Thursday, December 30, 2010

Here's something very joyful to end 2010 on:

Lucia Katherine Pearl was born Wednesday, December 29th, 7 lbs. 5 oz., 22" long. She's beautiful! Born to Isaac and Logan Pearl and joins brother, Axel!
Wouldn't Great Gramma Lucia be so pleased; hopefully she is aware on some level. Peg and I are thrilled with the choice of name. Life does come full circle...!
:)
Elizabeth A. Sargent
529 Jamieson Rd.
Danville VT 05828
802-748-1456
lizsargent@charter.net
"God does not simply will that we should be happy, but rather that we should make ourselves happy." Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)


This must be a big lift for the Pearl family, having lost Grandmother Lucia only a few short weeks ago. We wish everyone lots of joy with the new babe joining your family. A wonderful way to end an otherwise sad year.
Such a lovely day. It felt and smelled like spring outside. I don't know how high the temperature was, but I'm pretty sure it got into the 30's - right now, at 4:30, it's still 28, and the sun has been behind the trees for a while.

Fred and Bill Rossi went to St. Johnsbury to do some errands this morning. Fred took pictures (of course) and I made a slide show so you can see what a pretty day it was and how the snow was melting in the roads. Slides of 12/30/10

I've been corresponding with Louise Lessard who recently moved from Danville to Westmore at Willoughby Lake. This is a new experience for Louise, but she's adapting and enjoying it and I got her permission to share some of her e-mail with you. I'm sure some of you know Louise. I had contacted her when I recently got a bunch of e-mails that were marked "unread" and one from her was requesting that we put something on the web site for a tea the Women's Club was planning and I had no recollection of having done it so got in touch to apologize. She told me she was now living in Westmore and, of course, I was curious. This is the lovely letter she sent in response to my questions:

Thank you Jane for getting back to me. I didn't write you again as the Historical House did not have their act together and had no policy in place for letting people use their site. So by the time they came up with a YES, it was way too late. Danville Woman's Club ladies said "to heck with it" and we put it all on hold till next summer/fall. The way it is now, the women's club will try to have some teas at the historical house summer of 2011. And I will get back to you at that time. Okay? Thank you.
Westmore. Hum. There is nothing here at all. Nothing but the lake and I hate water. I know, so why am I up here................. The only thing here is a church. A small and very old church. So I decided to go too church. I love it. The people are awesome. You should see/hear the "music". It blows my mind. They have a man (Mark) who plays organ as well as piano and can he sing. I laugh as Mark is a big man and he has a big voice to match his size. Each service there are from two to five who sing with Mark. Now keep in mind there are under 30 people who attend each week. Christmas eve, two little girls sang and their voices filled that little church. After church, each Sunday, is a coffee hour. The social hour is special. Everyone is happy go lucky and they all get along and like each other. They have welcomed me in. The minister came to visit me and welcomed me to the church. WOW.
The little church owns the community hall next door as well as the park across the road which has beach frontage. The Ladies Aid Society of Westmore is responsible for the upkeep of the church, hall and park. Now let me tell you, I joined the ladies aid group and my first thought was, no way can I keep up with those elderly ladies. And remember that I'm over 60 myself. I've never seen a group to be such go getters. They are now out to raise money for a new roof for the hall. Dinners, bazaars and anything they can come up with to raise money. Unreal.
I told you all of that as Westmore and Willoughby Lake remind me of West Danville and Joe's Pond. West Danville has very little but it has Joe's Pond and all the people who love the pond and the area and they all come together to keep things up and running. Bless your hearts. Only in small town Vermont do people come together like that. West Danville is one big family and I have come to find out the same with Westmore and its big family members.

I haven't met Louise, but I certainly look forward to that someday. In a later e-mail she said she's been telling the ladies in Westmore about our Joe's Pond community and our web site, so possibly I'll have an e-mail from one of them to post. I must mention to Louise that we all like photos . . .

We went to Willoughvale for dinner with Bill and Diane Rossi this fall - just before they closed for the season. It was lovely there. Next time we're up that way I'll be looking for the little church.

It hardly seems right that we will need to say goodbye to 2010 already. Somehow, 2011 sounds ominous - reminds me of 9/11 or something, I guess. If you're making plans to party tomorrow night, don't forget to have a "designated driver." I was in the Cabot town offices yesterday and Linda, the assistant clerk, was telling me of some of the accidents she could recall in the area. Linda lives in Hardwick, and was mentioning particularly the snowmobile accidents - and she was saying all too often people party and think they are fine to get on their high-powered snow machine and zoom off into the night. Very dangerous. This will be a big year for snow machines with the good snow we already have, and already there have been a couple we've heard of in this area. So please be careful on the roads and on the trails. Have a wonderful New Year's celebration, make lots of resolutions and then perhaps you will keep the most important ones, and be safe.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010


Here is the obituary for Pauline Buttura:
Pauline Buttura

Condolences may be sent to:
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hebert,
P. O. Box 147,
West Danville VT 05873,

or to:
Mr. and Mrs. Fella Buttura,
4 Tanglewood Dr.
Barre VT 05641


It is very thoughtful and generous of Mrs. Buttura's family to establish a Memorial Fund in their mother's name for playground equipment at the Joe's Pond Association's recreation area, and we thank them.

Pauline and Leo Buttura were long-time campers at Joe's Pond and took special interest in not only the Association and their many adult friends at the pond, but also in the children who spent summers here. Pauline loved being at the pond and she was fortunate to spend her last days at home with Pam and Joe on Old Homestead Road where she had enjoyed nearly 60 summers with her dear family and friends. She will be sadly missed and remembered fondly by all who knew her.


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

We got our sunshine back today. It's been an absolutely gorgeous day, bright sunshine, but bitterly cold with a strong wind right out of the Arctic. I was outside only a short time, and it was really pretty nice if you could stay out of the wind, but where the wind hit, it was frigid.

