Sunday, November 30, 2008


Some of you will remember that some weeks back I reported that a rather strange looking woman had burst in, uninvited, to Jenny Larrabee Rafuse's baby shower. The uninvited and highly questionable "lady" was reportedly shooed away, but not before someone got a couple of very good pictures. I'm told her name was Blanche . . . and there's a vague familiarity about her . . .

Now that I've actually seen "Blanche" I can understand how the ladies at the shower may have been slightly put off by her sudden appearance. Looks like she at least brought a very practical gift. She could really use some facial waxing, thugh . . . and looks like her hand wasn't too steady applying that lipstick. I gotta say, she had it all together . . . love those earrings! She was obviously happy to be there! I hope the ladies weren't too hard on her.

I received the pictures from Jenny along with this note:

I thought you might like to have these...we all thought they were VERY funny.....
Anyway, no baby yet....I think she thinks it is too cold! We will keep you posted!
Jenny (Larrabee) Rafuse

*****

Just a quick weather report - the pond has stayed frozen over except for the narrows where the current is more swift. We have a storm bearing down on us from the south bringing rain, sleet and snow - pretty much a repeat of what we had about a week ago. This may change the look of things as far as the ice is concerned, or because of our elevation, we may get more of the ice and snow. At this hour it has just begun to snow.

We met Bill and Monika for breakfast in St. Johnsbury (at Anthony's) this morning and there is absolutely no snow there.
After breakfast we went out to Bill's house in Waterford to talk about wedding plans and even there we found only patches of snow - nothing like West Danville and Cabot Plain. Fred took a couple of pictures as we came down to Concord Avenue - in the photo on the left you can see just a little of the WSTJ Radio station, the dark red building just right of center in the photo, and the lovely layers of hills to the north of St. Johnsbury. The photo on the right is looking across the valley to The Farmer's Daughter Gift Barn on Rt. 2.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Did everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day yesterday? Hope you are all well and feeling good having had friends and family with you. We had a very nice day with our neighbors and eldest son, Bill and his fiancee, Monika. We enjoyed having everyone with us - a diverse group of people ranging in age from their 30's to 90's. You can bet conversation was lively. At right, Monika, Bill, Elizabeth Wiedmer, Don Encarnacion; below, at the other side of the table, Don, Mary Encarnacion, Ruth Hermida, Louise Siemers, and Fred.


Of course, the usual things went wrong in the kitchen - like the drawers where I keep some of my most necessary large group cooking utensils coming off their tracks so they wouldn't open. I managed to get some items out, but had to improvise on others. I had good help, though. Fred, Bill and Monika were my right hands so we able to have our meal on schedule and sent everyone home full and happy with leftovers so they could all have a turkey sandwich later. Sometimes I think the leftover turkey is the best part of turkey dinners. It usually lasts well into the next week and I always freeze some, plus I freeze the bones so weeks later we have turkey soup. All part of the holiday.


I had a comment from Carol and Larry Byrd (Sandy Beach Rd.) on the posting several days ago about area stores being robbed. They said they were surprised it was in their Florida papers. There's been an interesting development within the last couple of days on those two robberies at the Calais, Vermont store. Apparently it was the owner's daughter who was responsible for both of those. Now that's just plain stupid. I haven't read what reason she gave for needing the money. Anyway, it's still breaking the law.


Here is a link to the full obituary for Ms. Sarzanini (MaryAnne Cassani's mother): Obit


*****


CABOT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Monday, December 1, 2008

Information Center - 6:00 p.m.

1. Call to Order: Chris Tormey, Chair

2. Approval of Minutes

a. November 17, 2008

3. Public Comment

As Needed.

4. Student Report: Lillian Alexander & Jese Feltus

As Needed.

