We have a really drippy day out there.  We aren't getting a real rain - just a persistent mist so the leaves and tree branches are covered with droplets and dripping.  It makes the colors stand out, though, and the foliage around the pond is getting very nice.  The top picture was taken yesterday afternoon, before we'd had much rain; the bottom picture was taken this morning, and you can see the tamaracks are looking fuzzy with water clinging to them.

I had a call from Homer Fitts yesterday.  He sounds really good and said he is progressing  well after his knee replacements.  He is in rehab for another three weeks or so.  He has two hours of physical therapy three times each day and yesterday they had him walking and even made him get his own lunch!  Obviously, these folks aren't running a luxury hotel there.  Homer said he has a great bunch of people working with him and even though they expect a lot from him, he knows it's for his good.  He said he's had a number of visitors - some Joe's Pond folks and other friends in the area, so if you're in the vicinity of the Berlin Health and Rehab, stop by.  It's at 98 Hospitality Drive, Barre, VT. 05641, if you want to send a card or visit, and Homer's phone number there is 802-229-2863.  He'll be glad to hear from you.

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

 WEEK OF 10/1/12

 Village Green:

UTILITY CREWS – Crews from FairPoint and Charter will be working for the next few months to relocate their lines underground. 

 

Route 2:

PAVING:  Weather permitting, crews will be paving all day Sunday 9/30/12 through midnight-12:00 am.  If it rains and the shift is cancelled on Sunday, 9/30/12– crews will work Monday, October 1^st from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

The plan for paving is for is to start at the west end of the project and head east towards Marty’s.  Paving of Route 2 will also include paving in the side road entrances for Highland Ave, Mountain View Drive and Walden Hill Road. 

Motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic through the construction zone.  Traffic control personnel will be present to maintain traffic flow.

DRIVEWAY APRON PAVING:  During daytime work hours, crews will be paving in driveway aprons throughout the week.  This work is dependent on favorable weather conditions.

Following paving, crews will be placing shoulder material along the project.  Line striping crews will also be grinding the new pavement for final line striping.

 

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've been enjoying a pretty nice day again with a fair amount of sunshine, but the thermometer registers only about 54 degrees as clouds roll at us from the west.  We're expecting rain by this evening, but right now, there are brilliantly sunny periods with threatening dark clouds obliterating the son periodically.  Typical early fall weather.
 

Remember that stone on West Shore Road that did in two tires for Ray Rouleau?  We got another picture today - Cabot came within a day or so and that boulder is GONE!  Some of us thought it was likely part of a ledge known to be in that vicinity that causes problems by heaving the road every winter and blocking drainage in the spring which creats a colossal mud hole; but all is well now.  The road has been widened a bit at that spot and a fresh coat of crushed rock added that may help drainage next spring.  We can only hope.

I mentioned a few days ago that our new Ice-Out Contest pay-on-line page was nearly ready to function.  It's up and ready for anyone to try now.  Go to "Ice-Out Tickets Pay On Line" under JP Assn on home page main menu to see how it works.  Users must purchase 10 tickets to be able to pay on line, but tickets are still $1.   You can still use the printable tickets and send the money in the mail for as few or as many tickets as you wish.  That page is "Mail-In Tickets."

Our frequent partridge guest visited our ornamental apple tree again this morning  The visits are almost daily now that colder weather is here. Like other animals in our climate, I suppose partridges need to store up food/reserve for the cold weather ahead.  Sometimes it's difficult for them to find food in the winter, especially if we have an ice storm that coats tree buds and left over berries.  They sometimes have to go several days without much to eat, and a bit of extra nourishment now probably helps them make it through. 

West Danville had quite a bit of activity around the store - a number of out-of-state cars were in the parking area indicating the leaf peepers are beginning to show up.  Looking down the ravine of Joe's Brook by the the dam, the trees are showing some early color.  At the store, we were pleased to see a big sign (sorry, I didn't have the camera with me!) announcing the arrival of baby Ava on the 23rd.  Garey said he'd have Jenny and James send a photo and details about their new daughter, so I'll post that soon. 