At lunch I pointed out to Fred the bank of clouds covering the White Mountains. He studied them for a moment and announced we were seeing the mountains, not clouds,
but I stuck to my story saying we couldn't see that much of the mountains from where we were sitting at the table. An hour or so later, I got out the camera and took this picture - and then I had to admit I was wrong. There were the mountains, glistening pink in the afternoon sun, not a cloud in the sky, and they were perfectly visible from the table. I maintain it COULD have been clouds, though . . .

You can see how nice and bright it was this afternoon on the pond in the next picture. I was chatting with a neighbor on the phone this afternoon and she was commenting on how cold and windy it always is in West Danville. The wind has been sweeping down the valley and across the pond straight onto Hastings porch for as long as I can remember. Packs the snow in there, too, and it's about the coldest place around most of the winter.

I haven't been up on Cabot Plain since this last storm, but I expect there is some bare ground up there where the snow has been whipped off to land in West Danville. Or maybe St. Johnsbury. In this storm, I think St. Johnsbury got more snow than we did - probably a combination of what fell out of the sky and what blew down from Cabot Plain and West Danville.

I reported another four inches of snow to CoCoRaHS this morning, making a total of about 8 inches from this storm - but actually it was just a guess. I measured on my snow board - one side had about an inch and the other had an 8-inch drift across. The snow was packed against the door onto our deck so I could barely get it open enough to get outside.

I was reminded of when I was a kid living on Cabot Plain and there were many winters when we gave up shoveling to get out of the house and simply tunneled through the big drift that always formed at the front of the house. The wind blew so hard the whole house would shudder in the gusts. Our bedrooms were always very cold because we had a trap door over the stairs to keep the heat from getting up to the second floor. We didn't have electric blankets, but I always had a hot water bottle at my feet - still do sometimes. It's like hot chocolate or oatmeal gruel - just what you need when you're chilled to the bone or just need some comforting.

I dug up some old snapshots of the snow at our house and
put together a short slide show. It's hard to date them, but I think they were taken at different times during the late 1930's or 1940's. The Scottie dog was "Heather," and I think we had her about that time. In a couple of the pictures you'll notice there's a ladder. That was for getting up on the roof when there was a chimney fire. I'm not sure what my dad did, but I expect he had a heavy piece of metal he'd put on the chimney to cut off the air supply to kill the fire. We had chimney fires on a regular basis, at least once or twice each winter. I was nearly as frightened of them as I was of the summer electrical storms. Here are the snow pictures: Old photos of Cabot Plain snow

The farm, school, and the house where I grew up are still there, but the big barn burned in 1969 and there now is a new one with two big silos (the Sousa farm) where the cell tower is installed but not operating yet. The farm beyond the school burned in 1953 and there is a new house there now; the school closed in 1948 and became a seasonal home. The house where I grew up was sold in 1963 when my parents built the house Fred and I live in and moved off the Plain out of the wind. Their old house was recently completely renovated by Wendy Jones Leinoff, who, with her husband, owns a great deal of the land that used to be part of the 960 acre farm my grandfather owned.

There were large fields for crops - hay, corn, potatoes, barley and oats, and four very large day pastures that the cows were rotated to in order to have a constant supply of good feed. There was also the night pasture, the horse pasture, and the pasture across the road from where we live now where the Randall's house is. We used to take the young stock to that pasture every spring. It bordered the head of the pond and went nearly to the railroad tracks. My grandfather went at least once a week to salt the cattle and check on them to be sure they were all there and ok. There might not be one in sight when he got there, but he'd call, "Come boss, come boss," and they'd come scampering out of the woods, eager to see him. I don't remember there ever being a problem having them that far away from the farm except once they got through the fence down by the brook and we got a call they were on the railroad tracks. That was when there were at least a couple of trains a day going through. It was a chore to get the cows back into the pasture through the swamp. I remember they stepped on a hornet's nest as we were driving them back through swamp and slash. The cows scattered, and we got stung numerous times. There was plenty of mud to sooth the stings, though, and we finally got all the critters back in their own pasture.

It doesn't seem as if we get the severe storms or as much snow as we used to, but someone reminded me a while back it probably just seemed like there was more snow because we were shorter then. Maybe - or maybe it was because winters are harder up on the Plain and back then there wasn't the equipment available to remove or plow snow like we have today. We had to shovel a lot more than we do now, and never went anywhere in the car without a set of chains with us - that was a job I used to dread, putting chains on the car. I remember how they sounded when we would get out onto the hard surface of the highway, especially if they weren't on the tires quite tight enough and would hit the fender with every revolution.

Kids today won't have these kinds of memories, but I suppose they'll have others that will be just as much fun for them to recall. It seems to me I had a lot more fun growing up than most, though, even without TV or even a telephone for most of my youth.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Our storm is nearly out of here. The wind is still blowing, so it's difficult to tell if the snow that's in the air is falling or traveling with the wind, but things seem to be calming down a bit. We've had pretty high winds all day, and now the temperature is dropping. It was 15 degrees early this morning, but now is four above. Fred has been out a couple of times to keep the snow drifts from clogging the three driveways. Above is how it looked from our living room early this morning, and below is Fred with the snow blower. You can see there is a lot of snow in the air and he was getting pelted with the snow blowing back at him from the snow blower. You try to go with the wind, but in some spots you just can't and that's one of the times I think he wishes he was in a warm cab, like Bill Rossi has, or in the old International Scout we used to use to plow. I liked plowing with that - but the banks got so high we didn't have any place to put more snow, and with the blower, that isn't a problem. But it isn't as warm and there's no "music to plow by." Besides, the Scout was inclined to break down a lot - it was old and had had it's day. The John Deere rarely breaks down, and it's pretty economical to run, but it does help to be strong and healthy.

We've had reports that some
places have been closed in the Lancaster, NH area - they apparently got a lot more snow than we have. I measured 3.4 inches at 9 a.m., and we've had more since, but mostly it's the drifting that's bothersome. The road crews are still busy, but winding down and will take a break in order to get ready for night duty, if needed. The forecast is for the snow to quit this afternoon but the wind will not subside until around midnight, with gusts of 40 m.p.h. or more, and temperature falling below zero.