5. Principal's Report: Regina Quinn

a. Collaborative Planning Time

b. Other Updates, As Needed

6. Superintendent's Report: George Burlison

a. Woodchip Facility Update

b. Elementary Guidance Funds - Update

c. Other

7. Board Discussion

a. Budget FY2010

b. Performing Arts Building Update – Chris Tormey

c. Other

8. Board Action

a. Staff Appointment

9. Executive Session

a. Personnel

10. Adjournment

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

We just learned that MaryAnne Cassani's mother, Andreina "Irene" Sarzanini, 91, passed away on Sunday. Services will be held at the Hooker-Whitcomb Funeral Home in Barre, Vermont on Saturday a 1 p.m. There will be more information in Friday's edition of the Times Argus. For friends who wish to send condolences to MaryAnne, her address is Mrs. Louis Cassani, 15 Ridgewood Ter., Barre VT 05641. Her phone is 802-476-8641. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very sad time.
We had rain most of yesterday mixed with heavy, wet snow. The roads were messy and at least one of our neighbors couldn't make it up the grade past our house. Her husband and grandson were able to come and rescue her with their 4-wheel drive, fortunately. We spoke with our road commissioner in Cabot and he said the crews had been "up on the Plains" at least eight times by then, about 4:30 p.m. It was difficult keeping the roads passable, I guess.

I took this picture of the north end of the pond that we can see from our living room window. You can see the snow/ice patterns made by the strong south winds we had yesterday. Today is calm, the thermometer is reading 33 degrees and the sun is bright, so there will be a bit of a meltdown
at least for a while, but our holiday weather picture is more of the same - snow, rain, or a mix, through the weekend.

This second picture is of our front yard, looking onto W. Shore Rd. and across to Rt. 15. We still have plenty of snow on our hills, but there will probably be some bare spots later today, and maybe even open water again. It would be rare for the pond to freeze over just once and remain frozen. We still expect to see open water at least in the big pond again before it closes in for the winter.

I wonder if any of you have any ideas that would explain the rash of burglaries and arson fires we've had lately? I'm a little surprised there has been nothing posted on the "Comments" page about it. Is it the economy that is the underlying cause? TV? stupidity? or just plain cussedness? Darned if I know . . .


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I'm taking a minute this morning to let our Joe's Pond friends know that we're still getting snow while in the lower elevations around us there is a mix of rain or sleet, and I expect the roads are slippery. Our thermometers are reading 35 degrees, and the snow that's falling is wet making moving it a chore. The branches of our big firs and spruces in back of our house are weighted down and Fred said it was slow going with the snow blower this morning. There's a lot of wind, too, so we could be without electricity at some point. Therefore, I'm going to get busy and make my pies today, just in case.

We're having some of our neighbors in - it's become sort of a Thanksgiving tradition over the years for us to get together. Son Bill and Monika will be with us, but the other two boys and their wives have other plans.

Fred and I wish everyone a lovely Thanksgiving, hopefully with your friends and family. I'm sure we're all thinking of so many people who are less fortunate than we and have reached out to help in whatever way we can. We wish you good health and happiness and that you travel safely. Happy Thanksgiving!


Monday, November 24, 2008

I think we can say the countdown for Ice-Out can officially begin as of today. This morning when those of us still residing at the pond looked out from our warm cabins, the lake was white. There's a marked difference once the lake freezes over completely. Our world is quieter. The sound of the water is gone, there's no movement, it looks and feels "still." We feel a bit of excitement - Winter is Here!

That's why Billy Rossi called
early this morning to let us know it was frozen solid. We were on our way out and grabbed the camera so we could document the first freeze-over of the year. Old timers vow it has to thaw and freeze three times before it's closed in for good. We'll see.

We got home around 11 a.m. and I found pict
ures from George Parizo on Sandy Beach Road, taken early this morning from his house. He knew we'd want to know when the pond froze over. We depend on our faithful reporters like Bill and George because sometimes we don't stir from home for several days and we can only see a small portion of the pond from our house - not like those two who live right on the shore, so without the likes of them we'd be left in the dark.

When we do get to town we pick up tidbits of news,
though. Like this morning. In St. Johnsbury at Mayo's Glass the conversation was about the robbery at Joe's Pond Country Store last week. Owner, Jeff Downs made the front page of the Caledonian Record on Friday. Article

A store in Calais was hit again last night - that's the second time in less than a week for them and the third time, if I recall
correctly, this year. We talked with Julie (Larrabee) Young who works at Mayo's Glass. She has a home business going - Bookkeeping, Personal Assistant & Home and Office organizer. We think it's great there's someone who can help elderly or very busy people get some order in their lives, pay bills for them, etc. Go to "Local Services" on our home page to see her business card.

