Another frosty night! We covered the tomatoes again, but I'm not sure they'll survive - it's already down to 35 degrees, and by morning could be much colder. I picked all the remaining spinach and packaged it for freezing. Fred is hauling in wood, Harry, who services our machines each year, took the snow blower and the lawn mower yesterday. While they are both gone, we'll rearrange the "tractor garage" so the deck furniture will fit in there and keep room in our regular garage for the snow blower. It's kind of like cleaning house twice a year, keeping all the seasonal stuff accessible and clearing out the junk that has collected.

I've been busy getting ready for Fall Foliage Day in Cabot on Tuesday. I promised to do maps and hand-outs and also do a little advertising. The advertising seems to be working because I'm getting more reservations for the turkey dinner than I did last year. I think people are beginning to figure out this is really a very good dinner. I haven't taken any orders for take-outs and I wonder about that - I am able to order mine on Tuesday morning, but everyone who would normally take reservations will be working all day on Tuesday, so after Monday evening, the only way people can make reservations is at the gym. Lots of the visitors to that, for both the beef stew luncheon and the turkey dinner, but they are the folks who are going on the tours and visiting the craft tables.

I think I mentioned that we have some different activities planned this year. Marvie Domey is taking people to Molly's Falls Dam and the hydro-electric plant this year. I did that tour a couple of years and enjoyed it a lot. That little plant is very much like the one in W. Danville, and we got to go inside and the first year our host, Jim Moreau, ran the turbines for a little while when we were inside. What a racket! But it's interesting to learn the process. This year they are replacing the unique wooden penstock that runs along Rt. 2 from the dam to the power plant with a steel penstock. We've made arrangements for the tour bus to stop where that work is being done, too. Men seem to particularly enjoy this tour - all the machinery, noise and technical stuff.

There will also be a hay ride to the Bothfeld's maple sugar house. It should be a nice trip through the maple grove. I think they pull the hay wagon with a tractor, but the Bothfelds used to have oxen and I remember seeing them coming to the creamery with their milk. Weather permitting, Melvin Churchill will be leading visitors up to Nichol's Ledge again this year, and in the afternoon David Book will do a tour with a lecture on some of our Civil War veterans. Lee Penniman and her students will do morning and afternoon historic tours that include the Bayley Hazen Road and the restored one-room school house on West Hill. We have a concert pianist scheduled at 4 p.m., and an old fashioned sing-along at the church at 7:15.

Of course, for people who don't want to be on a tour bus for a couple hours, there are things for them, too - the creamery gives tours all day, Velma Smith's big custom-built log cabin home will be open for visitors all day, the Menard brothers look forward to visitors - Henry at his landscaped gardens and Edmund at his wood-carving studio, another artist and wood carver Ken Klingler will also be happy to have visitors come by any time. There are other things going on - Old Crow Craft Shop on Rt. 215, book sale at the library, and displays at the Historical Society Building, craft displays at the gym - so there should be something for just about everyone.

Marion Heath and I will be on hand all day to greet and register visitors and be sure they get their meal tickets and maps and get to the tours on time.

Liz Randall sent these pictures of their sunflowers here at their Joe's Pond home. Son, Matt took this and several other photos - looks like they have a whole field of them. Very nice. I think I'll grab one for my desktop background. Thanks, Matt and Liz!!

If anyone wants reservations for the turkey dinner Tuesday evening (setting at 5 and 6:30), or the beef stew luncheon that begins serving at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, send me an e-mail or give me a call at 802-563-2381. I'll be taking reservations until Monday night - or call Tuesday morning before I leave at about 7:45 a.m. Better yet, come on down and join the fun. See you there!