As we were making our way towards Danville in a long line of traffic this morning, we spotted at least three separate flocks of geese heading south.  We weren't able to get a picture, but they seem to be clearing out ahead of cold weather, as usual.  Most folks I've talked to have cleaned out their vegetable gardens and settled flower beds for the winter - it's time.  Like a neighbor told me yesterday, "Things naturally stop growing this time of the year."  It doesn't really matter if you diligently cover tender plants on the first frosty nights - the growing season is over and you may as well accept it and pick the tomatoes and whatever else is left, dig your root crops and call it a day.

That's what's happening in Danville, but in a different way.  While the work (mostly paving) is continuing and there are some delays going through town, things are looking better, especially the Diamond Hill Store where Tom and John always have a lovely seasonal display - a happy distraction from the chaos going on around them.  There are definite signs that workers on this project are also going to call it a day very soon.  A few short weeks from now  snow will cover the scars of construction, the rumble and bang of heave equipment will be gone and Danville can breathe a sign of relief - until spring.

We're looking forward to our annual get-together with neighbors on Tuesday when we get turkey dinner take-outs from the Cabot Fall Foliage Day supper.  If you want to go or order take-out dinners, the number to call is Rose Bothfeld, 563-2715.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, serving at 5:00 and 6:15 p.m. at the gym.  It's a great meal and you can't beat the price.  If you're going to be at the festival, it starts with a Coffee Hour at 9 a.m., but this year location for coffee, registration and information is Willey Hall instead of the gym where it has been in the past.  There will be tours, a corn chowder and chili luncheon  ($6.00 and $2.50) at the church at 11:30, 12:30, and 1:15, then more tours in the afternoon.  There's an on-going craft sale at Willey Hall, and Tara Rogerson, co-chair, tells me there will be entertainment, so it should be a very nice day for visitors.  It looks like the weather will cooperate nicely for both Monday visitors in Walden and Tuesday visitors to Cabot.  Beyond that, we can't be sure, but it looks like it might be really nice all six days of the Fall Foliage Festival.

CONCERNED ABOUT CRIME IN CABOT??

Lieutenant Paul White, Middlesex State Police, will attend the next Selectboard Meeting to discuss crime in Cabot and its affected our community.

What can we do to curb this growing trend?

It’s time we all take a stand against criminal activity in our Town.   Let’s start discussing how...

Cabot Selectboard Meeting

October 3, 2012 at 7:00PM, Willey Memorial Building

We've lost or beautiful sunny days for the time being, but hope to have them back soon.  Today has been cloudy with short periods of light rain.  It's cool (54 degrees) and damp - a day to curl up by the fire with a good book.

I was out early this morning to meet Dave Schilling and his history class from Cabot School.  They will be doing a couple of history tours during Fall Foliage Day on Tuesday, and wanted access to the historical building and its resources, so I met with them from 8:30 to 10 this morning.  They were a great group of youngsters.  I was impressed with how much information they had already put together in only a few days, and how accurate they were; but even more than that, I was extremely pleased they were so interested in what we have at the historical society museum and research center.  It was like they'd stumbled onto a buried treasure.  There were ten students, and every one found something to be excited about.  They took pictures of some of the items on exhibit (but were careful to ask first), found relatives in the yearbooks we have in the reference area, and asked lots of great questions - and actually listened to my answers.  It was a pleasure to meet them and see their excitement.  We made tentative plans to meet again in the spring when they could spend more time there.

It was pretty cold and damp in the building, but nobody seemed to mind.  Upstairs they were impressed with the stage curtain and several other items grabbed their attention.  The boys were interested in the swords from the Civil War era; an old encyclopedia that caught the attention of one of the girls, Dave spent some time explaining the stereoscope - which is in a glass case, so we didn't get it out for closer examination; the old voting booths got some attention, and we actually ran out of time before we'd had a chance to hear all the presentations the students had prepared for next Tuesday's tour.  Today was to have been a sort of dress rehearsal for them, but we had time for only two.  Judging by what I heard from those two, they are well prepared and will give the tourists a great insight to some of our history and early schools.



