A slightly belated "Happy Birthday" to Pam Hebert (Old Homestead Rd.)! To celebrate turning 60, Pam ran in The Kindom Challenge 5k Race in St. Johnsbury. This picture is by Jacob Grant at the Caledonian Record. That's Pam in the middle row with her son, Chris. In the back row are Pam's husband, Joe, Chris' wife, Lisa, and Pam and Joe's other son, Tim. Holding the signs are Chris and Lisa's children, Rachel and Devin. Truly a family celebration - everyone was very proud of Pam.

*****

I had a message recently from Cherese Mason. Cherese makes those wonderful doggie treats named for her dogs, Tucker and Wyatt - and I think she's calling her business "New England Doggie Treats," or at least that's what her new web site will be called. Here's what she sent to me:

My doggie bakery has really taken off! I only work 10 hours a week at my other job out of the home now that I'm so busy. I sell to Maine, Massachesettes, New Hampshire,etc., and the best of all LOCALLY. My website will be finished in the next week or so. It will be WWW.Newenglanddoggietreats.com I am excited to indroduce my new biscuit.......it is a small bite-size treat in the shape of a loon and hand decorated. I call them "The Joe's Pond Loons." Each one is handcut and decorated. You get a 6oz bag for only $9.95. Until my website is up people can call me to order, 802 272-4642, or e-mail me at Tuckerandwyattsgourmetbiscuits@verizon.net. I have a huge assortment of holiday and other bakery items. I hope all of my fellow Joe"s Ponders will browse on my website. I'm having so much fun! Also now taking orders for my "Turkey Gobblers" through Nov.10, a turkey-shaped decorated biscuit....so cute at 6 for $5.95. Also anyone from the pond who has ordered from me who wants to send a picture of their dog for the "taste-monial" page on my site would be welcomed! Send pic to Tuckerandwyattsgourmetbiscuits@verizon.net. Thanks Jane. Stay warm - can't believe we already have snow!

*****

The following message came from Homer Fitts:

HI TO ALL,

" HAPPY HALLOWEEN "

BEAUTIFUL DAY HERE NOW AFTER BEING ONLY 18 ABOVE THIS MORNING.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A SPECIAL EVENING. LOTS OF KIDS TRICK OR TREATING, OR ENJOY YOUR OWN PARTIES.

MOST OF THE SNOW HAS MELTED EXCEPT WHERE IT IS IN THE SHADE.

I AM LUCKY AND STILL FEELING GOOD EVEN WITH THE CHEMO ETC.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN,

HOMER

*****

I never got around to letting folks know this morning that there was a skimming of ice in the reeds at the north end of the lake this morning. As soon as the sun got up a bit, it was gone, but it's a good indicator the water temperature is heading down daily. The pond is usually frozen over by around Thanksgiving, but last year was very unusual and it wasn't until after Christmas that it was frozen completely. We'll keep you posted on that.

On Wednesday we had quite a bit of snow. Fred got the snow blower going and took some pictures that evening as it was still snowing. Woody was outside with him for a while, but really doesn't care too much for the snow except if one of us is outside with him, and then he will sometimes stay with us. He stayed close to the garage door to be sure he got to go in as soon as Fred did.

On Thursday morning, we went into St. Johnsbury. Here at our house it looked like real winter, but in W. Danville we noticed there wasn't quite as much snow. By the time we got to St. Johnsbury, there was hardly any. Not unusual, and as we headed back about noon towards Danville on Rt. 2, we could see it was snowing in the hills ahead, and we got back into winter weather as we approached W. Danville. Above, West Shore Road as we headed out around 9:30 a.m., and the view as we went across the bridge into West Danville. The lower picture is Railroad Street in St. J.

The sun has been bright all day today (Friday) and by late afternoon when we took a short walk, it was in the 40's and very comfortable. The farmer who had the beef critters pastured beyond our house near Deeper Ruts Road has apparently taken them home. Wisely, he has taken down the fence next to the road so the snowplow wouldn't wreck it. The horses across the road in the big field will stay out all winter. They have a shelter to get out of the wind, and that's all they need. The folks who live there take good care of their horses and they always look healthy and happy. One whinnied at us as we went by - very friendly. Folks still in our area may be interested in the products available at the Helfend farm on Deeper Ruts Road. Henretta Splain says their chickens are exceptional. You'll probably notice a difference in how the eggs taste, too - their hens are free range.

