were surprised that all the water in the ditch came from the hill under the electric power line. We haven't been out in that woods for several years, but never realized how much water came from there. The woods was always marsh land, and right now it must be just a spongy mass of muck.

You can see how high the brook that drains the swamp in back of Hamilton's is and that it was over its banks in several places behind their garage and next to their barn. The tennis court area was kind of under water, too.

Further up the road, the brooks seemed not to be raging quite the same - perhaps because there is less development and the water can spread out before being channeled through culverts. We are expecting more rain - in fact, there's a warning for severe thunderstorms, possible hail and wind this evening. Super weather. Here's the slide show: Pictures

Homer came to pick up Ice-Out tickets today - it was good to see him. We saw him for a few minutes at the fair Saturday night, but not to talk to. Homer does a great job selling Ice-Out tickets for us, and we can always depend on him to host the media when they come looking for a story each spring. If anyone needs tickets, Homer has plenty for now, and so do I. The stores in W. Danville have them, too. Diane and I haven't delivered to the usual outlets yet - once snow flies we'll begin to think more seriously about Ice-Out; but there are quite a few early birds who want their tickets now. Like Homer says, it's remarkable how much the contest has grown over the years.

Another day of rain - and I mean POURING rain. It's been coming down quite heavily since early morning. Fred got up as usual at first light, around 5:30. I hardly ever find anything important enough to get out of bed at that hour for, so I sure wasn't about to rise and shine early on this kind of day. I slept in and I apparently haven't missed much. My day hasn't been very exciting so far except what I'm hearing on my scanner.

There are overflowing culverts - on Rt. 14 a cedar swamp is flooded and there's three feet of water rushing across the road. In West Danville, the culvert by Indian Joe's can't handle the rush of water and it's flowing across the road depositing gravel from the road above onto the beach and into the pond. Also in front of Hasting's Store there's a water problem. Sounds like a fourth pond may have formed there. Drive carefully, please. Another call was about a tree down and burning on power lines - don't know where that was. Busy day for work crews and emergency teams.

Steve Allen sent this about the picture of the old car I posted the other day. I really didn't pay much attention to it because it was raining and I didn't want to linger - it just looked like a Chevrolet from the rear (sorry, Don Walker - they all look alike to me). Anyway, here's Steve's e-mail:

Jane, that old car you saw (actually a '55 Ford) was probably headed for the old car meet in Stowe this weekend. I think they expect over 1000 antique vehicles! Any car over 25 years old is considered an antique - glad that doesn't apply to us humans! The meet is held on the big field on the left just before you get into Stowe - afraid they're in for a soggy time this weekend! A lot of those cars come right over RT 2 on their way to the show - we saw a whole trailer truck full of 'em last evening rolling through West Danville.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Now that I look more closely at the picture, I should have known - I used to drive one a lot like that . . . before that there was the Ford convertible and after the kids came, a station wagon - stages of life defined by the cars we drove.

In case you didn't look at the comments page on home page, Helen Morrison has made a good point about people walking their dogs without a leash. It's nice to be able to let a dog go loose, but very dangerous on roads that are heavily traveled like West Shore Road is. People in cottages along W. Shore Road may not realize that the stretch they walk is but a small part of the road system that serves many homes, both year around and vacation spots, and with those homes comes traffic from residents, service providers and visitors. West Shore Road is different in that respect from other roads around the lake that serve only the summer residents. So do be careful, take precautions by keeping well to the side of the road when walking, and keep your dogs close.

As for the cat situation - it is very distressing to find a bedraggled cat huddled in the snow, left behind by someone who has moved. Every fall this seems to happen here - we don't know if these cats are strays that hang around with summer folks and become temporary family pets or what - but whatever the category (no pun intended), if you have a cat around in the summer, please, for the sake of the poor animal, don't just lock up and leave it behind. Take it to one of the vets and ask that they find it a home. There used to be working farms in the area and cats could generally find a place to get inside to stay warm and be fed; but this is no longer the case in this immediate area, so the poor animals are left to fend for themselves in deep snow and severe cold, with no place to go.

Thanks, Helen, for reminding people.

I went with Fred yesterday to Marty's 1st Stop in Danville for gas for the lawn mower. First, we stopped in W. Danville to pick up the Joe's Pond Association mail. As we left the parking area, this old Chevvie was just pulling out. Classy cars, weren't they? I wondered how many miles to the gallon it gets. Seems to me they used to get in the area of 20-22; but when that car was new, gas was about 25 cents a gallon. Of course, anybody who got paid anything over a dollar an hour was pulling in the big bucks.

At Hastings Store we found some fresh blueberries and raspberries that we couldn't resist. There was a yummy looking chocolate cake there Fred had his eye on, but he's trying to cut down on "treats" since he isn't outside bucking up a woodpile these days. We found fresh corn at Marty's - and that made me realize how late in the season it really is. Jane Larrabee had just said to me, "Danville Fair's over with so we may as well get out our snow shovels." What a bummer!! Then, as I was watching the news last night, I glanced out the window towards Davidson Drive above Rt. 15, and the sun was highlighting Matt and Deborah Jacovelli's, Cynthia Donlon's and the Prevost's - a weak, flickering shaft through the billowing dark clouds that were making premature night time. I grabbed the camera. (It looks dark, but click on the picture to make it bigger.)