We learned at W. Danville post office that Jennie (Larrabee) Rafuse, Jane and Garey's daughter, is expecting her and James's first child momentarily. What a lovely Thanksgiving for that young family. We hope all goes well and will keep you posted.

The following notice c
ame this morning.

Public Meeting Legal Notice - Date: November 24, 2008.

A series of public meetings will be held in December to generate interest and actions toward the development of the Vt. Agency of Natural Resources’ Winooski Basin Water Quality Management Plan.

The public is invited to express ideas towards a 5-year vision for the Winooski watershed and learn how they can help protect and restore valuable resources in their community. Meetings will take place at the following locations and light refreshments will be served:

Winooski Basin Planning Public Meetings

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Old School House Commons

Upstairs Meeting room in Jaquith Library

122 School Street

Marshfield, Vermont 05658

Monday, December 15, 2008

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Barre Town Municipal Offices

Meeting Room Upstairs

149 Websterville Rd

Websterville, Vermont 05678

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

6:30 to 8:00 pm

North Branch Nature Center

Meeting Barn adjacent to Nature Center

713 Elm Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

Tuesday, December 16 2008

6:30 to 8:00 pm

North Branch Nature Center

Meeting Barn adjacent to Nature Center

713 Elm Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

Thursday, December 11, 2008

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Waitsfield Elementary School

Music/Art Room

3951 Main Street

Waitsfield, Vermont 05673

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

6:00 to 8:00 pm

Stowe Akeley Memorial Building

Banquet Room Down Stairs

67 Main Street

Stowe, VT 05672

For further information please contact:

Ryan McCall - Watershed Coordinator, Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation

103 South Main Street 10N, Waterbury, VT 05671

(802) 241-1006

ryan.mccall@state.vt.us







Saturday, November 22, 2008

Turn on your speakers and enjoy!

Puzzle

Playful Cat

These pictures were taken today through the living room window at George and Pat Parizo's on Sandy Beach Road.

You'll notice in the second photo there is snow at the edge of the water. A few more nights as cold as last night and tonight (single numbers) and these guys will be skating - it they're luckey. They may take off again before nightfall and get further south where the danger of getting frozen in will be less.

Thanks for these shots, George.
Just when you think the wildlife has left the pond and things are quiet for the winter, this stately vessel shows up. It could be pirates, although it looks peaceful enough - but it is surely way off course to be here in the cold waters of Joe's Pond . . . here's the story, from George Parizo:

You have all heard the expression "when our ship comes in."
Well here she is! First picture is of the ship coming in to our dock, second is the ship docked at the end of our dock at 94 Sandy Beach Road.

Now the rest of the story:
I not only build model cannons, I also build model sailing ships. The one in the picture (a no name, 3 mast, sailed merchant ship) was built without a kit, plans, or prints ! (stem to stern - 16 " long).
All the hardware was made from fishing equipment that was purchased from Wal-Mart. The "dead eyes" are fish hook shanks(cut off fish hooks) the "turnbuckles "are fish line swivels #10, and the "pullys" on the rigging lines are fishing lure spinner bushings. The hull was hand carved from a solid piece of basswood found as junk wood in a lumber yard. The mast, yardarms (the things that go across the mast that hold up the sails), were made from dowel rods purchased from a hardware store. The rigging lines are cotton/poly thread, black for standing rigging as the original standing rigging (rat lines) were coated with tar, and tan (natural flexible replaceable hemp rope) for the running lines. Ballast laid on and crewed, it might sail if the right running lines were to be pulled and let out. The yardarms would swing quartered into the wind and if the sails were installed, they would "snap to " with the sound like a cannon going off as they filled with the wind. Arrrrr - mates, sad ye say, I have more money in the ship then what the value is in the cargo hold. (Most model builders prefer not to install the sails as it hides the rigging lines.) With all the sails up, a real ship like this could have produced up to 20,000 sail horse power, and make 6-8 knots.
Food for thought:
The Clipper sailing ship Cutty Stark with 90,000 sail horse power in 1890s crossed the Atlantic from Liverpool, England to New York Harbor with a full cargo in six days, only one day more than the best ever time posted for the Queen Mary1, with out using a drop of fuel oil !!!
George Parizo

Thanks, George, for sharing the pictures and the story. The ship is just beautiful! Great work.

