This is the sculpture Bill Rossie helped assemble yesterday - just in time for Halloween. I bet any kids in the area had fun imagining what this monster was all about!

As you can see, the three men were successful in getting the huge metal art piece mounted on the large rock and safely bolted in place. Bill said Kellogg used his tractor to move the beast, and with proper tools and apparently great planning, they got the job done. Here's what Diane wrote:

I forgot my camera, but Pam sent me her pictures. The question of the day was...."How many architects does it take to drill a hole?" These guys are all architects, and this was an all-day project, but it got done, and everyone was pleased. It has balanced, moving parts....really kind of neat.

As you can see, it looks quite different depending on which side you see it from and how the light strikes it. It sort of looks like a giant mermaid in this picture. Don't forget to click on the image to enlarge it . . . !

Happy Halloween!
We started off as dreary again with a dense bank of clouds just off the horizon. I got the picture at right as an airplane was high overhead. The jet stream glistening in sunlight was a hopeful sign, and a little later I was able to get another picture (below) with the sun still behind clouds, but breaking through enough to brighten our day considerably. I think for a while things will get brighter and warmer, but then perhaps rain this afternoon. It's too bad the trick-or-treaters will get wet, but it's better than slogging around in snow, like some years.

Oops! The sun has been behind clouds again for a while and Fred just came in with an armload of wood. We had decided to let the fire go out until later in the day, but he's thinking the day isn't going to improve much over what we have now - apparently there's another cloud bank moving our way out of the south, and that will surely bring rain, so it's best to keep a slow fire going.

Fred just called Staples again and has been assured his computer that's been there for the past 10 days will be ready by the end of today - in time so he can pick it up before they close. We'll see how that goes.

I received the following from Amanda Legare, who is on the committee for the annual fund-raising supper put on for the benefit of the Cabot church. This sounds like a very nice dinner. I haven't gone to one, but have heard very nice things about it in the past. People have said it is well run and professional.

Chef David Hale and Culinary Students Plan 5th Annual Cabot Gourmet Buffet
by Amanda Legare

Cabot, VT -- For the fifth year in a row Cabot chef David Hale is again working with culinary students to put on the “New Traditions Supper,” a gourmet buffet which has become an anticipated epicurean treat in central Vermont. This year’s meal will be served Friday, Nov. 6 at the Cabot United Church.

“A group of us got together five years ago and decided we wanted to create an annual supper in Cabot that was different from the chicken pie, ham and baked bean scenario you see in other towns,” Hale explained. “We decided to do something that’s ours and only ours.” The resulting Cabot meal features linen table clothes and gourmet cuisine with a buffet format. The choices include cider braised pork, modern waldorf salad, roasted root vegetables and three deserts.

Hale is the former executive chef for Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, California. He returned to teach at his alma mater, New England Culinary Institute, where he worked in many capacities since 1995.

In 2001 he and his wife, Libby, moved to Cabot where they live with their two children, Eli and Gage. He now commutes in the other direction, east on Route 2, to St. Johnsbury Academy where he is the culinary arts teacher, cooking at the Hilltopper Restaurant with 23 culinary students.

We have a great range of students,” he explained. “Some want to continue
in the food service industry, others just want to be proficient in a restaurant setting. The students do everything from designing the menu to prepping and serving the public. They are learning transferable skills that will serve them well no matter what they do down the road.”

The students at the academy will work with Hale to prepare the Cabot
meal. The final stages of prepping and the actual serving will be
conducted by students from the New England Culinary Institute as part of their “service learning requirement.”

Chef David Hale, above right, prepares a meal at the Hilltopper Restaurant with Josh Martin of Waterford, a senior at St Johnsbury Academy.

Cabot church and community members work together each year to make this meal a success.

“I am not a full time member of the church, Hale explained. “But I understand the integral role the church plays in the community. The people who benefit from this event are my neighbors.”

“I love the camaraderie of this event,” he added. “Everyone gets together to pull this off, students and community members. And I love that joyous buzz of the room as everyone digs into their food.”