We had a house audit done today by Josh Larose from a company called EnergySmart of Vermont out of Barre. It was interesting to see all the gadgets, especially the wind machine that is the equivalent of a 30 m.p.h. wind sucking the air out of the house - and thus showing where air can come into the house. We'll have a full report in about a week, and while Josh said our house is general not too bad for heat loss, there are several things we can do to make it more energy efficient so we'll use less fuel and still be comfortable and warm. That's Josh in his "space suit" ready to crawl into our attic space to check things like insulation depth and vent openings. The other picture is just some of the tools he brought to test the house for drafts and air leaks. We found it a very interesting process. Josh said even new houses have things that can be corrected to make them tighter, more efficient and healthier. If you'd like to visit his company's web site, go to www.energysmartvt.com

These announcements came today. For those who like Bingo, here's a chance to have some fun and benefit the Cabot Recreation Department. Click on the poster to enlarge it.


The following is the agenda for the upcoming Cabot School Board meeting
CABOT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Monday, November 3, 2008
Information Center - 5:30 p.m.
Meeting is open to the public.

FUTURE MEETINGS:
1. There will be a Special School Board meeting on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 7 p.m. at Cabot School in the Information Center.
2. Next "Regular" Cabot Board meetings will be on Monday, November 17, 2008 at Cabot School in the Information Center at 6:00 p.m.
3. Next Superintendent Position/Governance Search Committee meetings will be on Wednesday, November 5th at Twinfield Union School’s Library; and Wednesday, November 19th at Cabot School in the Information Center. All meetings begin at 7 p.m.

If you're looking for something special and worthwhile to do this weekend, head to the North Country Chorus Concert at the North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury on Sunday, Nov. 2nd at 3 p.m. This concert is for the benefit of area food shelves.


Matt Randall (W. Shore Rd. and Lyndon State College) sent this poster to me. You may remember him from his performance a couple years ago in "Cabaret" - this year Matt is co-director of "The Boarding House." If you have the opportunity, go see the show next weekend. It's at the Twilight Theater on the LSC campus - I know you'll enjoy it.

George and Pat Parizo have been bird watching today . . .

Three Hooded Merganser Ducks stopped by this morning to say good-by on their way South. This is the first ones that I have seen since Spring. They summer in northern Canada, and head south in late fall. If we are lucky, we may see more before the lake skims over for winter. The biggest one is a male, the other two are hens, or young birds? Interesting, they are the first Ducks back in the spring. In their winter feathers in the spring, they may look similar to loons, only they ride higher in the water. Look twice to identify. (check out the small bill)

The Joe,s Pond Snow Maiden was seen this morning showing the song and snow birds the way South. I saw a flock of Robins hopping across the black top drive way looking and feeling for earth worms. If they want worms from under the black top, they better put on hardened steel bills!! Or go south - now !!

George Parizo

Thanks, George and Pat -

Then I found the following from my friend in the north west, Peter Rabbit. I hope you get a chuckle out of it . . .

They're Back! Church Bulletins: Thank God for church ladies with typewriters -- misspellings, bad sentence construction or choice of words all make for fun reading. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
--------------------------------------------------------
The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
--------------------------------------------------------
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

-------------------------------------------------------
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.
--------------------------------------------------------
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
-------------------------------------------------------
Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
--------------------------------------------------------
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing:
"Break Forth Into Joy."
---- --- --- -------------------------------------------
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So
ends a friendship that began in their school days.
------------------------------------------- ------------
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?"
Come early and listen to our choir practice.

--------------------------------------------------------
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
-------------------------------------------------------
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow..
-----------------------------------------------------
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
-----------------------------------------------------
This evening at 7 PM there will be hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
-------------------------------------------------
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
-----------------------------------------------------
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
-----------------------------------------------------
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
----------------------------------------------------
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church
basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
----------------------------------------------------
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
----------------------------------------------------
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours!

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE WHAT CABOT MIDDLE SCHOOL PUPILS HAVE GOING ON FOR HALLOWEEN!

Pat Parizo on Sandy Beach Road was taking pictures just about the same time I was this morning. Thanks, Pat - nice sunrise, and the water looks calm enough to freeze in this shot . . . won't be long! Here's what Pat wrote:

This is one of the reasons that we love it at Joes Pond all seasons. I took this this morning out our front window with the sun coming through the clouds.

