Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Today was a beautiful day weatherwise - sunny, very warm, nice breeze, and most rewarding of all NO RAIN! We are so soggy - there are brooks running across our lawn by the tractor garage and below the house. Fred got some of the lawn mowed, but it was way too wet for lots of it. It may have dried out a little today, but tomorrow there's a 60% chance of rain - some will be heavy, according to the forecast - and then on Thursday a 40% chance of more rain.

I have been watching our vegetable garden, hoping the seeds I planted a couple weeks ago would make it. A few peas have shown up, but I'll need to replant them. I guess the rainy weather did them in. The lettuce and radishes are doing fine, and I have a few carrot sprouts showing up. Today I got everything else planted except for tomato plants. I'll have to pick them up soon. I may try some peppers this year, too.

The black flies finally got to me even though I was pretty well drenched in "Off." Unfortunately, black flies will be here for at least another couple of months. I think they're more vicious in early spring, but they are around for most of the summer. Then there are mosquitoes. Not many yet, but experts say once the flood water has receded there will be stagnant water and that's the perfect breeding ground for those hungry mosquitoes.

I didn't know that black flies don't bite at night until I read that recently. I don't think mosquitoes make any such distinction. Black flies aren't known to carry disease, but lots of people are badly affected by the bites and, like me, develop itchy, hot swollen welts that last for several days and make you feel miserable all over. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, do carry disease - West Nile virus is one - so it's important to be careful and use some sort of repellant and be sure there's no stagnant water around your home.

We didn't have success getting our boathouse raised out of the water today. The lawn was too wet for the big crane to go out onto it. They might have been able to go out to the boathouse, but they were pretty sure they wouldn't be able to get back because the wheels would cut deeply into the soil and get mired. There isn't a wrecker around big enough to pull that monster crane out of a mud hole.

Several neighbors stopped by to see how we were doing, but nobody was more disappointed than we that they couldn't get the job done so repairs could begin on the boathouse. That's Bill and Diane Rossi who paddled down from their house to watch. We may have to literally build a road for the rig so it won't get mired. We aren't the only ones who would like to see a few dry days in a row - everyone trying to recover from last week's flash flood is hoping for a dry spell.

It's nice to be able to have the windows open. Our ornamental apple trees are in full bloom and so is our old lilac bush. I have a couple of newer lilacs, but they aren't blooming yet. The lilac is very fragrant; the apple trees not so much. If they were regular apple trees, they would smell nice, but the ornamentals just look pretty.

I have lots of Lily of the Valley that smell wonderful, and they are right below our living room windows so every now and then a whiff of their scent drifts in and reminds me of my childhood - I saved my pennies and sent away for a tiny sample bottle of Lily of the Valley perfume back when I was about 8 years old. It cost ten cents, and was worth every hard-earned penny.

Monday, May 30, 2011

The following message came this morning. Perhaps you know someone who can help - I'm sure these people are not the only ones who could use some volunteer assistance after the flooding in Cabot and other towns.
Hi,  I'm Brigid Joan Lenfest and I live at 3053 Main Street in Cabot. Three adults share the house, and we don't have the resources to deal with the flood damage.  We can use help filling in the washouts on either side of the house. If someone could dump clean fill, we can put in the labor with shovels.  I am a pretty good carpenter, a third year apprentice electrician, a good equipment operator (I operate a Bobcat at work), and a very experienced laborer. I'd be happy to help out anywhere. We're fairly new to the town (5 years), and we don't know where to go to network with people.  I'd also like to get help in preventing people from putting refuse in the washout.  

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Evelyn Richer sent these photos of the washout on Sandy Beach Road from the north side and showing the cable that is twisted and may account for some folks not having phone or cable TV service on that road. Here's what Evelyn said:
We have no phone, mom [Doris Demick, in the apartment over Evelyn and Ray's garage] has phone, the Byrd's have speratic phoneservice...all the rest of the street has phone as far as I know... but the phone line splice that's in the ditch up there looks like there could be some stretching in the line... that could be that our line is one that might be stretched?? I don't really know.  Also Marguerite has no cable but mom does.  (We have Dish and no problem)... as for the cell reception we usually have 4 to 5 bars of reception but after the big storm we lost it... thought the tower might have gotten hit or something... (any word on that?)
We haven't heard anything about the cell tower, but there were a couple of very close hits during that storm on Thursday night and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the tower was hit.

I heard from Stacy Edgar, a blog reader
who lives on Clark Road in Danville (that's in the Crow Hill area, if you aren't familiar with it, not far from the St. Johnsbury and Barnet town lines). Here's what Stacy wrote:

I am in Danville on Clark Road and our dead end road was completely washed out. They made it "passable" over the last couple of days but it will wait to be rebuilt until folks find out what resources and funds will be available. In the meantime we are hoping it dries up soon since as it stands even our 4 wheel drive truck almost got stuck in the mud 3 times when my husband was moving it up to the top of th e hill as an emergency vehicle. Our road is over 1/4 mile long steep hill so it is a bit of a hike to get out. We are very fortunate to live at the top of the next hill and our property did not sustain any damage. We have had electricity this whole time and have had plenty of supplies and helpful offers from neighbors to bring stuff in if we needed anything, which we are grateful for. The town even called to check in on us when we were stuck here and the work crew has been great keeping us well informed. What a super community to live in!
I thought I would share picts of our road from our side from around 5:30 am Friday morning after the storm. They are only from the bottom side. You can only see about halfway up the road from there. I heard the culvert at the top was completely exposed with a ton of road washed out below it leaving it suspended across what used to be the road. It took the whole first day of work for the crew to get that part covered enough to get to work on the rest of the road.