Here is something to warm everyone up. I just had a note from the Marshfield Library with their schedule for the beginning of the year. Here is a link:
www.marshfield.lib.vt.us

If you'd rather not go out, here's something lots of readers will appreciate. You've probably been hearing about books on line, and now they are readily available for lots of applications. Here's some information: EBooks at Google.com

I noticed in the Caledonian Record that the bookstore in St. Johnsbury, Boxcar and Caboose, is having a couple of authors doing a book signing and apparently they were self-published by the new handy-dandy machine at the bookstore. The printing division is called Railroad Street Press.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sad news today. I just had a message from Pam Hebert that her mom passed away this morning. Pauline Roberts Buttura was 94. Pam's parents first came to Joe's Pond about 60 years ago. Pauline was a regular visitor here at the pond and took a great interest in our Joe's Pond Association and maintaining friendships here even after she no longer had her own camp here. She had spent the last several weeks here at the pond with Pam and her husband, Dr. Joe Hebert at their home on Old Homestead Road. Pam said because of the close ties both her parents had here at Joe's Pond, she and her brother are asking that any donations in their mother's memory be directed to the Joe's Pond Association Playground Fund to be used for additional play equipment. There will be more information in the Times Argus within a day or so, and I will have a link here. Our sincerest sympathy goes to Pam and her brother and their families.








We live in a winter wonderland here, with the trees loaded
with snow even more beautiful than any holiday card. I just received an e-mail from Matt Randall, home for the holidays with his parents at their home on W. Shore Road. Matt said he came over Cabot Plain on his way here from Burlington, and sent pictures. Above left is in front of John Woods' home, and on the right, Foster Bridge which Richard Spaulding built. That's Jay Peak and Canada beyond the bridge. You are looking due north.









Above is the Walbridge School which Mr. Spaulding moved from Rt. 215 in the 1970's and resto
red; then the Cabot Plains Cemetery gate at the very top of the hill. The smaller picture below is the road leading up the hill from Cabot to the cemetery. Matt described the scenery as follows:
On my way over to the pond on Friday I came over the hill from
Cabot instead of taking Rt 2 through Marshfield. When I got to the top of
the plains it was a beautiful sight of white with "snow trees" and fields of
vanilla icing! I took a few photos and wanted to share them with you. . .
I arrived back [on Long Island] this morning around 10:30am. As of 1pm we've already got an inch of snow on the ground and it's coming down at a fast clip now. Maybe I'll send some pictures of Long Island later this afternoon or later in the week. We're expecting between 12" and 18" by tomorrow afternoon. The New Yorkers are running to the gas station to fill gas containers for their snow blowers and the grocery stores are being depleted of all essentials. It makes Lauren and I laugh to see people acting as if it were the apocalypse just because of some snow. Dad says if VT were getting a foot of snow people would just stay in and tend to
their wood stoves and make sure to shovel off the porch occasionally.

Have a happy New Year!

Matt Randall


Many thanks, Matt, for these great pictures.

I guess we're going to get some of this storm, too. According to the forecast, we're looking at 3-6 inches tonight and another 8-12 inches Monday, tapering off but then turning colder and windy. Looks like the weather won't be too bad for New Year's Eve - but that's a few days off and things could change by then. We are getting some pretty normal winter weather so far, but other areas are seeing some very abnormal weather. The thing is, as other states get more of these strange weather patterns, that will be come "normal" for them. Maybe that will leave lots of folks wondering if the trip south is worth it anymore.

We had a lovely Christmas. Friday we were at Jamie and Marie's for our traditional family get-together. Marie and Jamie always put on a great feed for us, and this was no exception. On Christmas Day, some of our neighbors who don't have family here came to our house for dinner, and that was great fun. I've had a fairly quiet day today - we've been trying to catch up on e-mail and such.




Thursday, December 23, 2010

We had nearly 5 inches of snow last night, and it was not the light fluffy kind we'd been getting. It was just enough to glaze over highways and there were several accidents, one in Concord, just east of St. Johnsbury, that resulted in a death, but we don't have any further information yet. State Police are saying that people are just driving too fast for conditions. Most of us who are used to Vermont driving realize there's an adjustment period when the first snows come and we have to remind ourselves to slow down. Those roads aren't just wet - they often look wet but are actually black ice and treacherous.

We have been seeing a lot of trucks hauling wood chips using West Shore Road. I don't know where they're coming from or going to, but earlier in the week there seemed to be a continuous relay with a truck coming or going every half hour or so. I met one as I was heading for Rt. 2 the other day. It was by Lucenti's where the road is pretty narrow and there are steep banks - down onto Lucenti's lawn on the lake side, and a dirt and rock bank on the opposite side. Not much room to navigate. The truck driver didn't flinch, but I was afraid he'd end up in the pond. It seemed to me he didn't slow at all, but maybe that was because I was nearly at a standstill, hugging that dirt bank. I was on my way to Danville Health Center for a blood pressure check . . . ! It's nearly as frightening when they pass us while we're walking. We always get as far off the road as possible and prepare for an emergency dive into the ditch or snow bank if necessary.

We were in St. Johnsbury to grocery shop and get haircuts today. The grocery stores were busy, and later we had an errand at the Green Mountain Mall. There were lots of cars there, especially at Job Lots and J.C.Penny. Inside, I didn't think it was very busy and there aren't many vendors in the center aisle as in past years, either. I also stopped at Artistic Gardens and they said business had been "steady" but they hadn't had to hire extra help as in years past.

We also heard lots of people saying how glad they'll be when Christmas is over. I guess we all feel how hectic it can get, but for all of that, it's a lovely time of the year and I enjoy the music and decorations and the spirit of the whole thing. So tomorrow I'll be getting ready for our family party at Jamie and Marie's, and getting a head start on cooking for our guests on Christmas Day. So, Ho, Ho, Ho, and Merry Christmas! Be happy, safe and enjoy family and friends, and I hope Santa is good to you.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I may as well start off with a weather report - the weather is what most of us here have on our mind these days. Yesterday wasn't a bad day - just a little snow in the air and temperatures in the 20's. We got an inch of new snow, and today that, along with a couple more we've accumulated over the day is being blown around so it looks like a real blizzard sometimes. It isn't too cold, about 22 degrees, but it hasn't been higher than that all day. Fred just came back from a quick trip to Cabot Village and he said on the Plain it's really wintery. He took pictures. Windy Day on Cabot Plain

Christmas is almost here - I hope you are all ready with your shopping done and packages wrapped, cookies made and plans with family and friends going well. If you are traveling, we wish you a safe and pleasant journey.