 

We didn't get the serious storm that was forecast.  I recorded just under half an inch of rain this morning, and the wind never made it to dangerous velocity as far as we could tell, and we checked around midnight - all was reasonably quiet at that hour.

Today has been nippy compared to the last few beautiful ones.  Still bright sunshine, but the thermometer stayed in the low 50s here and as soon as the sun went down, it dropped significantly and now, at 10 p.m., it's 39 degrees and still falling.

 We spotted this rare (around here) animal on our lawn today.  I know, gray squirrels are not unusual in almost any town around, but for whatever reason, we don't have many here.  We see them sometimes where there are beech trees or other nut bearing trees, but there isn't a large population.  

This guy seemed to have a destination in mind.  He came from our lower lawn, from the general direction of where the logging is going on next to our property, and headed in a straight line across our front lawn towards Jamie and Marie's.  I don't know if he was looking for Brickett's Crossing Road or the high country on the Plain, but that was the direction he was headed.  We wondered if he was having to relocate due to the logging below us.  We were glad he kept moving and didn't decide to hang out near our house.  The squirrel population is kept pretty low by Woody, and even though grays are considered major pests in most communities, I would not want our cat to be responsible for doing this one in.  Fred took the picture through the kitchen window where there's a screen, thus the checkered quality.  Woody was pretty interested as he watched from the living room window, and wanted to go outside immediately, but we kept him in and after about 10 minutes of teasing, he gave up and took a nap.

Don't forget the community visit from the Vermont Rural Development folks at 2:15 at the Willey Building on Tuesday, and then the free community dinner at 5 o'clock.  Then there's the chicken pie supper in No. Danville on the 29th. (see poster at right);  and a week from Tuesday, October 2, is the Fall Foliage turkey supper in Cabot (takeouts available).

Fall is a great time for wonderful home-cooked meals in so many of our communities.  No wonder the tourists love to come here!  We need a little more color in our maple trees to make it a perfect foliage season, but a week can make a big difference so by next Monday (October 1st) when the Festival begins in Walden, we should have a pretty nice display.

I had a pleasant surprise a couple days ago.  I was talking with Marvie Domey about the silent auction preparations for the Apple Pie Festival coming up on October 13th.  After we finished, she told me she'd recently been contacted by someone in California on cemetery business (Marvie is sexton) and asked me if I remembered Elinor Wheeler.  I have so often wondered where Elinor disappeared to.  We were good friends when we were in high school together, but she transferred to another school and I lost track of her.  Marvie said after she left Cabot and graduated from high school she headed west with a couple other girls and never returned to Vermont.  But she remembered after all these years that we'd gone on a double date with a couple boys from our class, and I had nearly forgotten that -- I just realized it's been something like 65 years since we were in school together -- but I do recall we went to a carnival on the Barre/Montpelier Road one hot summer night and I got sick - a combination of heat, whirling rides and fried food, I suppose.  That must have been what she remembered -- as for me, I've tried hard to forget.  I must remember to thank Elinor for reminding me of that painful experience.  I hope we can reconnect, though.  We shared some good times all those years ago.


 

This is the first day of autumn!  Another glorious day to start off, but now fading rapidly.  It's still pretty mild, though - still 60 degrees and it's nearly 6 o'clock.

We were back in our woods yesterday, checking for other down trees to find the best way for Johnny to come through onto our property to cut the big trees in back of our house and take care of the ones the wind took down recently.  We only found a few more victims of that last wind storm, but we got pictures of the tangle we had found a couple days ago that so surprised us.  We went directly from our lot to Don Encarnacion's, about midway of the hillside, and took pictures from where he's been working on Don's.  We're impressed with the view that has opened up.  The lot looks awful right now, but it's still an operation in progress, and even next spring, things will look much different. 