Thank you, Stacy, for sending the pictures. I'm glad you were ok during the storm and are now able to move in and out on your road. Our towns will have a hard time getting things back to normal, and it's going to be very expensive. Towns will want to get the roads back in shape before the fall rain and winter snow storms begin.

I heard yesterday that in Cabot a milk truck got stuck when a bridge on the Danville Hill Road when a bridge gave way under it. Danville Hill was the route people used after the storm to by-pass Rte. 2 after it was closed because a bridge was out. It made things much more difficult to then have Danville Hill closed. I haven't heard if that is repaired or not. The mail got through to us on Saturday - we didn't have any delivery on Friday, of course. I'm listening to the scanner and the road crews are working feverishly to get roads open again. Not much of a holiday weekend for them, for sure.
I had a message to remind me about the barn dance to benefit painting the Cabot Church, and this neat poster. Click to enlarge it. I imagine a lot of people will especially want to get together with their friends and neighbors for a little fun after so many of them have had water damage to their homes and other property.

We had a call this morning from Laurie Heiden who was trying to track down their dock. Fortunately, Jack LaGue had sent pictures of a dock he'd seen hung up on that shore a few weeks ago and it turned out that was the Heiden's, so they were reunited. I'm not sure how far it had floated off, but we were happy it turned out well for them. With all the high water and winds we've had this spring, anything that floats and isn't hitched securely could be just about anywhere on the pond - or over the dam by now.

Fred got this picture early this morning after he'd just refilled the humming bird feeder. It was a busy place for a few minutes; there are several that use it and they get a little frantic whenever it's momentarily gone to be cleaned and refilled.

We are enjoying sunshine for the moment. Fred is trying to get as much of our lawn mowed as possible - we're expecting it will rain again tonight. I measured only .14 in. in my gauge this morning, and that's a break after the heavy rainfall we've been having, but when it rains a little every night, nothing gets dried out very much.


Saturday, May 28, 2011

I just received more photos of the flash flood damage done in Cabot Village. These photos were taken by Cheryl "Lyndy" Huntley of Cabot:
Flash Flood Damage in Cabot Village

Lyndy said she has been asked to share her photos with the Governor's Highway Safety team for use in their training. She was very generous in sharing them with not only me to put on the blog, but for the Cabot Historical Society to use, too.

Lyndy then sent me these photos of Gov. Shumlin when he arrived to view the damage. I don't have a report of his impressions, but perhaps someone who was there will contact me. Here is the slide show: Gov. Shumlin's visit to Cabot

As I finish posting this, thunder is rumbling yet again outside and we've had a shower or two as storms passed over. We don't need more rain, for sure, but perhaps it will wash away some of the muck left by the flash flood. It's going to be a soggy weekend, I guess.

I just received this photo I hadn't seen of Cabot Village before cleanup began. Click to enlarge the image. It's amazing the amount of earth washed onto Main Street.

I have also received other photos I hope to get permission to post. They were taken a bit before we took ours and show the bridge knocked out at the edge of Main Street, too.

We had a good meeting of the Joe's Pond Association members this morning. In spite of more high water and flooding problems (another .69 in. of rail last night) people seem to be accepting, dealing as best they can with whatever problems they have. The worst, it seems, is the culvert that has left 14 homes/cottages isolated on Sandy Beach Road. Residents are leaving their cars and walking, crossing a ravine 18 ft. wide and 8 ft. deep. Home owners are concerned that road material is rapidly creating a delta of gravel, stones and muck at the mouth of the brook. Residents hope the Town of Cabot will replace the culvert with a much larger one and that the State of Vermont will allow removal of the foreign material discharged into the pond. Present environmental regulations make situations like this very difficult to correct. We'll see how it goes.


From:  Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce

Flood clean-up creates uncommon needs. Do you have a special need? Can you provide a special service? If so, let us know, and we'll pass it on. Casella is offering free dumpster delivery for those in need. Let us know what you need or can donate. Flood losses are painful and depressing, but... Local effort and cooperation evident in its wake is heartwarming. Do what you can for a neighbor. Patronize a victim. Continue to pull together. Let us know how we can help. Your Central Vermont Chamber
DON'T FORGET TODAY IS THE OPENING MEETING OF JOE'S POND ASSOCIATION. 10:00 A.M., AT THE PAVILION. MEETINGS USUALLY LAST ABOUT 1 HOUR. WE HOPE TO MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS AND SEE LOTS OF REGULARS THERE, TOO, FRESH FROM THEIR WINTER ACTIVITIES AND READY FOR A GREAT JOE'S POND SUMMER. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PROBLEMS OR JUST WANT TO SEE OLD FRIENDS, THIS IS THE TIME!

ICE OUT TICKETS ARE HERE SO MEMBERS SHOULD PLAN TO PICK UP YOUR TEN "STARTER" TICKETS TODAY.
SEE YOU THERE.

Friday, May 27, 2011

We've been pretty busy today chasing trouble spots after the storm. I've posted a couple of slide shows of the damage. Now I can take a deep breath and give you a little background about today.