Some of you have probably wondered what we do here at Joe's Pond to keep from going bonkers on rainy, dismal days or when the snow is coming down upon us continually for days on end.
Now you know - living here brings out not only creativeness, but a whole lot of Yankee ingenuity!

Friday, November 21, 2008

We are feeling as if winter is already here. All week we've had lower than usual temperatures and several nights have been in the teens. Today there's snow in the air - again! - and the wind is whipping snow off the trees and roofs and sending clouds racing sometimes ahead of the cars as they go down West Shore Road past our house. We don't have a wind sock, but our flag indicates the wind is strong out of the north northwest. I took a picture from our living room window at around eight o'clock this morning. You can see that the marsh is frozen over and snow covered and if you look closely you can see that there's also ice on the channel and creeping out from the shoreline in back of the islands. The first pond at West Danville is closed in. We used to think having the lake frozen over by Thanksgiving was normal; but it has remained open longer in the last few years. This year could be different, but it's really hard to tell. Right now it looks and feels like winter.

We went to Goldie's Gathering in Cabot Village last night with Bill and Diane Rossi. It was fun, but unfortunately it was "Family Night" when they have only one entree choice, served family style. We had looked at their web site and each of us was looking forward to a different item from the menu, so on that score we were a little disappointed. We enjoyed the evening, though and saw many people we knew so Goldie's is, indeed, a gathering place. Our waitress was very pleasant and we enjoyed seeing owners Delores and Rolfe Muench. We've been told breakfasts at Goldie's is very good, and on the first Sunday of each month they have a brunch, according to the web site, so there are still possibilities to explore there.

We learned last night that the Joe's Pond Country Store was robbed Wednesday evening. The robber was wielding a knife and had his face covered, but was described in the papers as being in his 20's, medium height and weight with dark brown hair. According to the report he got an unknown amount of money. We heard this morning a store in Calis was robbed last night - makes one wonder. As times get tougher economically, there will probably be more of this sort of goings on. It's too bad young kids ruin their future by doing these awful things.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The following came to me today, November 19, 2008.

CABOT SCHOOL BOARD, MEETING MINUTES, Monday, November 3, 2008

Present: Chris Tormey, Gemma Yamamoto, Roman Kokodyniak, Niall McCallum, Regina Quinn, George Burlison, Cecilia Gulka, Sue Polen, Jessica Johnson, Carolyn Deasy, Stacey Mudgett-Fox, and Peter Dannenburg – Cabot Chronicle

1. The meeting was called to order by Chris Tormey, Chair at 6:05 p.m.

2. Approval of Minutes

a. The minutes of October 20, 2008 were approved on a motion by Roman Kokodyniak, second by Chris Tormey. So voted.

3. Public Comment

Seat Belts for Buses - Cecilia discussed with the Board booster seats on the buses. She tried to do some research into other schools that have booster seats but wasn’t very successful. She couldn’t find much information at all. However, she did have an article from USA Today that she shared with the Board. It talked about the National highway Traffic Safety Administration would propose improvements to school bus safety later this year. She said the plan could include increasing the height of the seat or the thickness of the seat’s padding along with guidance for states on implementing safety belt laws. In 2002, NHTSA reported to Congress that adding lap and shoulder seat belts to buses would save only about one life a year if every child buckled up.

However, others disagree. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that parents and pediatricians work with school districts to ensure that new school buses have lap and shoulder seat belts that can incorporate car seats and booster seats. Deborah Hersman, a member of the National Safety Board, said the government’s “compartmentalization” approach doesn’t always protect passengers in rollover and side-impact crashes. In those types of crashes, she said children could be thrown out of the vehicle or strike hard surfaces within the bus. Some educators said safety remains paramount but requiring seat belts or making big changes to the buses could strain their budgets.

Cecilia looked at all kinds of regulations from state, federal and many other agencies. Cecilia handed out a large document about seat belts to the Board. She said that this document said the final rule which upgrades the school student passenger crash protection requirements. It requires that all new school buses weighing 10,000 pounds or less to have lap and shoulder belts in lieu where seat belts are currently required. This final rule also sets the performance standards for the seat belts voluntarily installed on school buses with a weight greater than 10,000 pounds. Each state or jurisdiction may decide whether to use the school bus safety requirements of raising the heights of the seat backs from 20 to 24 inches and self latching mechanisms. These requirements are supposed to be in place by 2011.