Reservations are necessary and servings are offered at 5:00 pm, 6:15 pm and 7:30 pm at the Cabot Church on Main Street. Tickets: Adults, $12; Senior citizens, $10; Children 12 or under, $6. Take-out is available - 426-3281. Proceeds benefit United Church of Cabot.

This came from Pat Parizo on Sandy Beach Road this afternoon:

Hi Jane,

Thanks for the information in the blog. I contacted Fairpoint and they came today and replaced the modem and everything is working fine now. The Tech. told George that there is a substation at the end of the road and they changed a part last week and now customers with wireless are having problems. Their list of wireless customers is not complete therefore they cannot notify customers. Our thought is Fairpoint will be getting a lot of calls in the Spring. Like you said, we have no complaints with Fairpoints service.

Thanks again
Pat

I'm really glad Pat and George were able to get their computer problem solved. We are still waiting for Staples to work on Fred's - he called today and was told there are something like eight computers ahead of him, so I guess it'll be a while.

Fred made a big hole in the wood pile today. One more morning should finish it up. And I just heard from Bill Rossi - they got the hole drilled for the statue without any problems, and he said he will send pictures soon . . .

I've been reorganizing my office today. It had become so congested with boxes of Historical Society stuff I couldn't get to my supply closet, and frankly, since Fred is sharing my computer, I was a little embarrassed that it was so cluttered. I actually knew where most things were so it didn't bother me to climb over boxes to get to what I needed, but when I began going through some of the boxes I discovered some items I'd completely forgotten. Now I'm much better organized - at least I have a path to the supply closet. There is one more step in this process, and that's disposing of some of the junk that I've been keeping over the years but never use. I must either toss it or put it someplace else for long-time storage and just keep what I'm using close at hand. My office space isn't big enough to accommodate all of my keepsakes (my term for what is junk to anybody else).

The problem is that I have always had hobbies, a variety of interests and projects. There's been writing, art, gardening, crafts, home decorating - all that sort of stuff and from time to time started files and collected books on whatever my current interest might be. Then I have all the family pictures, notes, postcards, and albums from Boltons, McAllans, Dimicks, Mays, Wrys, Browns, etc., etc., I'm sure some of you know how this sort of thing builds. Like the saying goes, though, as soon as I throw something out I'll need it, so the solution is keep it neat and handy.

I just had a phone call from Homer Fitts. I had missed talking with Homer every now and then, so it was really nice to chat for a few minutes. Bill Rossi had just sent Homer and Margaret a copy of Bill's book, "Around the Pond" (Homer was a big help to Bill in doing the book). Homer tried to contact Bill but wasn't able to reach him, so asked if I'd let Bill and Diane know how happy he was to have a copy. Homer said he's doing very well and is enjoying life. He and Margaret have been to Maine a couple times and he sure sounded as if married life agrees with him - a lot!

We had dinner at Bill and Diane's last night - delicious, as always, and enjoyed the evening a great deal. They were heading off today to help a friend drill a hole in a rock in order to mount a statue there. It sounded as if neighter Bill nor the friend knew a great deal about working with stone, so I asked Diane to be sure and take lots of pictures. I hope it goes well and perhaps I can post some photos for you in a day or so.

Fred is sticking to his wood pile these days. Lots of work, but there's a sense of security in having enough ahead for the winter. I saw in the newspaper recently that various groups of volunteers are working up wood and distributing it to the elderly and disabled in the area. That's really nice. Wood is quite expensive, but more than that, it's a lot of work, even if you can afford to have it delivered. It has to be cut to the right size to fit your wood stove, and piled under cover where it's convenient. Lots of people simply aren't able to do that for themselves.

Our day so far has been very dreary. Around noon there was just a glimpse of sun but I doubt it lasted more than a couple minutes. We've had only a little rain, just dense cloud cover. It is still fairly mild - 45 or so, but I think it's heading down. I haven't had much rain to report in the last couple of days, but the precipitation maps show there's been a little more in some surrounding spots. It was breezy earlier in the day, but now seems fairly quiet. Everything is soggy, though.

