We visited the two construction sites yesterday. The carpenters had left by the time we took our walk down there, but at Gagne's, Richard and Carmen were both there. The weather hasn't been good for building, but still we could see good progress in both buildings. The top picture is the Gagne's, the bottom one is Jack and Sue LaGue's.

We also checked the water level at Walter Ruf's retaining wall. When we checked it on Wednesday, it was down to 5 1/2 in. below the top of the wall. Yesterday it was 3 1/2 in. below the top, and today it was 4 1/2 below. I've measured a little over an inch of rain and snow melt so far this month, and water continues to pour off the hills.

I had a call yesterday from my cousin, Polly Bolton Coffin to let me know her mom, Pauline Bolton, had passed away Thursday. Pauline, "Polly" was married to one of my father's younger brothers, Bill, and they farmed for a while in Cabot Village, and then took over the home farm on the Plain after my grandfather died.

My cousin Polly, or "Little Polly," as the family called her, said she had seen my recent blog entry about raising chickens and the ugly rooster. She was the little girl the rooster attacked, and yesterday she told me she remembered that very well, and after reading what I'd written, she decided that attack was probably the reason she never liked chickens or hens much when she was growing up on the farm.

When I wrote about that, it never crossed my mind she might read it, and I was surprised and pleased that she had found it and knew she was the little girl I was writing about. She was so young, I would suppose she might not remember.

It's sad that Aunt Polly is now gone. She was the last of that generation in our family, and it was a large family. All together, my grandfather had six boys and six girls - a boy and a girl with his first wife, Mary Blodgett Bolton, who died at age 25 in 1896. He then married Grace Pinkham in 1899, and they had five boys and five girls, all brought up on the farm on Cabot Plain. My grandfather lived to be 83; my grandmother (Grace) died at 65.

We had a nice get together this evening at our house. We got take-outs from the New Traditions dinner in Cabot, and it was delicious. Fred and Bill Rossi picked up the food. Our neighbor, Elizabeth came, also Henretta from next door, and Shawntel who lives on McQueeny Road. Shawntel is actually Woody's doctor - she is a veterinary at St. Johnsbury Animal Hospital, and has been here just over a year, having come here from North Carolina. The thing is, we were so busy talking and eating, we forgot to take pictures . . . !

Here's something some of you might be interested in - on-line courses through St. Johnsbury Academy. Some neat courses here. Take a look: www.ed2go.com