Good Morning -
Things are looking pretty good here. The sun is trying to shine, the rain has stopped (except for a few sprinkles earlier this morning), it's 42 degrees and climbing. We checked the water level and it's going down rapidly - only 5 or 6 inches above normal. There will be some "treasures" caught here and there along the shoreline as the water recedes and stuff that's floated away gets left behind, so folks will need to check with neighbors around the pond to locate lost items or to find the owners of whatever has washed up on your property. We'll get it all sorted out, I'm sure.

We checked the water level at Walter Ruf's, as we've been doing, and sometime yesterday, his dock got put in place. That's a sure sign of the beginning of our good time summer season, when docks begin to show up.

In case you've wondered how all the water that we've had affects people who live below us, particularly on the Connecticut River, Tom Dente sent me these pictures
yesterday and the following message:









Hi Jane,
I attached two photos of the the affect of the snow melt and water runoff in Vermont and along the way [of the Connecticut River], felt in Middletown, CT. The restaurant is on the shore of the Connecticut river in Middletown. In the 1980s the water level reached the second floor peaking near the roof line which caused Middletown to become an island surrounded by water for a few days.
Tom

I guess we can feel pretty fortunate we haven't had things worse here in the hills of Northeast Kingdom. Homes around Lake Champlain are taking a hit with water in the lake at a record high. Champlain gets runoff from much large streams fed by surrounding mountains which still have plenty of snow left to melt. Most of the snow around here is gone. I noticed a few patches in the woods as we were walking this morning, but I think we've seen the worst of the flooding and high water for a while.

I've heard of a few people with problems around pond - our boathouse and dock took a big hit from the ice; Rossi's boathouse suffered some damage; Pearl Island has a toppled shed and probably other damage; Fella Buttura has water in his basement. As more folks return, we may hear of other similar damage, but we haven't suffered the kind of damage seen in other parts of the country, so we must feel fortunate.

I want to remind Cabot people to get out on Tuesday to vote for our two additional select board members. There are four running. For the one year term, former town clerk, Jackie Folsom and self-employed building contractor, Dan Dunham. For the two year term, former road commissioner and now farmer Allan Perry, and educator/business owner Judy Pransky.

All are well qualified candidates. We applaud them for coming forward to serve their community. Being a selectman is not always a comfortable position to hold; there is a great deal of responsibility in the job and it's impossible to please everyone, so there's always going to be someone who disagrees with you. Looking at the candidates, I feel confident that whichever two win, the town will benefit.