Bonnie Dannenberg just got in touch to let me know she'd just purchased for the historical society an 1856 bible that had belonged to an Emma Osgood of Cabot. I haven't been able to locate who Emma was, but the Osgood family was one of the first settlers and were lots of them over the years. I'll continue to search for Emma. She probably married and that accounts for my not finding her in any of our cemetery records. I'll be anxious to see the bible and search its pages for clues.

Cloudy morning and we've had a few sprinkles, but the rain has held off so far. Fred is busy stacking the wood that was delivered yesterday, and a few minutes ago a second load came. I think there will be two more loads and that will do it for this year. He stacks it out back where it's out of the way. I took the spot where we'd had wood stacked two years ago for my vegetable garden this spring, which worked out well, and I'm keeping it, so Fred is stuck hauling it up the hill. I'd help, but I'm waiting for a call from Staples on his computer . . . he's anxious to get that back, and I'm anxious for him to. It hasn't been bad at all sharing one computer, because we've both had other things to do away from the computer, but I know he misses being in his own space, and I'm anxious to get back to my own schedule.

I had an e-mail from Pat Parizo this morning saying they are having similar problems getting to some web sites that we've had. In view of what Eric told us yesterday about a particular modem not behaving well in this area, I suggested Pat give Fairpoint a call. The modem doesn't cost anything - it's customer service, I guess. Fairpoint owns them and if they fail, they replace them. It's worth a try.

Yesterday we had a lot of wind and as we were having lunch, we heard a thud! that we thought was a probably a storm door that hadn't been latched and was caught by the wind. All the doors were secure, but then Fred noticed the flag pole was down. Our flag pole is pretty tall and it had been secured to the deck, so when it went down it went towards the driveway, narrowly missing the power line leading into the house. THAT would have made a rumpus, I'll bet, if it had hit it. Now we have another "project" to get the pole put back up. We're thinking with the winter gales ahead, perhaps we'll just wait until spring. I don't like to leave the flag out in the wet and freezing weather anyway - although I do like having the American flag flying.

Just got a Halloween card and note from Homer and Margaret Fitts. They enclosed a picture taken at their wedding on Sept. 19. Hey, Homer, you're looking very dapper! And Margaret is glowing. Here's what Homer wrote:

"We are doing Great! Enjoying every minute of every day. Will close camp for the winter and open 1st of April - in time for the clock to be running."

We were wondering if he and Margaret would be heading south and might not get back early enough in the spring to be on hand for the Ice-Out Contest, so it's good to know Homer will be here to set it up as usual.

I just remarked to Pat Parizo that some days I don't have much at all to blog about, and then the mail came while I was here typing away and I opened the note from Homer and found the picture. Some days it's just one big smile after another around here.

Now if Staples would just call . . .

First thing this morning Fred checked with Fairpoint and they said someone would come to install the new modem this morning. Sure enough, about an hour later Eric, who has been here before when we had problems, I think it was when I was trying out new printers, anyway, Eric came and within about 15 minutes the job was done and now my computer is working flawlessly, much faster than before, and I can go to whatever web site I want. Before, some sites simply stalled part way through loading and I couldn't get on. That's a big irritation when I'm trying to research something. Eric told us the particular modem he'd installed just a few months ago that had failed apparently has some problems and he's had to replace a number of them in Cabot. I didn't ask why it's a particular problem here, but I suspect it's because we're so rural. We're just happy to have the computer running smoothly again.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for us. Kevin is coming to do the annual service on the oil furnace, and Patrick is bringing Fred the first of our wood for 2011. We ordered only four cords, so getting it stacked before snow flies shouldn't be a big problem.