I was listening to the scanner until well after midnight last night, and of course, heard the heavy rainfall and the really bad thunder storms rolling through. I'm not a fan of electrical storms. Having grown up on the pinnacle of Cabot Plain where during storms of any sort we were out there, in the open, with nothing to shelter us the elements - closer to the heavens, for better or for worse. Last night's storm made me very nervous, but I had no idea what was really happening out there until we saw it this morning.

Fred had been up and out surveying what little damage there was near our house by the time I got up. I measured 3.92 in. of rain water in my gauge, made my CoCoRaHS report and listened to the news. That's a lot for one storm here, but nearby areas got more. As we watched reports of severe damage we began to realize it wasn't just a hard thunder storm. A house on Main Street in St. Johnsbury where friends once lived was hit by lightning; roads and schools were closed - and while we felt sort of like "ambulance chasers," we knew we had to find out more about what had gone on during the night.

We headed first to the family camp near Barre Ave. Our boathouse was severely damaged and knocked off its foundation by the ice a few weeks ago and Larry Rossi's crew was supposed to meet the guy this morning who would lift it out of the water so they could begin repairs. Of course, there was way too much water on the lawn for heavy equipment to venture onto it and everything was put on hold.

From there we went to Cabot Village where we'd heard reports there had been evacuations of families along the Winooski River. There wasn't much damage along Cabot Plains Road, but as we came down Bond Hill within sight of the village, we could see there was work going on at the bridge and we couldn't pass through. After a short consultation, we figured out a way to get to the village - we went up Houston Hill Road from the S. Walden Rd. and took Churchill Hill Rd. to Bothfeld Hill Rd. and down to West Hill Pond Rd. I'm serious. It was probably four or five miles around, but such a beautiful drive, we enjoyed the ride.

All those roads are named for the families who have lived there for generations. And obviously, all are on or leading to hills. It was like being on top of the world with nothing but serene green fields, maple lined roads and views of neighboring hills and mountains. Cabot Village is surrounded by hills. That, at a time like this, is a big problem. On the hills surrounding the village, the heavy rain caused little or no damage, but as the water cascaded off those hilltops, gathering momentum and power as one after the other, small brooks and ponds overflowed and merged into a crashing torrent, it took earth, trees, rocks and anything else in it's path into the unsuspecting valley below.

On these hill farms, there would have been business as usual this morning except that news in a small town travels fast, and farmers put aside their own spring chores to take their bucket loaders to the village to help clear away the mud and debris. The tractors you saw in the slide show I posted earlier were not part of the town road crew's equipment.

We met several people we knew, and each had a new story. But we were saddened at the damage and the mess and left wondering how the town would ever recover from it. The road crew is a handful of men with a few machines. The budget is not geared for such extensive damage. Even with volunteer farmers and townspeople, and possible help from insurance and/or the federal government, it will be hard for some to recoup, especially with more rain in the forecast.

We learned that our friend, Blanche Lamore, celebrated her 99th birthday yesterday. Blanche still lives in her little house by the brook, and we marvel at her strength and abilities at such an advanced age. There was no doubt she would manage perfectly well in such a storm. She's no doubt seen much worse over the years.

Friends who live very close to the river in the village didn't realize how bad things were until morning - the electricity went out and they were blissfully unaware of the looming danger.

This isn't the first time we've had flooding - people today talked about whether this was like 1992 or 1973 or the cloudburst of 1945, but probably not as bad as 1927 . . . and they indicate things like this don't happen very often; but privately, many wonder if this is a beginning pattern of severe weather and damaging storms.

Here's a notice we received today:

WEC OFFICE DAMAGED BY FLASH FLOODING

May 27, 10:30 AM

Washington Electric Co-op is continuing to restore power to WEC members affected by the storms. Although WEC experienced numerous scattered outages overnight, the numbers were not especially severe and there are approximately 300 members without power at this time, with crews working to make repairs at these locations..

However, WEC’s office in East Montpelier was damaged due to flash flooding which affected much of East Montpelier including the new Route 2 and 14 intersection construction right outside our office. Water rushing down the hill behind the office last night overwhelmed storm drainage systems, causing up to six inched of water and also septic backup to fill the entire downstairs, as well as causing other damage in the vicinity of the building. WEC’s Operation Center, in another part of East Montpelier, was not damaged.

As a result, communications with the WEC office are presently limited. Incoming calls are being handled by Rinkers Communications, with priority given to finishing outage restoration. WEC staff at the office are focused on dispatch as well as damage assessment.. WEC members calling concerning billing and other matters will have calls returned by WEC staff as soon as possible, but response may not be immediate.

WEC expects to have temporary office quarters in place adjacent to the office building within a few days, and we will operate from there until cleanup and repairs are complete. We ask members and others contacting the Co-op to limit calls to WEC to priority matters for the next week if possible.

Contact: Avram Patt, General Manager, at “direct line” number below, or cell, 802-522-2165, or home 802-223-1014. Leve message if no answer.

Here are some pictures we took today of the damage done by last night's storm. Unfortunately, we're getting a little more rain right now, with thunder and lightning - again. Not what we want to see happening at this point. Tom Dente reported the water has begun to recede in the pond, and that was good news. If we get more rain tonight, the level may stay high longer than we'd expect.
Here is the slide show:Joe's Pond flood damage

From Joe's Pond, we went to Cabot where we'd heard there was massive damage. Some people along the Winooski there had to be evacuated. We had to go up Churchill Hill Road and down Bothfeld Hill Rd. to West Pond Rd. into Lower Cabot to get to the Village as the bridge at the foot of Bond Hill by the recreation field and the town garage was out. We came home by going up Danville Hill to Rte. 2.
Flood Damage in Cabot Village

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Week of May 30th, 2011

Pike Industries will be performing the following work on the Danville Route 2 project as follows:

Due to the holiday weekend, crews will not return to work until Tuesday morning, May 31st at 8 am.

