I had an e-mail tonight from Pam and Joe Hebert with a link to a very moving commercial on YouTube, allegedly done by a teen for his mother. The link they sent didn't work for me, but I found it easily using Google. Here is a link - worth watching. Tea Party Commercial

Thanks, Pam & Joe.

I guess just about everyone knows about the young St. Johnsbury lad, 2nd Lt. Joseph Fortin, who was killed in action last week. The whole of the Northeast Kingdom turned out Saturday as his body was returned to St. Johnsbury. People lined up not only in St. Johnsbury, but along Rt. 2 in Danville and West Danville to honor him. His funeral was this morning at St. Johnsbury Academy, where he graduated in 2004. He was 22. Here is today's WCAX News report: Lt. Fortin

We are proud of the men and women who serve our country in the armed services, and mourn the loss of each and every life given. There are many thoughts and prayers for the friends and family of this brave young man tonight. I hope they find some comfort that so many people share their grief.

*****

We're tempting the weather gods tonight by not covering our garden and other tender plants outside. A couple nights ago we covered everything and we didn't have a frost. Other places did, but not here. I'm counting on the same situation tonight. I may be sorry, but even if the temperature does get to freezing, it's unlikely to damage any but the most tender plants because it won't get much below the 32 degree mark and even if it does, it won't be long enough to do much damage. I hope.

I worked outside this afternoon, collecting grass clippings to use later in the fall to cover this year's vegetable garden before snow falls. I'll get more tomorrow - there is a good crop below the house. The one crop that grew best this year was grass. Makes us wish we had a grass pellet burning stove. After working in the garden to pick the last of the peas and nab a tomato and a cuke for supper, I decided it was time to clean up the lovage plants that always grow to towering spikes, five or six feet tall with hollow stems that go POP! when I break them over. There is plenty of new growth coming along, and I got about half way through the job when I felt the unmistakable jab of a bee sting on my wrist. There were bees all around me, one on my shirt looking for skin, and I could hear them buzzing frantically as I sprinted across the lawn. Fortunately they didn't follow me far and I got only the one sting. I usually hear them in time to back off without getting them mad and me stung, but I guess I was concentrating too hard on tearing out the old stalks of loveage to notice.

My left wrist bone looks considerably larger than usual tonight, and there's a puffy spot about the size of a quarter, and a residual jab of pain off and on. I don't often get stung, but over the years have managed to have some close calls and a few really painful direct hits.

I remember one time when Uncle Bob and I were at the head of the pond herding some of our young cattle off the railroad track. The land that is now where Randall's house is, to the field where the cattle were last year, was our pasture at one time, where the young stock spent each summer. There was a fence through the woods, marsh and swamp next to the brook that runs under Deeper Ruts Road into the pond. The young Holsteins apparently found a weak spot in the fence and we'd had a call that they were on the railroad tracks. Back then the trains went through regularly, and the tracks were no place for cattle. We found the break in the fence and rushed to herd the wayward critters back the way they'd come, through thick underbrush and marsh land. In the process, one of the cows apparently stepped on a bee's nest. I doubt the bees bothered the cows much, but Bob and I had no chance of getting away quickly through the mud and underbrush, so the angry insects had no trouble finding a target. Fortunately there was no shortage of mud - the standard treatment for bee stings was to apply a thick coating of mud - and we eventually got the cattle back where they belonged. But we must have been a sorry looking pair, covered with mud, scratched and bloody from the brush, tired and aching with bee stings. Sometimes we hated those cows.

Here's something you may be interested in: Click here

We're all waiting for the sunshine this morning. The forecasters have "sort of" predicted some sun today, and right now it looks promising, but earlier this morning we were enveloped in fog - a typical late August/early September morn. A few minutes ago Woody (our cat) came in wet and enjoyed his usual rub-down with a paper towel. I don't know if he was wet from prowling about in the tall grass and bushes hereabouts or it there was actually some rain when I wasn't looking. There was a definite mist in the air when I went out to read the rain guage this morning, and I reported .07 inches of precip to CoCoRaHS. Somebody asked me the other day what CoCoRaHS stands for, and I couldn't get it all at the time, but later I looked it up and it is short for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, which is all volunteer, headquartered at Colorado State University, and is part of NOAA, the National Weather Service, and National Hydrologic Council. It's a mouthful, but I don't have to worry about it - all I do take my reading and report it. The information I send gets put in with reports from all over the country (there are a lot of reporters here in Vermont) and help scientists to recognize changes in weather patterns, etc.

We've finally finished painting our tractor garage - except I have to paint the two hinges on the gable door black, since we didn't bother to remove them like we did the hinges on the big doors. I'll get to that this week, if the weather holds, and may even reglaze the window on the south side. At least we got the doors to close again, and filled some of the holes blasted out when my father was shooting at the pesky squirrels. There are lots of embedded bb's in the clapboards of that old shed . . . my father would have appreciated Woody's efforts to keep the area clear of red squirrels.

Now we're in the process of clearing out unwanted, unused "stuff" that has accumulated over the years. Much of it was my father's, and things my mother collected, like an old fashioned milk can she was going to paint, and some wooden sap buckets she used to hold plants. Then there is the stuff Fred and I have collected, like the metal sap buckets, covers and spouts from when we tried making our own maple syrup. We made syrup for a couple years, but it was way too much work when we were both working, collecting on foot, and boiling it on the kitchen stove. We sensibly decided we could probably buy it for less than the amount our electric bill jumped, so stacked the buckets and covers thinking we might want to do it again after we retired, but now we're too busy. Besides, we have neighbors all around us who make great maple syrup.