As some of you know, our family gets together on Christmas Eve, and we take turns hosting a pot-luck meal. This year it's Jamie and Marie's turn, so Fred and I will probably walk up the hill. It's a climb, and while Fred runs up a couple times a day as part of his exercise routine, I try hard to avoid it; however, I know it's good for me to climb it and I will try to do that more often than I have in the past, just to keep the old ticker and lungs healthy.

We went to St. Johnsbury yesterday to meet Fred's cousin and his wife from Cape Cod. They were bound for Toronto, Canada for the holidays. It's always fun to see them. We went to Anthony's for lunch and they were impressed with the onion rings . . . I had a western sandwich which was good, too. Anthony's isn't fancy, but it's warm and comfortable and we never feel rushed, so it's a good place to go to meet folks when you want to sit around and talk for a while. They were busy when we first got there, but we felt comfortable lingering over our lunch and talking because they seemed to have plenty of space and no customers waiting. The cousins had left Cape Cod yesterday morning and said it was just beginning to snow there. I think they got out at about the right time.

I have a new phone to program. I think I may have mentioned we have taken out all our cordless phones and reinstalled corded phones; however, my office phone didn't have caller id and a couple other features on it, so we got a new one. There are times when I don't want to be interrupted when I'm working so I really like caller id and voice mail. Although we are on "do not call" lists so that telemarketers won't call, some still slip by, and then there were those political calls . . . I'm glad that's over for a few months. I need to read the directions and get my speed dial working and find out what other tricks this new phone will do.



Monday, December 20, 2010

Last Days for Toy Donations!!!

Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc. has extended their toy collection one more day. Our last day for drop-offs will be Wednesday, December 22nd until 3:30pm.

Please bring your new or gently used donation to our office located at 3339 Main St. (the Masonic Hall Building). For more information or if you need help arranging a pick-up please call Faye at (802) 563-3322. All donations will go to local families in need at our December 23rd Food Distribution.

Help a neighbor have a happy holiday season and drop off your donation TODAY!!!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Today started off with bright sunshine and not too cold temperatures. We've lost the sun this afternoon, but the thermometer is staying in the high 20's - not too cold, even as the sun is sinking.

Before I forget, there's going to be a total lunar eclipse tomorrow night. I don't know if we're expecting snow, but if the sky is clear, watch for it, but I think it's going to be sometime after midnight . . . the good news is, after tomorrow, our days will be getting longer. How about that?!

I had a long blog all finished and then the whole thing disappeared, but I'll try to reconstruct as I think some of you will be interested.

I was writing about the meetings this week on the rail trail. At the Morrisville meeting, Greg Backos, an engineer with the project, said that to get everything done will cost $7.5 million. He said more than half of that will be federal funds. He described the upcoming work as more rehabilitation than construction, and said it will be in three stages: (1) ditching and drainage, (2) grading, and (3) surfacing.
He said surfacing will cost $2.7 million and also that the trail needs to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act criteria. He said there are 42 out of 52 bridges that need work - some such as one in Walden and one in Wolcott, will need to be rebuilt. The trail also will have to be checked for hazardous materials that may have been left by the original railroad ties. The project needs an Act 250 permit, and Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) and Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) will start the process for that in February.

Some of you will remember that it was originally thought the Act 250 permit would not be necessary because it is on a previously existing right-of-way, but that is not the case.

In a somewhat related article, the Caledonian Record reported that at Thursday's select board meeting in Danville there was great concern about what will happen during the next two years that construction on Rt. 2 will be going on. Traffic through Danville will be limited to one lane and there could be long lines and long waits starting as early as 6 a.m. and lasting throughout the day, which means commuters will have really long days and lots of other people will be frustrated and eventually take their business elsewhere.

Burt Frye suggested one solution might be to use the rail trail from Larrabee's on the west side of Danville to Marty's 1st Stop on the east by using the road leading to the sewage treatment plant by Marty's to reach the trail. There are other access points such as at the old train depot so people could get to the school, bank and other businesses. Burt said he believed because the short stretch of trail involved would be less than 10 acres there should be no need for Act 250 involvement.

The select board agreed this could be a possible solution and they will bring it to the meeting scheduled with Vermont Agency of Transportation engineers on January 12. They will also be questioning if the green can be used for the annual fair and Autumn on the Green during this two-year stretch.

It could be a long, frustrating two summers coming up for all of us who travel east from Joe's Pond. About the only route around Danville would be to go on Oneida Road out of West Danville and then hit some of the dirt roads along Greenbank Hollow and work your way either to Rt. 5 in Passumpsic area or, if you are lucky, connect to one of the back roads leading into St. Johnsbury by way of Crow Hill. There are dozens of possibilities, believe me, but no short cuts, and north of Danville there are really no routes at all to get you back onto Rt. 2 or into St. Johnsbury, even by back roads. Years ago Danville was the county seat and therefore, all roads led directly into town like spokes in a wheel. Personally, I'd say Burt Frye had one heck of a good idea. Rock on, Burt!!

Saturday, December 18, 2010


Another cold morning at Joe's Pond. The thermometer is climbing, but the sun seems to be clouding over. Can't have everything, I guess. We got another half inch of snow, and I just heard on the scanner some places are getting snow this morning, too.

Bill Rossi panicked yesterday when his Kubota broke down. Now is not a good time to have a finicky snow blower. He was lucky that they were able to pick up the machine right away and got it back to him late yesterday afternoon, so he's all set again.

Yesterday was pretty cold, but warmed up with the sun. I took this picture around 3 o'clock - see the fisherman? He was sitting between the big island and the mainland.