Pat

We awoke to a black and white world this morning. Fred reports only a few inches of snow, but he's gone out to make a track on the driveway with the snow blower - the first real snow is always kind of exciting. I feel "tucked in" and secure with the fire blazing lazily in the soapstone, my gardening projects all finished, the wood piled high in the garage and more drying outside. Everything is suddenly quieter, like we'd just stepped into a library and there are only whispers allowed. Even the snow blower's rumble is muffled by the locked-down windows and storm doors now in place. The snow is sifting off the roof as gusts of wind whip out of the northwest.

I'm hearing on the scanner that roads are slippery in our area and road crews are busy taking care of icy spots. This will all be history by Thursday afternoon and Friday, with pretty nice weather over the weekend. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy our first real taste of winter here in the north country. I took pictures early this morning - from inside, through the windows, I hasten to add. Even though it's not that cold (30 degrees), I wasn't up for a jaunt in the snow before breakfast. MAYBE later . . .

I had an e-mail yesterday from Sue LaGue about coming out to camp last weekend when we had the heavy rain and wind going on. She also mentioned the plane crash in 1968 in which her father died. Here's what she wrote:

Jack and I went out during the days this past weekend to get more stuff
done.  In Barre, we had a black out after 7PM.  We were having a dinner
party at my brother's. It washttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Airlines_Flight_946 the 40th anniversary of my father's death
from the plane crash on Moose Mountain.  My brother was interviewed by
the Valley News and National Life honored their former employees that
perished with a plaque.  Anyway, it if you are interested its in the
Valley News out of White River I think.  Then we came to Joe's Pond and
a power line was down, crossed the road by Walter's so we didn't dare
cross it and went down our driveway.  A tree on West Shore Rd had broken
and cut the wire that goes to our road and then carries the power down
Sandy Beach Road.  The Bouchards were there and Sue called it in.  The
crew was there soon after we arrived and took care of it before the
Patriot's game, much to Jack's pleasure.  So, the weather forecast for
another Wednesday is snow so we will see how tomorrow turns out.  Take
care.

I found the following about that terrible accident: Valley News

For more about that crash, go to:Wikipedia

I had to run off for an appointment this morning, so I didn't check my e-mail until lunch time - and look what I found!

Pat & George Parizo on Sandy Beach Road wrote:

Good Morning Jane.

Thought you might like to see this moose that just walked across our front lawn over to the Gagne's and then down Sandy Beach Road. Couldn't get a picture on our lawn as we had to get the cameras. Pat and George

Apparently, Ma Moose had visited the Parizo's on Sandy Beach Road before she went up the hill to breakfast on our little maple trees! These pictures were taken at 8:13 a.m. this morning, ours were taken at 8:51. We aren't sure how long she'd been munching on our maples before we saw her, but she was definitely not in any hurry to get wherever she was going.

I had an e-mail from Henretta Splain just above us, and it seems her dog, Cassie, may have seen or at least sensed something - Here's Henretta's message:
Rats! I missed the moose! Saw the old girl in the blog this morning. You know I keep getting the feeling something is wandering around out there when Cassie gives a funny kind of bark. I know when Woodie is around b/c she barks differently then when people jog or walk by. Maybe I'll get to see it one of these days. Henret

It was kind of like watching the opening of the TV series a few years ago, Northern Exposure - you know, where the moose saunters through downtown. We had one stop to munch on the young maples that line our driveway (we've blamed the deer for keeping them cropped, now we know better) and, as we watched, it came up the drive, walked right past us as we stood just outside our garage door, and after calmly checking us out, continued past Fred's wood piles into the woods, headed towards Jamie and Marie's house. I'm guessing it was a female, and the rear end showed quite a bit of gray, so it might not have been a youngster - and it was pretty big! No rack, though. Truly not one of nature's most handsome beasts, but interesting. The excitement is over; I'll go back to my morning coffee now.

Here are two sample ballots for the upcoming elections, courtesy of Bill Walters in Cabot. If you have questions you can call Cabot Town Clerk, Tara Rogerson, at 563-3232. (Click to enlarge.)

If you wish to vote by absentee ballot, you should call your town clerk to make arrangements, or you can go to your town clerk's office during regular business hours and fill out the ballots.

