How about this? Green eggs on your birthday! That's what Fred got this weekend. He got other gifts, too, but I thought this was one of the most unusual I've ever come across. Here they are, in contrast to our regular store-bought eggs, and here are the girls who laid them. He received a full dozen green eggs, and they are really good - not because they are green, but because they are so fresh. In spite of what some folks claim, I think it's generally accepted that an egg is an egg, no matter what color the shell is; the difference comes with how fresh or not fresh it is - unless, of course, it's an ostrich or duck egg. We used to have ducks as well as hens when I was growing up, and the duck eggs were not only bigger, but seemed to be richer somehow. I remember my mother used to have a hard time adapting recipes when she used them in baking. We thought these green ones were pretty cool, and while I'm happy to share the pictures of hens and their eggs, we not likely to share the eggs. Sorry!

I had a very nice surprise when I opened my e-mail late last night. Some time back I'd had a note from a woman who said she was the niece of Gladys Wood, who taught school at the Plains School in about 1935. Ms. Wood had boarded with my grandparents on the farm. Her niece said she had died, and among her treasures were several photos taken during the time she was on the Plain. I was delighted when the scans came last night. Among them were several pictures of my family back then - uncles, grandparents, and there were also some of the school.

At the top, the school room as I remember it - what a rush to see the picture. At the time, the Plains School was new - it was built in 1929 - and earned a "Superior School" rating. The door by the piano led to the boys' cloak room, and there was a door from the stage that opened into that room; on the opposite side of the stage was the girls' cloak room and a similar stage door.

In the middle photo, the school is beyond the open fields, near what was then the Cate farm. The Bolton farm was up a hill at the left of the picture (bottom photo) and out of the frame on the right was the Maynard farm and the old school house where my mother first taught school. She later taught at the new school and was there when it was closed in 1949 and then she and the few remaining students then went to the village school. The big barn above burned in 1969. The smaller barn which was a horse barn, was eventually taken down when my uncle Bill owned the place. He built the present barn and erected the two silos where the cell tower is now.

It's a long trip down memory lane, but what a joy to look back and compare then and now. Many things have changed, people have come and gone and there is little that is the same except the land itself - and even some of that has been filled in or scraped away or blasted to smithereens to make new roads, a manure pit, a pond or two, or a level field. Some of the fields and pastures have grown into forests, buildings have burned or been torn down, new ones have been built and the landscape is different, but what fun to recall growing up there with neighbors like the Maynards, Barnetts, Gambles, Demaraises, Fosters, Shatneys and Stones.

*****

Cabot's homegrown theater company enjoyed a successful debut last year with our performance of folk and fairy tales with a twist, with a lot of kids on stage. For this spring's production, we are staging a full-length mystery thriller, and hope to involve a number of adults and teens, as well as continuing to have younger actors as well. There are also plans in the works for a possible one-act summer children's play, for kids who are interested in a smaller acting commitment. Also, TLC is doing theater in their after-school program right now, for children not quite ready for the big stage.

In "Murder Takes the Stage," a small theater in New England is preparing to launch a new production critical to its survival. The hiring of a talented but high maintenance Broadway actress to insure the show's success fills the scene with cross-currents of tension. Then, when real life murder intrudes, solving the crime requires the talents of the local sheriff and an aspiring actress to untangle the connections among the various members of the company.

Auditions will be held on Thursday, January 19, 7-9 pm and Saturday, January 21, 2-5 pm in the Cabot School Performing Arts Center (no appointment is needed). Those auditioning will be asked to read from the script, and may also prepare a monologue if they wish, but it is not necessary. Everyone is welcome to audition; for some roles only adults or teens will be considered, while others may be played by children or adults, and preference will be given to residents of Cabot. If you have questions, or would like to be part of the production staff, please contact Karen Mueller-Harder at karen@praxisworks.org or 563-2669.

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OPEN HOUSE

Saturday afternoon gathering

at the Cabot Inn

3075 Main Street, Cabot

Saturday, January 21

Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Raffle drawing for prizes at 1:45 p.m.

1 raffle ticket per attendee

Additional tickets for non-perishable

food items for Cabot food shelf

Please stop by after trash and recycling

for coffee and a light bite

Share ideas for next steps for the

historic and cultural treasure

formerly known as Goldie’s Gathering

Please stop by

Sponsord by

Cabot Chronicle

UDAG Committee

Cabot Worx Development Group