We finished cutting back the flower beds today. I was going to leave everything and let the snow break over the dead flower stalks, but it was such a nice day and Fred helped, so we just got it done. I have some flowers that have just taken over, so I'll probably transplant next spring. Right now I can't make up my mind where I want to move anything or what I want to keep or take to the woods. Sometimes when I have way too much of something I transplant it along the paths we have in the woods, but last summer was so wet we didn't walk in the woods at all so the paths are overgrown, too. It's a jungle in my flower beds and in the woods as well.

We moved a small stone retaining wall today to make more room for Fred's snow blower on the path to the propane gas tank. We like to keep that open in case we need a delivery during the winter, but the path is dead end and really hard to maneuver the snow blower, so this should help. He might even be able to make a turn-around there now the stones are gone. I'll smooth it and seed it tomorrow.

We expect another nice day tomorrow. These sunny days are a real bonus. I think hunters must be enjoying them, too. I heard several gun shots in the distance when we were outside today. I haven't seen many hunters in our area, but I imagine they are around. The regular deer hunting season will start in a couple more weeks, and that's when we begin to see more hunters. We haven't been seeing the deer we usually do here, though, so it may be a slim year in this area. We haven't seen the turkeys going through here lately, either, but I expect we will. They usually come to get some of the apples under the crab apple tree.

By the way, I was going through my file of Joe's Pond Association newsletters, and I am missing the spring 2003 edition. I thought I might have it on a CD, but apparently I don't, so if anyone has one that I could either have or can keep long enough to copy, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to have a complete set for the JPA archives.

We got back from our walk a few minutes ago. Yesterday was a washout - literally. It rained most of the day and into the night, not hard, but steadily. We got over one inch of rain which is quite a lot for us, and the brooks along West Shore Road were running full into the pond. The water level at the pond is up some, but not enough to do damage but enough to float off some things if they were not tied down or were too close to water's edge. The water was a beautiful deep blue and although the wind was a bit chill, the sun was very nice and we enjoyed the walk.

Fred took a few pictures along the way. The tamaracks are getting past their prime coloring, too. All together, things are beginning to look pretty dull around here, and unless you enjoy tromping in the woods through the leaves or are a hunter, I suppose it IS dull here this time of year. Most of us seem to find plenty to do, and there's always a chicken pie supper or something else going on in surrounding communities. This picture is of the tamaracks in front of our house, as we were coming up West Shore Road. When the sun is on them, they are still beautiful, and about the only color around our house now, except for our "burning bush" which is very nice this year.

We have been watching for signs that Homer and his new bride are around camp, but so far haven't seen much activity there. The flag is out, so perhaps they are in and out. Fred took this picture with lots of zoom, hoping to catch Homer on the deck, but no luck. We haven't even had the usual e-mails.

Fred thinks we have solved the computer problems. He talked with the folks at Fairpoint yesterday and they told him it was our modem. Fairpoint is sending us a new modem - no charge. In the meantime, we had one that we replaced at one time, so Fred hooked that up and sure enough, I'm now able to get to the sites I couldn't before, so we think that was at least part of the problem. We couldn't remember why Fairpoint replaced the modem we had on hand - probably because it was old - but like lots of other computer parts, we kept it, fortunately. I have to say, we've had only good experiences with the Fairpoint people and would really hate to see them leave.

Now we have to wait for the folks at Staples to call with their diagnosis. If they can fix the files that were apparently damaged, we should be back to normal with two well-functioning computers on board.

This announcement came today - what a fun theme for a wedding!

Allison Paige Joyal and Anthony Joseph Silveria married October 10, 2009 in Cabot's "Old Center of Town." Justice of the Peace Fred Ducharme Officiated. The bride is the daughter of Peter and Bonnie Dannenberg of Cabot. The groom is the son of Joseph and Judy Ann Silveria of Cabot. The bride was escorted by her father and "given away" by her children; Maid of Honor, Deborah Lynn Walnicki, and Ringbearer, Caleb Urban Blair. The groom's father served as best man. The old western style wedding featured cowboys, hitching posts, spurs, sunflowers, lots of boots and shotguns. A wild-west reception followed at the Willey Building in Cabot with a chuckwagon, saloon and dance hall for guests' enjoyment. The couple rode off into the sunset before they realized this was the wrong direction for their honeymoon in Maine.