The fall cleaning spree will last for a few more weeks with lots of trips to recycle what nobody wants. I find it's lots more fun to clean out Fred's tractor garage than it is to do any of the half dozen storage spaces I have my overflow of "stuff" in, but I admit that for the moment, at least, I'm inspired and perhaps I'll get some of my useless treasures cleaned out, too.

Here comes the sun! Time to go to work.

We had a short reprieve from the routine of having a fire in the wood stove every evening, but tonight we decided we'd like one again. When we came in from covering the garden and shuttling potted and hanging plants into the garage for the night, the house felt very warm. The air outside was a chilly 64 degrees. However, experience has proven that once inside and quiet, I like to have the house temperature at least 72, so Fred built a small fire to last through the evening. Nice.

I hope the garden survives. We picked four ripe tomatoes, but there is still lots out there that I'd like to leave for a few weeks longer. The zucchini is just starting to come along, and there are lots more tomatoes on the vines I hope will ripen. I just looked at the indoor/outdoor thermometer and it's reading 51 degrees outside, so it may not get down to freezing. It's usually coldest just before sunrise, though, but I'm not likely to be awake to read the temperature then. Quite often Fred is, though, so we'll know have a report in the morning.

We were in St. Johnsbury this morning. The debris on Main Street where the fire was a few weeks ago has been cleared away. There is a large space that lets the morning sun shine onto the street and exposes a large window I think is called Gothic style, in the church. It appears to be covered to protect it - probably because of the demolition work and reconstruction that will be happening. I'm pretty sure some people unfamiliar with St. Johnsbury except to drive through occasionally would be surprised that the church is even there. I think it would be nice to leave space there so we could see the church. Not having a building so close to obstruct the light must make a huge difference inside the church.

As far as I know, the town planners in St. Johnsbury haven't come up with a plan for rebuilding in that space.

While we were in St. J., because I momentarily forgot we were should turn north onto Railroad Street from Maple for our haircut appointments, out of habit I turned right and headed south as if we were headed for White's Market. In order to get turned around, I drove down to what used to be Hovey's Shops parking lot, at the back of the buildings and just off Portland Street bridge. We were surprised to find a neatly fenced skate park at one end of that now unused parking lot. We had heard about it, in fact, I think when Peter Glen Store was on Railroad St, they were part of its creation, and the new owners have continued it. The park is open only certain times, and we didn't stop to investigate, but Fred took a quick picture.

Late this afternoon, I went out to finish up some trim on the tractor garage we've been painting. While I was up on the ladder, I was surprised when Woody appeared above me on the roof. He'd climbed up a board I'd leaned against another small shed in back of the garage and jumped from it onto the roof near where I was working. Now, THAT startled me! I didn't expect to see a furry head with bright green eyes peering down at me. I may not have mentioned this before, but he has a bit of Siamese in him. It shows up in the velvety black of his heels - and in his ability to run and jump. He can spring straight up several feet from a crouch. That's 14 +/- pounds of cat flying through the air. Better not be in his path.

I was in Cabot yesterday and stopped at the town offices. I'm getting ready to reprint our Joe's Pond directory and had a question about the numbering on one of the cottages. In the process of getting that straightened out, I learned that Gina Kurrle, 68 Meadow Lane has bought the cottage at 64 Meadow Lane that belonged to the Smith family.

We will be watching the weather this weekend, with the storm "Danny" coming up the coast. It seems likely it will stay far enough away so we'll only get the rain, but things could change. Anyway, it doesn't look like the best of weather for the weekend here at Joe's Pond. Too bad, with the summer nearly over and having been so short, we could have used one more nice weekend before Labor Day. We will probably get some nice weather after this, though. September can be a really nice month. Everything seems to be a little off kilter weatherwise this year, so no predictions from here.

By the way, if you haven't been following the "Comments" page, you are missing the discussion that's starting up there. Check it out and join in. It's easy and a good way to have your opinions noted.

Those of you who have read the minutes of our JPA meeting on Sunday, know that a "swim over" inspection for invasive species had been arranged. Pam Hebert sent this report today after the inspection had been accomplished:

Will Stevenson from Lycott Environmental Inc. spent most of today conducting an aquatic plant survey, and reported that NO Eurasian milfoil was seen. Great news !! Will used a rake-toss method as well as a visual survey at approximately 150 points on all three Ponds. A GPS unit was used to track the boat as it moved around the Pond. He noted that Joe's Pond is one of the cleaner bodies of water he's been on with visibility in the range of 8 to 10 feet. Will also shared some pictures of lakes heavily infested with milfoil. Not a pretty sight.

Thanks, Pam for your report. At first glance, the pictures are interesting contrasts of colors, but if that mass of vegetation was in our lake water, entangling and strangling, it certainly would be a different story. We're very fortunate to be clear of any infestations such as shown above, and I'm sure we owe that to the careful scrutiny your team of boat inspectors give to boats before they are launched at the fishing access. Thank you, Pam, and thank your team. Good job.

From Ted Decker, W. Shore Rd:

Jane,

Taken this morning, unbelievable!

Ted

Great shot, Ted. Thanks for sending.

Our day has gone downhill since this picture of the sunrise was taken. We now have not only totally overcast sky, but the temperature seems to be dropping. My thermometer is reading 67 degrees. There was a bit of wind earlier, but that seems to have died down and now it's just gloomy.

I'm off to Cabot to do some errands, and will take my camera, but I won't expect anything as spectacular as Ted's shot above.

Ted Decker sent me this great photo this morning. Ted wrote:

Jane,

Spotted this convoy of loons off our deck at about 9:00 am this morning.