Building of the new sediment pond across from Marty’s Store will continue. This work will have minimal impact, if any, on traffic flow.

Tree cutting around the Green will also continue. This work should have no impact on traffic.

Waterline work will continue between Marty’s and Peacham Road in the westbound lane of Route 2. The work will remain centered in this area for most of the week. If time allows, crews will then start working their west on Route 2 towards the center of Town. This work will require lane closures.

Probing for ledge along Route 2 between Peacham Road and the High School in both eastbound and westbound lanes is expected to be completed by the end of the day Tuesday. This work will require lane closures as well.

Blasting may occur towards the end of the week between Peacham Road and the High School in the westbound lane. More details will be released as soon as possible if this work is confirmed in the work schedule.

All work this week will start at 8 am each day.

Traffic delays can be expected in and around the project for the entire week. Traffic control will be present to maintain traffic flow at all times. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

Here's what I have on last night's severe storm damage in our area:

DANVILLE ROUTE 2
ROAD PROJECT

TRAFFIC ALERT 5/27/11

ROUTE 2 LANE CLOSURE

Strong storms last night caused extensive damage to Route 2 between Marty’s Store and Danville Village. Route 2 has been reduced to one lane travel through this section while crews work on cleaning up the damage.

Traffic control will be present to maintain traffic flow. Motorists can expect lengthy traffic delays around the project today.

Due to storm clean-up on the project, crews may work throughout the day rather than leaving the project at 12:00 Noon for the holiday weekend.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.


In St. Johnsbury, the construction site on Western Ave. was hard hit, the Passumpsic River is 11 ft. above flood stage and rising. The National Guard has been called upon to help out with the damage there. A house near the park on upper Main St. in St. J. was hit by lightning last night.

People along the Winooski River in both Cabot and Montpelier have been evacuated. It is expected that river has not crested yet.

I'm listening to my scanner
and the damage to roads in the area is considerable. Rte. 2 to Montpelier is closed because there is a bridge out by Goodrich's Sugar House, water over the road in near Twinfield School in Marshfield/Plainfield area, flooding in E. Montpelier. As of right now, Rts. 14, 15 and 16 all have damage, so basically there's no easy way to get to Montpelier/Barre area from here.









Along the west shore of Joe's Pond, culverts have some damage, but W. Shore Rd. is still passable. The culvert on Sandy Beach Road that has been one of the trouble spots, having damage every rain storm, is completely washed out this morning. Cabot was going to replace it anyway, so some of the prep work has been done by the storm. (Pictures above.)

I just heard from Homer Fitts - he was at camp and had to get to Barre this morning for an appointment at the hospital. He said Rte 2 is closed but by going to Hardwick and taking various back road routes and streets, he was able to get to where he needed to be. Not easy, but possible. I was glad to know Rte. 14 from Hardwick to E. Montpelier is now open but h
e said lots of debris, so be careful.









The pictures above show some of the minor damage along W. Shore Rd.
(left) and the culvert on Barre Ave. (right) where it looks as if the water raised the end of the culvert and ran beneath it. Across the road, the other trouble spot at the corner of Barre Ave. and W. Shore Rd. is intact, but again the rush of water is taking sediment from the hillside and ditch along W. Shore Rd. directly into the pond.












The brook by Ned Hamilton's was probably over the road last night, judging from the holes where
it washed out either side of the bridge. The water level in that brook is still high, and you can see a large log that was deposited on the bank after floating down from above the tennis court. There is a large culvert there, but even that is being tested by the amount of water needing to get through it.

Road crews are working frantically to get roads open, but they are having a hard time getting where they need to go with equipment and manpower. Homer said he was amazed at how well covered the roads were, with cones and barriers warning traffic of bad spots. We were up well after midnight and I was listening to the scanner and hearing the chatter about getting barriers and cones out, traffic direction, closing roads, etc. Right now the crews are spread pretty thin trying to keep up with all there is to do. If you don't have to be on the road today, it's definitely better to stay at home.

There was hail, heavy rain, wind and severe thunder storms raging through most of northern and central Vermont last night. There were some lightning strikes and flash flooding, with about four inches of rain in just a few hours. I measured 3.92 inches of rainfall.

I'll keep you posted as more information reaches us. We're going to go to Cabot - Billy and Diane Rossi, on their way to Barre were directed through Cabot and called us to report things are very bad in the village, especially at the hardware store.
We're trying to find out what the damage is around the pond - we know the culvert on Sandy Beach Road is completely washed out; Cabot has severe water damage; Rte. 2 in Danville by Marty's may have damage from wash at the construction sites; Montpelier is flooded. We'll have more as the day goes on.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

It's been a great day and I stayed inside as long as I could stand it and finally mid-afternoon went outside to work in the garden again. I was prepared with two kinds of insect repellent, but the darned black flies got me anyway. I got a lot done outside, but I'm paying dearly for it. I've got a bunch of bites, and suspect it won't be a good night for sleeping for me. Lesson learned, though - I should have had things done outside way before this, before the black flies came out.