When I checked my mail tonight, I was very happy to find three photos from George and Pat Parizo on Sandy Beach Road. George is getting the knack of taking pictures from the car while speeding down the highway down to a science. The resulting photos, taken the last week of September, are beautiful. Click on them to make them larger for viewing. Below:

On a back road, going to Peacham, taken through the windshield at 30 MPH (Pat was driving her Sports Car), and storm clouds over Peacham.







Looking N/E from the top of the hill above Jane & Fred Brown's house on
West Shore Road.





Beautiful, George, thanks for sharing. See what you folks who left early or that didn't make it to Vermont for the foliage season missed!

Some of you probably know Emily Comstock, Dana and Joanne Comstock's daughter. The Comstocks have a cottage on North Shore Rd., not far from the JPA pavilion, and their home is in Barre. Emily's engagement to Nelson Elder, son of William and Khristine Elder of Ryegate was in the papers this week. Emily is a student at Lyndon State College and works at the Tamarack Grill and Pub at Burke Mountain. Nelson served in the Army Reserves with C-368th Combat Heavy Engineers, and has finished one tour of duty in Kuwait and Iraq. He works for the Ryegate Highway Department. Emily and Nelson plan a September, 2009 wedding. We wish them every happiness.

The weather was very nice all day today, and this morning the sun on our tamarack trees was beautiful. It seemed the sky couldn't get any brighter, and their bright yellow limbs were golden against the blue. It won't be long, though, before they will be bare, too. We lost quite a number of our tamaracks (larches) a couple years ago. We were told there was some kind of disease that hits them in cycles. We had a large larch (try saying that fast ten times!) out back that had to come down, and several others on our property as well as across the road were affected. I had planted some small ones that seemed to thrive, and I learned recently that tamaracks don't do well when crowded by other varieties, so now I wonder if the large cedars, spruce and fir trees in this particular area contributed to their demise. We found out the wood isn't great to burn, but the Indians used the bark for medicinal purposes, and because the wood is so strong and flexible, they used it to make snowshoes.

Today has been a pretty productive day for us. Fred finished stacking the wood that came this week - the tarps are on the stacks, all the summer stuff is now put away and the outside faucet has been turned off. We're ready for the snow whenever it comes. It was such a nice day, before he turned off the water, Fred even washed the car one more time.

We had lots of wind and rain last night, just as forecast. Our cat, Woody, went out while it was raining very hard. He generally comes in at least once during the evening to have a snack, but last night he stayed out. We called to him a few times, but weren't surprised we didn't get any response. After all, he's a cat not a dog, and is expert at ignoring us. We aren't sure when he came in his kitty door, but he was here this morning - still a little damp, but none the worse for having spent the night outside in the storm. We have no idea where he might have holed up, but we know water doesn't seem to bother him much. He often comes in drenched. He loves to have Fred or me towel him off, and usually hangs out with us only a few minutes and asks to go outside again - back into the rain and wet - we think because he enjoys the rubdowns so much, he sometimes seems to come in just for that. He was outside again hunting early this morning where Fred found him intent on some poor unsuspecting little critter. (See him in the picture above?) He finally crashed about ten o'clock, well out of everyone's way on top of the kitchen cabinets. He'll get back to the hunt as soon as it gets dark, though. It's a tough job, but he's up to it.

No rain tonight - the sky looks pretty clear, actually, but I think we're in for showers off and on most of the week, and gradually colder temperatures.

We're tying things down, getting ready for a bit of a storm. It will be a good night to stay by the fire - but I think we should have our kerosene lamps and candles ready. The forecast is for heavy rain and gusty winds 50 m.p.h. or more - and while that doesn't sound like much to those of you who have experienced hurricanes, it can be enough to tip trees onto power lines along some of our back roads. I don't think it will be very cold, and that makes a power outage easier to deal with. When it's 20 below and the power goes out for a while, we can be in trouble. Our flag is straight out - the wind is out of the south.

Fred now has the final three cords of wood for our 2009-10 heating season. 2008-9 wood is all dry and under cover in the garage. We've actually had the little soapstone stove going since before Labor Day - on cold days and evenings for a while, but now it burns continuously. Fred is outside now, (that's him heading up the hill with his chain saw) trying to get as much as he can of the last three loads that came yesterday stacked and covered with a tarp before the rain comes. I was out until lunch time finishing tying up and staking trees against the wind and heavy snow and cold of winter; I also put stakes along the stone walkway as a guide for Fred when he uses the snowblower to keep the path open. I think it could cause quite a lot of damage if he ran off the edge of the stones and got one caught in the augers of the snowblower. Once the snow banks are up a foot or so there's no problem, but sometimes the first few snowstorms are just enough to make everything look level and it's hard to tell where the walk is.

