Tuesday, March 31, 2009


My sister-in-law, Ella, forwarded an e-mail she recently received from her daughter, Jennie, in India [see picture, right]. I am sure neither will mind if I share it with you. Jennie has been in India for a number of weeks working with a group of medical professionals like herself. She loves to travel and has visited several countries, but I suspect this experience will leave a permanent impression. The following was sent to a short list of family and friends.

Subject: Some thoughts from India
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:36:59

Hi all-
Someone asked a few days ago if I am ready to go home. I’ve been thinking about this question for a few days. I am now in Goa, a resort area on the water. It is lovely. As I write this, I am sitting on pillows, eating Butter Naan at a knee high table (I know there must be a name for this style dining but I don’t know it). The soundtrack is a constant mix of soft breeze, the gentle rolling waves of the ocean and the somewhat insistent crowing of birds. I have horseflies landing over me but I have given up swatting at them. I think that last statement pretty much sums up where I’m at right now as far as travel in India.

There are so many things that I see every day here that are just such clear departures from my (our) normal American way of life and standard of living. The constraints of over population are inescapable. There is a constant hustle amongst the people and it is not uncommon to be outright cut in lines. There is trash and its ensuing stench over all the streets. There is also smog from burning of the trash in the streets. There is public urination and in some parts I have even seen defecation. And because they don’t have a tissue, people blow their nose onto the ground.

Paradoxical to all this, I fall in love suddenly at moments throughout the day. In the Indian faces I see self-assurance and a quiet tenacity to survive. They seem to possess more ingenuity at making something out of nothing. Creativeness to craft candle holders from a one liter water bottle, cut in half, filled with sand and then the top half flipped upside down into the bottom to shield from the wind. Houses made of bamboo and thatched palm leaves held together with twine instead of nails.

Most people here don’t seem bothered by the general level of hygiene and way of life. A couple of days ago I was traveling on a 26 hr train ride from Delhi to Goa. I was the only American aboard (as far as I could tell). I got to know the surrounding passengers fairly well- the ride was a blast actually. At one point we were seated, talking, and I swatted at a bug crawling on the seat behind my shoulder. The other passengers seemed both alarmed and amused by my doing this. I asked them what the bug was and they replied “the baby of a cockroach”. I was worried they were offended at my non-Buddhist annihilation of this bug. They said “No”, just that “these are very common here”. The differences are clear. We have many things that are “common” in the U.S.- ants, rats, spiders, moles, horseflies, but we still kill them.

I think there is an middle ground between what I have seen around me here in India and our more sterile, excessive lives in the U.S. I am reading the book “Mountains beyond Mountains.” It’s about a doctor who has spent his career in Haiti improving living conditions and in effect improving death rates from preventable diseases- public health issues. He talks about how people justify the disparities in wealth and living conditions with the disclaimer “they are poor but they are happy.” To a certain degree, yes, this may be true. As the Haitian proverb says, “the rocks in the water don’t know how the rocks in the sun feel.” But when the inequalities in the distribution of wealth create such poverty that basic human rights of clean water, adequate nutrition, and living conditions free of sewage are lacking or ignored, there is no justification.
There is a lot of poverty everywhere. It exists in the U.S., but to be poor in India is dismal. My response is - yes, I will be happy to return to the U.S. and I am happy for my life there. But I can’t erase from my heart and mind the effects of poverty I have seen here. We can’t use “returning home” as a resolution for the problems that will continue to exist here. I have a new view on the need to improve living conditions for the poor all over the world. Additionally, I have gained new insight for the need to live more simply in the U.S.

See you all soon,
Love!
Jennie
We have a dusting of nice new snow this morning. Less than an inch, but there's still a very fine snow falling. We're supposed to have sunshine later today.

A couple of announcements:

There will be a FREE pasta dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4th, at the Cabot Cafeteria and Gym. There will be Bingo in the Gym from 6-8 p.m. For those who don't want to play Bingo, bring your basketball and join the supervised play. Bingo cards are 50 cents each, winners split the pot 50-50 with the Recreation Committee.
*****

Free Food Giveaway For Cabot and Walden Residents Saturday, April 4th

Faith in Action Northern Communities Partnership is sponsoring a 6,500-lb. free food giveaway Saturday, April 4th from 9:00-11:30 AM at the Cabot Fire Station.

This distribution of free food is primarily for Cabot’s elderly and disabled, for whom we have set aside the 9:00-10:30 time period. Every resident who has a need is welcome to come and select items they can use from 10:30-11:30 .

Food will be displayed, giving folks time and room to “shop”. All 6,500 pounds of food will be given away that day!

*****

If you don't have your Joe's Pond Ice-Out ticket yet, better get going! All tickets must be returned to one of our outlets no later than April 1st, or postmarked April 1st. You still have time to print tickets from the web site or stop by any of the following:

In Barre, Dente's Market, Barre Optical, Hope Cemetery office, BCK Insurance, and Barre Subway.

In Cabot: Harry's Tru-Value Hardware

In Danville: Diamond Hill Store or Marty's 1st Stop

In St. Johnsbury: Caplans, St. Jay Hardware, or Thurston Auto

In W. Danville: Hastings Store or Joe's Pond Country Store

We hope you have already sent in your picks, but if not, you have only hours now to get it done, and you don't want to miss out. You could be a winner. Everyone is on a level playing ground when it comes to this contest. It's pure chance. The only gimmicks are the weather changes, and we locals gave up a long time ago trying to figure out the weather here. You could go to the page on the web site where we've listed all the dates and times the clock has stopped in the past 21 years, and pick a date and time between April 15th and May 7th that hasn't already been picked - that might give you an edge. Or you could use any number of formulas - birthdays, anniversary dates, or something that came to you in a dream, we don't care. It's all good and those kinds of picks are as reasonable as any others. Good luck.

Monday, March 30, 2009

You'll find a link to the Fox News 44 interview of March 30, 2009 on home page. It's on the left panel menu, directly under the image of the North Star Monthly. Just click on it, and be sure you have your speakers on.

The following message was posted today on the blog comments:

We were all shocked and saddened by the news of Johns passing. We have many fond memories of all the Pearls and their wonderful farm. Our hearts go out to Bud and Lucia and all the other relatives during this difficult time. We hope to come up to the farm in the near future to visit and to remember.