We went to
St. Johnsbury yesterday afternoon - enjoying the ride down with the sun on the snow-covered trees - just beautiful. I'd made cookies in the morning and we wanted to see our friends who live at St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center, so we took a little bag of cookies to each and spent some time with them. One dear lady, a friend originally from St. Albans, had a dreadful cough - she said she'd had a cold for about a week; our friend, Inda, was perky as could be and we had a good chat. We saw a couple who are temporarily there, and a neighbor from when my kids and I lived in St. Johnsbury.

Our granddaughter Jo-Ann was playing basketball in Waterford, Vt. last night, so we stopped by the Waterford gym to watch the game. The fifth and sixth grade girls were playing Gilman. Some of the girls on bot
h teams were no bigger than a pint of cider, but they were really good - fast and feisty. We learned they start playing when they are in third grade, so some of them have had literally years of practice. This is Jo-Ann's first experience playing basketball. I guess it isn't a popular sport in Namibia, but she's getting the hang of it and likes playing. That's Jo-Ann, #31. At these games, everyone gets a chance to play, and we noticed the referees and coaches are exceptionally good with these kids. By the time they get to high school, they'll have had a lot of good training.

We were surprised at how much fun it was to watch and enjoyed the game very much. The gym is relatively small, but the bleachers were packed and everyone had a good time backing their team.

We went from there (the game was at 5 o'clock) to Littleton to return a light fixture at Home Depot where it wasn't busy at all, we made a quick stop at Walmart where it was super busy. I couldn't believe the amount of merchandise going through the checkouts. After a really long wait in line to check out our few purchases, we hit McDonald's for a quick fish sandwich and a coffee for me on the way home.

Woody (our cat) was really glad to see us. He was asleep when we left, so when he woke up at around 5 o'clock expecting Fred to be there to feed and brush him but found himself alone, he worried. Woody likes to have his dish kept pretty full. He has only dry food, and when it gets so he can see the bottom of his dish, he begins to pester for someone to fill it up. Lots of times he'll pester, watch us fill the dish and then walk away without touching it. It's as if he just wants to be sure there's going to be enough there when he needs it.

These days he gets exercise by racing through the house and climbing around on the catwalks we have over the kitchen cupboards. He does not like going out when it's too cold, but will venture out as soon as the temperatures get into the mid 20's or so - but doesn't stay very long.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT

TRAIL COMMITTEE MEETING

SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17th


IS CANCELLED.

********


FAITH IN ACTION UPCOMING EVENTS

Event/Program Name

Date

Time

Community Dinner

Jan. 10th, 2011

5 – 7pm

Food Share

Jan. 12th, 2011

12 – 2pm

Community Dinner

Jan. 24th, 2011

5 – 7pm

Food Share

Jan. 27th, 2011

2 – 4pm

For further information on any of these events and/or programs please call Faye or Bill at (802) 563-3322

MAIN OFFICE:

Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc.,3339 Main St., PO Box 157, Cabot VT. 05647

(802) 563-3322
Homer Fitts sent an update on daughter Sue and wife Margaret:

HI -
EVERYTHING LOOKS TERRIFIC. BOTH OF THESE SPECIAL GIRLS WILL BE DISCHARGED AND HOME TODAY.
MARGARET'S DAUGHTER DENISE AND MYSELF SPENT THE DAY WITH MARGARET. WE TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL AT 11:30. DIFFERENT NURSES STOPPED IN AND SHE WAS A LITTLE LATE GOING TO THE OPERATING ROOM. ABOUT 1:15. DENISE AND I WENT TO THE CAFETERIA AND THEN BACK TO THE WAITING ROOM.
DR. MC DONALD CAME IN AND SAID EVERYTHING WENT REAL WELL A LITTLE AFTER 2:30. THE OPERATION ONLY LASTED LESS THAN AN HOUR. ABOUT 1:30 TO 2:25. SOON AFTER THAT WE WENT INTO I.C.U. AND SPENT THE AFTERNOON WITH MARGARET. SHE WAS FEELING GREAT. A LITTLE DROWSEY AT FIRST. SHE DRANK A LOT OF WATER AND HAD LUNCH. AROUND 5 THE NURSE WAS DOING SOMETHING AND SHE ALSO WAS GOING TO THE LADIES ROOM SO DENISE AND I WENT TO APPLEBEE'S FOR SUPPER. RIGHT BACK TO I.C.U. AND MARGARET WAS SLEEPING LIGHTLY. SHE WOKE UP TO HER SUPPER WHICH SHE ATE PART OF. WE STAYED WITH HER UNTIL 8:00 AND WILL GO BACK THIS MORNING ABOUT 10:30 TO WAIT TO BRING HER HOME, PROBABLY BEFORE NOON. THE DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE SIMPLY WONDERFUL.
I TALKED AGAIN THIS MORNING WITH THE HOSPITAL IN SALT LAKE CITY AND THEY SAID SUE HAS DONE REAL WELL. THEY WILL NOT KNOW FOR SURE IF SHE WILL BE RELEASED TODAY UNTIL AFTER THEY PULL THE TEST TUBE LATER TODAY. SHE DID DO HER WALKING ETC. YESTERDAY.
SO EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT ! THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS AND CARES.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS" WITH LOVE AND BLESSINGS,
HOMER
I DID NOT SEND A MESSAGE LAST NIGHT AS I WENT TO BED.
TO EXPAIN MORE TO THOSE THAT DID NOT KNOW......MY WIFE MARGARET HAD A PACE MAKER PUT IN YESTERDAY. AND MY DAUGHTER SUE IN SALT LAKE CITY HAD AN OPERATION FOR CANCER, TUMORS IN A LUNG, ON MONDAY. THEY TOOK OUT 13 TUMORS AND ALL ARE BEING CHECKED NOW.


We're so glad all is going so well.

We have another very cold day, the thermometer outside my office window reads 6 above zero. I will have another inch or so of snow to report, but right now there's a little blue sky showing and the sun is trying hard . . .

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

This is very sad and a terrible tragedy. This was on the news tonight.
Walden Boy Killed in Auto Crash

We knew the roads were bad - there were several reports of accidents today, but none serious. This is just the beginning of our winter and there are no snow banks to catch a car that is sliding off the road, so it can be more serious.

