TRICK OR TREAT!!

Bill Rossi said he gave this big kid a treat and right away he had a new friend.

6th Annual

New Traditions Community Supper

Saturday - Nov. 6th – at the Cabot United Church

Prepared by Chef David Hale and his culinary students

Gourmet Buffet includes

Cider Braised Pork with caramelized onions and rosemary,

Gourmet Salads, Roasted Root Vegetables with fresh herbs,

Whipped sweet potato, Spinach Gratin,

Assorted deserts, Beverages

Reservations Required: 426-3281.

Take-Outs Available

3 seatings:

5pm 6:15pm 7:30pm

$12 Adults $10 Seniors (65+) $6 Children

Proceeds benefit the Cabot United Church

The newsletter from CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow) headquarters in Colorado came today. They had lots to say about the recent record breaking storm they had that did so much damage in the mid-west area. Today the focus was also on the probable effect La Nina will have on our winter weather pattern. I found this site interesting - www.noaa.gov
We'll just have to wait to find out if their predictions are valid. They say our weather in the northeast is impacted more by weather over the north Atlantic, not by La Nina or El Nino which are governed by water temperatures in the Pacific, so it's a toss up for us at this point whether we'll be warmer, colder, or more or less snow. No surprise there. Most of us who live here know weather predictions are not an exact science and trying to predict weather even a week away can sometimes be a real challenge, so making any predictions way into the future could be downright foolhardy. We'll take what comes or make plans to head for someplace we know absolutely will be warmer with less snow.

We spent some time watching and photographing this young deer, first munching grass in our back yard, and then down under the crab apple tree. She seemed to enjoy the apples and was there quite a long time. At one point a car went by and she froze, but didn't panic. We watched for another deer, as we often see them in pairs and we thought perhaps the mother would be with this young one, but if she was around, she didn't come out.

The crab tree is on a very steep bank, and there is a thick hedge of rose bushes, tall grass and some goldenrod on the upper side that partially hides the deer in this second picture. She seemed to feel pretty secure there, hardly nervous at all.

We've had snow flurries again all day. The temperature got into the high 30's at one point and we had a mix of rain and snow, but only briefly. It is heading down again and is now 3o degrees at the thermometer outside my window, and it's beginning to snow harder.

I was outside for a while pruning some vines off my grape arbor, and it was really quite nice. Very still, like everything around has taken cover and is quietly waiting for a blanket of snow. The ground is very wet and with continuous snow/rain showers expected for the next several days, there will be lots of water running into the pond.

Fred is outside bringing in the wood from the maple limb that came down in a storm a few weeks ago. There's quite a bit of it, and he's hauling it up on the sled. It isn't that there's that much snow on the ground, it's more that the ground is so wet the wheelbarrow cuts in and becomes useless. And he thought his wood chopping/hauling/piling was done for this year!

I've been dealing with the ghosts of Cabot citizens all afternoon, sometimes not very successfully. There are certain papers which, when placed squarely on the scanning table look fine in the preview but come out tilted crazily, missing edges and corners as if some bold and wicked hand had intervened. One document having several pages, was particularly troublesome and I'm pretty sure old Benjamin Webster was telling me he hadn't been completely satisfied with the court ordered settlement by John Perkins.

Another one that gave me trouble was the case of Ebenezer Andrews of Cabot against Abram Powers of Barre (Barry in the court document) This took place in 1808, and apparently Powers had purchased a great many household articles from Andrews and owed him fifty dollars and costs. This was more money than most of the cases recorded in Cabot that I've seen so far, and there was an attorney involved, Alec Holton, if I'm reading the name correctly. When I read the list Powers had purchased, it seemed he must have been setting up a new homestead - there was a spinning wheel, several kittles, a fire shovel, a butter tub, etc. - I wondered if he was able to get on top of his debts, so I looked in the 1810 census and sure enough, he was still living in Barre, so I guess he worked things out. I had a hard time getting things to line up so I had a good copy of his court document, though.

It's been snowing most of the day. During mid day the temperature got up to about 40 so the snow was melting as soon as it hit the ground, but later this afternoon it began to get colder and now the snow is sticking. It's quite lovely to look at, but I imagine it's enough to make roads slippery, especially our back roads.