Merrick Counsell, Sue Ritchie, Lib Counsell


We're busy here at the pond today. At Hastings Store people are buying Ice-Out tickets and turning in their picks;at Cabot's True-Value Hardware they ran out of tickets today, so Fred made a quick trip there with 50 more. That was about all I dared give them because I don't have many left - perhaps 35 or so - and I like to have a few in case someone else runs out. Of course, now that they are available on the web site, it's easy to print more, but we also want to use up all our regular tickets, too.

I had a call this morning from Fox News 44 TV in Colchester, and becaus
e I couldn't reach either Homer or Dave Parker, Fred and I went to meet her and did the interview. It was cold. The wind was whipping down the pond right out of the north. Fred took pictures as Courtney Davis, Chief Photojournalist for Fox News and I talked, and here we are, wind blown and cold. Courtney did a great job, and having no one with her, had to manage the camera as well as ash me questions.

We left the pond as soon as we could and took her to Hastings Store where she wanted to film picking up tickets. The tickets had been picked up ea
rlier by Bill and Diane Rossi, but by noon when we were there, there were already more, so she wasan't disappointed. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos in the store - we were busy talking with some customers and with Diane. When Fred and I left the parking lot, Courtney was taking pictures of the water under the bridge. The picture on the right was as we were leaving - you can tell it's cold!

Those of you who are in the area can watch the interview tonight on Channel 22 news at 7 o'clock, or on Channel 44 news at 10 o'clock.

I spoke with Tara Rogerson, Cabot's town clerk today. I wanted to find out if she had found an assistant clerk to take Velma White's place. Tara told me they got about 25 applications and they are still going through the selection process. She thinks by the end of next week a decision should be made. I'll check back with her then.

Although we've had some rain and warmish weather over the weekend, the roads are very good. There are some dips where culverts run under the road, and some pot holes on the flat coming off Rt. 2. The culverts always thaw out first and that leaves humps on either side where the road is still heaved up with frost. It's also a little muddy right at the end of Chatot Road where that ledge is - it's bad there every year. I think one of the road crew once told me it's a combination of a ledge and underground springs, so there isn't much they can do.

With all the snow that's around to melt, I expect the water table is pretty high and near the pond that can be a problem. I remember several years when the road from Chatot Road to Barre Avenue and even up the hill to Rt. 2 was virtually impassable. We were living at camp then and would leave the car either at the farm as you come off Rt. 2, or sometimes at the fishing access. Fred would drop me off at the top of W. Shore Road so I could get supper started and he'd take the car over and then walk home. It was one of those years that did a couple of our neighbors in. One gal from Arkansas was living with her husband on Brickett's Crossing Rd. and she got stuck repeatedly. First snow and ice, and then mud. She left him, they got a divorce, and finally he moved away, too. Another case was Dr. Bassett who lived where the Pupinos now live. Doc Bassett was on call at the hospital in St. Johnsbury and often had to go out in the middle of the night. The first year he was here he got a four-wheel drive vehicle, but the next year even that got stuck a couple times. He moved his family to St. Johnsbury. They come back to visit, but only in the summer . . .

We had some bad spots last year, too. It was really bad in front of Mason's on West Shore Road and on the hill by Gardner's. On the other side of the pond, North Shore Road was a sea of mud. Since last year was a pretty bad mud year it would be really nice if we could expect a little mercy this year, but I guess it really doesn't work that way. Sorry.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

It's a real rainy day here. We think this will slow down the maple sugaring because the temperatures didn't go below freezing last night, and maybe the night before. When we were sugaring on the farm and had a hard rain like this, we'd just toss out whatever was in the buckets because usually it was more water than sap. The covers over the buckets were sort of tent-like, but weren't very effective in a driving rain. We haven't been out on our roads today, so I don't know what effect the rain has had on them, but if we don't get freezing temperatures tonight, I expect the roads will begin to break up seriously, and certainly water from melting snow on the hillsides will begin to pour into the pond. This will help melt the ice - so it's probably really good that Ray got the block and flag contraption out yesterday. He said he has sometimes had to use a plank to get from shore onto the ice, but this year there was solid ice yesterday and almost no melting around the shoreline. That will change rapidly in the next few days, I think.

We know some of you folks in Florida are getting severe thunderstorms, and I don't envy you one bit. We're also watching the giant storms in the mid-western states and the flooding in N. Dakota. I guess there's going to be one big storm right on top of another this week. Wicked weather, in every sense of the word.

We're looking ahead to a great summer, though. Along that line, other folks are planning their vacations, and at least one person is hoping to find rental space at Joe's Pond. He posted a plea on our "comments" page, so if you have space or if you can think of someone who may have, send him an e-mail. Go to www.joespondvermont.com and you'll find the comments on the home page menu, far right. Click there and scroll down to the messages.

I'm getting the newsletter ready to go as soon as we have an Ice-Out Contest winner, so if you have something you'd like me to include, get it to me right away. I have several weddings, births, engagements and deaths, but I only know if the item is in one of the local papers or someone alerts me to the news. The newsletter reaches everyone here at Joe's Pond and some beyond, if they are members of a Joe's Pond family, while the blog reaches only people who use computers. There are lots of our Joe's Ponders who either don't use computers or who rarely check the blog, so they may not know the news that is posted here. On the other hand, there are lots of folks who aren't Joe's Pond members that go to the web site.





Saturday, March 28, 2009

What a great spring day!

The news of the day is that the flag for the Ice-Out Contest is set up on the ice - the countdown has officially begun. There are only a few days left in the contest, but that doesn't mean it's over. The real nail biting starts after April 1st when the whistle blows signaling all bets have to be in. Then begins the waiting - ticking off each day and hour until the ice gives way, the block goes down and the clock is stopped - and we have a winner.

Ray Richer called me just after lunch today to let me know he would be putting out the flag. Fred went down (I'm working on the newsletter) and took pictures. The Lyndon State College Channel 7 News crew, Jeff Bonneau and Josh, his cameraman, were there taping for a feature piece that will run when they get the word the clock has stopped. Perhaps we will be able to capture that and have it available on our web site for you all to see.