As if it wasn't enough that Jane had ruined my day by conjuring images of snow and shoveling, and now the day had been drastically shortened by threatening dark clouds, as I swung around on the deck from taking that picture, there it was, right in front of me as it must have been for a week or more - a young maple tree almost completely turned. I walked across the driveway to take the picture, and standing there in the wet grass I realized there was a cool breeze and - yes, there it was - a tinge of fall in the air. Darn. Summer gone? So soon?

Ok. So Mother Nature played a bit of a cruel trick on us this year, but lots of things are still pretty normal - there are the berries, the corn, the garden vegetables, the promise of ripening apples, things that are pretty much on time and normal, a lot better than we might have thought. And there's still autumn to look forward to before the snow comes. We could have a spectacular, if a bit early, display of color this year to make up for Mother N's devilish trickery. We should be thankful that in between the showers we've had some spectacular days - and things are bound to turn around soon, right? She's going to run out of water eventually, isn't she? I just hope the electric company is going to be cutting rates due to all the electricity they've been making from the water running out of Joe's Pond . . .

BRING THE WORLD HOME

Did you know that the world can fit into your home? You could find out by hosting an AFS participant from one of more than 50 AFS countries!

AFS host families are people who care about youth, education and the future. Some have teenagers, others have young children or children who have already left home, or no children at all. Some host parents are married. Some are single.

AFS families live on farms, in small towns, in suburbs and in city apartments. They are of all races and nationalities. They are people who are willing to take time to share with a new son or daughter.

AFS families receive no pay; getting a new son or daughter is the reward! Hosting creates a lifetime friendship with another person – and often – with another family in a different part of the world. Hosts also benefit from friendships with people who have an international perspective and by participating in AFS activities with them.

If your family would like to host or you would like to understand more about this opportunity, please contact Susan Cherry of St. Johnsbury at 274-1681 or cherrysam@kingcon.com.

You can also talk to other Cabot families who have hosted before. For more info, call Lisa North at 563-3086 or email LNorth@afsc.org. See AFS Student biographies above right. Click poster to enlarge.

I just had this e-mail from a friend made a couple years ago via the Ice-Out Contest. He lives in Tacoma, WA and calls himself Peter Rabbit. (I'm apparently in his address book because I get all sorts of forwards I usually discard, but sometimes they are cute like the one he sent that I posted earlier today). I expect his friend who has these puppies lives on the west coast, too, and that would be a difficult trip for these little guys, but I thought the picture was so cute I'd post it, along with his friend's message and the picture. The breed is Bichon Frise.

Hi everyone, These are my new puppies for sale. I would love to share my joy.
The pink collar is the first born girl, the next is the mellow yellow
collar the second girl, then blue collar is calm boy and the last is Red collar boy. The boys are selling for 850.00 and the girls are 900.00. If you know of anyone that is interested please forward this picture. They will be ready at 8 weeks for their new home.
Thank you.

I googled the breed and came up with lots of information and photos - they sure are cuties.

Start your day with a laugh. This came to me from a friend on the west coast. Turn up your sound. This is a phone call from a man who witnesses a car accident involving four elderly women. It was so popular when they played it on CHUM FM, that CBS picked it up. The guy's laugh is contagious. Just close your eyes and picture what he sees.


I can't believe we've got get another gloomy day. Showers expected, but clearing tonight. That's not going to help much, but apparently it's going to stay clear through the night and into tomorrow. It will be nice to be able to have the windows open more than a mere crack at night, though.

I worked yesterday at the historical society building in Cabot, doing inventory. We hope to finish up before we close this winter - it's a really slow job because every picture, every small item and every large one must be counted, described, photographed and numbered. I was looking for more copies of the "Contact," a monthly newsletter Rev. E. H. Nickerson sent to all the men and women in the service during WWII, from March of 1943 to July of 1946. I didn't find what I was looking for, but fortunately, Caleb Pitkin had made a CD of most of them when we were doing the oral history book in 1999, and with what we had at the historical society, I was able to make copies and now we have a complete set of originals except for the one issue I had to copy from his CD.

They are extraordinary in that there are letters from those in the service, local news about everyday happenings in Cabot, jokes, reports on the whereabouts of those serving and as much as was permitted, about how the war was going. The newsletter served as a go-between for not only family members and those serving, but for the men and women in service to find fellow members and keep in touch.

Rev. Nickerson was producer and editor, typing and mimeographing each copy with the help of some high school students and other volunteers, and he also found sponsors to help with the cost of producing and mailing the newsletters each month. At Christmas, packages of food and other items were sent - the Goodrich farm sent maple syrup, and packages were sent well ahead of Christmas in the hope they would find the men somewhere near the right time. The government restricted mailings to under five pounds and not more than one package a week sent to any one person; therefore, because the packages Rev. Nickerson was sending went over five pounds, he split them up, sending one package from "Contact" and the second one from himself. Postage in 1944 for those packages cost $75 - the contents were donated or purchased with money donated by local people.

Those "Contact" issues are a rare bit of history, incorporating local as well as a very personal view of life on the home front and in the front lines.