Essentially, Vermont does not have any regulations at this time and we can choose what we want to do. George also spoke about the information he was able to gather which was very similar to Cecilia’s. Stacey Mudgett-Fox, Cecilia and Carolyn all expressed the need to have preschool children buckled in safely. There are times when the buses go over some of the bumps/pot holes that children fall out of their seats. It’s a safety issue. (See Board Action)

PTSO – Carolyn had a letter from the PTSO and they would like to come to the next School Board meeting to discuss a primary playground initiative. George will put them on the agenda for the November 17th meeting.

(See Board Action)

Executive Session

On a motion by Chris Tormey, second by Roman Kokodyniak the Board entered Executive Session at 6:35 p.m. to discuss a contract grievance and a student issue. The Board returned to open session at 8:05 p.m. on a motion by Chris Tormey, second by Roman Kokodyniak. So voted.

4. Student Report: Lillian Alexander & Jese Feltus

There was no student report this evening.

5. Principal's Report: Regina Quinn

a. Behavior Support Person Update – Jessica spoke to the Board on her position. She handed out a list of incidents that have happened at school and/or on the bus since school has started which were numerous. She was asked if she had a typical day but replied, “not really”. First thing in the morning, she usually checks in with Patrick about the bus, then usually there’s some kind of meeting she has to attend, she checks in with Regina to see if there’s anything she needs to know, then there are a few kids she is meeting with every week that she sees, one child she does a home visit to on Tuesdays, and there are days when she has time that she will observe in some of the classrooms. She’s trying to be proactive with these kids. It seems to be working so far. She spoke at length about other things she’s doing, wants to do, and hopes to accomplish. The Board thanked her for her presentation.

6. Superintendent's Report: George Burlison

a. FY2009 Financial Update – George distributed to the Board the FY2009 Financial Report. They briefly reviewed where the finances are at this time. It looks like we could end the year with a small surplus.

7. Board Discussion

a. Budget FY2010 – George spoke briefly to the Board about the budget FY2010. At the last Board meeting, we all agree to have a financial fiscal target that we were going to us by way of determining how much more or less we were going to spend in this budget cycle. We were going to use the equalized cost per pupil as a base. We will have more information to work with after we’ve gathered info from the community on Thursday, November 6th and from the faculty on November 17th. Also, the equalized pupil amount should be available to us around mid-November.

The second thing we agreed to as a Board was to keep the community informed as we go along. There will be a second meeting on the budget in December.

We would try to have a budget that would best fit the needs of our students and school.

Also, we would try not to vacillate from these things as we go along. Roman would like us to look at our goals as part of the programmatic side of the budget. We will do that, as well.

In the meeting on the budget this coming Thursday, the Board plans on listening to the community’s questions, comments, suggestions, etc. They may have everyone list their questions before the Board starts answering them, in case some of the questions are similar. The Board continued to discuss what they’d like to do at that meeting.

The Board feels there may be questions on the woodchip project and the performing arts building project especially since the performing arts building is coming along much quicker than the woodchip project is.

b. Performing Arts Building Update – They are looking for able bodied people on Wednesday to help put plywood up on top of trusses. The trusses should be here tomorrow morning. They hope to have the trusses, plywood and insulation on this week. Then they should be able to put the roof on the following weekend.

8. Board Action

a. On a motion by Niall McCallum, second by Chris Tormey the Board approved having 3 point seat belts put in the 1st 7 rows on each side of both of the new buses for preschool children. (When not in use by preschool children, these seats convert to regular bus seats.) So voted.

b. On a motion by Roman Kokodyniak, second by Chris Tormey the Board approved the fundraising efforts of the PTSO for the primary playground initiative. So voted.

c. On a motion by Roman Kokodyniak, second by Gemma Yamamoto the Board approved hiring a long-term sub for a paraeducator to cover a student with special needs through the end of December. So voted.

d. On a motion by Gemma Yamamoto, second by Niall McCallum the Board approved going to Level 4 arbitration on the grievance matter before them. 3 – Yes, 1 – Abstention.

9. Adjournment

On a motion by Chris Tormey, the Board adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m. So voted.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joanna Brickey

Transcriber



CABOT SCHOOL BOARD

SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Present: Chris Tormey, Gemma Yamamoto, Roman Kokodyniak, George Burlison

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Chris Tormey, Chair.