I heard about another vehicle that went off Rt. 15 near Walden Station and rolled over today, but before the rescue units could get out on the call, another call came in that the vehicle had "left the scene of the accident." We can only guess, but that vehicle may have rolled completely and landed on its wheels, or maybe they were somehow able to roll it over in order to drive it back on the road. Luck was apparently riding with that driver, but sadly, that isn't always the case.

Buckle up and slow down. Make it a rule not to move your car until everyone is buckled into their seats.
From Homer Fitts this morning --

HI -
TALKED WITH SON-IN LAW ERIC THIS MORNING.
SUE IS DOING REALLY GOOD. UP FROM BED YESTERDAY AND NOW PLANS ARE TO BE HOME TOMORROW.
EVERYONE'S PRAYERS SURE HELPED.
MARGARET READY TO GO TO HOSPITAL FOR 11:30
TODAY FOR HER PACE MAKER.
LOVE TO ALL,
HOMER



That's really good news. We wish both Sue and Margaret speedy recoveries.

We're very cold and windy here this morning. Only about 6 above zero and the wind is gusty, blowing the very dry snow in clouds. A good day to stay inside if you don't have to go out. I expect the roads are a bit slippery, too. Pretty typical winter weather in Vermont, I guess.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010


We have our snow back! We got nearly 5 inches over night and have had a little more during the day today, but now it's stopped and the sun has peeked out from time to time, but it isn't warming things up - in fact, the temperature is dropping steadily. Right now it's 14 above.

I have been watching the weather for the rest of the nation and everyone is in a deep freeze, even most of you folks in Florida will feel the cold tonight. Cuddle up and keep warm!

I've got good news and sad news today. The good news is that Sue (Fitts) Martin's very recent operation has turned out very well. In addition, for some of you who may not have gotten the word, Margaret Fitts will be getting a pace maker tomorrow. Here's what Homer wrote yesterday:
HI -
HAPPY ! HAPPY ! SUE HAD HER OPERATION THIS AFTERNOON IN SALT LAKE CITY. EVERYTHING WENT REALLY WELL. DOCTOR IS REAL HAPPY. TOOK 13 CANCEROUS TUMORS OUT OF THAT LUNG.
DOCTOR EXPECTS SHE WILL BE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL MAYBE AS EARLY AS FRIDAY.
WHAT A HAPPY RELIEF !
MARGARET WILL GET HER PACE MAKER PUT IN WEDNESDAY ABOUT 12:30. OVERNIGHT AND WILL BE HOME THURS.
THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS !
LOVE AND BLESSINGS,
HOMER AND MARGARET

Now to the sad news. In today's Caledonian Record is not only Lucia Pearl's obituary, but also one for Beulah Palmer Lawrence.

Many of you have known Beulah, who lived in Danville for many years. She and her first husband, Cy Palmer once owned the large island; later the camp that Doug Hamilton owns belonged to her and her second husband, Ray Lawrence.
Beulah died on December 6, in Florida, at age 87.

You'll find both obits here: Caledonian Record Deaths

I've been working for way too long to get the new web site for Cabot Historical Society presentable. I may have mentioned that I'm doing this on my own on a Google site so I don't have to know much about the technicalities, just be able to follow directions - sort of. I've found there have been times when it was very reassuring to have a web master in the house. Fred has bailed me out quite a few times - even these wysiwyg sites aren't exactly easy. I have finally gotten the hang of it, though, and you can take a look - www.cabothistory.com.

There will be a lot more pages going on pretty soon, I hope, and with luck it will continue to grow and be useful to people looking for historic information about Cabot. We've been planning this for a long time, so I'm very happy it's finally a reality. If you visit and find errors or that something doesn't work, please let me know. Also, suggestions will be welcome. It's difficult for us (mainly President Bonnie Dannenberg and me, right now) to know what people look for and/or want from a site like this. I'll be putting more on about what we have in our research corner, as well as something about some of our displays. Bonnie has great expertise in genealogies, (and lots of other things!) and we will be listing those that we have and we'll also link to Bonnie's family site where she has a pile of information. Stay tuned!

I know, I can almost hear some of you saying, "that's about as dull as dish water," but I'm hoping some others will find the site at least a bit interesting, and maybe helpful.

Sue LaGue came by today. Work is progressing on their house, but she said it's awfully cold to work, even though they're inside. I guess they can't do much about heating the place yet - but for the sake of fingers and toes, I hope they can soon. We haven't been down for a while to either LaGue's or Gagne's, but I expect this bitterly cold turn of the weather will make it difficult for all of them - they must be glad they're not working outside.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Reminder: Tonight at 6 PM the Cabot Planning Commission will be holding a public work session on the Land Use and Natural Resources components of the Town Plan in the upstairs meeting room in the Willey Building.

*****

From Henretta Splain, W. Shore Rd.:

Friday night on my way home around 8 pm I was heading up West Shore and just after I passed Tom & John's camp a VERY BIG MOOSE crossed the road in front of me. I stopped the car to get a better look. It had crossed over in front of me to the pond side of the road. After I stopped it turned it's head and gave me a look and then nonchalantly turned completely around and walked back across the road again to where it started from and then headed back up the hill into the woods. I didn't see any antlers (rack?) so I am guessing it was a female but it was about the biggest moose I have seen. Massive head. Quite awesome!

Just had to share!
Henretta


They are great to see! We haven't seen any moose for a while, but occasionally see their tracks. They are interesting beasts. The sugar makers don't like them much because they tear down the lines that are left up year around in the maple woods. They don't do it maliciously, it's just that they are wading through snow or even just walking along and are apparently oblivious to the plastic lines. It's nice to see them, I think. Not too many years ago they were rarely seen here - only further north, but I guess they are finding this a pretty hospitable area, like the wild turkeys now.

Tonight the rain has turned to snow in much of the area. It's already white here and more is expected for the next few days. Everything got pretty well washed down, and there was no drying out period, so the trees and roads will be glazed over as the temperature continues to drop. A couple hours ago we cut some greens for me to use in decorating, and it was just beginning to turn to snow - the branches were well coated with a slushy mix, and very heavy. Road and possibly electric crews will probably have a busy night. So far not much wind, but that may change.