Ted

I don't know for sure, but I expect they are grouping together in preparation for their departure. Thanks to Ted for sharing this.

Here we go! The minutes have been transcribed and they are now on the web site. You'll find them under "Joe's Pond Assn."

You'll see in the minutes that President Tom Dente promised to get in touch with Ray Richer regarding the sediment pools planned for Sandy Beach Road and Barre Avenue and report to members via the blog. The situation on Sandy Beach Road was discussed at the meeting and, true to his word Tom contacted Ray and here is the response:

Hi Tom,

The update is that no more info is available than was available at the
last meeting.  Phil Beattie's schedule is very tight just now (we are on
his list) and the culvert area probably would best not be disturbed
during prime 'camper' season.  After most of the summer folks leave
would be the best time to attack the problem areas on this road.  (As a
consideration to all campers on Sandy Beach Road)

The original application to the state was reviewed by the proper state
level agents, and rejected only due to lack of funds.  No state
officials visited the sites, just as previously reported...as it did not
get that far with them.  The towns, Danville and Cabot, were notified as
well as the landowners involved.  Then when our application was rejected
and other applications were submitted all receiving the same results
that ended the application process to the state.  The towns involved
gave permission as long as it didn't cost them any money.

Yesterday I met with Judy and Sam Lewis on this issue.  They are going
to look into the 'official' possibilities of the Town of Cabot picking
up their responsibilities in this project.  We will wait to hear what
results they come up with... considering their expertise in that area
(at the state level) it is very fortunate that they are willing to
'navigate' this course for us.  We will wait to hear of the results that
they come up with in the meantime.

The Lewis's were in agreement that if the Town of Cabot gets involved in
this that the culvert by Ricker's/Parizo's boundary should be pulled
up and the culvert that is apparently buried under it also be removed
and the culvert properly 'set'... this would help eliminate the amount
of sediment that is dumped into the sediment pool on the exit of the
culvert.  In the long run it would save the town money to do it right as
they have had to attend to it each year with more fill and man-hours...
that is one of the issues that the Lewis's are going to bring up to the
town... along with their basic responsibility of attending to the class
3 road.  Although, the proposal to the state did not involve altering
that culvert, it did involve the runoff ditch along the property
boundary going to the pond... but if that culvert were fixed the work
done by the Association in the ditch would last longer.  It is our
understanding that the town can't go clear to the pond with the 'fix'...
there are some limits as to how far from the road (center) they can
go... but all that would be discovered in discussion with the town and
the Lewis's I believe...

We will keep you posted.

Ray Richer

*****

When/if there are more developments, we'll report here.

In the meantime, Paul and Mary Brooks, Old Homestead Road, have sold their cottage to James and Carla Gabert. The Gaberts hail from York, Pennsylvania, and have relatives here at the pond. We welcome James and Carla to Joe's Pond. I'm pretty sure they know the area well, already having ties here.

Another bit of information is that our good friend, Homer Fitts, is getting married soon! It's something of a fairy-tale romance in that Homer and his wife, Elsie,
were friends with this other couple, Frank and Margaret Guilmette, for many years and then each lost their mate. Now, Homer and Margaret are planning a life together. Congratulations, you two kids! Many of us have already met Margaret and she is a sweet lady. We wish them both many years of happiness together and look forward to welcoming Margaret to the Joe's Pond community. We'll perhaps lose Homer as a year 'round resident, though, because they may decide to head south for the winter, but I'm sure he'll still get back home in time to help us with the Ice-Out Contest next spring. Way to go, Homer!!

We had a small but productive Fall Meeting of the JPA today (Sunday). It's late as I'm writing this, so I'll put a slide show on and tell you more about the meeting tomorrow. The minutes will be posted in a few days, after I've transcribed them.

The weather was fine - the rain never really happened, although there were sprinkles in the morning and it was cool enough so we took jackets and I even tucked a sweater into my tote. When we got to the meeting, people were in shorts and there was considerable discussion about the weather on the west shore of the pond vs. the weather on the east shore. Turned out Diane and I both got really warm and had to shed our jackets, but back home it was cool and around supper time Fred asked me if I wanted a fire. I didn't, but we did close up all the windows. It's very comfortable now, but there's a chill in the air we haven't felt in a while.

Anyway, here are some pictures Fred took at the meeting today. Slide Show

I've just made my CoCoRaHS report - .01 in. of rain in the last 24 hours. I'd expected much more from listening to the weather forecast. It's interesting to see what other areas get in comparison to our area. I watch the Washington/Caledonia County maps to see what other observers have reported. Here's where I report: CoCoRaHS.org

Another interesting site is National Hurricane Center
It should be fun to watch over the next few weeks during increasing hurricane activity.

Now I need to begin putting things together to take to the JPA meeting this afternoon. It's incredible that the summer is over and people have already begun to pack up and leave. There are quite a number of Joe's Ponders who hang in there well into the fall, and then there are the hardy souls who live here year around who wave "good-bye" to friends and neighbors every fall and eagerly await their return each spring.

It's looking much like fall in the village. At the Joe's Pond Craft Shop, Deb Stresing has lots of late-blooming flowers, inside and out. The shop will remain open through the holiday. After Christmas, Deb closes up and retreats to her cozy home to concentrate on her weaving, sketching and crafting, replenishing stock and soul before another busy summer.

Remember that today is our Fall Meeting of Joe's Pond Association, and it's at 2 p.m. There are interesting things to discuss, so try to be there. The minutes will be posted within a day or two after the meeting, so check the JPA pages on the web site.

Another juicy day. I just went outside for a minute and enjoyed a very brief and very light shower. That's happened a couple times so far. I guess later today we may get some real rain. Tough to have this muggy weather on a weekend, but as long as there's no thunder and lightning, we can still go about our business and fun safely.