I need to explain about Mary Jane Junction, which I refer to in the slide show.  When Don and Mary Encarnacion came here in the 70's, they cleared trails throughout their property and Don made signs pointing the way and naming the paths so when anyone was walking there they wouldn't become lost.  Twenty or so years later when we came to live at my parent's house, we often walked to Don and Mary's through the woods.  We had our own paths, though not as neatly groomed as Don's, and where ours connected with his, he named "Mary Jane Junction."  

Yesterday when we walked out to the line between the properties, we could barely make out where our paths had joined.  For the past few years, none of us have walked there, so the trails have all gone back to nature. We both felt sad at the changes, but looking at it from another viewpoint, we saw evidence it has become a great animal habitat.  We saw where creatures had bedded down, made trails through the tall grass, and scarred trees with their antlers.  Even though we don't get into the woods to enjoy it as much as we used to, it's a haven for animals, and we appreciate that.

When you get almost to the end of the slides, you'll think there is something wrong because the trees are in horizontal position, but "don't adjust your set" - it's because they were all toppled down in a clump.    Unfortunately, we're expecting a similar storm tonight.  This afternoon the weather has changed dramatically, and right now there's an eerie quiet that is likely the calm before the storm, and there are gray clouds moving in our direction, blotting out the sun.  Predictions are for heavy rain and high winds by around supper time into the evening. 
 
At the end of our trek, we saw this uprooted cherry tree very near our house.  This had happened some time ago, but it obviously found a way to survive.  You can see how the tree curled and redirected, and the root system is nicely covered with protective moss, a perfect example of how nature heals wounds in the forest.  Life continues, one way or another, in spite of natural catastrophes or what we humans do to our environment.  It isn't always perfect, but it's remarkable all the same.

As we came out onto our lawn, we passed by a young maple that has beautiful color.  I've been watching it from the bedroom window, and within just a few days it has turned a lovely deep red.  Very pretty against the dark green of the soft woods behind it. 


We were in West Danville (below) this morning to do some errands and pick up the mail.  The store and post office seemed pretty busy.  I picked up a bunch more Ice-Out tickets and had some in the mail, too.  I also checked the list of who has taken the tablets to test their septic systems and I'm happy to report about 35 people have already taken them.  That's a good indicator folks around the pond are anxious to find out if their systems are operating properly and, hopefully, if they discover they aren't, they'll take steps to correct the situation. 

We took the next picture from George and Judy Anderson's, looking directly across the pond.  The water is a lovely blue on these nice sunny days, but the color in the trees hasn't developed much.  We have seen a few brilliant single trees along the roads, but it's still early and not at full color by any means.  Fall Foliage week is coming right up, October 1 - 6, starting with Walden, then Cabot, Plainfield, Peacham, Barnet and finally Groton.  You can find the complete schedule of events on the website.
Hopefully, the colors will change a lot by then, and it will be a beautiful fall.

On the way home from the village, we stopped to get a picture of the rock that did in two tires on Ray Rouleau's car a few days ago.  Apparently he met a car right on that curve and hit that piece of ledge when he turned out for it.  That has always been a really bad corner.  When we lived at camp people often came to our door in the winter asking to use the phone because they'd  skidded into the snowbank and needed a tow truck.  Sometimes they'd met someone and lost control, other times they were just going too fast when they hit that often icy spot where the ledge is.  I suspect it will be a major operation to remove that jutting piece of rock, but we'll see.  That particular spot is also one of the biggest mud holes in the spring, too.  The Cabot road crew put the cone there until they can get back to fix it.  That helps, but really that spot needs to be widened and straightened.  Actually, there are lots of spots on our back roads that are dangerous, but it costs lots of money to improve them. For now the best advice is, go slow and enjoy the foliage.

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 9/24/12
(Including 9/23/12)

Village Green:

UTILITY CREWS – Crews from FairPoint and Charter will be working for the next few months to relocate their lines underground. 