Here is a slide show of Ray putting out the pallet today - with cameras rolling. What a celebrity! Way to go, Ray!!
The Flag is Up

A few minutes ago Fred spotted a really nice gobbler down on our lower lawn. There was bare ground next to a maple tree and the turkey spent a long time scratching around and eating there before he crossed the road and went towards Randall's. I think he is the largest wild turkey I've ever seen. I guess after all the snow we've had I expected the turkeys would be really skinny by spring, but he's obviously found good feed somewhere. There were no other turkeys with him.

I just got the following picture and message from Judy Lewis on Sand
y Beach Road. This was taken yesterday:
Here's a photo of an otter that poked its way through a hole in the ice in front of our home. The photo was taken about 4:30 pm Friday. Judy Lewis

I guess the animals are glad to have some warmer weather, just like we are.

I also had a note today from Chico Carcoba in Florida. Chico logged in our Ice-Out tickets for about 16 years - from 1993 until this year. I know he reads the blog - Hi, Chico! - and he knows exactly what's going on here right now as we approach the end of the contest. Tickets are coming in fast - every day Diane and I are counting and putting them in order before they go to our new logger, Karl Couillard. We haven't heard much from Karl lately - I imagine he's pretty busy, too. Fortunately, the ice won't go out for at least a few days after the contest closes on April 1st, (according to Iceologist Don Walker, it's never gone out before April 16 or after May 16) so Karl will have time to log them all in.
Actually, the ice went out right on April 16th twice, in 1998 and again in 2006; the latest it's gone out was May 6 in 1992.

You can find all that information and more on the web site. Unfortunately some folks who entered the contest had March dates, so we know they didn't look up past winning dates. I guess they didn't put it together that the contest would have to close on a date before the ice normally goes out. It would have to be really freaky weather to have the ice at Joe's Pond go in March. Maybe in 20 years or so . . .

Most folks have April and May dates, but if you don't have your tickets yet, there isn't time for me to send you any, but you can print them from the web site.
It's easy and efficient. You'll find them on the home page menu - under Joe's Pond Association, or click on the red flag, and there are complete instructions. Can't miss it, and as long as they are postmarked by April 1st, we can accept them into the game. Good luck!

Friday, March 27, 2009




Today started off to be pretty dull, weatherwise, but it certainly ended on a high note. It was warm - water was running in the ditches, so we know the snow is melting. We've actually lost quite a lot, and bare patches are beginning to show even on our northeast sloping hillside. I took this picture of the upper end of the pond this morning. You can see the water on top of the ice. It rained a little last night, and the temperature stayed above freezing.

I spotted some Canada geese resting on the ice near the open water of the narrows between the big pond and middle pond this afternoon. I first saw them as I drove past Point Comfort, and I'd say there were eight or more, but they were too far away to get a good picture. I stopped further along Rt.2 and got a shot of them through the trees.

I stopped at the fishing access to see how the ice looked where the flag will be when Ray Richer gets it out. There has been no
activity on the ice for a while now, so I'm sure it's safe for him to put it out. Today would have been a great day to get it done, but I'm sure Ray is busy with other things. I guess I was hoping I'd catch him there and get a couple pictures . . . I took a picture anyway. You can see that even with some rain and warm weather today, the ice is still solid. It will go fast if this weather keeps up, though.

Ice-Out tickets are coming in fast now. I had a call from St. Jay Hardware that they were running low, so I had Jamie stop by with more tickets for them today. This weekend will be a big one for ticket sales, I think. Only four days left, so if you don't have your tickets, better print them from the web site and get 'em in the mail.

Don't forget the Maple Festival in Cabot tomorrow. Sounds like it'll be a good day to spend some time there, browse the crafts, maple displays, have some sugar-on-snow, and maybe even drop in at the Hardware store and say "Hi" to Trapper, the singing dog, and Walt. You can visit the library and the Cabot Creamery Visitors' Center, too. Make a day of it.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

We went to Cabot with Bill and Diane Rossi today and had lunch at Harry's True-Value Hardware. There aren't too many hardware stores who have all the usual stuff and where you can get a tasty lunch in the bargain, but we had a great time. Fred, Bill and Diane had hot dogs and, connoisseurs Bill and Fred dubbed them "great." I had a ham & cheese sandwich, and that was really good, too. We chatted with Greaves sisters, Ms. Bellavance and Ms. Coolbeth who both work for the creamery. Of course, we all knew people in common. The little snack bar was crowded when we got there, so Diane, Bill and I we got to sit behind one of the counters. Julie Ackermann and her daughter started the food bar recently and we think it's a great addition to town. Julie said they serve breakfast and lunch.

As we were leaving, Walt stopped us to talk about the Ice-Out Contest
- he's been selling tickets for us again this year. We were interested in his big dog, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named "Trapper." Walt picked up his harmonica and immediately Trapper was by his side, standing as tall as his master, howling the most melodic notes you could imagine, completely drowning out the harmonica. In fact, Walt only had to pick the instrument up and Trapper would perform. It's worth stopping in to watch.

From there we stopped at the town clerk's office to wish Velma White well. She is retiring from the assistant town clerk position after 21 years in the job. Today was her last day. There were lots of people there - some of the select board, the
road crew, and others who have worked with her over the years. We took pictures - that's Town Clerk Tara Rogerson presenting Velma with a plaque commemorating her service to the town. We certainly wish Velma well - I'm sure she'll keep very busy, and I expect we'll see her at some of our Joe's Pond functions as she has lots of friends on the pond.

A couple of announcements:

This Friday, March 27th, from 5-7 PM the Cabot United Church is hosting a free community Italian dinner with take-outs available. The meal of two meat sauces, meatballs, spaghetti, garlic bread, and beverage is sponsored by the Church and the Faith in Action volunteers who work tirelessly each week on Faith in Action’s new government Commodities Free Food Distribution Program for Cabot and Walden residents.

There is no charge for this neighborly fellowship dinner, but donations are welcome. This is a great opportunity for neighbors to get out after the long winter to visit and share fellowship.

For information on the commodities program or this dinner, please call 563-2278. Cabot United Church is located on the Common in Cabot, on Route 215. See you there!