I just had a note from our JPA President, Tom Dente. He wrote:

Got a call from someone who just received a warning from the boating police. The passage between the small island and Corley's..Bona's shore is 360 feet and the passage between the small island and Sandy Beach road shore is 381 feet as measured by the boat police. This means all boat speeds must be less than 5 mph or no wake when navigating these passages.

It's good the state police are giving warnings and not fines, at least for the time being. Better be careful, anyway. Tom said he will be reminding people at tomorrow's meeting.

Which reminds me - if you haven't picked up your 10 Ice-Out tickets at Hastings, time has pretty much run out. We'll have the remaining tickets at the meeting tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, 2 p.m.), and ones that are left will be mailed to your home address. We had hoped to save postage, but either not many of you go into the store or you forgot they were there, because only a few envelopes have been picked up. We may have to take them door-to-door next year, but then they sometimes get left at camp and nobody wants to wade through four feet of snow to retrieve their allotted Ice-Out tickets, so they end up being wasted. Mailing them seems to be the only solution, but if you don't want tickets to buy, sell or give away, please let either Diane Rossi or me know so we won't mail them off to you.

See you tomorrow at the meeting, I hope.

This sounds like fun!!

Cookout on the Common!

sponsored by The Cabot School Performing Arts Center

SATURDAY AUG 29 2009 5PM

C'mon down for some kickin' tunes and great grub!

Food served from 5:00-6:30

Music starting at 5:30 w/ Country-Rockabilly Singer Rachael Rice

Menu includes:

Barbecued Pork, Burgers and Dogs

Coleslaw and Corn on the Cob

Iced Tea and Lemonade

... and don't forget the incredible selection of homemade pies

VEGGIE BURGERS AVAILABLE TOO!

$10 for adults

$6 for kids under 12

***

All proceeds to benefit the Cabot School Performing Arts Center

***

Sadly, we learned a few days ago of the passing of Liz Randall's father, James Stephen McDowell, in Florida. Mr. McDowell was 84. Funeral services will be held on Long Island, N.Y., where he had been a fireman for many years before retiring to Florida. Our thoughts are with Liz and her family. Obituary

It's a bit cooler today, and the forecast is for possible rain late in the day. It seems unlikely, but there are signs that we need some rain. The moisture doesn't hang out where you want it, in the gardens and on lawns; it collects in the corners of your basement and on shady sides of the house and grows mold and mildew and shelters earwigs and spiders and only God knows what else.

Some folks know just how to spend the hot, humid days, though. Yesterday, when Fred went to pick Bill Rossi up to (get this!!) go to Hastings for ice cream, the Mah-Jong group was meeting there, and he got this picture. Pretty cool, nice breeze off the water, good company - great way to spend an afternoon.

When Fred got back home, he found Woody on our deck and took this picture. I'd been shelling peas out there and he'd been with me, cool in the shade of the cherry tree and the deck chairs. It reminded me of the saying, "Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs." He hardly moves during this hot weather - usually stretching out in some cool spot in the house, but yesterday he couldn't resist going to the garden with me, and that tuckered him out. He likes the garden, and walks between the rows sniffing the green beans and pea vines, and will usually flop in the middle walkway so I have to be careful not to trip over him. It was too hot for him there yesterday, even though when we were there the garden was shaded.

I guess you noticed the boarding ladder posted to the Comments Page was found. Have you noticed the Comments Page works a little differently now? We no longer have to go back a page to read a another comment after we've read one. The whole list is still there and you can go from one to another easily. Click away!

Back to work, now. I have e-mails to answer and then I need to get back to work to reorganize so I can take whatever is finished back to the historical society building for the winter. It takes some thought because once the place is closed up after Fall Foliage Day (Sept. 29), it won't be open again until warm weather in the spring, so I'd better not need it. I'll be picking up whatever books and DVD's are there so I can fill orders that come in over the winter. All of which makes the summer seem awfully short this year . . .

Whew! It's HOT! Ok, I know I shouldn't complain after all the cool, rainy weather, however, hate me if you will but I really, really, don't like when it's this hot and steamy. I'll welcome those crisp, cool days in September and October.

This weather does spawn interesting views, though. Diane Rossi sent this photo to me this morning. Diane wrote:

The sun came up very red this morning while we were having our coffee around 6...I've been in the pond a couple of times these past few days, and it's definitely refreshing!

Thanks, Diane - that sun was hot even at 6. That's about the time it hit me through the open window in our bedroom and I scurried to lower the blind and then, realizing it was already very warm outside, closed the windows on the east side of the house. We're experimenting today, keeping the fans on and all the windows closed. We're thinking that with the weatherization we had done last winter, the house should retain the coolness from being open all night. There is a nice breeze, though, and that's hard to resist.

We took our neighbors, Don and Mary Encarnacion, for a ride around the pond yesterday. Fred took pictures along the way, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and the water. Take a look: Boat Ride

The photos in this slide show were taken at a higher resolution than we normally use, so if anyone has a problem opening them, please let us know.

The boat ride with Don and Mary used to be a yearly ritual, but for one reason or another, we'd taking them for a couple years, so this was a particular treat for all of us. You notice changes from the water you don't see from the road. Fred spotted a "new house" high in the hills above Rt. 2 towards Molly's Pond. He put lots of zoom on and although the photo is dark, you can see details of the house.