Our ornamental apple trees are about ready to burst into bloom. Almost everywhere else they are already in full bloom - Hardwick, St. Johnsbury, Danville - but here it's always a little later. Nice to have the season last extra long.

I've had June bugs bumping against the window tonight. No lightning bugs yet, as far as I know, but they'll come soon. Did you know they are becoming scarce in some areas. Scientists believe light pollution could be one cause. Another may be pesticides, and also that their natural habitat, our lawns in the daytime, is being over mowed which disturbs them. They need decaying wood, water and no bright lights to help them recover. Their flashing bodies are part of the mating process, so our habits of pushing back the darkness with our yard lights, headlights, illuminated signs and such tend to confuse the poor things and they aren't able to locate a mate. Their lighting system is said to be the most efficient in the world, and it's called "cold light." The two chemicals that combine to make the lightning bugs light up are used to detect certain diseases, and various other scientific uses. There's an interesting site that tells about them: Fire Flies

I guess today was the last we'll see of much sunshine. The forecast is for showers every day into next week. Daytime temperatures are going to be in the 70s and we can't complain about that, and I expect there will be some sunny moments, but not enough to dry things out much. Pretty soon the farmers are going to want to begin getting hay in and if the trend towards rain continues, things don't look good for their hay crop this year. This could be one of those super-wet summers that make all the farmers and vacationers crazy. And may very likely keep the black fly population going a lot longer than normal . . .


This is especially for cat people . . . video

This is pretty amazing . . . video

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I think we made it through the day without any rain! I did find a trace of precipitation in my rain gauge this morning, but it could have been just condensation.

We went to St. J. today - first time since there have been any traffic delays in Danville. We timed our wait - exactly 10 minutes! Fortunately, we'd allowed extra time so I made it to my dental appointment on time. From there we went to Littleton to pick up the rest of the shower gift Theresa, Marie and I ordered for Monika's baby shower, which was last Saturday. Part of the order came in on time, the rest would have made it except it took four days for it to come from Raymond, NH to Littleton, NH. Go figure. But we were able to drop it off on our way home and got to see Bill, Monika and Jo-Ann - and all the baby things they've picked up. They have also been busy rearranging things for a nursery, moving Jo-Ann to a larger room and doing it over. I got to see the rainbow wall and blue sky ceiling where the clouds will be put on next. It's very nice.









On the way to Waterford from Littleton, we passed Moore Dam (left). There seemed to be lots of activity there - boats going in and out below the dam. I guess it's a popular fishing spot on the Connecticut River below the dam. On the back road to St. Johnsbury, it was a beautiful evening and everything that COULD bloom was blooming - apple trees, tulips, lilacs, cherry trees, dandelions . . . these cows seemed to be nearly up to their bellies in beautiful green grass. By the time we got to Danville, we could see the clouds were beginning to form as the sun was setting, and they appeared to be directly over Joe's Pond. The picture at right was taken as we were passing Larrabee's Building Supply. It was still a nice evening and warm, but the clouds looked ominous. We thought about Joplin Missouri and how lucky we are to only expect rain tonight.

Here's an announcement from Marti Talbot:

Yoga classes will start June 20th at the community center [pavilion] at 10:00-11:30am. Cost is a book of six tickets for $90 or a drop in fee of $17. The classes will last through August.
Thanks. Marti.

All are welcome to join - drop in any Monday or for more information, get in touch with Marti at matalbot@roadrunner.com

The firemen are putting on another pancake breakfast. They do a gr
eat job - we've been to their breakfasts and they are always good. Click the picture to enlarge it.

I had a note and a new picture from our neighbor on Deeper Ruts Road yesterday - the bear had been back first thing in the morning and again at night. She said they won't be
putting out any more food for the birds as they don't want the bear to continue to hang around - they have a Brittany Spaniel that really, really wants to get outside and chase that bear away, but of course that would not be a good idea, so they are hoping after the bear visits and finds no food, he will move on to cowslips. I doubt that post will take much more investigation from that big fellow.

Jack LaGue sent the following to me a few days ago:

The Provender Farm in Cabot is offering community supported agriculture
shares this season. They are doing it with Riverside Farm in East Hardwick.
Members who buy a $360 share get a bag of fresh, cleaned vegetables each
week for 18 weeks beginning in mid June. Members can pick up their
vegetables either at the Riverside Farm or in Cabot (site to be determined,
but will likely be either in the village or at the Provender Farm).

Sue and I have bought a share and thought that others might be interested in
this. If there is time on the agenda, they would be interested in explaing
the CSA to the membership at the spring meeting.

For more information, call Lindsey at 274-1067.

Monday, May 23, 2011

DANVILLE ROUTE 2
ROAD PROJECT

TRAFFIC ALERT 5/23/11

BRAINARD STREET CLOSURE

As of this morning, Monday 5/23/11, crews closed the section of Brainard Street which runs thru the Village Green in Danville. This is a permanent closure in accordance with the project plans.

Motorists are encouraged to use Peacham Road, Park Street and Smith Street to access or exit from Brainard Street. Traffic flow remains two-way at this time on Peacham Road, Park Street and Smith Street.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Someone sent a comment asking for the elevation where McDowell Rd. hits the Wheelock town line in Danville (and turns into Blakely Rd). As near as I can tell without having an exact house number to go by, it would be about 1600 ft. I'm guessing the town line is somewhere on Wheelock Mountain, but I don't know for sure.