*****
Saturday, March 28th

Cabot Maple Festival! SUGAR ON SNOW- Craft Sale - Horse Drawn Sleigh or Wagon Rides - Childrens Activities - Musical Entertainment - Book Sale

Food, including: pancake breakfast served continuously from 9am-3pm

And more

BENEFITTING MANY CABOT GROUPS AND CLUBS

Cabot School Gym

MOST EVENTS 11 a.m. 3 p.m.

A community event sponsored by The Cabot Chronicle

Information: Allison Joyal, 917-3789, or The Cabot Chronicle, 563-3338.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I nearly forgot that we took pictures this morning when we were out doing errands. We took pictures in lots of the usual places and that will show you a couple of things. First, St. Johnsbury and even Danville, have less snow than we have; and second, there are signs of spring along the way.

We stopped at Kathy Fenoff's in Danville to pick up the Ice-Out tickets from the Kiwanis Auction. They did a great job for us, as usual. The made a bit less this year on the auction, but there were about 175 people who bid at or above full price on items. At Kathy's, there was a big bonfire. She told us there was an old building that had to be demolished and they had also taken down some large trees around her house. She has a beautiful log home at the top of Dole Hill, built by her son, Trent, of Fenoff and Hale Construction. Kathy's home is right next to Trent's slightly larger log home.

From there we picked up tickets at St. Jay Hardware. They, too, have sold a lot of tickets for us. Caplan's said they have sold some tickets but have plenty left, so we didn't stop there on this trip. We stopped at Mayo's Furniture briefly, and then headed back home. When we stopped in West Danville, Fred was able to get some nice pictures of the brook leading out of Joe's Pond. It isn't rushing right now, but if the weather stays warm like today, and later this week we get some rain, that will no doubt change.

You can see that the water is open under the bridge, but that's about all. Like Kevin Johnson said yesterday, the narrows have opened a bit, but there's still lots of ice and snow around. Take a look at the slide show. In a few days we'll probably have some mud pictures for you . . .

Slides
Ok, I've got more fun stuff for you. I was away from my desk all morning, and the following messages and pictures were waiting for me when I finally got back to work this afternoon.

Kate Chatot wrote:
Jane:

We woke up to Mr. Moose this a.m. Just sauntering along in a way he appeared to not have a single care in the world... Have you seen him up your way?

Kate

I wrote back that we haven't seen him here, at least, not lately. Then, later today I got this picture of a Cabot plow truck overturned, "somewhere on a Cabot Plains road." I thought it looked like the bad curve on Deeper Ruts Road, but it could have been some other road, I guess. I am trying to find out more information, and will ask someone tomorrow when I'm at the town offices. My source said it was just before town meeting, which was on March 3, and as I recall everything was pretty icy right about then. I should have more details to report tomorrow.

You can click on these to make them larger.
Here's something fun to start off your day:

Turn On Speakers and Click Here

This reminded me of the Firehouse Five - remember them? Probably not. My kids know them because their dad was a fan. Anyway, at the very end is a song by Robert Mitchum (the actor), and it's the only song he ever recorded.

Enjoy the day - it's going to be warmer!!! Welcome Spring!!!???

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Another cold day. I'm sure lots of you who have Ice-Out Contest tickets are wondering how the ice is doing, especially when every day I tell you what the temperatures are here at the pond. I asked year around Joe's Ponder Kevin Johnson, and here's his report:
I fished this past weekend and the ice is still almost 3 feet thick - I would say about 32 inches on average. The narrows are open and it's starting to open up a little where the brooks come into the pond but we still have a long way to go!

There you have it. Thank you, Kevin.

For those of you who are waiting until the last moment to fill in your tickets, this may give you something to work with. We are expecting much warmer weather in another day or so, and if that storm out of the mid-west does what forcasters say it will, we may get some rain, but apparently not a lot.


Monday, March 23, 2009


Here are a couple of drivers (both female) to check out. In the red sports car is Hannah Brown, daughter of Sarah and Dean Brown, and our grand niece who lives in Connecticut. She is demonstrating if they make cars with two steering wheels, it's best to use them both and be happy about it. She loves to go shopping with her mom. And her dad loves taking pictures. (It runs in the family.)

Also today I received the picture below from Liz and John Randall. Liz says:

John and I were traveling on I-91 heading South in CT yesterday and we saw this Jeep with the Cabot Logo on the spare tire...I quickly snapped a few pictures as you could see she had CT plates....What a small world, thought you'd enjoy the pics....We were on our way home from NH.
The jeep looked brand new and a young girl was driving, I don't know if the Cabot Creamery gives out the covers for promotions or possibly she was a sales rep.....

I don't know if it was a company car or not, but I believe Cabot has representatives in a lot of places, so this young woman may live in CT and work in NYC. Or perhaps she's just a fan of Vermont and/or Cabot cheese. That logo sure catches your eye, doesn't it!?
I have to tell you - it's colder'n blazes here today! The wind has been howling all day and although there's been bright sunshine, the temperature has stayed in the teens all day as near as we can tell. This morning around six when Fred first looked, it was six degrees above zero. Now, just about 12 hours later, it's about 16, the wind is still blowing, and we just had a snow squall move through.

We walked down to Rossi's to take a few Ice-Out tickets to Diane to keep the local outlets stocked. It was cold going down and we could feel the wind at our backs. On the way back it was brutal. The wind was whipping right down the pond and seemed to funnel along W. Shore Rd. It was actually less windy after we started up the long home stretch past Encarnacion's and Morgan's. As soon as we got home I looked at my wind chill chart and, estimating the wind at about 35 mph, the wind chill was about minus seven degrees. I had wrapped my face with my scarf - but it was still cold, and even my hands got cold in my "boxing gloves" mittens that usually keep me toasty.

Fred was able to walk on the crusty snow, but I opted for the easiest going and stayed on the road. Our roads are frozen solidly again. No ice or mud to contend with for the present, at least. We're both glad to be back inside by the fire.

I noticed there is a comment on the last blog - in case you didn't see it, here it is:

Hi Jane and Fred,
I just wanted to write a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed seeing the picture of our camp in your "Walk on the west side" slide show.

I get on the blog every few weeks and enjoy reading the stories you share.