We wish Allison and Anthony all the very best as they ride through the future together.

Allison's mom, Bonnie, is president of Cabot Historical Society, so the historic Center of Town location for the wedding was a particularly nice choice. Lots of history made there, and it's a lovely location.

I love it when I'm fooled by the weather. When it turned colder last night, I was convinced we'd wake up to a world of white - again; but it didn't happen! And then the forecast yesterday had cold weather returning for the weekend after a brief warm up today, Friday. The warm up happened, and today was quite nice, at least in Littleton. Tonight the forecast for the weekend looks much better - rain and warmer, even thunder showers predicted. I like that much better than snow.

Today was the second day in a row Fred and I had been to Littleton, New Hampshire. Yesterday was to take his computer to Staples to see if they could cure it; today was a belated birthday celebration with our friends, Elizabeth and Louise. Today, like yesterday, the sun was nice in Littleton. A little brisk here when we left late in the a.m., but much nicer as time went on and by the time we got back to West Danville, it was quite nice. Fred got some pictures of the dam on Joe's Brook.

Yesterday was a bit stressful. Actually, life around here has been anything but normal for several days. What has happened is that Fred's computer has serious problems. After several days trying to diagnose and fix it using the advice of technicians from far and wide, since some of them were probably in India or at least on the west coast, a last resort seemed to be to try to reinstall something or other using a disk that Fred didn't have, so rather than order it on line and wait for it to be delivered, he decided to try Staples. They have some pretty savvy techies there and sometimes they can help in situations like this.

I had an appointment in St. Johnsbury in the morning, and afterward we went to Littleton with the hard drive. Of course it had to be left there, so we grabbed a bite at McDonald's and got home just in time to pack up Woody (our cat) who had a follow-up appointment with his vet, and I had an appointment with my dentist, so we all headed back to St. Johnsbury. But all the traveling wasn't the most stressful part. That was a.) Fred not having his computer that he spends literally hours at every day, and b.) my having to share my computer that I spend hours on every day. I'm actually very willing to share - it's pretty nice not being computer-bound for hours at a stretch (I even made a big pot of vegetable soup with dumplings for supper last night while Fred was busy on line), but this has made us realize just how much time we do spend at our computers. What with the web site that Fred must keep current and the stuff I'm involved in for the historical society, plus keeping up with our individual e-mail correspondence, we are very often both on our computers at the same time, and pretty much schedule our lives around the work we do on them.

So with one computer out of the picture for a week or so, we should have time to devote to other tasks, like organizing closets, or like today - going to lunch with friends. On the other hand, when I got home this afternoon, the e-mail had piled up . . . so if you contact me and don't get a response right away, now you'll know why.

As you can see from the pictures above, there isn't much foliage left on the trees. Those are bushes in the foreground. The only trees showing much color are the tamaracks and the oaks. We don't have lots of oaks right in this vicinity, but a few miles in any direction you'll see masses of burnished red along the hillsides that are the oaks. And then there's the gold of the tamaracks. We have lots of tamaracks, though, and they are very nice right now. Tomorrow I'll try to get some pictures in between rain showers.

I bumped into an old friend in Littleton today. Jack Byrne. Some of you will remember that Jack had a cottage here at Joe's Pond for several years - now owned by Dana and Joanne Comstock. Jack worked at WTWN (now WSTJ) in St. Johnsbury when I did, and later on was at the Caledonian Record when I was a free lance writer for them. I hadn't seen him in a long time, so it was very nice to
meet him and his wife, Kay, and introduce them to Fred. Jack hasn't changed much - still has an infectious chuckle and a twinkle in his eye.

Today we had weather that was much closer to what we'd expect late October to be. It was relatively warm, just right for working outside, and while there wasn't much sunshine here at Joe's Pond, folks could get out and enjoy what's left of the foliage. Not many leaves still on the trees, but it's nice to shuffle through them on the ground.