I didn't go to check the water level, it was too wet and messy by the time I got around. No point, really - it is what it is.



Oops! Our snow is gone!
It rained hard most of the night and is still drizzling out there - temperature up to about 44 degrees. Most of our snow is rushing into the pond and beyond to the Connecticut River. Watch out, southern New England! No sign of that fisherman today! If the pond opens up from this thaw, the next time it freezes over will be the third - just like the old-timers say, it seldom freezes over for good the first couple of times.

I was going out to measure the snow depth today, but there are only patches left, so I was able to report a "trace" for total depth. Next week I'm sure I'll have more to report. We got nearly an inch of rain yesterday and last night. I read the gauge at 9 a.m. each day and this morning there was .97 in. The water is just pouring off the hillsides. I don't think the ground is solidly frozen, so some will be absorbed. On the other hand, all the warmish water rushing into the pond will probably do in the ice and the water level will certainly be up. If the rain lets up, I'll try to get a measurement later today.

Did you hear Vladimir Putin singing? Fred put a like to that video on home page. Pretty cute. There IS a softer side to the guy!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

I have sad news. This message just came from Liz Sargent:
As many of you know, Mom broke her hip on Oct. 8th, came home and was doing very well, but then suffered another fall on Nov. 21st hitting her head. Several days later she woke with a terrible headache and had bleeding on the brain. She was operated on at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, NH on Thanksgiving Eve. While the operation report was "good" in taking care of a "substantial" bleed, they told us Mom "was not out of the woods yet."

On Dec. 2nd she was transferred back to St. Johnsbury to the Health and Rehab facility. Some days brought a glimmer of hope and others we weren't sure what was going on in her head, etc.
This Sunday morning (Dec. 12) she died peacefully with her granddaughter (our daughter), Carrie, at her side. She suffered some kind of an episode on Thursday prior. She did not know us or really appear to know we were there after Thursday. We kept a vigil, but it was clear that we and she were not going to have the outcome we hoped and prayed for.
A service is planned for Thursday, Dec. 16, at 2 PM at the North Congregational Church, Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT.
She will be dearly missed as she was such a wonderful lady and mother. We called her "Saint Lucia" and it was a title she deserved!
Liz
Elizabeth A. Sargent
529 Jamieson Rd.
Danville VT 05828
802-748-1456
lizsargent@charter.net
"God does not simply will that we should be happy, but rather that we should make ourselves happy." Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)


We are so very sorry our dear friend, Lucia didn't make it after her unfortunate fall and operation. She follows her son, John, who died unexpectedly in February, 2009, and her dear husband, William "Bud" who died in April of this year. The Pearl family has owned the small island, formerly known as "Sim's Island" and now known as "Pearl Island," for many years. Lucia will certainly be missed by her many friends and her loving family.
NOTICE!
Owing to the inclement weather, the community dinner at the Masonic Hall, scheduled for Monday, Dec.13 is Canceled.
I got up thinking today was Monday, so it's almost like I have gained an extra day. I know - it's not a good sign, but I've been working on a writing project that has been all-consuming and I truly lose track of time when I'm in that mode. I'm back on track now - have been watching Sunday Morning on CBS, but now need to get back to work.

We've been expecting this, but still I was surprised when Fred told me this morning there was a fisherman on the ice in back of the island
s. Sure, we've had one or two near zero nights, but that wouldn't convince me the ice was safe. I suppose once you've gone out without breaking through and drill a hole, you can say for sure it's ok, but it wouldn't be high on my priority list to go out there and sit. Especially not today. There's a pretty decent snowstorm gearing up right now. It started a couple of hours ago and when I looked out to see if the fisherman was still there (he was) I noticed the wind has picked up out of the southeast and some of the snow is coming at us at an almost horizontal plane.

We have quite a bit of snow - I'll measure tomorrow not only the new snow but also the total depth. I am going to try to measure the depth weekly for CoCoRaHS and decided Monday would be a good day to do it. I'll probably get out my snowshoes for that - I'll need to take several measurements and average the findings. This is such an inexact "science" it gets comical sometimes, but the folks out at the university in Colorado say it's important . . .


I took this picture a few minutes ago of the trees in our back yard. I was
going to get some boughs (I'm a little behind making swags and wreaths!) but time got away from me yesterday and now there's going to be a lot of snow to get through, but I may go out later anyway. Once I'm out there it's great fun, but hard to make the initial move.

Billy Rossi joined us for supper last night. Diane went to see an opera at Catamount Arts. We were having a rare meatloaf with baked
potatoes - a favorite of mine I just suddenly had to have. Bill said meatloaf is his favorite, although I think I've heard him say that before about other foods, so he probably was just being a polite guest. Both Bill and Fred are on "diets" - no salt and no sugar added to anything. For dessert I gave them baked apples stuffed with raisins, cinnamon and nuts - no sugar. I admit it wasn't bad, but I did kind of miss that nice brown sugar sweetness. There was a day when baked apples meant all of the above plus maple syrup and whipped cream . . .

I had an interesting e-mail from a woman who went to school in East Cabot years ago. Her family owned a farm there and through mutual friends she found out about the JP website and the blog. It was very interesting to put together the pieces from so long ago. I'd never known her personally, but knew who she was and of course we know many people in common.

I guess I'll go check on the fisherman once more and then get back to work.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

As promised, here's a short video taken at the concert last night. Be sure your speakers are on. Big Band Concert The vocalist is Janet Edmondson. You'll find more about her and about the other members of the Big Band group at www.stjjazz.org.

Our weather has moderated this morning, now we're getting ready for a nasty snow/rain/sleet/everything-you-got kind of storm beginning tonight and lasting into next week. This is shaping up as a pretty normal start to winter. The ski resorts, skiers and snowmobilers are loving it, the rest of us not so much, but this is "the devil we know" and we deal. We got only a skimming of snow last night, but it was probably enough to make the roads slippery.

I hope you all have a safe weekend. We will stay pretty quiet, having plenty to do right now with the holidays looming ever closer. I need to start making my lists of things I want to get done, otherwise I'll be wondering at the last minute where the time went and what was I doing all that time.