I moved to TX over 9 years ago but still make it to Joe's every summer for at least 2 weeks. I wouldn't move back to the cold winters of VT but enjoy seeing the pictures. I actually showed them to a couple of my co-workers and they couldn't believe the ice and snow. It's difficult for people to imagine snow in March, when it's 78 and sunny here.

Thanks again and hello to all the people at Joe's that might read this, see you in July!

Stay warm,

Karen LaGue

Thanks for writing, Karen - really nice to hear from you. I have to say, 78 degrees sounds really good right now, but I'm sure I'd seriously wilt in the heat you folks get down in Texas in mid-summer. I guess no place is perfect, and the mid-west is getting some pretty severe weather right now, too. If all that reaches us, it'll be a toss-up whether it comes as rain or snow, I guess. If it's rain, we could have some serious flooding, too; but if it's snow we'd just chalk it up to it being March and get out the shovels - again.

No need to tell you there's no obvious melting going on around the pond. There may be some from underneath, but on the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if the ice is getting thicker . . . We should be getting another report from Karl who is logging in Ice-Out tickets for us, and then I can perhaps let you know how many people have already lost out in the game because they chose dates in March. I don't think the ice has ever gone out in March. Maybe someday with global warming. We'll keep you posted on how things are going this 22nd year of the Ice-Out Contest, so stay tuned.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Well, we got more snow last night and today we've had snow flurries and quite a bit of wind with a few moments in between that the sun was out. I don't think the temperature went above freezing all day. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about our snow, but whatever you're feeling doesn't begin to compare to what we're thinking and saying here at Joe's Pond. I think if anyone dared say they don't want to see spring come they'd be in real danger of getting smacked. The best thing I can say about our weather is that the roads haven't gone soupy -- yet. Jeff Downs at Joe's Pond Country Store said something like that to me the other day and I reminded him that mud season hasn't begun yet. We aren't getting off with an easy mud season, the ruts and goop and muck will be here, in due course.

We're hearing that the maple season has been super good this year. In fact, some producer over in New York state said this past week that he expects prices will go down because they're making so much of the stuff. Wouldn't that be sweet!! Of course, their weather may be better over there than it is right around here . . . but from what Burr Morse has been saying, they're making lots of syrup over in the Montpelier area.

Yesterday I checked the weather channel and got the word about the storm that is presently coming at us from the west. Fred was saying just this weekend that he expects at least one more big storm, and it looks as if this could be it. Just what we need!

Today has been an especially quiet one at the Brown house. I worked on the Joe's Pond newsletter, putting pages together and this afternoon I've been sorting and filing (on the computer) scans of news clips from the 1800's I took from the Vermont Advertiser and Watchman, a newspaper that was once published in Montpelier. The next step is to get the scans indexed and in order. I will probably print most of them, too. I can't imagine doing this without a computer. It has already taken me a couple years and I'm not finished - without a computer, I'd never get it done, I'm afraid. One of my problems is that I find myself taking time to read them, and that slows the process down a lot. But they are interesting. I'm fascinated by the journalistic style back then, too. There are surprisingly few typing errors though. I just looked up printing processes and found out the Linotype press was invented in 1884, but I'm pretty sure the Watchman wouldn't have had one right away, so the typesetting had to be done by hand. One would think that would induce editors to cut out any extraneous text, but in reading some of those old papers, that certainly wasn't the case. There were long and flowery accounts of even the most insignificant bits of news, and a lot of articles included a good bit of preachiness, too.





Saturday, March 21, 2009

Another bright but cool day at Joe's Pond. I don't think the thermometer got more than low 40's here, but I wasn't tracking it very carefully. Right now the temperature on the northeast side of our house is sliding downward, reading 35 degrees, while the south west side that's getting the sunshine this time of day is reading 42. The sun is pouring into my office and I'm wearing my visor to shade my eyes. In a couple hours the sun will have dropped below the trees on the hill in back of our house and it'll drop. I don't see evidence of a lot of melting going on, so I think the breeze is keeping everything pretty cool. Fred took this photo of the marsh area at the north end of the pond this morning, and it is still winter there.

Fred commented today that so far March has been "too easy," with no blizzards or really huge snowfalls. He's thinking a major whopper of a storm is likely before we see the end of winter. I hope he's wrong, but know the odds are against it.

We went with Bill and Monika last night to the Creamery in Danville, their treat for helping them stage their wedding back in January. Very nice, but totally unexpected - it was our privilege to be part of that celebration. We hadn't been to the Creamery for a while, so it was especially nice to go there. We always see people we know - and Bill always knows dozens more than we do. It's fun to see some of Marion's family there, too. Last night we spotted her sister and husband, Kitty and Abel Toll - Joe's Ponders; then brother Marty came in. We were also pleased when Chef Woods strolled through and greeted people. "Woody" is our neighbor. He lives about three miles away on Cabot Plains Road, just down the road from the Plains Cemetery. You'll see his "Up In Smoke BBQ" sign by his house. You'll also find his business card under "services" on the web site.

Fred took pictures, so here's a short slide show, ending with "Woody" and his truck. And no, we didn't name our cat after our neighbor chef . . . the cat's name came strictly from his woodpile hangout when he was still a vagrant.

We came home and had strawberry shortcake with whipped cream in front of the fire. Our treat. We were all way too full for dessert at the restaurant, but by the time we got here we were ready.Night out


Friday, March 20, 2009

A nice day here today, but it has stayed cool in spite of the bright sunshine. I went to Cabot Village late this morning and the road was still frozen from a very cold night last night. I'm guessing nothing melted much today, and they may not have had much of a sap run, either. The picture on the right was taken quite early this morning and you can see there isn't much bare ground showing. There's even less on this side of the pond, but when you get up on the Plain, the snow cover is much less due to the wind, and there is quite a bit of bare ground. Then, as I dropped down into Cabot, it looked a lot more like spring, but it still felt cold.

Woody sat for a long time in the sun this morning and seemed to be listening intently for something, probably a creature under the snow. Then he s
aw me in the window taking pictures and I guess that reminded him he was hungry so in a minute he was at the door ready to come in. We have opened his door into the basement so he can come and go as he wishes during this nice weather, but when he knows we're available, he will usually knock for us to let him in. We have attached an old sap spout to a string and he's learned to bat it with his paw so it raps on the door and we, of course, respond. He likes being waited upon.