 

Route 2:

PAVING:  Weather permitting, crews will be paving all day Sunday 9/23/12 through midnight-12:00 am. 

The plan for paving is for crews to start prep work (driveways, etc) around 10:00 am with paving to start at 12:00 pm-Noon.  Paving is scheduled to begin on the west end of the project and continue east towards Marty’s.

Motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic through the construction zone.  Traffic control personnel will be present to maintain traffic flow.

If it rains and the shift is cancelled on Sunday, 9/23/12– crews will work Monday, September 24^th from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Wednesday, crews will be adjusting structures along Route 2 in preparation for paving on Sunday, 9/30/12.

PAVING:  Sunday, September 30^th, 2012 – All day through 12:00 am

If it rains and the shift is cancelled – crews will work Monday, September 31^st from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

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.

Planning to go to Butters Restaurant for brunch on Sunday?  Owner/Chef Stan Linkovich writes:
We are hosting the annual Modern Woodsman of America membership brunch this Sunday. We are open to the public as usual, but encourage reservations.  We look forward to serving you!

Also, just wanted to let everyone know that TUESDAY Oct. 2nd is Cabot's Fall Foliage Celebration.  We will be open from 8am-12pm on that day serving our regular breakfast menu as well as some delicious seasonal specials! Stop in to enjoy an amazing breakfast or just to take a peek inside!

 

Join the discussion at the

Cabot Community Visit

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

You are Invited...

…to join your neighbors and discuss your vision for Cabot with Vermont State, Federal, business, and non-profit leaders. This will be the first step in the Community Visit process of building priorities and addressing critically important challenges before the community. Attend the sessions most important to you and meet the visiting team at the Community Dinner!

	Willey Building 3rd floor Auditorium	Willey Building 2nd floor meeting room
2:15‐3:45 pm	Arts, Culture & Recreation	Transportation Infrastructure
4:00‐5:30 pm	The Challenge of Poverty	Economic Vitality & Tourism
5:30‐6:45 pm	- - Free Community Dinner - - Cabot School Cafeteria        Hearty and delicious local foods
7:00-8:30 pm	School & Community	Agriculture, Food & Energy

For more information about the Cabot Community Visit contact Margaret at VCRD, 802-223-6091 or info@vtrural.org.

Produced by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), a non-profit organization supporting the locally-defined progress of Vermont's rural communities. For more information about the Community Visit process visit vtrural.org/programs/community-programs or call us at 802-223-6091.

---

Here’s the background in case you haven’t had a chance to read it:

On the invitation of the Cabot Selectboard, the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has selected the town of Cabot for its Community Visit Program in the fall of 2012 over several other towns requesting services this year. VCRD is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Vermont communities. In the past 13 years, they have worked in over 60 communities across Vermont to bring residents together to share ideas around issues of concern and to move toward common solutions.

The program kicks off in Cabot on September 25^th with a series of focus forum discussions and a free community dinner. Attached (and pasted below) is a flyer with discussion topics, times and locations. We hope you will come join the conversation at any or all of the sessions that interest you and join us at the free community dinner. 

A Community Visit is a chance for a town to come together to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and issues they have on the table and learn from the Visiting Resource Team about best practices and opportunities around the state. This first event gives all from Cabot the opportunity to add their ideas and concerns to the table, and to meet with federal, state and non-profit experts from around Vermont. After September 25^th, there will be two more community meetings to narrow down goals and priorities and set action plans to help advance them. VCRD will serve as a neutral facilitator throughout the process.

This process is open to everyone and everyone is invited! The program is most successful when people are excited about and interested in the topics and the events, so we encourage you to spread the word widely. Here are some ways you can help to spread the word:

-      print a handful of flyers and take them with you to your next club meeting or gathering or tack on bulletin boards

-      post this in your place of business or church/school newsletter

-      post on a local website

-      post on facebook

-      forward on to your list serve of community volunteers or business people in town

-      word of mouth - let people know about the event and about the process!  