I don't want to talk about the weather because it's been all over the map today. We've had a little of about everything except snow (thank goodness!). At the JPA board meeting this morning it was coolish and damp, but with the side curtains on the pavilion, we were comfortable and it was a good meeting. The first meetings each spring are always great fun. It's been months since we've seen some of our members and we all have energy and enthusiasm for the season ahead.

From that meeting, I picked up daughter-in-law, Marie, and we went to Dylan's new restaurant in the old post office building in St. Johnsbury. It was also once where Catamount Arts was - after it was the post office. We were meeting my other daughters-in-law, Theresa and Monika, for lunch and to honor Monika
and the new baby we're all eagerly awaiting. Monika said she has seven more weeks to go, but we are all wondering if she'll deliver sooner.

While we were there the sun came out and it was really very comfortable - warmer than it had been at Joe's Pond. We stopped in the parking lot in back of Dylan's to chat and I snapped this picture of Theresa, Monika and Marie.

When I got home and casually asked Fred, "Anything happenin
g?" expecting the usual, "Not much" in return, I was surprised when he told me our neighbor, Elaine Metcalf, who lives on Deeper Ruts Road, had dropped off some pictures of a good sized bear helping himself to leftovers from a winter bird feeder in their yard. This isn't the first time Elaine has encountered a bear at her house - she sent us pictures last year, too, as I recall. Another neighbor, on Brickett's Crossing Road, has had a bear visiting in the night, but when we last talked, she hadn't seen it in the daytime.

They should be getting plenty to eat now - we just heard about how much they like cowslips, sometimes called marsh marigolds, the bright green early vegetation in swamps with bright yellow flowers. I guess cowslips are fine as a salad, but a few bird seeds or suet is a real bear treat, and this guy will likely be back for more.

I had a nice surprise a couple days ago in the Cabot Historical Society mail box. There was a note from a lady in Maine saying her aunt, Gladys Wood, had died recently at age 100, and in cleaning out her things this lady had found pictures taken at the Cabot Plains School where she had taught years ago. I recognized the name immediately. Miss Wood had boarded with my grandparents Bolton in the mid 1930's. I don't recall much about her except she was a favorite of the family. They boarded several teachers over the years, and I remember the teachers always had a corner room over the parlor at the big farm house. There was a feather tick on the bed that must have been a godsend when the wind was whistling around that very exposed house high on the hill overlooking the flat were the school stood. No such thing as insulation in the walls in those days; there was nothing to hold off the wind and cold except boards clapboards, plaster and wallpaper, and a register in the floor above the wood stove in the parlor.

I can barely wait for those pictures of the school and Bolton family. Miss Woods' niece will be visiting relatives in Vermont later this summer and will let me know so we can meet and I'll receive the photos. I've promised her a tour of the area where her aunt lived and taught school so many years ago, and I'm looking forward to it.

Different subject. We've recently learned of two places on the pond that are on the market. The cottage belonging to Tom Beattie and John Dauteuil, and the log home of Jeff Downs are now on the market. Both are on West Shore Road, but Jeff's place does not have waterfront. It has a spectacular view of the pond and a lovely big corner lot. Tom and John's place is beautiful, both inside and out, and they've done a lot of work on it over the years they've had it. It has a large lot, big old trees and a sturdy waterfront - a lovely spot.

Jeff told us he's going to consolidate and live in the apartment over the store (Joe's Pond Country Store). That really makes good sense - he will be right on the premises and won't need to battle the snow in winter and mud in spring to get back and forth to work.

This seems to have been a year for lots of changes around the pond. Not just people selling their places, but people deciding to make Joe's Pond their year around home, too. It is a great place to live and the dynamics are forever changing.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

PLEASE NOTE THAT I WILL BE OUT OF MY OFFICE TOMORROW, FRIDAY, 5/20/11, FROM THE HOURS OF 9:30 AM UNTIL 3:00 PM. IF YOU CALL, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AND I WILL RETURN YOUR CALL AS SOON AS I RETURN. THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE WEEKEND! BELOW IS THE WORK UPDATE FOR NEXT WEEK.

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project: Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Week of May 23rd, 2011

Pike Industries will be performing the following work on the Danville Route 2 project as follows:

Building of the new sediment pond across from Marty’s Store will continue. This work will have minimal impact, if any, on traffic flow.

Tree cutting around the Green will also continue. This work should have no impact on traffic.

Waterline work will begin between Marty’s and Highland Ave in the westbound lane of Route 2. The work will remain centered in this area for most of the week. If time allows, crews will then start working their way west on Route 2 towards the center of Town. This work will require lane closures.

Probing for ledge along Route 2 will take place eastbound and westbound and will also include those streets around the Green. This work will require lane closures as well.

Traffic delays can be expected in and around the project for the entire week. Traffic control will be present to maintain traffic flow at all times. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly.

In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, crews will stop work on the project at 12:00pm Noon on Friday, May 27th and will not return to work until Tuesday morning, May 31st.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

We were happily surprised that lobster rolls were on the menu at "99" when we went there to celebrate Louise's 93rd birthday. That made her day even more enjoyable, and from there we went on to Staples and Walmart, Shaw's and McDonald's, in that order. She was thrilled to stop at Shaw's to see the array of items and "such a beautiful store!" We were glad she didn't attempt to visit every aisle and department, because the rest of us who were all considerably younger than she is, were ready to call it a day. I think she could have stayed longer and gone to other stores. More power to her! We had a nice time, and according to custom in her birth country of Spain, she said, she presented us with gifts of carnations. She said in Spain, one gives gifts on one's birthday.