I'm getting ads together for the Joe's Pond newsletter, and talked with Joe Turner at Point Comfort. We knew they had plans to turn the cottages into condos, and Joe told me everything has gone smoothly and they should
be available perhaps as early as May. I'll have more in the newsletter for you on that, with prices, etc. That will be a change for that place. There have been lots of changes at Point Comfort in the past years. Here's how it looked in about 1928, when there was a large dance hall, a restaurant, and gas pumps there. That was owned by Mr. McLaughlin then. This picture came from Jane (Hastings) Larrabee.

We'll keep you posted, and perhaps have more pictures for you, too.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Cabot Library Trustees will hold a Special Meeting
7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2009
at the Library

Connie Koeller, Library Director
March 17, 2009

*****
I guess you know Ice-Out tickets are flying out of here now. We're wondering if we'll need to print extra tickets so we don't run out. I must say you have all done a great job selling and buying tickets this year! Today Diane delivered another big batch of tickets to Karl for logging in, and I picked up another 300 from Marty's 1st Stop on our way home from St. Johnsbury today. Sales are starting to take off in St. Johnsbury, too, with both St. Jay Hardware and Caplans selling a few. Tickets go faster in the Danville and West Danville area. Marty ran out and Fred had to make an emergency delivery to them yesterday; Hastings ran out yesterday and Diane made an emergency delivery there; Joe's Pond Country Store has sold a pile of tickets, too - and every day more come in the mail, both regular tickets and the ones printed from the web site. I'll be checking in with Walt Ackermann at Harry's True Value Hardware in Cabot tomorrow to see if he needs more tickets. It's keeping all of us busy. And we're loving it.

We've had a little rain, some sunshine, now a fairly cold night - typical spring weather. Good for sugaring. We've seen the snow depth going down quite a bit, but there still isn't much melting visible on the pond. There has been water on top of the ice, and then it freezes up at night. Diane said she saw some folks ice skating this week. That's something you don't see every day here at Joe's. There is usually lots of snow mixed into the ice so it's rough and not good skating. And often there are big ripples where the wind blows along the ice when it's freezing and that isn't good for skating.

There are no ice shantys on the pond now. We think the flag will be put out soon now, but that's up to Ray Richer. There are still snowmobiles out there, and that can be hazardous if the flag apparatus is out there. We'll keep you posted, though.


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The following announcement came to us today:

Please join us at the next…

CABOT FARM TO SCHOOL MEETING

Speaker and discussion leader: Danielle Pipher- VT FEED

Wednesday, march 25 ,

Cabot school library, 4-6 pm

Please RSVP to one of the committee members listed below so we know how many healthy snacks to make!

To find out more about this meeting, contact one of the following:

Jeannie McCallum mccallumj@att.net 563-3114

Lillian Alexander lillian.c.alexander@gmail.com 563-3259

Mary Ann Tormey makt930@hotmail.com 563-2842

The following links will explain what this is about.
Farm to School
Vermont Feed
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! And top o' the mornin' to ye.

Our excursion into the woods this morning was a little disappointing. The weather was like yesterday - bright sunshine and mild temps - and when we started off it seemed as though we could go anywhere on top of the snow.

That was
ok in the open where the snow was wind-packed underneath. Even though the sun hits more than in the woods, so the rain also hits in the open and when everything freezes up again at night, there's more water content and density, so there's a deeper crust. In the woods, the ground is sheltered from the snow and rain by the trees and wouldn't hold us. We were able to follow a well-packed snowshoe trail where daughter-in-law, Marie, had been, so we continued on that and in what open spots there were, but we didn't stay out as long as yesterday.

In the top picture you can see where some of the springs on the hillside are open and animal tracks lead to those spots. Those are turkey tracks in the next picture. The
turkey flock seems to be thriving, although we haven't seen many of them since fall. We know they are out and about, though, and right now they are having an easier time of it being able to walk on the crust.

On the right is one of the holes made when I broke through. Fortunately, only one leg went in each time so I was able to get leverage to pull myself out. I usually crawl away from those holes a bit before I get on my feet again to keep from getting mired with both feet in a cave in. Quite often there are branches or bushes under the snow and they can really tangle your feet and make it difficult to get out. Each time I went in, my foot never reached solid ground, so the snow is still very deep in the woods. Fred went in a few times, too, and we were both glad to cut our trip a bit short.

Back home, at the end of our house, there are daffodils poking out of the ground! They are sheltered by a three-foot bank of snow next to the path, and have a southeast exposure, so they are always early, but I had no idea they would be out already. Yesterday I brought in some pussywillows to force. There were a few showing at the very top of one of our trees, but the branches I brought in hadn't budded yet. This morning, there are a few showing, so in about a week I should have lots of the furry harbingers of spring.

Fred commented this morning that he hadn't had to use the snowblower for quite a spell and perhaps its work is done for this year - but we both know that is probably a pipe dream. We can still get some heavy snowfalls even in April, so while the Deere is resting now, it's not over 'til it's over.

We hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and perhaps you'll continue to celebrate on Friday - the first day of Spring!!! Not that it ever means much as far as the actual weather goes here in the north country, but it's at least a reminder that winter is winding down and there are warmer days ahead. We sure can't complain about the weather here the last few days, and I'm sure there's lots of melting going on even if we can't see it. Snow depth at my stake is 2 1/2 ft. this morning; on top of Mt. Mansfield there are 79 inches.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Can anyone help? This came this evening:

The Cabot High School prevention group, C-YA, is hosting a dance Friday
night. The theme is Black & White and we are looking for a few
blacklights for mood lighting. If you have a blacklight or two that we
might be able to borrow, please let us know - cabotcoalition@fairpoint.net
or 563-3338.
Thanks.
*****

By the way, we have a recent comment on the comment page (see "Comments" on the home page menu) and since this feature hasn't been very active, I thought perhaps people don't generally check it so probably wouldn't see it. I guess the AIG thing is perplexing and angering enough to warrant speaking out. Take a look. Maybe you'd like to weigh in on that subject - or perhaps you have something you'd like to put out there for discussion.
At the right is a poster sent to me today. Sounds like it'll be lots of fun (and good eatin' all day!)