I took these pictures a few minutes ago. The temperature is still about 35 degrees, but I suppose it will go lower later tonight. It's supposed to remain colder tomorrow, too. It reminds me of trick or treating with my kids when they were little and we would come to Cabot to see Grandma and Grandpa Bolton. There would often be snow here and none, of course, in St. Johnsbury. I didn't go trick or treating when I was a kid. On the Plain there weren't many houses and most kids had chores to do and were probably too tired to walk miles just to visit a neighbor who probably wouldn't have had any treats and none of us were inclined to do much tricking. I do remember my grandmother Bolton showing me how to make a noise maker out of a wooden spool sewing thread came on. I made uneven cuts in the edges and then wound a string around it. With a pencil through the hole, it made a great noise when you held it against a pane of glass and pulled the string to make the spool spin. I probably only used it at her house or my parents - it was really dark and cold this time of year and none of us wanted to be outside for long unless we had to be.

Now I'm having a new problem with this blog. The whole thing keeps dropping down from the top where I started so there's a big white space . . . gremlins at work? Fred just turned on the TV to get the news and says the satellite is trying to find a signal . . . ? I even saw a flock of geese flying north this afternoon. I tried to flag them down, but they just honked louder and kept on course,headed straight for Canada. Perhaps their GPS wasn't working well today . . . I guess it's going to be that kind of night. The goblins and witches are out there, messing around and playing tricks.

We awoke to a trace of snow on the ground and now we're having pretty consistent snow showers. We don't expect much build up, but things are getting white - fair warning of what's to come.

The top picture is from our window, looking towards Rt. 15 across the pond. Our row of tamaracks went very suddenly from brilliant yellow to dull brown and are rapidly shedding their needles. We think the tamaracks made a much more impressive show of color this year than usual, making up for the lack-luster maples this year. It wasn't as pretty here this year, but I think in some other areas the colors were very nice. Sometimes we've gone to the coast about this time of year and have appreciated the display of tamarack and oak trees going through New Hampshire and Maine. We don't have lots of oaks here, but plenty of tamaracks.

The second picture is from my office window looking out at our back lawn. The temperature is staying at about 32-34 degrees and so far we haven't had much wind. I heard lots of wind during the night, though.

We haven't been down to check the water level recently, but I've had reports it's high again. Thursday when we went through West Danville there was a lot of activity near the dam and I wondered if there is a problem. Last spring there was a washout under the penstock and it had to be shut down for a spell. That can create a problem if there's high water because the penstock can carry off a huge quantity of water quickly in addition to what's going over the dam. When that isn't open, the only route out is over the dam, and that sometimes isn't adequate to keep the water level within normal range. At no point between rain storms has the water level been at the lowest possible range, as far as I can tell, so when there's rain every day or so, there's no storage room for the runoff.

I've been busy scanning old documents. Right now I'm working with a group of court documents, summons for the arrest or testimony regarding various amounts of money owed, usually small amounts, like $2.06 in damages, plus $1.72 for costs of the suit, and $.25 for the Writ. The justices of the peace and the sheriffs had a good thing going, I think. The person owing the debt would be taken into custody and held by the "keeper of the Goal" in Danville until he paid up or the bill was otherwise settled. It's hard to tell if many of the debtors were actually held at the goal; more than likely there were agreements made to pay off the debts either with money, goods or labor.

After Cabot and some other towns were reorganized from Orange County in 1769 to the County of Caledonia, Danville became the County seat, so all legal proceedings in Cabot were handled there. In 1811 Cabot and Woodbury were again redistricted into Washington County, and eventually, in 1856, the Caledonia County seat moved from Danville to St. Johnsbury.

Now I need to get back to the old documents. The ghosts of Cabot long past are calling.

We've had a mostly beautiful day today. Bright sunshine until mid-afternoon, and even then it wasn't really cold. The thermometer is supposed to drop during the night and possibly we'll have some snow showers over the weekend, but no huge storm, either snow or rain, in the forecast so far. We were lucky not to have severe winds like they've had in the middle and southeastern states. I checked the water level for the pond today and it's right about where it is supposed to be. There was a lot of water running through the culvert on Sandy Beach Road, and I'm sure other brooks that drain into the pond, but things look normal for now.

Here's an important notice: The Cabot property tax payment is due by 5:00 p.m. Nov. 12.

The Town Clerk’s office will be open extra days for tax payments. The office will be open 9-5 on Veterans Day, THURSDAY NOV 11 and it’s normally closed day of FRIDAY NOV 12

If you haven't paid your Cabot taxes, note that you only have a few days left to do so. The town offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 2nd as officials will need to be on duty for the voting at the gymnasium.