Jenny Larrabee Rafuse contacted me yesterday about friends of hers who are getting married in August and hope to spend their honeymoon at Joe's Pond. I thought that was a lovely idea; not too many years ago, Joe's Pond was a very common honeymoon destination. My uncle, Raymond Bolton, was called to war while honeymooning here during WWI. My grandfather rode horseback from the farm on the Plain to the cottage on West Shore Road where Ray and his bride, Maidene Walbridge, were, to tell him he had to report for duty.

Ah, well - here's what Jenny wrote:

My friends are getting married at the end of August this year and would love to spend their honeymoon at Joe's Pond (on the pond). Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of luck getting in touch with people or they have their places rented. Is there a chance that you could post something to have people contact me if they can help me out? My cell is 802-318-3957 and they can call and leave a message.

It would be very nice if someone has a place they could rent. Jenny went on to say they are very responsible, would be having no parties, etc., and would leave it clean and unharmed.

The sun is coming out, finally, and everyone is hoping it will stay a while and dry things out. We've had rain showers every day for at least a week, and that's beginning to get on people's nerves. It's nice to keep things moist when seedlings are getting started, etc., but the rain lately has been too much of a good thing.

The trend is definitely towards more precipitation - this graph came from the weather station at Fairbanks Museum. If the trend continues, we can expect to have high water and wet feet more often, at least for a few years. According to the graph, the amount of precipitation spikes about every 10 years; but you will also notice (the red indicators) each "spike" has been successively higher at the end of each 10 year period. To quote the younger generation, I'm "just saying."

Here's something to consider:

Cabot’s Town-Wide Lawn Sale

What it is: a town-wide lawn sale event. Set up at YOUR OWN HOUSE, and we’ll send the people to you. Your place not convenient? Ask to reserve a spot on the common or in the Cabot School gymnasium by calling 563-3338.

How it works: sign up by sending your $10 fee to the Cabot Chronicle, Lawn Sale 2011, P.O. Box 245, Cabot, VT 05647. We will advertise your sale in over 10 local newspapers, on at least three community radio stations, and with signs directing drivers to your location. We will also feature your site on the official Lawn Sale 2011 map

The Town-Wide Yard Sale date is slated for June 24th.
Participants that want to be advertised should contact the Chronicle as soon as they can.



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The weather is clearing up a little - we even saw some sun hitting the tops of the hillsides above Rte 15 around supper time. The temperature has been closer to 60 degrees than yesterday's 50, so things are looking up.

There is a picture in today's Caledonian of the Green at Danville where they've cut many of the big old trees in preparation for the extensive road project that will be in progress during the next four years. It's surely going to look different, and I expect it'll look worse before it looks better. We'll try to get pictures tomorrow when we go through on our way to lunch with our neighbors, Elizabeth and Louise. It's Louise's birthday, so we'll be having lunch at "99" in Littleton. I know she's going to ask if they have lobster rolls - but I'm betting it's still too early. They have them only in the summer, but someone always asks when we go there.

We have other stops to make, too, so it will be a nice break from our computers. I'm closing in on the final steps of getting our new Joe's Pond Directory done, and in between, have been writing and sending out notices about the barn dance that is coming up in Cabot on June 4th. I think I've covered most of the newspapers, radio and TV stations that service our area. I was thinking about it today as I e-mailed blurbs - this is going to be as much a concert as a barn dance. I bet there will be lots of people showing up just to listen to the music, leaving the dancing to the young folks. I hope the weather is good, but even if it isn't, I think the barn is large enough to hold a big crowd. I wonder how the goats will respond to all the commotion. I should have asked Martha. Perhaps they'll join in and sing a bit.

In case you missed my mention of it a couple days ago, it's to raise money to paint the church in Cabot, and will be at Long Field Farm, at the intersection of Houston Hill Road and Coit's Pond Road. Martha Rockwell and her sister, Lynn raise goats and have a lovely old barn that's empty of hay until a little later in the summer, so it's a perfect time to fill it with music and dancing. I'll have more about it a little later on, but mark your calendar on June 4th, 7 p.m., and be ready to grab your lawn chairs and follow the signs out of Cabot Village to hear the old time music of Pete Sutherland and some of his musician friends.

I came across this picture postcard today in the historical society co
llection - it's one that Phil Rogers gave to me a while back. There was no identification on it, but it was with other Joe's Pond postcards, so I'm assuming it was taken around the pond somewhere. It looks like a water tank for the train, or maybe a mill beside the outlet of Joe's Pond before the penstock was built above the brook. The quarry might have been out of the picture on the left side of the tracks and that could be where they loaded the granite on the train to the right of the tracks. That's my best guess, but perhaps someone knows for sure. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

I don't know how many of you read Fred's news items on home page, but there are some interesting articles there. He searches the internet every morning to find news items that he thinks might interest our readers. There's one on there about light bulbs - regular incandescent 100 watt bulbs - that will no longer be available after next January. That won't bother us much, we've been using the compact fluorescent bulbs for a long time and have hardly any traditional bulbs still in use. As soon as we switched over, when they first came out, we saw a difference in our electric bill. Back then they were frustrating because they were dim until they warmed up, and even then weren't as bright as you'd like; but now they are instantly bright and brighter. Trouble is, they aren't a good fit for lots of older lamps or lamp shades. With a little creativity and lots of patience, we've been able to work with them, though.