We went for a walk early this morning. It was a gorgeous day and we decided to head off before breakfast - before the road began to thaw out and get muddy. Fred had been out even earlier and took a couple pictures - one was a moon shot you'll see in this group of slides.
As we were leaving our driveway, Fred suggested we might want to walk in on the snow banks or into the woods - a favorite thing to do when the snow holds us and we don't need snowshoes - but I wasn't convinced until he showed me. Just below Morgan's, we cut down through the field below the Pupino's.

For a brief moment, as I started down through that field, I remembered what it felt like zipping on crusty snow like that on a toboggan. Or a big piece of cardboard. Fred felt frisky, too - racing down the hill at top speed. I've seen him do that before and watched as the snow gave way and sent him sprawling, but this morning it held and neither of us broke through at all.

When we got to Sandy Beach Road, we just kept going straight out onto the ice. I'm normally not a fan of being on the ice, especially when things are supposed to be thawing, but there was almost no evidence of melting going on. An ice fishing hole was solidly frozen in, and we could see at least two feet down the ice was still solid. In some spots bits of waterfront is showing, but absolutely no water along the shoreline. The brooks were running at a normal rate. That will change in a few days, if this weather keeps up.

Some of the way the ice was free of snow so we followed snowmobile tracks that had roughed up the surface and now frozen, made better traction. We went almost to Walkers, and then I began to get hungry so we turned around headed home. It was a good workout, and we both enjoyed the freedom to go absolutely anywhere on top of either ice or snow - what freedom! Tomorrow we hope to go into the woods. When it's like this and the snow holds us up, we can explore places we don't even try to reach in either deep snow or when the ground is bare.

Anyway, here are the pictures.
Walk on the west side

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Fred went to recycle in Hardwick this morning and took pictures along the way. As some of you know, there have been times when Hardwick has seen very high water. The river seems to be flowing well right now with no ice jams.

Today was the day for getting your dogs registered - they have a clinic each year in various spots where you can have your pets get appropriate shots and registrations. Hardwick had it at the fire station this morning.

At the end of this slide show is a picture of the menu outside Claire's Restaurant in Hardwick. We've heard some good things about Claire's, but haven't tried it yet.
Here are the slides. Hardwick, March 14

While Fred was gone, I made some Irish soda bread and some cookies to take to a neighborhood party tonight. Perhaps we'll get some pictures. It's always fun to have something going on this time of the year - St. Patrick's is sort of a bridge from winter to at least the possibility of spring, so well worth celebrating, especially this year.

I sent off some Ice-Out tickets to my friend in Tacoma, Washington today. We've sent lots out, all over the nation, and they have been coming in pretty well. I expect lots more in the next couple of weeks - we're closing in on the end of the contest - April 1st - so if you want to get into the game, be sure you get your tickets at one of the outlets or print them from the web site. I'll also mail tickets to you, but time is getting short, so if you want me to do that, let me know right away.
Here's something to mull over this weekend:What Money REALLY Looks Like

This came yesterday from our niece who is working in India with a group of U. S. medical professionals.

Things are good here. We have a little bit of time off for the next few days. We are now in Darjeeling and then headed to Yuksom. We were going to do clinics in Yuksom but these have been canceled since there is an election in progress and there is thought that there might be conflicts of interest with our group and the local politics. Anyway- we have been very busy- over 1000 patients seen already by our 15 person team. It is a really super learning experience- a lot of really smart people. I have to be quick on email since I am paying for the use.
Here is another picture of an adorable baby I saw in clinic yesterday.
Love
Jennie

Friday, March 13, 2009

I have sad news again. Barbara Powers, Terry Power's mother, passed away yesterday at age 83. Terry and Ann own cottages on Island Drive. Services will be held on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in St. Johnsbury. Click here for full obituary:Barbara Powers
We extend sincerest sympathy to the Powers family. You may contact Terry and Ann at: 424 Wister Rd., Wynnewood PA 19096-1809.

*****
I just realized I never told you about the tree that came down across the driveway at Jamie and Marie's, just up the hill from us. It happened night before last. Marie said when she took Otto out for his walk early that morning, she was surprised to find a good sized spruce tree - or at least the top of one - right across their driveway. No big deal, and fortunately it didn't hit either of their cars or fall on the house; but Jamie had to haul it out of the road before they could leave for work. Fred went up later in the day and took a couple of pictures. I'm pretty sure there will be other casualties when we go into the woods next, but for now we feel pretty fortunate we didn't lose power or have any other damage from those winds.

You can see where the top snapped off. That often happens when the wind whips those tall evergreens, especially when it is very cold and they are frozen through. It almost looks as if more than one came down, but I don't think that's the case. It'll be a lot of work to clean up, but Jamie will probably just get it out of the way of plowing and away from the driveway and tackle it in the spring when he won't have to wade in the snow. Right now he's getting ready to televise the annual Kiwanis Auction in St. Johnsbury starting Monday night, so the tree will have to wait. There is lots of preparation to do for the auction, setting up cameras and testing to be sure everything is working properly. If you have cable TV with Charter, you can tune in each evening, Monday through Wednesday, to Channel 7 and bid on some of the interesting stuff going on. Tomorrow's Caledonian Record will probably have a list of items going up for bid. Proceeds from this fund raiser go towards supporting the Kiwanis swimming pool in St. Johnsbury. I couldn't begin to guess how many kids, my own included, have learned to swim there, from little tots on, and also how many teenagers have had summer employment at the pool.

It's been fairly quiet and sunny today; but the temperature didn't get very high. The Rossis and Sherwoods were skiing at Burke t
oday and said it was very nice. I spoke with Diane this evening and she said there was a little ice here and there, and apparently it was quite fast, but she was enthusiastic. She and Don somehow outsmarted the jinx they had on the weather, because after a bit of a soggy start as they were arriving, the weather turned out to be not too bad and this week they got in some good runs. We were thinking their being here would mean we'd have a wet week, which generally happens when they come to ski, and that might bring spring a little closer - but that didn't happen but even so, we're happy they could get one last ski week in this year.