With summer closing down, kids getting back to school, our final Joe's Pond Association meeting coming up on Sunday at 2 p.m., there's an air of sadness around the pond. While there are always a few folks left well into the fall, and some of us are year 'rounders, there's an abrupt decrease in activity, especially during week days. Weekends will stay busy for a while, but then that activity will drop off, too. By the time the leaf-peepers get here at the end of September, things will be pretty quiet. That's when I plan to get Fred out in the kayak to enjoy the cool crisp fall days and perhaps we can explore nooks and crannies with the camera you wouldn't otherwise see.

Taking the kayak out reminds me of one Sunday in late October years ago when Fred and I were living at camp and we took Clint, our rather large black lab mix with us in the canoe. It was a fairly windy day, plus, at the northern end of the pond, where Nancy Hamilton and Eileen Morrison are, someone had several fairly large dogs, I think they may have been malamutes or something. Everything went well until we were paddling along behind the islands and those dogs spotted us and began to bark and run along the shore. Clint began to bark and was ready to jump overboard. We had all we could do to contain him and keep the canoe right side up. We decided never to take him with us again in the canoe.

Enjoy the day. We're still cool inside, and that's probably where we'll stay for most of the day. Fred is taking another computer course; I'm getting ready to publish another book for the historical society - a replica of a notebook kept by Dr. Burbank when he was chairman of the building committee for the Willey Memorial Hall, about 1919. It's interesting that the building cost a little over $11,000.00 plus donated materials and time, and was finished in 1921. Today Willey Memorial Hall houses the town offices, the library, and a large auditorium. It now has a new heating system, new office space and vault for town records, improved electrical system, an elevator and a handicapped-accessible entrance to bring the building up to modern building codes, all of which cost $300,000 1996.

How times change.

Hangman Gallery and Framery

Hardwick: 41 Main St (near the Coop)

presents:

Facing the Trees/Seeing the World

A group show of varied media including:

Photographs by David R Levitt

And:

Louise Arnold’s dramatic oils of landscapes,

Sachiko Yoshida’s delicate watercolors of dried flowers,

and Nancy Schade’s captures of nature in bronze sculptures.

Poets reading at the Reception will include:

Ann Day,

Victor Densmore

Cheryl Ives

Ron Lay-Sleeper

Evelyn Webler

Orson Titus

Reception: Sun. Aug 23 - 2 to 6 pm

Show: Aug. 23 to Sept. 19, M-Sat 10-4

Information: 802-525-4405

Jane--

I thought everyone should see this Lake Trout which Joe Cassani caught at Joe's Pond on August 9. It is 25 1/2 inches long and weighed 6 lbs.

Ray Rouleau

What a nice fish. Thanks, Ray for sending that along. Great picture.

*****

Then I got this from Rob Denny on Cove Road:

Rob wrote:
These men claimed that they were looking for ice cream!!

Yep, Rob - they probably were. I came upon them at Hastings Store about a week ago, scarfing ice cream cones bigger'n a man's fist - the kind Garey and Jane serve up regularly. I've also seen them working their way through hot dogs. They seem to fancy themselves specialists in the field of hot dogs and ice cream. I think they're harmless, but we should probably keep an eye on them, especially around cookouts and picnics. I suspect they'd crash a party in the blink of an eye if they smelled hot dogs or ice cream.

If you read the "Comments Page" you saw that Susie Swanson, on Island Drive, posted a message that they lost their boarding ladder. If anyone finds it, let the Swansons know. I don't think they have a phone, but they are at 84 Island Drive, right by the rail trail.

Everyone is enjoying the summery weather at Joe's Pond. My family had a great time at camp this weekend - Fred and I were busy so we didn't get down to join the fun. We have almost finished painting the tractor garage, though, and I finished taking inventory at the Cabot Historical Society.

Over the years, Cabot has had a number of doctors in town. One of the most famous, of course, was Dr. Burbank, and we have a lot of his memorabilia in our collection. We also have a pill case that belonged to Dr. Parley Scott, who was one of the first to settle in Cabot. According to information with the pill case, Dr. Scott doctored in Cabot from 1794-1850; however, according to cemetery records, Dr. Scott died on December 25, 1849, at age 85. We'll need to change that. His wife, Lydia, died in 1854 at age 84. There is a large burial lot in the Village Cemetery for the Scott family, and a young son, Parley Cheney Scott, age 3, died in 1803 and is buried at the Center of Town Cemetery.

Another son, Aura Scott, died in October of 1813 and was buried near where Dr. Scott first settled, near Benjamin Webster's on Cabot Plain. There is a marker at the intersection of the old Bayley Hazen Rd. and Rt. 215. The original marker for young Aura's grave site has been lost, but when Velma Smith and I were working on locating old grave sites about 10 years ago, we talked to people who had seen the marker in the field. A gentleman from out of state who had visited here a number of years before, sent a letter with information he had copied from the marker in the 1940's, so that was included on the new marker. Here you see the field stone marker at the edge of the field and a close-up of the plaque.

It is quite amazing how many vials of pills even Dr. Scott carried with him, but Dr. Burbank's pill case (below right) had dozens of small bottles of pills, powders and solutions. We have other odds and ends of medical necessities - there's an ear trumpet, a magneto that was used to send an electric shock through patients with "nervous disorders," a crudely carved tongue depressor we decided probably was kept and used for patient after patient, no doubt ensuring the doctor would be kept very busy, even some of Lydia Pinkham's tonic for women. I think we can be sure the tongue depressor would not have been Dr. Burbank's, for he was very conscious of the importance of sterilization and sanitation.

In the book published in 1999, Cabot Vermont, Memories of the Century Past, available at Hastings Store or through the Cabot Historical Society there is a good deal of information about the doctors in Cabot, personal memories of amusing and often painful medical experiences that happened years ago.