I was out on our deck a few minutes ago and watched the storm coming from Walden. (see picture below.) It seems to follow Rt. 15 and in a few minutes we will probably begin to get some rain. We've been hearing gun shots from down on the pond - I expect they are hunting ducks or maybe partridges. It always makes me a little nervous, especially since hearing about people being accidentally shot while sitting in their own homes. I really think target practice should only be allowed in an area well away from homes and other buildings - preferably in a bowl like a sand pit. With cottages and rear around homes ringing our pond, it doesn't seem to be very safe to allow hunting here,either, although I don't think we actually have very many hunters come here to hunt. It seems unfair to hunt the ducks here on Joe's Pond because they are very used to people. I think it's against the law to shoot them in the water - but when they're so tame, how the heck do you get 'em to fly? Shoot in the air, I guess. You can tell I don't know a thing about duck hunting . . .

YOUR SITE IS MOST INFORMATIVE. NOT MUCH MISSING AND KUDOS ON A FINE JOB. FRIEND OF JOE'S PONDERS: CHICO

Thanks, Chico [Carcoba]. We appreciate your letting us know you like the web site. Many of you will recognize that Chico has been the computer guru who input all the Ice-Out Contest information for us. He's done a great job for us for about 10 years.

Beautiful morning! Crisp and bright - it's the beauty before the beast that's lurking for us on Saturday when we can expect rain and gusty winds starting off a pattern of cloudy, rainy (or snowy) weather for most of next week, if the forecast is correct. We'll enjoy today even more knowing what's ahead.

A couple days ago I posted a picture of the cannon at the Parizo's. George sent me the "rest of the story" --

In response to the Cannon sitting on our lawn :

First let me say’ IT’S NOT REAL’

Back in 1965 Pat’s parents had a dock made using a set of farm wheels that the builder supplied. The old dock was used for a couple of years, then disassembled and the wheels were pushed into the woods where they were forgotten about for over 35 years.

Being blessed with 5 grandchildren, I thought I should build something they could play with when they were all here together. Ha, the wheels! A large piece of electrical PVC conduit and some lumber that I had left over and the cannon project was launched. It took me 3 months to get the rusty wheels to turn and another 2 months putting it all together.

With a little training, the grandchildren became a crack gun crew, keeping the Pirates in check on Joe's Pond with their “ toy” cannon. We can all rest safely at night knowing that the fearless protectors of Joe's Pond did battle with the imaginary Pirates such as Captain Kid, Black Beard, and Captain Jack and his band of Pirates and were successful in bringing law and order to the lake.

As the children get older the cannon remains as a reminder of all the fun they had when visiting us. It’s also used to sit on and talk about things that teenagers talk about. The wooden bucket under the carriage is full of tennis balls and the Lab. dogs can get them out and play with them when ever they want ( they don’t put them back) . . . And at last, it looks good on the Fourth of July under the flagpole with the stars and strips floating in the breeze over head.

(If the Pirates ever dare to return, I’m sure that the next generation can be trained to man the cannon and be pressed into service).

George Parizo

So there you have it! Thanks, George for the story and for the photo.

George also sent two beautiful foliage shots - both were taken in September before we lost the beautiful colors. The first was taken from the water looking at the shore along West Shore Road. From left to right are cottages as follows: Fillion, Vanetti, Rogers, Pollack, Rouleau, Rossi, LaPrade, Beattie, and a little of Bertrand's. Some are hidden in the shadow of the trees, but you can pick them out, I think. (Click to enlarage.)

This picture was taken from the car on Rt. 15 in Walden in September. George said Pat was driving, so that corn field was going by at 50 m.p.h. Nice shot, George.

I stopped in at Hastings to pick up the mail this morning and Jane was about to leave for Jenny's. Jenny and James are expecting the birth of their little girl in late November - right around Thanksgiving. Jane said everything is fine and the whole family is excited about the new baby coming. Garey really wanted to go to Jenny's baby shower, but the ladies were firm and told him no men allowed. However, at the party a very strange looking lady nobody knew showed up. It didn't take them long to figure out it was Garey - in drag. (Somebody please send me a picture!!) They called him "Blanche" (and perhaps a few other things) and kicked him out.