I went to the Stepping Stone Spa and Wellness Center in Lyndonville yesterday for a massage. It was the first time I'd been there, and I was impressed with not only the location - the rural setting alone is relaxing, and with the attention of the staff, I felt really pampered. I always like the audio effects in these places - the softly chirping birds, the babbling brook, the non-music. I have to admit, generally I prefer being able to recognize a tune, or at least a pattern; there's no way anyone's going to hum along with the new-age sounds that imitate ancient instruments from Tibet or some other mysterious place, but it is calming. The relaxation music doesn't mess with your head - it's just there, and lets one drift. No melody, no familiar lyrics; mindless, transporting sound.

Anyway, my massage therapist was Nancy Feltus, and I have to say, she was good. I like a deep tissue massage - I figure since I only do this sort of thing once in a long while, I may as well get some real benefit. I told her about my bum shoulder, hoping she'd take it easy on it. I hesitated to mention the shoulder because I once had a really sore heel and the massage therapist that time singled it out and really hurt me. Nancy did some stretches on my shoulder and found just the right pressure points without hurting me, and best of all, it's felt good ever since.

Turns out she has connections to Cabot. Her brother-in-law lives in Cabot, and she also comes to our neighbor's to work on his sled dogs. Yep, she does natural healing, as she said, "adapted for all species." She works on dogs, cats, horses, whatever. I knew I was going to like her from the minute we met. Anyway, it was a good experience and I left purring contentedly.

Nancy has her own office in West Burke, but has a contract with the Stepping Stone folks. I'll have Fred put her card on the web site on our services page (you'll find it under "other" on the home-page menu). If you want to shed some tension or just pamper yourself, you can call her directly, or call Stepping Stone and ask for Nancy. Here's their web site: Stepping Stone Spa

This came last night from Ted Chase:

Thought we should share this magical picture I took over the weekend. In 20 years I have never before seen this sensational color in a sunset. Ted

Nice photo. Looks like a candidate for Sharon Meyer at WCAX - thanks, Ted.

The red glow coming into our bedroom at about 7 o'clock this morning woke me up. I dashed for the camera and rushed outside to take these two shots. Minutes later the sun was behind the cloud bank and once again it's a dreary day.

I don't recommend taking pictures outside in one's nightgown when it's only 35 degrees. I was glad to have the nice fire Fred had going. I was struck by the similarity of colors in all the photos, including our fire.

For those of you not familiar with Joe's Pond, Ted lives on the east shore, while Fred and I are on the west shore. The views are entirely different, just as the perspective from my house is way different than what people who are at water level see. I don't have the water reflections that are really awesome. We all appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, though. The foliage may be gone, but we still have beauty everywhere - even when it's all white. The snow pictures will be coming soon . . .
(Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them.)

I received the following notice today. You don't need to be a hunter to attend these breakfasts. They are open to everyone, so plan on making your life a little easier and head on down to join the fun.

Cabot Community & Hunters Breakfast Series

LOCATION: Willey Building Cabot Vermont

(Across from Harry’s Hardware)

DATES:

November 14 & 15

November 21 & 22
November 28 & 29

TIME: 5am – 11am

COST: $ 6.50 per Plate

MENU: Eggs, Toast, Bacon, Sausage, Pancakes, Juice, & Coffee

To benefit the CABOT SCHOOL 8^TH GRADE

TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC!

We had a fairly dreary day today - no sun until very late this afternoon. I took this picture just before six o'clock, as the sun was sinking over the hills. It wasn't warm by any means, but we didn't get any snow, either. I know some of you in southern New England and Pennsylvania were pelted with snow, and that must have been a surprise; and Florida has been having a heat wave. It's been a freaky year for weather everywhere, and probably will continue this winter. I can only imagine what's in store for us here in Vermont. In the meantime, I'm still waiting for Indian Summer . . . !