Since I will no longer be working on inventory, and the historical society building will be closing after Sept. 29 for the winter, I'm taking stock of the historical society work I have left to do here. There are many old newspapers yet to go through to pick out Cabot items; there are separate files for the school, the church, creamery, Old Home Week and Judith Lyford Women's Club that need to be dealt with once I'm satisfied all or most of the separate slips of paper, letters, photos, etc., have been collected to them; I also have several family files where I've gathered more than the usual amount of information, including personal letters, diaries, account books and photos that we feel should be kept together, and I'll have to decide how best to preserve those.

For now, though, we're going to enjoy the nice weather, get as much outside work done as needed before snow flies, and when snow comes, I'll have lots of interesting things to work on.

I've been in touch with several of my cousins lately - in Florida, Colorado, Virginia - scattered across the country. I won't go into detail except to say that news of illness in the family started it all - except for Christmas messages, we aren't usually in touch often. We are all retired, busy with family and living, and I'm the only Bolton left in Cabot. That and memories of the farm on Cabot Plain, create a strong bond.
Two of my cousins sent me this - from a former Texas high school student, and I thought you might get a chuckle. Click Here

I just went through some newspapers I hadn't been through to check for news items I need to clip for my files, JPA and the historical society. (Yes, I keep all sorts of stuff.) I'm always relieved when there are no obituaries I need to clip, and today I found just interesting stuff as follows:

Our Cabot United Church minister, the Rev. Bill Cobb, has announced his retirement at the end of December. Our little church in Cabot is in much the same predicament as the ones in West Danville and Walden, and many other small and not-so-small churches these days. Rev. Cobb has been here since 2002 and it's been a struggle to find money enough to keep going. I suspect there will be guest ministers for a while - perhaps the three town could join forces somehow, who knows? We wish Bill the best in his continued Christian endeavours.

Along the same line of thought, Rev. David McBride will be guest preacher on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 10:30 a.m. This is part of Old Home Week in Cabot, and there will also be an organ and choral concert at the church at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow (Saturday) there's a flea market on the Cabot Common from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Historical Society building will be open from 1-4 p.m. With the weather cooperating beautifully, we hope lots of folks will visit and enjoy.

Also in the Hardwick Gazette, I found an article about the vandalism a couple weeks ago at the Elm Street Cemetery. According to reporter Will Walters, the select board is offering a reward of $500 "for information leading to the arrest and conviction" of those responsible for the damage.

The same article went on to report that Gary Gulka of Cabot reported to the Cabot Select Board there are "10 to 12 properties in the village and a number in Lower Cabot in the flood plain." This designation effects insurance rates for those home owners. Gulka also said that properties at ponds in town are now designated as being in flood hazard areas. Maps showing the new designations are available at the town offices. The Board will send notifications to inform affected property owners of the change. There will be an appeal period of 90 days. Anyone interested in knowing if their property has been affected by the new mapping should either stop at the town office or call, 563-2279.

So far it's a slow news day today - like yesterday! That's a good thing when it's a lazy, muggy August day at Joe's Pond. If you aren't at Joe's Pond, though, here's a slide show for you of pictures Fred took (except the one I took of him and Bill Rossi eating icecream) when he recently went with Bill to take pictures for a project Bill is working on. You'll recognize some of the places, but a lot of the pictures were taken from locations you probably aren't familiar with. However, they are interesting and give a slightly different view of our area. Slides

Well, we're finally going to get a stretch of real summer weather for a change. The forecast is for temps in the 80's for the next few days. I'll believe it when I read it on my thermometers - lots of times Burlington, where the forecast originates, gets far different weather than we do here at Joe's Pond. In fact, we seem to get rain when other areas nearby don't, and everyone who winters here knows we get more snow along Rt. 15 at Joe's Pond and over Walden Heights, and on Rt. 2 from W. Danville to Marshfield than other areas, too. So perhaps we'll only get the high 70's and a little rain every night while the Champlain Valley gets the heat. We'll see.

I talked to Tara Rogerson, Cabot's town clerk today. We were wondering if there's news about the cell tower at the Souza farm on Cabot Plain, but apparently the appeal by the neighbors is still in Environmental Court. Hard to believe it could take well over a year to make its way through the system, but I guess that's the way it is. Tara said she'll let me know as soon as she hears anything definite.

We've had a flurry of activity on the Comments Page, in case you haven't checked it out recently. We've put some of the items on Lost and Found, too, so there's a better chance for people to see it. Don't forget to check the Services page, too. That changes from time to time, but when you need help to fix something or to clean or do yard work, etc., that's a good place to begin to look.

I'm really pleased at the response on Ice-Out tickets. After I mentioned it here and sent JPA members an e-mail plea to pick up their tickets at Hastings Store or contact Diane Rossi or me for tickets, I had several people ask for big batches of tickets - a few want 100, and with that we've got a really good start on the 2010 Ice-Out season. It seems awfully early, but each year we seem to have more folks interested in getting their ticket supply early so they'll have them through the holidays. So a big "Thank you" to those of you who have responded. I'll be sending out your batches of tickets later this week.

You don't need to be a member to get your tickets early, either. We'll send them to anyone who contacts us. We've had a few on-line tickets come in already, and Hastings Store and the Joe's Pond Country Store have had tickets all summer, from the end of June on. It's surprising how many tourists ask for them. I guess everyone is talking up our Ice-Out, and more and more folks want to get into the game. Could be the winner of the 2010 contest will get $5,000 or more, and that would be pretty cool.