For more information about the Cabot Community Visit feel free to contact me at 802-223-6091 or info@vtrural.org.

We are looking forward to seeing you on September 25th! 

Margaret

 Margaret Gibson McCoy

Office and Communications Manager

Vermont Council on Rural Development

802-223-6091

info@vtrural.org

This has been another beautiful day, and we've taken advantage of it.  Around noon Washington Electric came to trim the trees around the line that comes to our house.  The trees had grown up around and under it so some of the limbs were rubbing on the wire and we were afraid when the snow comes we could lose our power.  They did an excellent job - or rather, their contractor, Matt Foster and his crew did.  They chipped the smaller stuff and left the larger pieces for us to use as wood, so we have some pretty decent birch and maple to pick up and add to our wood pile.  We took some pictures and I made a short slide show.  We now have a tunnel through the trees where the power line is.

Later in the afternoon we decided to take a walk in the woods to see where Johnny Doyon, our neighbor's logger, was working.  We could hear him working far up on the hillside, but we were curious whether he had crossed a deep ravine that runs close to our property line.  Our neighbor, Don Encarnacion, owns both sides of the ravine, but crossing it at the upper level is no easy task.  It's very deep and although this time of year there usually isn't a lot of water in the brook, there are a lot of wet, swampy areas that could be difficult for Johnny's very large machine to navigate. 


We had no trouble finding where he was working, on the southeast side of the ravine.  It's interesting to watch that machine work.  It grabs the tree trunk, cuts it and limbs it in less time than a man with a chain saw could complete his angle cut.  We were lucky that Johnny had to shut down the machine to change the chain on the saw, so we were able to chat with him for a few minutes.  

At top right, that's me working my way through a boggy area.  My walking stick kept getting stuck in the mud, but I always like to have one to poke away underbrush and deep grass before I step, and to help me keep upright in rough spots.  This picture on the left is a drier, hilly section that is in much better condition than we found in other spots. The woods is scattered with trees knocked down by Tuesday's storm.  Just inside the woods off our lawn there is a bunch, literally, that all came down together.  I'm not sure why we didn't take pictures - I guess we were so surprised to find them down and the roots all exposed we forgot we had the camera.  There were other trees, some saplings, some deadwood, and a few mature trees down, and lots of limbs down or leaning.  When hope Johnny can clean some of them out for us.  

This next picture is high on the hill in back of Don's.  There will be a nice view of the pond once he's finished taking out the soft wood trees and mature hard wood.  He said he cuts in strips, making his way up the hill and then heading back down.  He pretty much has to cut his way through, taking out small stuff to be able to move around.  The next photo shows you how thick the underbrush is.  

As we were heading back towards home we found a huge, obviously very old maple on the side of the hill.  We remembered it and were pleased it is still standing.  It looks like two trees, but it really isn't.  It has a seam on its lower trunk, but as you can see from the bottom picture, it is one almost limbless tree, tall and straight.  The wonder is that it has stood so long on that hillside.  Its roots must be well anchored in ledges, otherwise, gravity alone would have toppled it by now.  I wish I'd captured the whole span of the trunk in the picture.  There is at least as much again outside the frame of the picture.  Next time we're up there, we'll get a better shot of it.
 
It's not easy getting through the woods right now.  We were able to follow some deer paths part of the way, but mostly we stumbled through brush and climbed over logs.  It was wetter today than it was a week ago when we were up there.  We enjoyed our outing and look forward to doing it again soon.  We were both surprised that, as well as we know our woods, so much had changed we weren't sure some of the time exactly where we were.  It wasn't just the trees that have come down - we haven't lost that many - it is also that all the trees have grown so rapidly.  Just a couple years of not walking through there much has made a huge difference.  We resolve to go more often from now on. 