2. Board Discussion

a. Budget FY2010 – The Board discussed the FY2010 budget. There was no community present at this budget informational meeting.

3. Adjournment

On a motion by Chris Tormey the Board adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joanna Brickey

Transcriber

I heard from Cherese Mason today - interesting news! Congratulations, Cherese!

Hi Jane,
Things are still kind of booming here at Tucker & Wyatt's Gourmet Biscuits! I am excited to tell everyone that I am renting space at the Pink Shutter in Montpelier. December is my last month as general manager at the 2 Ladies Workout Express Clubs, as I gave my notice today. I should be in and set up by November 26l at the Pink Shutter located at 27 State Street in Montpelier. I will have space in the front end of the store. Of course my website is up and running, and I still take all of my phone orders (802-476-0928), as well. Also I can arrange delivery for anyone out Joe's Pond way, as I get out there often. This would save anyone the shipping cost on orders! www.newenglanddoggietreats.com Thanks. Happy Holidays. Cherese
*****

You may want to check this web site to find out if you or anyone in your family has financial property being held by the Office of the State Treasurer. We received the list recently and there are at least some familiar names there. Go to the web site, MissingMoney.Vermont.gov to find out if you are on the list, or you can call toll free in Vermont, 1-800-642-3191. Here's what it's all about: "This list represents property received over the past year that has a value of at least $100 . . . The property is usually from bank accounts, utility deposits, stock dividends, insurance proceeds, unchashed wage checks, or similar items. Financial property becomes "unclaimed" after a business or non-profit entity loses contact with a customer for a period of years. The property is sent to the Treasurer's Office to protect the funds and centralize search efforts." The notice comes from State Treasurer, Jeb Spaulding.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

This was in my e-mail a few minutes ago, from our friend, Peter Rabbit on the west coast . . .

Letter to a Bank


Dear Sirs:

In view of what seems to be happening internationally with banks at the moment, I was wondering if you could advise me correctly??

If one of my checks is returned marked "insufficient funds,"

How do I know whether that refers to me, or to you?

The post below came from Bill Rossi this morning. He had us all excited thinking there was a bear at his house - but it was this "forward" message. We thought it was cute, though, and since I don't have much to write about today, at least I can share a chuckle. See below. (Scroll down through the Google ads to the photos.)

Some really cute polar bears and warm wishes to go along with them

Some really cute polar bears and warm wishes to go along with them

Posted using ShareThis

Monday, November 17, 2008

I have to tell you - doing this blog is such fun for me. Like today. When I wrote yesterday about Pat and George Karnady, I wondered if they ever check in on our web site - and today I had a very nice note from Pat saying she'd seen the blog. It was really nice to hear from her. She also said George is hunting - at Victory Bog (rural Vermont at its best!) - and that made me smile, knowing George still gets "home" for deer hunting. Pat said they keep in touch with Joe's Ponders who are in Florida as well as some of their former neighbors here. She also said she and George will be off on a cruise up the Amazon soon - how cool is that! It's always fun to hear from friends and know how they're doing, so I'm glad Pat took the time to get in touch. That's what is so nice about the blog - I get to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones, too.

When we got up this morning we wouldn't have been surprised to find several inches of snow on the ground. We'd only had a sifting, though, and within
a short time most of it was gone. The sun wasn't very strong for very long, but the day turned out to be not all that cold. I snapped a picture from our front deck. Our blacktop driveway was snow covered and I thought it was kind of pretty. Then I got busy and took down the summer curtains and put up the heavier drapes for winter. It's just what I do every year. Goes back to when I was growing up on the farm. The drapes helped insulate against the cold. Of course, we also pulled the dark green roll-down shades, too. That was in addition to the storm windows being in place. The winter wind on Cabot Plain was serious, and while I never remember actually being cold in the house - the hot air furnace and big old kitchen stove, both wood-fired, kept us cozy - I do remember the snug feeling when my mother would close the curtains, especially during the day. We could feel the wind gusts against the house, and there would be great clouds of snow blowing continuously, pelting the windows and rattling anything loose outside. With the curtains drawn I felt both warm and safe.