Fred was gone most of the day, first to recycle in Hardwick, and then to help a couple of neighbors - one who had computer problems and couldn't get her printer to work, and the other who'd just returned from vacation and her TV wasn't operating well. I think he more or less solved both problems, but said he didn't think to take any pictures! That's why I don't have any to post tonight. I guess there wasn't much going on between here and Hardwick anyway. I know it was pretty quiet here. Around 4 o'clock I changed into my paint clothes and made it as far as the tractor garage before it started to rain buckets. I beat it back to the house and put my paint tools away. We had a few rumbles of thunder, but by the time I got changed out of my work garb, it had pretty much stopped raining. Nothing was drying very well today, and I had plenty to do inside, so I didn't really care. Better luck tomorrow. Just so we get it done before snow flies.

I delivered a bunch of envelopes with Ice-Out tickets to Hastings Store in W. Danville this morning. Last year some JPA members were disappointed that we didn't send 10 tickets to everyone as had been done in the past, so Diane Rossi and I (we're co-chairs of Ice-Out this year) decided to get 10 to everyone this year - but we're hoping as many of you as possible will pick up your tickets so we won't need to mail them. We'd like to save that postage! The tickets, in alphabetically arranged envelopes, will be at the store until the final JPA meeting on Sunday, Aug. 23 (2 p.m.); then we'll mail those left so you'll have them for the holidays, greeting cards, family gatherings or however you like to distribute them. I've included tickets for some camp owners' family members, too, so when you pick yours up, check to see if there is an envelope for someone else in your family. I used the mailing list we use for our newsletter, and there are a few extra people such as brothers, sisters, or children of our members on that. I also left of extra tickets at the store in case anyone wants to have more than 10.

While at the store, I bumped into Fred (Brown) and Billy (Rossi) who were supposedly on a photo-taking mission this morning, but I caught them eating ice cream - at 10:30 in the morning! They hadn't taken any pictures yet, but sure enough, they got the job done, just in time for lunch.

I've already had a good response to the e-mail I sent off this morning about the tickets, but I had about a dozen e-mail failures, i.e., the e-mail addresses I have for some of you apparently are no longer valid. If you are a JPA member and didn't get the e-mail this morning, contact me (janebrown@fairpoint.net) so I can get your correct address in my files.

In the meantime, please let other JPA members who may not have their computers here know their 10 tickets are at Hastings Store or they can see Diane or me at the meeting on Aug.23 to pick them up. Thanks to all, members and non-members alike, for the great job you do buying and/or selling Ice Out tickets for us. We really appreciate your enthusiasm.

* * * * *

SEASON’S FINAL STEAK & CHICKEN
COMMUNITY DINNER IN CABOT

This Summer’s Cabot Church benefit dinner series concludes with its sixth meal,

This Thursday, Aug. 13^th from 5:30 to 7 PM.

The dinner features freshly grilled meats with all the fixings, beverage & desert.

Take-outs are available.

There is no charge for this sumptuous meal; however donations to the church’s oil fund are welcome. Cabot Church is located on the Common on Rte. 215 in Cabot Village.

Please phone 563-2278 for information, take out reservations or directions.

The party's over. Danville Fair 2009 is history, but it was a great party from start to finish, at least, from our point of view. The weather on Saturday was perfect - cool in the shade and just warm enough in the sun. Last year the evening entertainment got rained on, but last night remained waterless and the crowd lingered on. We left a little while after the BelAires finished playing. I think we got home shortly after 11:30. When we left, the bingo tent still had a decent crowd and there were plenty of people around as the venders were packing up.

We saw lots of people we knew and had a great time chatting with everyone. Right off the bat we bumped into Nate and Sally Drown, and we spoke with several more Joe's Pond folks. We took pictures of some, so you'll spot them in the slide show. Our family turned out with friends and neighbors, Luke and Terry Persons. Bill and Monika did the rides - we actually got a picture of them at the top of that awful drop arrangement. We didn't know they were in the picture until we got home and looked at it. Bob was playing keyboards with the band, and Theresa was there to cheer him on, as usual. Jamie and Marie brought Luke and Terry with them, and Theresa and Marie's mom and step dad came up from St. Johnsbury, so we had a great family group all evening.

A wedding party stopped by briefly in the middle of the evening. The bride and groom danced and a dozen or so of their friends, all dressed up for the wedding, joined the fun; and as abruptly as they had shown up, they disappeared, so we don't have a clue who they were. Perhaps someone, seeing the pictures here, will let me know. It was great fun having them there, if ever so briefly.

Here's the slide show. I'm sure you'll see people you know, and I've labeled some of the photos. Saturday Night at the Fair

We had a great time watching the parade this morning. We parked behind the garage and the bank, where the horse pulling takes place later in the day, and it was a short walk to reach the Green. We bought our tickets from Lynn (Somers) Tasker, and then found a good place to watch the childrens' parade. We both took lots of pictures, actually over 100, but I've put only some of the highlights onto a slide show for you. Between the childrens' parade and the main parade, we visited Floral Hall, and I took pictures there. If you haven't seen the Danville Town Hall since it was refurbished, you should go there - the woodwork gleams, and everything is very nice. I remember being on that stage once when the W. Danville kids were invited to put on their minstrel show for the benefit of some organization - years ago, and I don't remember much about it now.

After Floral Hall, we roamed about a bit, Fred stopped to talk with the NEK Waste Management representative, we saw Jane Milne and Dot Larrabee at their ticket booth, and both were pretty chilly in the shade of those big old maple trees on the Green. We were sitting on one of the benches in the bingo tent which wasn't operating, but afforded a great place to sit and watch the world of people go by. We saw quite a number of Joe's Ponders.