Last Wednesday I posted the news about Pam Heffernan's new grandson's birth on October 12th. Pam sent a picture of her new grandson with it a bit more information. The new babe is the son of Jared and Anne Lamere who were married last summer at the family cottage on Joe's Pond. They live in East Montpelier. Pam has two more grandchildren, Liam and Nara, who live in Virginia with their parents, Paul and Torrey.

Thanks, Pam for showing us adorable little Jackson Tanner Lamere. We wish him and his parents all the best. I'm sure you're looking forward to all the great summers at Joe's Pond with the kids and grand kids!

Cool and sunny here most of the day. We're expecting temps in the 20's and snow possibly tonight. I won't say it's time, because as far as I'm concerned, Thanksgiving would be time enough for snow to fall in earnest. But we'll have to wait and see. It could be we'll still have that Indian Summer I've been hoping for.

I went through some old newspapers today and found an obituary for Don Thurston. He died on October 6 from complications due to Parkinson's Disease, it said. Don was at radio station WIKE in Newport when I worked at the sister station in St. Johnsbury, then WTWN. He was a super nice guy, and his wife, Oralie, was cute and just as nice as he was. I don't remember the years, exactly, but I do remember the great people who were involved with those two fledgling stations, and I smiled thinking back to those days when we were all young and full of gusto.

We bumped into Frank and Joan Hubbard the other day in St. Johnsbury. I hadn't seen them for a long time. Frank was a teacher in the St. Johnsbury school system when I was working in the superintendent's office, and also our neighbor when we lived on Lynwood Terrace. The Hubbards were headed for lunch with the retired teachers group. That was another group that I really enjoyed working with. We had some great get-togethers when all the teachers and the administrative staff would be on hand. That was when Ted Sargent was superintendent.

We got all the windows washed inside and out today. It wasn't the warmest day to do it, but we figured it might be as warm as we'll get before snow flies and I didn't want to live with dirty windows all winter. They look sparkling now, but like Fred said, just wait until the sun shines on those big windows tomorrow - that's when all the streaks show up. No matter how careful we are, there will always be some spots we've missed, but they're surely better than they were, and now the flies and spiders are gone, they should stay pretty good until spring.

I got the clear plastic on the basement windows last week. Now I'll do the window in my office, too. For some reason, even though it's a comparatively new window, it's always let quite a bit of cold in. Last year we put the plastic on the inside, and that worked very well, and this year I sealed joints around it hoping to improve the situation, but just covering the window with the mylar made a big difference. The mylar we got is very heavy and strong, with the channels that we just snap in place that keep it smooth and tight so there's hardly any distortion when looking out. I can live with it easily, and appreciate not feeling a draft as I work here on my computer. Once this window is done, we're secure for the duration, I think. Let it snow.

It's cold enough so we're beginning, just a little bit, to envy those folks who have headed south. It's going to be a cold night and there's a nice day in the forecast for tomorrow, but still cold. The temperature has been mostly in the 30's today, but we've had sunshine, but it's no match for that cold air out of Canada, or wherever.

Here's a note from Walter Ruf - I'm not sure when they left, but it was before our three inches of snow, so they were very smart when they picked their time to leave. Glad you got back ok, Walter and Mimi. Walter writes:

Hi,Just want to let you all know that we arrived back in hot Florida last Monday.We had no problems on the way down and no rain.As usual I have had my share of problems with the computer!There were only about 360 e-mails advertisements on my machine.Best regards to you ALL,Mimi & Walter.

From Pam Heffernan today . . .

Great news, Jackson Tanner Lamere arrived on October 12th at 06:12PM,

7 lbs 3 oz and 20 inches long, parents are Jared and Anne Lamere. Jackson is the newest grandson for Pamela Calderwood Heffernan of North Shore Road.

: > )

That's wonderful, Pam - we hope baby Jackson and his mom and dad are all doing well.

Fred went to recycle in Wolcott today. The temperature has hardly moved above 30 degrees all day. It's windy and raw and somehow it seems colder than yesterday when we had snow on the ground. Most of the snow is gone except for a few patches in sheltered spots. I have seen a few snowflakes in the air, but nothing is sticking.