I got my flu shot this morning. I'm going to find out about getting a shot for shingles, too! I think I'm pretty much over them now, but I sure don't want 'em again. I'm still a little parenoid and keep thinking "there's more coming!!" So far, so good, though. I'm told it isn't unusual that the creepy sensations hang around for a while, but it sure keeps me guessing - and worrying the end isn't in sight.

Some of you may have walked on Wightman Road, the loop off of Rt. 2 opposite the power plant road that takes you past Laferrier's and comes out near the VTrans depot, before the washout this summer. According to last reports, no decision has been made on whether to fix that big culvert or leave it as is. Quite a lot of work and material will be needed to fix the deep ravine where the brook runs, but if it isn't fixed there will be two dead-end roads which would make it harder for the town plows, etc., and lots of folks would miss being able to walk the loop. Apparently nothing will be done in the near future, whatever the decision.

We've noticed work going on here and there on this side of the pond. On Sandy Beach Road, the Richer's are working on their garage/workshop; at Byrd's there is a nice new garage and new metal roof on it and the camp; on West Shore Road, workmen are at Randy Rouleau's; and what looks like septic stuff going on at Geer's. We haven't been over to the other side of the pond lately, so I don't know if anything is getting updated there. We'll try to get over there soon.

I think that's about it from here today. I need to get back to work on the musty old newspapers and other stuff for the Cabot Historical Society. I have finished the Blodgett book - I combined two manuscripts written years ago by the Rev. Fred Blodgett, into a hard cover book for the historical society and published it this week. It's always exciting when I publish a book - can't wait to see the finished product. I'll have it in about two weeks. We had lots of pictures of Rev. Blodgett's family and I added those so there are 168 pages in the book. I'll be putting other papers and documents into book form as time goes on. That way the information is readily available for use and the originals are stored to prevent being destroyed by further handling.

We are patiently awaiting snow tonight, possibly 2-3 inches in the higher elevations. But that weather is supposed to clear out of here tomorrow and we will have nicer weather on Thursday - and hopefully, for the weekend.

The local news media throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, and by now probably other states, all carried the Associated Press story about Walter Celley of Cabot shooting a really big moose. Here's the gist of the story:

Monday, October 20

CONCORD, N.H. - A 69-year-old Vermont man bagged the biggest moose so far in New Hampshire's annual hunt.

State game officials say Walter Celley of Cabot, Vt., got his 820-pound bull in far northwestern New Hampshire. The moose's antlers measured 61 inches across.

The hunt began Saturday and runs through this Sunday. State Fish and Game officials say hunters got 147 moose in the first two days. The state held a lottery for the 515 permits.

The department's Kristine Rines says the results were about the same as for the first two days of last season.

I plugged in "Walter Celley, Cabot" on the Google search engine and was amazed at the information that popped up. I'm always surprised that there's so much info on the internet about almost anyone. There is an increasing amount of historical information, too. All it takes is for someone to mention one's name in a newspaper article, on TV, or publish something on the internet and I guess it's "out there" forever more. Scary, isn't it?

I was going through some floppy disks today and found some old photos I'd saved a long time ago. I can't even remember where I got some of them, but there were several I'll include with the other Cabot photos I've been working with. I'll soon have enough for another DVD . . . This one is of the old crawler tractor plow I've mentioned before - the one that needed at least three men aboard, one in the cab to drive and two riding on the back to operate the wings, raising, lowering or cranking 'em in or out as needed. This was taken on what is now called Brickett's Crossing Road - they were almost to Rt. 215 in Walden. You can see the Bolton farm (now Sousa's) in the background at the top of the ridge. The farm that is closer in the picture was probably the Jim Gamble place that is now Dave Covell's. That was a lot of snow to plow!

I'm still going through old photos and hope to find some of Joe's Pond that you may not have seen before. I found one of Edgar Houghton, who I believe was Seldon Houghton's father. Seldon was a prominent businessman in Danville. He worked at the Caledonia National Bank for many years. I believe the family moved to West Danville when Seldon was young, but they had lived in Cabot earlier. The picture was probably taken in mid-1800's. Folks were very proud of their horses in those days, and apparently this one Edgar is holding was worth a picture. My great grandfather, John Bolton, was a horse trader. Some years ago I found an ad in an old newspaper offering his horse, "Bolton Boy" for stud service. There was a long lineage quoted, and from what my father and grandfather told me, John was more interested in horses than he was in farming. My grandfather told me he'd get a pair of horses well broken in to work together and then his father would sell one of them. So my grandfather would have to start over again. The horses were brought here from out west and were quite wild, so required a lot of training.