After the second section of the parade with bands and tractors and floats went by, it was just about noon, and we had to get back home, but we'll be back this evening. We were very tempted to grab lunch there, but we know we'll be eating there this evening, and I wasn't sure I wanted to fill up that much twice . . . not much will power when it comes to fair food, I'm afraid. Tomorrow I'll post more pictures from tonight, but in the meantime, here's a short slide show for you. Danville Fair, 2009

Bright and beautiful - air is cool. Perfect day to go to the fair!

Danville Fair Day
Parade at 10 a.m.
Evening entertainment at 7 p.m.

See you there - we'll post pictures tomorrow.

Okay. I've had a complaint (well, a "sort-of" complaint) that I all too often don't post here on the blog pictures Fred takes of me, but when I take one of him, it goes on whether it's flattering or not. I say it's editorial privilege, and some of us are more photogenic than others. However, to quiet down you-know-who, I'll post the latest photo in question. While I was trying to put in my share of time and work on painting our tractor garage, after Fred had spent hours scraping old paint without help, he was taking pictures that certainly weren't my "best side." I guess what's good for the gander is good for the goose, so here's the proof that I am actually putting in my time on this project, too. I was filling some holes in the little access door before giving it a final coat of paint.

Today we were in Danville and Fred took pictures of the folks setting up for the fair tomorrow and Saturday. Now that's a lot of work! I guess the concession folks are used to tearing down and setting up, but it's still a mountain of work to get everything you'll need in place. The pictures here start at Marty's 1st Stop where some of the rides for the fair are parked until they are ready to be set up. Then you'll see the preparations on the Green, and go on down the Peacham Road to the Health Clinic. Danville is a lovely, very rural town, as you can see. The Fire Department is right across the street from the Health Clinic, and cattle graze in the fields near the school, just beyond the fire station. Before the Danville Fair

Today Diane Rossi was pointing out that some of the maples on W. Shore Rd. by their house are turning already; I've been noticing some here at our house, too. I guess summer is going to be over before it really had a chance to get started. This evening I'm going to a committee meeting for Cabot's Fall Foliage Day (Tuesday, September 29), and when I got home this morning, I had a message from some folks in Pennsylvania who are coming for Fall Foliage and wanted reservations for the turkey supper. Fall is just around the corner, for sure.

Fall Foliage Day preparations reminds me, we brought home takeouts from the turkey supper last year and it was very, very good. The turkey is from the Bothfeld farm, and the cooks did a super job. All the trimmings, and more than enough for a hearty meal. I'd been working at the registration table all day and it really hit the spot to have such a nice dinner. I'll be looking forward to that again this year.

As I look out my window, it looks as if our nice day has taken a u-turn. Even last night we had a trace of rain - and I'm guessing we'll have more than a trace tonight. We're hoping for good weather for Danville Fair tomorrow - the parade starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and also don't forget the JPA pig roast on Saturday evening. We'll all be going to the fair in the evening on Saturday. I like to sample some of the traditional "fair food" I don't eat any other time of the year, and we stay for the Bel Aires (Bob Dimick on keyboards!) in the evening. Maybe we'll see you there.

NEK Habitat for Humanity
will sponsor a
Picnic at the Pavilion

at Joe's Pond in West Danville

August 22, starting at 5:30 pm.

The special event will be catered by
Elements Food & Spirit Restaurant of St. Johnsbury

Music by Skip and Debbie Gray
There will be a cash bar and excellent items in a Silent Auction
Cost per person is $30

The Picnic will follow a day of Home Tours, also to benefit NEK Habitat. Five interesting homes in Danville and St. Johnsbury will be open for you to tour:

An off-the-grid log cabin in South Danville
A Lambert Packard designed home on Boynton Avenue in St. Johnsbury
An older refurbished home in North Danville Village with a Zen Garden
A home with cottage and extensive gardens in North Danville
A classic, recently refurbished camp right at the Pavilion at Joes Pond

Cost for the home tour will be $15.

To obtain tickets for the Picnic and/or Home Tour, call
748-6239 or (802) 274-0102.

Today is an umbrella-drying day. We need a day in between the rainy ones to dry things out, and today is it. The air is cool, though. I was just picking lettuce in my garden and the air is very "fresh" - like I told Fred a couple nights ago, I can definitely smell fall in the air.

I have a notice for the Joe's Pond Members. I've e-mailed to those of you that I have addresses for, but as usual, several bounced so I know a good number of you won't get the message unless a neighbor lets you know or you read it here.

To All Joe's Pond Association Members:

After input from and discussion with Directors and many members, it has been determined that we will not hold a Year End Dinner this year. The Fall Meeting will take place as scheduled, 2PM on Sunday August 23, 2009 at the pavilion. Please let your Joe's Pond neighbors who may not have computers know. Thank you.

Tom Dente, President

If you have questions or comments, you can either put them on the Comments Page or send them directly to any member of your Board of Directors.

See you on August 23.

Cabot, Vermont-- Officials to Explore Development Review Board Concept

Cabot has received a small municipal education grant from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to look at how the town regulates land use and development, which is currently done through the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission. Another model is now available to towns to consolidate local development review functions under one board, known as a Development Review Board. Under this model, the Planning Commission no longer is involved in local development review, but retains responsibility for planning and zoning bylaws. Many towns have changed over to this model.

The town will be using the grant monies to sponsor a workshop to be presented by the League of Cities and Towns entitled, Is a Development Review Board Right for our Town? The workshop explores roles and responsibilities within the various models of development review, the strengths and weaknesses of each model, and procedures to change to a Development Review Board. The workshop is scheduled for August 4, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. in the Willey Building, Main Street, Cabot, Vermont. Members of the community are welcome to attend.