If you haven't paid your taxes in the Town of Danville, you may be in for penalties as the deadline for taxes there was October 25th.

We noticed today how nice the town hall in Danville looks now that the new steps and ramp are in place. It really didn't take very long, and come next spring, it will no doubt be beautiful with flowers and landscaping. It's a really big improvement.

We walked along Sandy Beach Road again today and got some pictures of both the Gagne home and the LaGue home. Both these places will be year around homes, and both parties expect to be settled in early next spring. The carpenters at Gagne's were obviously concerned about the expected turn in the weather when we spoke briefly with them today. They have some walls up and some of the roofs on, but still lots of open space for wind and snow to come in.

Further up the road at the LaGue's, carpenters Mark Booth and Scott Witcher are moving right along, too. I saw Sue LaGue yesterday and she said once the side walls are up it should go very quickly as they are using pre-built trusses. We stopped to talk with Mark and Scott today, and it's a small world - Mark, whose uncles owned Booth Brothers Milk Company before it was sold to Hoods, knew my uncle, Bob Bolton, who worked for Booth Brothers for many years. That's Scott with his back to the camera, and Mark down below.

Weather permitting, they said they expect to have things enclosed ready for electricians and plumbers by around Thanksgiving, or maybe before - again, depending on the weather.

We went on down Meadow Lane to see if we could tell if the new window has been put in at Walter Ruf's. We couldn't be sure, but it looks as if it has been replaced - it looks a little different than the others on the outside.
Apparently, it had lost its seal, like picture windows often do. This one looked perfectly clear - no fog that we could see.

I've had notification that a couple by the name of Mark and Pam Collins have purchased the Keith and Florence Chamberlin cottage at 285 Old Homestead. I don't have their home address yet, but they have indicated they will be joining the Joe's Pond Association, and we're anxious to meet them.

We have interesting weather today. Actually, there isn't much "weather" but what is interesting is that the temperature is about 58 degrees, there's sunshine out there but we have pretty dense fog rolling up the valleys and from time to time obscuring the sun. Earlier this morning when I took the precipitation reading (.26 in.) we had bright sunshine, but now it's more like bright fog. I took this picture looking across the pond from our living room window earlier, and then a few minutes ago took another looking directly at the sun. Before the day is over, I imagine the sun will win out and we may have a sunny day for a few hours, at least.

Yesterday I missed a nice picture of a deer in our yard. The apples are gone under the big tree, but there are lots of them under the crab apple and I think she intended to sample them, but just as I was ready to take the picture, something spooked her and she ran down across the road before I could focus. Then I saw a runner chugging up the road, so I expect he was what scared her away. She was big and looked very healthy.

I've been busy scanning old documents and have found some interesting stuff. It was common for people to keep an inventory of their belongings. I suppose some did it to keep track of things while others did it to establish a personal worth. Most of the ones I'm finding were done to settle estates after a person died.

Here are some items on one done probably in the late 1700's - this is part of another document which I believe belonged to William Osgood (1733-1801). Click to make the picture larger.

I hope soon to have all these pieces of documents in order and available for people to look through. The originals are too fragile to handle, so only the copies will be available for the public.

Here's an update on progress on the two new buildings on Sandy Beach Road.

We just came from a walk down that way - really nice this afternoon in spite of there not being any sun. We enjoy the fine display the tamaracks are making; they are especially vivid against the dark green of the firs and spruces. On a dark day like this, they brighten up the landscape nicely. It's about 50 degrees and I expect we'll have more rain tonight, but we were quite comfortable on our walk especially since there is not much wind today.

At the LaGue site, progress has been made today, with about half of the floor joists in place. We were there around 3 p.m., so the carpenters were still busy. This picture is LaGue's.

Two neighbors, the Parizo's and the Rickers, are right between the two work sites. We can hear the carpenters when we are outside, so I expect it's become the background for the every-day chores for them and the other people who live on that road.

At the Gagne place, every time we see it things have changed. This is a much larger building but it, too, is coming along well.

I noticed in the Caledonian Record today the cottage previously owned by Colette and James Dente was sold in September to Margaret Rodgers of Jericho. We are always sorry when someone sells their cottage and moves away from the pond, but we understand that as families grow up and lives change, there are other priorities. We wish the Dentes well, and hope they will keep in touch.

We welcome Margaret and her family to Joe's Pond.