Fred took these pictures along the way. This farmer is harvesting one more crop for fodder. The sky looks pretty stormy, and I imagine some of that grass is a bit crisp with frost.

This turkey looks COLD. Either it's really fat and ready for a Thanksgiving table or the feathers are all puffed up because of the cold. We usually see turkeys under our crab apple tree about now, but I haven't spotted any yet. They like the apples and seem to find lots of food in the grass on our lower lawn. We haven't mowed for several weeks, so it's nice and green and a bit thicker than normal. The deer like it, too, but I haven't seen them around much, either. There may have been tracks in the snow yesterday, but I didn't happen to see any.

This last picture is just two big turkey butts disappearing over the hill out of sight. I think it's turkey hunting season in some places now, so just as well that they were moving away from the road. I'm not sure where these pictures were taken, but we've seen large flocks of turkeys here and there recently. There was a very large group on the back road going to Peacham Sunday night, and I almost always see some between here and Cabot Village when I go that way. Not too many years ago seeing a wild turkey was a real treat - now they are pretty common.

I was excited yesterday to see that my report of 2.7 inches of snow in Cabot was listed on Sharon Meyer's weather last night. Now I'm wondering if I'll be able to keep up with the snowfall - or want to. I can see myself on snowshoes, climbing over snowbanks to get to my weather station in the back yard. If this winter is anything like last year, it may be hard just getting out there to make the readings. I couldn't put the measuring equipment any place that would be easy to get to because of all the snow blowing that goes on in the driveway and on paths. That could seriously skew the results. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, it feels more like November than October - it's going to be a long winter, I guess.

Some of you were wondering what the prizes are in the Apple Pie Contest that's coming up Saturday in Cabot - at the Apple Festival. Here's how it goes:

- 2009 PRIZES -

ADULT BAKING CONTEST

BEST PIE:

Ø $50 cash, (in marked envelope)

Ø $50 King Arthur Gift Certificate

Ø Blue Ribbon

Ø Trophy

Ø Red “Apple” Ceramic Pie Pan

Ø Certificate

SECOND BEST:

Ø $25 cash, (in marked envelope)

Ø White Ribbon

Ø Certificate

Ø Red Fleece Throw/blanket

THIRD PLACE:

Ø $15 cash, (in marked envelope)

Ø Red Ribbon

Ø Certificate

Ø Apple Rug

HONORABLE MENTION:

Ø $10 cash, (in marked envelope)

Ø Ribbon

Ø Set of Apple Glass Bowls

Cabot Historical Socitey President Bonnie Dannenberg writes:
First place through Honorable Mention all get ribbons, and cash prizes,
and other Apple-related "gifts" .
King Arthur donates 3 cookbooks that we give to the 3 First Place
winners also.
The cash for the two Junior contests is roughly half the adult amount in each of the two Junior contests. This year I'm giving a "Winner's" Certificate and small apple appliqued hand towel to all the little kids who enter the First Through Sixth grade contest, just for entering, so they'll all get something whether they win or not.

HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU ON SATURDAY, AND REMEMBER, HAVE YOUR PIE ENTRIES AT THE CABOT GYM BY OR BEFORE 10:30 A.M. SEE POSTER BELOW FOR DETAILS OF CONTEST.

Click above poster to enlarge.

REWARD!

Cabot Historical Society’s 10th Annual Apple Pie Festival

Apple Pie baking contest – (Judges like them warm!)

Saturday, October17, 2009

Rules:
· Enter a traditional two-crust apple pie.
· Use Vermont Apples
· Be willing to Share your recipe
· Agree to let us Sell or Auction the remaining slices of your pie after judging.
· Pies must be Registered by 10:30 a.m.
· Entry fee per pie - $5 for adults - $2.50 for Jr’s. OR donate a second pie for us to sell.

Pies are judged on:
1. Appearance of the whole pie
2. Crust
3. Filling (taste, texture)

Info – (802) 563-3396