I rarely draw my winter drapes, but it seems right to have them in place in case I feel the urge to. Now I enjoy watching the snow swirling by and the trees bending with the gusts. And in the spring I really, really enjoy taking down the drapes and replacing them with sheer curtains that billow gracefully in the warm breeze. Combined with a little general house cleaning, spring and fall, the house gets a "sort of" re-do and I feel I've fulfilled my housekeeping duties. Not up to my mother's standards - she wore out a couple of bathtubs scrubbing them
until the enamel wore off, and generally turned the house inside out at least twice a year - but I think she'd be glad to know that some of her habits rubbed off on me . . .

These are the flowers Fred brought home to me last week. It wasn't a special occasion or a peace offering or anything - just my husband being himself. I think he deserves at least a batch of brownies, don't you?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

It appears our mild weather has played out and we're probably in for some more seasonal temperatures. Yesterday was abnormally warm and last night was in the 50's, as warm as some of our summer nights this year. Our cat, Woody, was delighted with the warm evening and so, apparently, was his cousin Rico from up the road at Jamie and Marie's. They met in front of our garage, loudly proclaiming dominance until we went out and shut things down. Rico sprinted into the woods towards home, and Woody, charged with courage because we were on the scene, took after him. Apparently they didn't tangle - at least we didn't hear anything, and when Woody came in an hour or so later he was unscathed, much to our relief. We think Rico usually wins their fracases, although Rico may have some battle scars dealt by Woody. We just don't know. Rico tangles with Tillie, Jamie and Marie's older cat, too, and she may give him a whack or two sometimes, but mainly she wisely avoids him.

Along with the mild weather, we've had quite a bit of fog. We went to St. J. early Thursday a.m. and Fred took a picture as we went through Danville and down Dole Hill. Not much traffic on the roads. I think the traffic picked up a bit on Friday, though - probably hunters getting to deer camp to be ready for the first day of hunting season. We generally hear gun shots and see a lot of hunters going by, but I haven't noticed that many this year so far. We can always tell the hunters - they're usually driving pickup trucks with the windows down, moving very slowly down the road. There's usually two guys and the hunters' orange hats and vests are easy to spot. They're friendly sorts and wave as they pass us when we're walking. We always remember to have some bright red or orange on, too. We don't want to be mistaken for deer.

As we started off today, Jamie and Marie were just going by with Otto. You can see that Otto has his bandana on. He also was wearing his hiking packs. Jamie and Marie are getting him used to carrying his own packs. He is always happy to see us, especially Fred. They've been buddies since Otto was a pup, and whenever Fred is working outside, Otto will slip away and come down to see h
im.

We've been watching the new building at the Randy Rouleau cottage. This small structure is where the old camp, the one originally from Sim Whittier's island, was torn down to make room for the very nice new cottage closer to the road. It looks like a garage, but there's a two-car garage as part of the new cottage, so we think this will be for boat storage. It is not a boathouse, though. It is built on a cement slab. Further down West
Shore Road, the Geer family is putting an addition on their cottage. This was the George Karnady cottage for many years. (See picture right.)

Fred and I thought about George today as we came down through the woods from the pond the Phil Rogers made a few years ago (see picture below). It is a pretty spot up there, but the road coming down from the southern end of it had several trees down across it, so we hiked down the steep hillside where George used to enjoy deer hunting. Just as we headed down through, Fred saw a deer go out. He just got a glimpse of it, but we immediately though
t of how many hours George had probably spent hunting right in that area. I don't know if George reads the blog, but if he does, he'll know we've been thinking of him and miss him and Pat.

Just after we'd passed the Keenan's log cabin, we heard a tree crashing down. The Keenans bought the Clayton Smith cottage that was surrounded by very tall pine trees. They tore down the old cottage and built a very large log cabin in the open spot that used to be Clayt and Barbara's lawn, so they removed only a few of the pines. The trees tower above the cabin and when we heard the crack of a tree falling, of course we were concerned that it might have fallen on the house. However, as near as we could tell, the tree that fell was actually from the Underwood's side of the brook that runs between the two properties. It had snapped off 10 feet or so above the ground and was lodged harmlessly in some of the other trees along the brook. The wind has been gusty all day, and we've had first rain and then show showers as the temperature dropped steadily throughout the day. Tonight, it's in the 30's and still headed down. It may be time to get out the down comforter . . .