I have a couple of things I need to mention.  First, Helen Morrison told me about some work she's had done in her gardens recently.  Here's what she wrote: 
Nancy Murray, who does gardening for Sonja and Ted Decker recommended a young man to me, Ryan Holt, to work in my flower gardens as she is totally booked up.  He is a wonderful, friendly young fella, trying to get started in the gardening/landscape arena.  He does a great and careful job and has lots of interesting ideas.  He got 5 flower gardens back in beautiful shape for me when I thought they were a lost cause.  He charges $35 per hour but can do it as an estimate of how many hours/days he thinks it will take and he sticks to that even if he goes over.  It is $280 for an 8 hour day.  His phone number is (802) 745-7987.  It'd be great if he could find some clients around Joe's Pond.

I'm sure there are people in our area who would like some help with their gardens or need some landscaping done.  I'd say Ryan comes well recommended.

Also, I'm helping out at the Apple Pie Festival on October 13th, actually helping Marvie Domey on the silent auction.  We need items for it - she said old "antique" things go well, even things like cookbooks; also, theme baskets with things like wine and cheese, appetizers, sweets, bath items, cooking items, etc. are good.  I just received several very nice hand knitted items from Tucky Sancibrion in South Carolina.  She puts me to shame - I could have been knitting or crocheting for this instead of doing Sudoku puzzles.  Oh, well, there's always next year.  If you have items you'd like to donate for the silent auction, let me know and I can either pick them up from you or you can drop them off here or at Bonnie Dannenberg's in Cabot Village.  If we have them ahead of time, I can make tags for them and it will be easier for us when we're setting up on Friday evening before the event.  This is our one big fund raiser for the Cabot Historical Society, so we hope you will plan on being there to enjoy the fun, eat some pie and browse the craft tables - and participate in our silent auction, of course. If you enjoy baking, by all means enter the pie contest.  I'll have more about that posted here very soon. 

The next  "Inspired Dinner" for the benefit of Danville's Pope Memorial Library will be on October 20.  Here's more information.  These dinners are very popular and space is limited, so if you want to attend, contact them right away.

We awoke to a frosty world this morning - sparkling white frost on the grass - but now the sun is higher in the sky, everything has melted and even the leaves on my summer squash plants seem to have survived ok.  I took in all my tomatoes and the summer squash that were large enough to use - but there were some smaller ones still on the vines and a few small cukes I didn't bother with.  They may continue to grow for a few more days, if not weeks, before we get another hard frost.

On days like this, the pond is an unbelievable blue.  The air is crisp and there's a nice wind that seems to be blowing up the pond out of the southeast.  It's a good day for sailing, I expect. 


We had a call last night from Gina Kurrle on Meadow Lane asking that people keep an eye out for a Sunfish sailboat tiller/rudder that was blown into the pond during our recent storm.  Gina said it should float, but will probably be difficult to see, but asks that people keep a lookout for it.  It may wash up on someone's waterfront, or you may spot it if you are out on the water.  She will be very relieved to have it back, so please watch for it.  Give her a call at 563-9905.

I noticed an obituary this morning for Emile "Mimi" Chatot, who was Jules Chatot's brother.  I expect some of you may have known him, and certainly many people around the pond are very familiar with Jules, one of the founders of our Ice-Out Contest, and know Jules "Jay" and Kate who are JPA members and live on Chatot Road.  We extend sympathy to the Chatot family.

I mentioned a few days ago that we were seriously considering going solar.  I say "were" because yesterday, after Fred and Rich from Solartech had crunched numbers and consulted with Bill Powell at Washington Electric (WEC),we have decided not to move ahead with the project.  We are very disappointed, but turns out it's a situation where we don't actually use enough electricity to make it viable.  We've done lots of things in the past to cut down on our power consumption, and the way WEC bills its customers, giving a lower rate for the first 200 kwhs, changes the advantage we'd have.  We weighed doing it "for the good of the planet," but being frugal Vermonters, we also wanted it to be "good for our pocketbook," and the numbers just weren't adding up.  We haven't given up entirely, and will still have the big trees cut to clear the southern exposure just in case things change.  Besides, those big trees would be bad news if they came down on the house, and some of them are certainly tall enough.  We have lots of trees around us, and more coming all the time, so this will give us an opportunity to manage them a little better.  