We've looked forward to the LEDs, but except for Christmas lights, we haven't found any that were reasonably enough priced to warrant replacing the compact fluorescent bulbs. We've come a long way from kerosene lamps and candles, haven't we?

Monday, May 16, 2011

We're sitting under clouds again today, but not much rain. Just a few sprinkles. It has been in the 50s most of the day - great weather for the grass to grow, and it's too wet to cut it! I measured another .80 in. of rain this morning, and I fully intended to walk down to Walter Ruf's to see if the water level has come up more, but then I got very busy with other stuff around the house and never got my walk in. Now it's beginning to sprinkle again - and it's almost time to eat. (Pictures taken yesterday, but nothing has changed today. Both are middle pond.)

We got a message today indicating Walter Ruf and his
sister, Mimi, are headed up from Florida. Walter goes off line for the summer, but he keeps in touch during the winter.

I had an interesting call today from Ken Hoeppner, a representative of the Rail Trail. He told me things are beginning to move again in the process of getting the old railroad bed transformed into a walking/biking path. A lot of our Joe's Pond residents use it already, but along the route there are a lot of improvements needed, and north of Joe's Pond there are still some problems getting permission from land owners. Mr. Hoeppner said Phase 1 work will begin in St. Johnsbury and come towards Joe's Pond. If I understood correctly, the first phase is 41 miles. Phase 2 will cover 60 miles, and in spite of some protests still going on, he said that things are in better shape now, with the governor and others backing the project. We'll no doubt be hearing more about all of that as time goes on.

We put a new business card on the website today - an animal "sitter" some of you probably already know. Her name is Karen Hauserman, and she is in Danville. Here's what she told me: (You'll find her business card on the website at Local Services, bottom of first column.)

There are several dog sitters in the area, but I do believe that I am the only one with pet sitters insurance.  This is my only occupation other than being wife and mom to my family and volunteering at the Danville School.  It has been a
wonderful business and I love it. I meet the nicest people and pets! One
of my clients has me bring my boys (9 and 11) with me when I stay at her
house because her dog loves children. I occasionally sit for people with
livestock, chickens, sheep, goats...even someone with a pet shark (a small
one) and lots of cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes which makes it all
very interesting! I am also trained to give injections and pills as I had a
cat with diabetes who required two shots a day.


Community and Economic Development Meeting

WEDNESDAY, May 18th, 6:30 p.m.
Cabot Mason hall
Coffee and dessert will be served.
~ Everyone invited to join in the continued conversation and actions concerning
Cabot's Community and Economic Development ~

Sunday, May 15, 2011

We've had a lot of rain today. I haven't measured it, but I saw Sam Lewis late this afternoon and he said it was up four inches or so by his calculations. We have another misplaced dock for you - Jack and Sue LaGue were out in their boat Friday and saw this one (all three pictures are the same dock) near the Lizer cottage on the south shore of the big pond. If this isn't yours, remember there's another dock at the Silloway camp on Island Drive. We had such diverse winds, up the pond, down the pond, across the pond - some days it was hard to tell where it was blowing from. I like to report wind direction when I make my CoCoRaHS report each morning, but some days it's impossible to tell what direction it's coming from. I've always thought it was on account of our house being sort of under a hill, but lately that isn't necessarily true. It truly does change quickly, and often there are very strong gusts as the direction changes. So anything floating could end up just about anywhere on the pond.

I guess I don't have to remind you to let us know if you have stray docks or furniture show up on your waterfront or if you are missing something. I'll post lost and found items here on the blog and Fred will post it on the web site home page.

Someone mentioned the other day that they read the blog but didn't realize there's also a website. At first I didn't understand that - my thinking was that you get to the blog from home page. But that isn't necessary. All one has to do is Google "Joe's Pond blog" and darned if it doesn't show up. I did it and there was a whole bunch of links. Stuff I'd even forgotten I'd written about. But I'm going to tell you anyway because there's lots of other stuff there, like where to find people to do things like open camp, mow lawns, do repairs, plumbing, etc., rentals, and other information - the web site is: www.joespondvermont.com

Did I tell you Pam Heffernan is our latest year 'rounder? Pam expected to move into her renovated home on North Shore Road this weekend. It has been a long-time dream of Pam's to live here, and now she's finally going to realize that dream. She said she's looking forward to cross country skiing next winter, and of course kayaking this summer. Pam grew up coming to Joe's Pond with her parents, Wesley and Winona Calderwood, and now her children and grandchildren enjoy coming to the pond, too. I'm sure Pam will love living here. There is an ever growing community of year 'rounders.

Pleasant as most winters are, by the time April rolls around, most of us are pretty tired of snow and cold; and then mud season starts, so that gives us a whole new perspective. The Rossi's were saying mud season is a great time to travel - away from here. Now that everything is turning green and lush, it's a great time to be here - just be sure you have bug repellant handy because the black flies are here, too.

Also here are the humming birds. I was sitting here at my computer on Saturday morning and one came to the window. It was almost as if he waited until he was sure I had noticed him before he flew off. Fred filled the feeder and hung it in the usual place and we're enjoying watching at least two of the little creatures so far. I was on the deck this morning and got buzzed by one. They swoop in so fast and with that loud burrrrrrring of their wings like a giant bumble bee, I always duck. I don't suppose they would attack, but with beaks like that, I'm not taking any chances. I expect he was just saying "thank you for sweet filling station."

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...