I've just logged in to the new Comments Page. It seems to be easy enough - this is the first time I've tried it out. I've given my e-mail address and my password, and now I must wait for the e-mail to come with a link so I can post a message. --Well, that was quick! I just went to my mail and the link was there! I posted a short comment, but there will be a delay before it shows up on the page. As I understand it, now that I've logged in, I can post a comment whenever I wish. I'll try that out, too. I hope some discussions get going, or questions get answered. Try it out - I think you'll like it, too.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

This very interesting story was waiting in my e-mail this morning. From George Parizo: (Thanks to George for this - a bit of local history we wouldn't have known if he hadn't taken the time to set it down.)

I was in the process of writing a true story to send to the Blog this week when an Obituary in the Caledonian - Record (re. Natalie (Rodger) Capron) caught my eye.This is the family that my story is about!
Read on:
I have a true story that may be of interest. Back in 1960s/70s, the Joe's Pond Country Store was owned by widow Mrs.Mary Rodger (Natalie (Rodger) Capron's mother). Pat and I worked with Natalie's husband, Ronald Capron and Mary Rodger's daughter [and Natalie's sister] Marilyn (Rodgers) Guy, in a machine tool manufacturer (Bryant Grinder) in Springfield VT.. After Mary Rodger passed on, Ron and Natalie started to clean out the living space of the store/house so they could sell the building. The top floor of the old granite shed on the north end of the store was not part of the living space of the house/store at that time as it was used by Mary's husband Earl Clyde Rodger for an automobile/equipment repair shop, and some how the top floor got piled high with old hay that had to be removed.
In doing so, Ron Capron was standing on top of the hay mound pitching hay out the back door to his sons when his pitch fork struck something. Upon investigation, they discovered a brass-bound Model T Ford Touring Car sitting up on blocks (similar to the one in the picture). Having no use for the "old car" Ron and his sons took the "T" off the blocks, pushed it out the back door, down the drive way and parked it out front of the store with a "for sale" sign on it. It was sold with in two hours for around $10,000! This story was told to me by Ron Capron and verified by Mary's daughter, Marilyn (Rodger)Guy. I either can't remember, or never knew who purchased the old "T," but according to Ron, the "T" was quickly loaded onto a trailer and driven away. Since that time, Ron and his wife (Re: Natalie's Obituaries) have both passed on. Their children and Marilyn are still with us. Marilyn is living in Philadelphia Pa. with her daughter. We did have a chance to talk with Marilyn Guy this fall at a meeting of past employees of Bryant Grinder Machine Tool in Springfield Vt. At that time Marilyn Guy told us her sister Natalie was not doing good. (We didn't talk about the old car.) Small world?
George and Pat Parizo
*****


CABOT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Monday, November 17, 2008

Information Center - 6:00 p.m.

1. Call to Order: Chris Tormey, Chair

2. Approval of Minutes

a. November 3, 2008

b. November 6, 2008

3. Public Comment

As Needed.

4. Student Report: Lillian Alexander & Jese Feltus

As Needed.

5. Principal's Report: Regina Quinn

a. Primary Playground Initiative – PTSO/Elementary Teachers

b. TLC Financial Request - Lee Penniman
c. Guidelines for Use of School as Polling Site – Tara Rogerson

d. Proposed Work on Gym for Storage & Space Use

e. Collaborative Planning Time Update

f. Other Updates, As Needed

6. Superintendent's Report: George Burlison

a. Woodchip Facility Update

b. Special Bus Seats/Restraints – Related Costs

c. Special Board Meeting (11/06/08) Report

d. Other

7. Board Discussion

a. Budget FY2010 – Discussion with Faculty

b. Superintendent Position/Governance Committee Update

c. Performing Arts Building Update – Chris Tormey

d. Other

8. Board Action

As Needed.

9. Executive Session

a. Personnel

10. Adjournment

FUTURE MEETINGS:

1. Next "Regular" Cabot Board meetings will be on Monday, December 1, 2008 and Monday, December 15, 2008 at Cabot School in the Information Center at 6:00 p.m.

2. Next Superintendent Position/Governance Search Committee meeting will be announced.



Snow & Ice Report

 W e're through another March snowstorm, and as far as I can tell, we aren't expecting more snow this month. We'll probably have...