This has been an interesting experience, and we've learned a lot from it.  Over the years we've explored solar and wind as alternative energy sources, but this is the first time we've come so close to finding a viable option.  I told Fred this morning I can't remember ever feeling this disappointed over not spending money.

Speaking of options, perhaps this is a good time to tell you about the new way people will be able to buy Joe's Pond Ice-Out tickets this year.  Within a few days we will have a new page on the website where Ice-Out tickets can be purchased directly, paying with a credit card.  The tickets will still be $1 and there are no additional fees to take advantage of this.  However, to make this possible, it is necessary to purchase ten tickets.  The printable tickets that you can print and send in the mail will still be available, and you can print one or more of those and send with your check or cash as before.  We're hoping this works well for people who don't want to bother with mailing them.  Full instructions will be posted on the ticket pages.  For now, I'll just say it's "coming soon."

We are also moving ahead with relocating and updating the setup for the Ice-Out.  For over a quarter of a century nothing much has changed about the Ice-Out Contest.  Organizers have served and moved on, but the original concept and equipment has stayed pretty much the same as Jules, Homer, Don and the others set it up.  We won't change those basics, but because Homer is no longer living at Joe's Pond year around, we're going to move the setup up the west shore to a spot in front of the Rossi cottage.  Ray Richer has taken care of putting the pallet out and taking it in for many years, but this year he decided to retire from that job, so we've found another year 'rounder, Larry Rossi, to take over that job.  Coincidentally, our data specialist who logged in all the tickets had to give up that job for health reasons, and JPA member, Henretta Splain will take over that job.

Last year the old clock began to look a bit frail and we decided we'd best avert a potential disaster and invest in a new clock.  The new one is specially made for outdoor use and will operate in below-zero weather if necessary - however, we sincerely hope that won't be needed.  Along with the new clock, we hope to have video cameras watching the flag and the clock 24/7 so you'll be able to go to the website to see the clock and keep track of the flag out on the ice.  How's that for hi-tech and moving into the 21st century?  

The concept of the contest remains the same, but we all know that over time, change is inevitable.   The first major change was when a spreadsheet replaced Jules' shirt pocket for keeping track of picks.  There have been other "tweeks" along the way, but this is the first time there has been such a turnover of both personnel and logistics all at the same time.

We'll keep you updated with more information and photos.  In the meantime, tickets (like the one on the right) are available and tourists and even a few locals are already in the game.

Sorry - this just came in -- I hope you can make it to the meeting if there's something on the agenda you wish to weigh in on.

Cabot Selectboard Meeting Agenda

September 19, 2012 at 7:00pm

(Location: Willey Building Selectboard Meeting Room)

        I.            Call Meeting to Order

      II.            Review, Amend (if needed), Adoption of this Agenda

    III.            Review, Amend (if needed), Adoption of Minutes for Sept 5, 2012, and any others   presented.

    IV.            Public Comment General (30 min)

      V.           Administrative Duties (45 mins)

a.       ATV Ordinance (Public survey postcard)

b.      Two (2) New Dog Complaints (Gary Smith & Steve Long)

c.       Personnel Policy (Review by VLCT)

d.      Development Review Board (Planning Commission)

e.      Assistant Zoning Administrator (Planning Commission)

f.        FEMA ICS 100b Online Training (Selectboard Participation)

g.       Well closure request (Follow up on final monitoring results)

h.      November 2012 Election & Special Warning

i.        Neighborhood Watch Discussion (Susan Friedland)

j.        2012 Budget

k.       Public Works Ordinance

    VI.            Administrative Duties (On-Going)

a.       Marijuana  Dispensaries possible ordinance discussion

  VII.            Officers Reports

a.       Road Commissioners Report

VIII.            Correspondence

    IX.            Legal

      X.            Other Business

    XI.            Adjourn Meeting