I thought you might enjoy seeing these photos that came from our nephew in CT by way of his dad in CO . . . here's the tag for the photos:

 > Probably won't see this one again anytime soon!
> When they took the plane out of the Hudson they ended up having to detour
> through East Rutherford NJ. These roads were not made for planes.
>
Slides

Thursday, March 12, 2009

From Vince Feeney:

I am giving a talk at the Marshfield Jacquith Library on Mar. 22 at 3 PM
titled "The Largely Unknown History of the Irish in Vermont." This is
based on a book I have written on the subject which is slated for
publication in the autumn of this year. It deals with the large numbers
of Irish who came to Vermont via Canada in the 1830s through the 1850s,
and the important role they played in the rapidly expanding slate and
marble industries in Vermont.
This is a good talk to promote this time of year as St. Patrick's
Day
is March 17 and Irish themes are in the air. The talk, of
course, is free and open to the public.

Thanks,

Vince Feeney, Marshfield. <vfeeney@fairpoint.net>
CABOT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Monday, March 16, 2009
Information Center - 6:00 p.m.
*****

There are some interesting statistics in this week's Hardwick Gazette (Wednesday, March 11, 2009) in a letter by Richard Scheiber of Cabot, in the "Letters From Readers" section. People who attended this year's town meeting or who weren't there but heard about it, will be interested in what Mr. Scheiber has to say.

There are other interesting letters there about the defeated library budget at the Cabot meeting. Since there will be a special meeting and voters will be voting on that budget again soon, these letters may be of interest to you.

Only 21 days left to get your Ice-Out Contest ticket!

We're getting some wild weather right now. Last night the wind blew almost continually, and it's still blustery today. The sun has finally come out, but we're still experiencing pretty cold temps. My office thermometer reads only 10 above, but on the other side of the house it's about 16 above. With the wind blowing, it's a "feels like" temperature in the range of 10 below.

It may look like it's easy for that crow to stay perched in the treetop, but he was actually facing a really stiff wind and had to hang on tight to stay at his lookout post. I wanted to get a picture of him taking off, but as soon as he let go of the tree, he sailed out of camera range. (I was taking the picture from the kitchen window so I wouldn't spook him.) I've been watching clouds of dirt blowing down the road. At first I thought it was from traffic going by, but then I realized the wind is blowing directly down West Shore Road, picking up dirt along the flat past the mailboxes at the end of our drive and taking it airborne. It wouldn't be a good day for walking out there, and I'm sure there will be spots of glare ice where the dirt has blown off!

Everything is tightly frozen again, which is probably good so we don't get flooding. Days are beginning to warm, though, and by the weekend - if things go as forecast - we should be getting warmer days (40's) and freezing nights, which makes for good sap runs. I'm wondering if maple producers will continue to ask in the vicinity of $50/gal., or if they have a good year, perhaps the price will drop . . . ?

Here's something that may be of interest to some of you:
From St. Johnsbury Academy:  We are excited to let you know about some of our recently
released and most popular ed2go courses. All
of our courses are offered entirely online, and every course
includes expert assistance from a helpful and patient instructor.

This month's courses start on Wednesday, March 18, so there is
still time to enroll. If you are ready to start a course, simply
visit your Online Instruction Center at
http://www.ed2go.com/stjacademy and search for the course you
want to take.




Wednesday, March 11, 2009

First, an important notice: (The notice is also on home page of the web site and will remain there if anyone needs to refer to it.)
Assistant to the Cabot Town Clerk and Treasurer needed. Bookkeeping and office experience required - Quickbooks, Word, Excel, and Access. Must possess excellent penmanship, strong analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills, with an attention to detail and the ability to work independently under deadline. Wage based on relevant experience. Please send cover letter, resume, and references by March 27, 2009 to: Cabot Town Office, 3084 Main Street, PO Box 36 , Cabot , Vermont 05647.

I'm not sure how many years Velma White has served as assistant town clerk for Cabot, but I'm guessing it's been at least 20. I've enjoyed knowing and working with Velma over the years. I know she will be missed by many, many of us, but I wish her the very best as she moves on to other interests - and I know she has many.

I've exchanged e-mails this week with Kellie Merrell of Vt. Dept. of Water Resources and Mike Miller, Vt. Native Nursery, about the shoreline project that's going on. I wasn't aware that some people here at Joe's Pond have been working with the State to improve and preserve their shoreline. I'm not sure how all of this works, so perhaps someone who has been involved will contact me. There will be an article about it in the newsl
etter, and you'll be hearing more about the project here, as well. Sounds like a worthy project. I know first hand how difficult it is to keep our shorelines from eroding. It isn't quite as bad now the water level is better controlled, but in a good storm or when there is a lot of water skiing activity with large boats making lots of wake, the shoreline still takes a beating.

We're getting lots of rain today. Fred went zipping down the driveway early this moring to check how slippery it is on the road, but said while it looks slick with ice, it's actually quite mushy. We had some ice forming on the trees and thought the roads would be really bad, but apparently it is warming up steadily and the worst of the icing is over - we hope! Fred was ready for---I don't know, spring, mud, high water or maybe the men in white coats yesterday. He's had it with winter, for sure.

We walked down to Bill and Diane Rossi's yesterday to take Ice-Out tickets to them for Bill to take to Karl Couillard who is logging tickets in for us this year. The roads were showing signs of sping, but are still firmly frozen under the slime of mud. We hope the frost will leave gradually and perhaps we won't get the potholes and deep ruts.

Speaking of deep ruts, Elaine Metcalf commented on what I wrote about naming Deeper Ruts Road. In case you didn't click on the comment there, here is what she said, and thank's Elaine, for that. I'm delighted to know how the name came about. Another bit of history!

Metcalfs here.....just checking in!
Deeper Ruts Road was, at one time, just "Deeper Ruts", named by our dear late friends, Howard and Dappie Platt. Howard had a plaque in the kitchen which read "Deeper Ruts"---it was the end of the road and that was their name "for the end of the road". Of course, years ago, we remember, before the roads were improved, this road, being shaded by softwood trees, had ruts (in the spring) that could challenge any rut in town!
Thusly, the name. After Howard and Dappie passed, and the 911 I.D. was about to be put in place, we thought it would be a nice thought to use Howard's "Deeper Ruts" for this road.
I'm ordering my garden seeds, so that must mean that spring cannot be far away....Elaine Metcalf

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...