Then there was the story my grandfather used to like to tell about a neighboring farmer who came from Canada. This farmer had an uncommonly large, well-proportioned and cared-for bay horse, but it was blind. A horse dealer came along and spotted the horse and offered to buy it. The neighbor said no, but the dealer persisted, questioning why he wouldn't sell the animal, to which the farmer replied in broken English, "He don't look so good." The dealer allowed the horse looked fine to him and finally made an offer the farmer couldn't refuse and led the horse away. Within a day or so he was back. "You didn't tell me that horse is blind!" the dealer stormed. The farmer said, "Mais oui! I say he don't look so good all the time!"

This caused me to chuckle: In response to yesterday's blog, a friend of a friend wrote, "Seems it was just another day in Lake Woebegon." Of course, I immediately thought of Garrison Keeler's shows and remembered his description of Lake Woebegon - "where the women are strong, the men are good looking and all the children are above average." Is that Joe's Ponders or what!? So, like Mr. Keeler says, "Be well, do good work and keep in touch." Always good to hear from our readers.

The weather is continuing to be very nice - seasonal, but cooler than it has been. The forecast is for snow flurries on Wednesday. We took a short walk late in the afternoon and Henretta Splain came along in her really quiet hybrid car - you just can't hear the motor, really cool. She's had it for a while and it got her through the winter last year just fine. She had her best friend, Cassie, with her. Cassie is a very affectionate dog we've known since she was a puppy, and Fred took a picture of the two of them. As you can see, Cassie got her licks in before Henretta could stop her.

We took a shortcut down Sandy Beach Road instead of going all the way down West Shore Road. We knew about Jack and Sue LaGue's driveway, but hadn't actually been down to see it. Very convenient. Looks good, and I expect it will be an easier access to Meadow Lane in the spring. The snow is usually pretty deep next to the big pines and it takes a long time for the frost to get out - and for the mud to dry up in the spring, so probably Jack and Sue will be able to drive to their cottage quite a bit earlier from the other direction.

When we got down to George and Pat Parizo's, we noticed they have a cannon on their lawn, pointed "seaward." I suppose it's been there for some time, but we haven't been down that way all summer and this was the first time we'd noticed it. George is waiting for the signal, "one if by land, two if by sea . . . " Perhaps he'll tell us the story behind the cannon.

Butch and Sue Bouchard were just leaving after spending the weekend here, and then we bumped into Jack LaGue and his son heading out from closing up at Dolly's. It was a good day for working outside - cool and bright, so you can get a lot done.

We cut up across the field where the Morgan's cottage is, and made it home as the sun was getting low in the sky. It seemed as if the pond was a deeper blue than usual - really very pretty. There isn't much color in the trees now, but lots on the ground. We startled a partridge as we came back onto West Shore Road from the field. Or maybe I should say the partridge startled us.

I've just been watching an old movie I'd seen at least twice, "Roberta" with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Randolph Scott, among others; Fred is working downstairs on his computer and watching the ball game. Woody came in a few minutes ago with his fur coat all puffed up and seemed a bit agitated, so I expect he'd seen something outside bigger than he is. He peered out the window into the darkness for a little while but now is stretched out on his rug on the desk next to me. He's beginning to adapt to the cold weather, getting into his winter mode of shorter jaunts into the cold night time. Pretty soon he won't be interested in going outside much at all unless he's with one of us. He likes to ride in the wheelbarrow or, when there's snow, on the toboggan, but at night he turns into a hunter - unless the weather's too cold. Then he's happy to stretch out in front of the fire or on one of his many beds throughout the house, from my desk to high on one of the kitchen cabinets, or on the washer next to Fred's desk. He helped capture a mouse in the living room this morning (probably one he'd brought in!) and brought Fred a squirrel tonight. We're getting better all the time at catching the game he brings as "gifts." We opened the door and kind of herded the little mouse outside; the squirrel was slightly dazed when Woody dropped him by Fred's desk tonight and Fred was able to grab him and release him outside. Fred keeps heavy work gloves within easy reach to use for capturing Woody's small game. I have a theory that Woody only brings these gifts into the house when he knows we're here; but Fred just laughs at me for that. Anyway, we love our cat - and I guess he loves us!