We had a warmer night last night and this morning we're in somewhat of a fog. There was some rain last night, and the best word I can think of to describe the weather so far today is "dismal." This is not going to be a very pleasant week, according to the forecast. Temperatures will be moderate to unusually high (in the 60's), but it looks like mostly showers and overcast skies. I think I heard one forecaster mention thunderstorms along about Tuesday or Wednesday. Then a cold snap by the weekend. I guess "dismal" is the word for the week.

Someone recently asked me what the second community forum would be about and I thought it had to do with the parking at Willey Hall or something - turns out, these forums are about Cabot School. Here's more information on the one that's happening tonight:

Second Fall 2010 Community Forum

Please Join Us For the Second Fall 2010 Community Forum

Monday, October 25th

6:30-8:30 pm ~ CSPAC Building [Cabot School Performing Arts Center]

On Monday, October 4th we held a round table discussion of the strengths, shortcomings, and creative improvements we can make in four areas of Cabot School: Academics, Communication, Co-Curricular Activities and School Climate.

Please join us for our second forum on Monday, October 25, when we’ll present information about two laws passed by the Vermont Legislature earlier this year, and will discuss how they might impact Cabot School. Specifically, Act 153 provides incentives for school districts that choose to merge, while Act 146 (the Challenges for Change bill) sets budget reduction targets for the 2011-2012 school year for all Vermont schools.

Please join us and contribute your voice and ideas to these important discussions about Cabot School.

We hope to see you there!

The Cabot School Board of Directors:
Ann Cookson David Hale Linda Gabrielson
Chris Tormey Niall McCallum

This might be an interesting forum. Some of these same people were those who designed a budget effectively cutting the school costs last year and helped keep our tax burden in check. These meetings are not just for those people who have children in school or who work at the school, they are for the whole community. The issue of merging school districts is an important one that could have an impact on all of us.

I also had this announcement come this morning:

FREE COMMUNITY DINNER

Oct. 25 Monday
Masonic Hall 5-7 p.m.
Sponsored by Faith in Action

Did you happen to see the moon last night? Really pretty.

Today we have beautiful sunshine and the temperature is climbing steadily although right now at high noon, it's still only 39 degrees at my thermometer out of the sun. It sure is pretty to look outside, though - how we do appreciate sunshine during these dark fall months!

We checked out both building sites yesterday in the late afternoon. Jack LaGue was at his site, but the carpenters had already left. He said they are finished leveling the foundation from the various additions that had been added to the original cottage. I think Jack told me four different additions over the years. It looks like next week they'll be ready with decking and then the framework can begin going up.

At the Gagne site, things are really beginning to take shape. There were no carpenters around there, either, but it seems they had been very busy in the last couple of days. This first picture is from the road, and then we walked down onto the lawn towards the waterfront and took another picture from there.

The area has been graded and has a straw covering. I'm surprised at how much lawn space there is in front of this place and some of the others along that stretch. It will be interesting to see everything finished with landscaping, etc.

I just received this note from Liz Sargent about her mom, Lucia Pearl.

Thought you all might like to know of another mishap in the Pearl Family...it's time for luck to change here!!

Friday, Oct 8, Mom was outside in the rain trying to pull up a tomato plant - a naughty girl was she! (She doesn't even like to garden!) The plant got the better of her and she landed on her right hip and broke it!! She's at NVRH here in St. Johnsbury, had surgery Oct. 10, then got full blown hospital pneumonia! Peg and I had some scary days, but she seems to be on the mend now; it's going to be a long, slow process. She will be in the hospital for another couple of weeks and then we hope to bring her home with some caregivers.

She can bear weight on that leg but isn't able to really pick it up, but improves each day a little with her PT. She is getting wonderful care and they like her so that is good.

Monday, Oct. 11, I already had right shoulder rotator cuff surgery planned, so went ahead with it. Am in the sling and trying to be a left-handed person which doesn't come easily! In fact, it's a comic show watching me eat with my left hand!

Mom and I were on the same floor for one night as that is all I had to stay in for. Would that classify as a pajama party but without the fun!!? Peg and I are able to visit several times a day, take care of her bills, mail, and simple needs. Plus it means I am keeping my shoulder quiet by sitting with her!! Today, Oct. 22, seemed to be a very good day. Her spirits are pretty good considering and she's trying hard to do all they want her to do and is eating well.