Friday, December 10, 2010


We just came back from a concert in St. Johnsbury. It was the annual St. J. Academy band and the Big Band. The tickets had the wrong time on them, so we missed the Academy Band performance. The Big Band was good, though, and we enjoyed it. Their sound really takes one back to the big band era, but they also do some very up dated versions of some songs, so it's an interesting mix of jazz and classic 40's stuff. Fred did a short movie which we'll get on a.s.a.p. Bill and Diane went with us, and that's always fun.

Fuller Hall is part of the Academy and it's always nice to attend functions there. It's an old building, but has been well kept and updated over the years, and the basic look remains much as it was when it was built. I mentioned to Fred the seats seem to get smaller each year, but he just chuckled. I didn't pursue that conversation . . .

The wall panel has part of Homer Taylor Fuller's speech from when the hall was dedicated in October, 1873. Fuller was principal at the Academy from 1871 to 1882. I can't tell you what is on other panels, but each is significant to the school. The Academy was founded by Thaddeus Fairbanks in 1842.

This notice came today from the Cabot Public Library:

The Libri Books have arrived!!

Tuesday, December 21st at 10:30 am. Holiday Story Hour

Please come to our Holiday Story hour and be the first ones to browse through these marvelous new books.

We received 77 new books from the “Books for Children” grant sponsored by the Libri Foundation. The Libri Foundation received a generous donation from Mrs. Margaret Nelson which they used to match our locally raised funds. Another generous donation from Hal Berenson & Laura Ackerman allowed the Libri Foundation to send us a bonus $350 worth of math & science books. Please come and see these wonderful new books.

This is a long shot, but I'm wondering if anyone has a 1971 Cabot School yearbook. Cindy Robins, Central Vermont Home Health, and a Cabot resident, is looking for one. If you have one, contact Cindy at 802-528-2077, or e-mail me at janebrown@fairpoint.net. Cindy said she would need it by about the 17th. I'm not sure what she needs it for, but it has to do with Christmas.

Cold here this morning - we were -7 degrees and Bill and Diane Rossi reported -10 degrees. We've warmed up considerably to about 14 above right now. I don't think it's going to get much warmer today, unfortunately, and there's been hardly a hint of sunshine. At least it isn't snowing (at the moment) and the wind isn't blowing.

Thanks for any help you can give Cindy. We would likely have an extra copy at the historical building, but this time of year it's inaccessible. Once the door is closed in the fall and the really cold weather is here, the building usually begins to move about with frost making it difficult or impossible to get the door open. Such is life in the north country.

Thursday, December 09, 2010

HOLIDAY DONATION DROP OFF

Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc will be collecting donated toys at our Cabot, VT location Mon – Fri from 9am-2:30pm until December 21st to be distributed to local families in need.

Please bring your unwrapped, new or gently used donation to our office at the Masonic Hall 3339 Main St. Cabot Village.\\

For more information please call (802) 563-3322

MAIN OFFICE: Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc.

3339 Main St, P.O. Box 157, Cabot, VT 05647

(802) 563-3322


We awoke to a really cold morning - about 9 degrees when I first looked as I was posting my CoCoRaHS report. We had 1.5 inches of new snow over night and I guess that would bring us to about a foot on the ground - although that's a guess because it may have compacted by now with the wind we've had. The pond is completely frozen over and although it may seem like it's early, it actually is right about on schedule. Lots of years it's frozen right after Thanksgiving. I know I've mentioned it before, but we remember one Thanksgiving when Fred and I were living at camp and Homer and Elsie were living at their cottage, some ducks got frozen into the ice the night before Thanksgiving. We were all dismayed that this had happened - some were broken free, but I believe some perished. It had turned bitterly cold and because people had been feeding them, they stayed around too long. Homer will remember, I'm sure.

On a happier note, no sign of the loon, so we're pretty sure he made a good takeoff and is probably enjoying some place warmer or maybe an ocean breeze right now.

We were in St. J. doing errands this morning. It was about 10 degrees warmer there and they have hardly any snow. I had a call from Jack LaGue today wondering who might be available to plow out his place on Sandy Beach Road. He hadn't been up for a while and was amazed when he saw how much snow there is here. He also told me that one of his carpenters was hit by another vehicle as it went into a slide a few days ago. He was only banged up a bit but his truck was totaled. There have been an awful lot of accidents in the past couple of weeks.

Jack also said his mom, Dolly, had a great 80th birthday party - all the children and some grandchildren were there, and some Joe's Ponders who were in the area in Florida. Dolly is now in Texas for a while. I think we said it before, but if not, Happy Birthday, Dolly.

I took a picture as we were leaving relatively balmy St. Johnsbury heading up Dole Hill towards Danville. That hazy effect is snow and frost. Right now the hills out by Walden have that same hazy look - snow falling in the hills. The temperature is going to drop way down tonight, but right now it's at 11 degrees outside my window.

We have officially shut Woody's kitty door. He isn't as keen about going out as he was when it was in the 20's and 30's. He prefers to take care of business outside when he can, but we don't like to let him out for fear we'll forget he's outside and he has no way to get in. It's been too windy to keep the garage door ajar, and with his own door closed off, he'd be one frosty kitty. He has a knocker on the front door, so we'd probably hear that. We wonder how some animals who don't have warm places on nights like these survive. We noticed some horses this morning just outside of St. Johnsbury that have a shelter, but also had blankets on. With temperatures dropping below zero tonight, we need to be mindful of our pets and be sure they have a warm place to be.

Here's a message from Lori Shrader, who grew up in Danville:

Great picture from the Andersons. Looked like that here in Port St. Lucie (Southeast) FL. Our daughter tried using my kitchen spatula to scrape the windshield so that she could get to school...don't know if you can buy scrapers around here! May have to stock up on my next visit to VT. Two winters in a row with this is odd to say the least.

Lori Schrader

Nice to hear from you, Lori, and thanks for checking out the blog sometimes.




Snow & Ice Report

 W e're through another March snowstorm, and as far as I can tell, we aren't expecting more snow this month. We'll probably have...