This is such a sad set-back for Mom who was enjoying her home and independence!

Hope all is well with all of you! -Liz
Pearl Island at Joe's Pond and Jamieson Rd, Danville, VT

Fred and I saw Lucia in White Market a few weeks ago and she looked very well. We had a nice chat and it was really good to see her so chipper. We are so sorry this has happened, and wish her a really speedy recovery.

Correction on the request for a wood stove - this came today . . .

Thanks to those of you who replied to the emergency request for a wood burning stove. We were offered two such stoves, unfortunately it has come to our attention that what is actually needed is a wood burning furnace. The dimensions of the current furnace are: 17 inches deep, 29 inches wide, (firebox) 3ft high, (pipe) 6in being adapted to fit 7in flu (outside).

Again, this furnace is needed by a family with two small children in the home; any help would be much appreciated.

Anyone who has any leads can contact Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc. at (802) 563-3322 or FIANCP@vtlink.net. Thank you again

cabotvt.us/blog

ANNOUNCEMENT

Please Join Us For the

Second Fall 2010 Community Forum

Monday, October 25th

6:30-8:30 pm ~ CSPAC Building

On Monday, October 4th we held a round table discussion of the strengths, shortcomings, and creative improvements we can make in four areas of Cabot School: Academics, Communication, Co-Curricular Activities and School Climate.

Please join us for our second forum on Monday, October 25, when we'll present information about two laws passed by the Vermont Legislature earlier this year, and will discuss how they might impact Cabot School. Specifically, Act 153 provides incentives for school districts that choose to merge, while Act 146 (the Challenges for Change bill) sets budget reduction targets for the 2011-2012 school year for all Vermont schools.

Please join us and contribute your voice and ideas to these important discussions about Cabot School.

We hope to see you there!

The Cabot School Board of Directors:
Ann Cookson David Hale Linda Gabrielson
Chris Tormey Niall McCallum

Check to new Blog for latest updates

It's snowing. There isn't much on the ground, and for a while the sun came out early this morning and some melted, but I think we're in for snow showers most of today. That's our back lawn and the covered garden.

I took this picture of the hill above Rt. 15, actually Davidson Road, to show you how the snow is sticking to the frozen road that winds up the hillside to the little camp at the edge of the woods. This was about 9 o'clock and lots of the snow had melted on that hillside, but then I took the picture of the apple tree in our yard (below) and there was still snow showing on this side. A few minutes after I took that picture, a big fat partridge landed in the tree, but it stayed only moments - not long enough for me to get a picture. It probably heard or saw us through the window. Partridges often roost in the ornamentals and feast on the crab apples nearby.

The thermometer outside my office window is showing 34 degrees, and hasn't moved all morning. I reported .2 in. of snow on my CoCoRaHS report, and there were a few other reports of snow in the area.

Here is another interesting weather link I may have given you before - its the official NOAA site.

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/

There are some interesting charts showing what they think the weather will be in the coming months. They may have more technology than The Farmer's Almanac, but I don't know how their predictions measure up for accuracy. Actually, for all we know, NOAA could be at least one of the guides the folks at the almanac use.

I watched some interesting cloud formations late yesterday afternoon. We could see the storm clouds coming down from Walden, but just ahead of those, this big one in the southeast caught the sun's rays for a few moments, and then we got dark very quickly. At that point we were still getting rain, but during the night it changed to snow. Below is the view looking northeast across the pond as the dark clouds came down from Canada.

We will try to get down to the building sites this afternoon and let you know how things are progressing. With temperatures like these, the men will be anxious to get everything closed in so they will at least be out of the wind and snow.

We had one of the energy experts stop by yesterday to do an infrared inspection on our house to see if there might be other ways we could save energy. These same folks did the winterization for us last year, but they didn't use this particular technology. It shows the makeup of the building - studs, insulation, etc., on a screen and registers heat and cold. Turns out, we're in pretty good shape for an older house, and there were no recommendations for further work. Fifty years ago when my father built this house, building materials and methods were different. Apparently he built a pretty tight building, and with the improvements we've made, we are doing okay. Any tighter and we'd need to pipe in outside air to get appliances such as the furnace and clothes dryer to function properly. I hardly see the wisdom of that.

I worked briefly at the historical society building yesterday. We had the old pot-bellied wood stove going and it was toasty there. We were putting things away for the winter, and there will be at least one more work session before the building is closed until spring. By then I will hopefully have some of these boxes out of here. This isn't everything - I have several more boxes in our basement, and there's one section of my office I'm not going to show you - it's far too cluttered, but I know what's there and can find things, it just looks awful.

The top picture is of files of documents and boxes of items waiting to be dealt with; the next one is a box of the albums that are "in process," and another box with documents sorted by subject which will grow over time until I have enough to make a decision about how I'll handle them. Below is the overflow. Boxes of treasures waiting to be sorted, scanned or otherwise taken care of and preserved. Not all of this is Cabot Historical Society material - I also have some Joe's Pond Ice-Out material given to me by Homer Fitts that I will be putting in order at some point. So now I need to get back to work . . .

I've been busy enough in the past weeks that I haven't paid much attention to e-mails that come to me forwarded from and/or to a long list of people. I generally delete them and move on to legitimate correspondence. A while back, when these types of e-mails would come to me, I'd take a few minutes to check them out. There were some that seemed to have good advice, sensible warnings or beautiful photos; but more often than not, after I'd checked with snopes.com, truthorfiction.com, or urbanlegends.com, I'd discover the information was either enhanced, twisted or just plain false. For a while I would send a link to whoever sent me the "forward" exposing the hoax and politely ask them to not clutter my mail basket with that kind of nonsense.

Until recently, my mail has been relatively free of that sort of junk mail, but within the past few days I've begun to notice there is more coming. I could block mail from those who send it, but I don't like to do that, as often they come from friends I truly enjoy hearing from - without the "forwards."

Before you forward these things to everyone on your mailing list, take a minute to go to www.truthorfiction.com, www.urbanlegends.com or www.snopes.com.
There's a good chance you'll find it's not something you want to spread further. Some of the things that circulate are truly helpful, but most are better sent to the trash bin.

This announcement came to me this afternoon. Sounds like an interesting winter project building! Cabot used to have frequent plays - I guess before so many other types of entertainment, skiing, skate-boarding, snowmobiling, DVD's and TV's were available. We wish the organizers well and look forward to posting further information.

Cabot Community Theater Performs Fresh Tales This Winter

It's been some years since there's been community theater in Cabot, but that's about to change! Shake off those stick season doldrums and join us! We will be performing two or three very funny one-act fairy-tale based comedies in late winter, and will include everyone who wants to be involved--adults, kids, teens, families--either onstage or off.

We'll begin with getting together to meet other people who want to be involved, read through the plays, and do a little planning. The read-through and meeting will take place at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center at 3:00pm on Saturday, November 6th.

Rather than having auditions, we'll start the rehearsal process with some acting games and activities, and playing with the scripts a little, then cast the shows after people have had a chance to get warmed up, and we have an idea of everyone's capabilities and preferences. Everyone who wants to have a part could, whether you've done a lot of acting, or little or none, and the same goes for helping out behind the scenes. Kids need to be mature enough to be responsible for their own behavior and focus on the rehearsal process, and people outside of Cabot are welcome to join in as well. We'd especially like to encourage multiple family members to participate, so that rehearsals can add to the time you're doing something fun together, and building community.

If you'd like to be involved, but are unable to attend on the 6th, please call or drop a line to Karen Mueller-Harder at karen@praxisworks.org or 563-2669.


*************
Check the new Blog!

We just came back from the two building sites on Sandy Beach Road. It's a dull day, but not awfully cold - not quite at 50 degrees yet, but as long as one keeps moving, it isn't bad at all. There isn't much wind, and that helps. We heard and saw geese moving over the pond, probably taking off after resting here during the night.

The LaGue site is coming along. Carpenters were there and Jack was working with them, getting things leveled, he said, ready for the new construction on the existing, relatively new, foundation. We were impressed at how well the whole site was cleaned up of debris. After a tear-down like that yesterday, you'd expect to have a real mess, but aside from some small wood chips, there didn't seem to be much left to clean up, inside or out. Of course, we got there well after work had begun this morning, so perhaps that's why everything looked in good shape. That's Jack on the phone, working from home regardless of no roof over his head . . .

Down the road at the Gagne site, work is progressing on the second story level. I had expected trusses to be getting put up, but they obviously aren't ready for that step yet. Dave Lavely had indicated there are lots of angles, jogs and pitches in the architect's plans. From what we can tell, it will be a interesting design.

We have one stubborn maple - one of the ones we got as a twig several years ago - that stays green and doesn't drop its leaves like normal ones do. We got a bunch of maples, I think seven in all, each a different variety. One was the bunchy one we transplanted a few weeks ago and set in one of our local sugar maples, and I have no clue what the others are. They are along the side of our driveway, each with its own appearance and habits. This one just hangs on way past most and doesn't seem to change colors much.

Speaking of hanging on, our crab apple tree always has lots of apples throughout the winter, providing squirrels and birds with a great source of food until spring. The turkeys usually visit in the fall, too, and often we'll see a deer there, sometimes standing on hind feet to reach up and get the little apples. They are still a nice red now, but after a good frost will be almost black - but there is still food value there, apparently.

Help Needed

Rev. Bill Cobb of Faith in Action is asking for a donation of a wood stove for a family in the Northeast Kingdom. The wood stove is the only source of heat and their current one is no longer functional. The couple has just had to take on care of their grandchildren and are in desperate need to get one in the house. Anyone able to help should call Rev. Cobb at Faith in Action, 563-3322.

Coalition Meeting Tonight.
YRBS (Youth Risk Behavior Survey) for Cabot Youth to be discussed.
PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND
Dinner provided 6 PM at the Willey Building
Main Street, Cabot, Vermont
RSVP appreciated, but not necessary. 563-3338

6th Annual

New Traditions Community Supper

Saturday - Nov. 6th – at the Cabot United Church

Prepared by Chef David Hale and his culinary students

Gourmet Buffet includes

Cider Braised Pork with caramelized onions and rosemary,

Gourmet Salads, Roasted Root Vegetables with fresh herbs,

Whipped sweet potato, Spinach Gratin,

Assorted deserts, Beverages

Reservations Required: 426-3281

3 seatings:

5pm 6:15pm 7:30pm

$12 Adults $10 Seniors (65+) $6 Children

Proceeds benefit the Cabot United Church

Here's how the sunrise looked from our deck this morning. It promises to be a pretty nice day - the forecast is for warmer temperatures than yesterday.

I just came back from watching the demolition of Jack and Sue LaGue's cottage on Sandy Beach Road. I got there a little after 8 o'clock and they were well into the job already. There were several onlookers and lots of workers. Jack and Sue were both on hand, having mixed feelings as they watched the work tearing apart their summer home.

I've put together a slide show for you. I start it off with a picture of what our day is like - for now some sunshine with some high clouds making it a bit hazy for short spells. It's still nippy but getting warmer. When the sun is out full force it's quite nice, but not yet up to 40 in the shady areas. Good for working, but the onlookers were a bit chilly. Here's the slide show: LaGue Demolition

I left just before the big truck left with most of the cottage aboard. There was a smaller dump truck waiting to take the remainder of the building. As with the Gagne demolition, they will take the remains to Coventry. Within a few more hours things will be cleaned up there and Kirk Fenoff's equipment will roll down the road a few rods to assist with the trusses ready to go on the Gagne home, and at LaGue's, the carpenters are poised ready to get going so they can have the place reasonably weather tight by Thanksgiving. Both homes will be ready for occupancy in the spring.

You can see that all hands are on the upper deck at Gagne's this morning, getting ready for Kirk.

Here's a photo taken at the Pope Library fund raising dinner in Danville on Saturday night. Tim and Jenness Ide hosted it at their home. Here is what Henretta Splain wrote to me today:

The Pope Library Dinner inspired by My Big Fat Greek Wedding was quite a success. All the attendees were members of the 'clean plate club'. The menu was pretty extensive with Stuffed Grape Leaves, Boureki as appetizers, moussaka, greek sofrito kabobs with tzatziki, greek salad for the entree and baklava for dessert - all homemade. Some people even had to take their baklava home in a doggy bag! Tim and Jenness Ide graciously opened their home and were charming hosts! Karen Moran contributed a moussaka that was out of this world!! It was really fun for Susan Tallman, myself and Mary Swainbank. We are setting up the calendar for next year so if you hear of anyone who might want to host one OR attend one let us know! Bill Rossi told me I should send you the picture so it's attached. Where else can you get a meal like that for $25? And the donations all go to the library!

They don't know what themes will be for next year, but I'm sure the food will be delicious. As soon as Henretta gives me their schedule, I'll post it here.

This is the Greek flag on the right. I was curious about what it looks like, so found one on the internet. The blue represents the sea, and according to what I found, can be any shade of blue. The cross represents the Greek Orthodox Church.