Can't you just almost smell those lilacs when you log on to this page?  We were working outside yesterday and every now and then the wind would carry a sweet waft of aroma from the lilacs on the other side of the house.  I've resisted bringing any into the house - sometimes they are overpowering - and then they begin to droop and die, and I'm sorry I killed them.

Seriously, I love having the windows open this time of year and smelling the apple blossoms, lilacs, and the grass after Fred has just mowed - sometimes when he mows by the mint patch the air is especially fragrant.  I picked a small bunch of mint to go with my dandelion green salad yesterday.  I often put young dandelion leaves in with lettuce and other greens in a salad, but recently I heard about marinating kale with lemon and orange juice to soften it and remove some of the bitterness.  I don't care for kale, cooked or raw, but I thought the marinating might work on dandelion leaves.  I didn't bother looking for young ones, just nice dark green leaves.  Click here for dandelion data.  Actually, it worked rather well.  I marinated the washed and cut up dandelion leaves and then covered them with lemon juice, salt and pepper and stored them in a closed container in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to use them.  Then I added grated carrots, some olive oil and just a tad of mayonnaise, tossed it all together (including the original lemon juice) and some chopped mint leaves, and it was very good.  Fred, who doesn't care for kale either, liked it and said he'd have it again.  He's right about that - I'll be using more of those pesky weeds this summer.  They do require a bit more chewing than lettuce or baby spinach, but that's a good thing - just a little extra exercise!

 

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 6/03/13

Crews will finish up installing curb around the Village Green.

ROUTE 2 – Curb installation will take place along Route 2 in the center of Town. 

Two-way traffic will be maintained as much as possible.  However, Route 2 may be reduced to alternating one-way traffic in the center of Town at various times during the week.  Motorists should expect and plan for traffic delays when traveling in and around the project.

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 are a few things I want to bring to your attention:
There is a link on home page to state regulations regarding septic systems.  We are trying to keep Joe's Pond as free of contamination from all sources as we possibly can, and one of the concerns is septic systems, so property owners around the pond (and elsewhere) should have this resource.

Also, on July 4, Cabot has their usual parade and all-day festivities, including a huge rummage sale.  If you have items you'd like to donate, call Terry Persons, 279-6818.  

On July 28, the Cabot Historical Society will present David Book, author and former Cabot teacher, with his monologue of Abel Morrill, a Cabot farmer who was impacted  by the Civil War.  This program is presented through Vermont Humanities Council, and will begin a 7 p.m.  All are welcome.  Lynn Bonfield, author of Roxanna's Children, wrote after seeing Book's performance, " . . . both writing and acting should be up for Oscars . . . I was totally washed away and tried hard not to cry.  The pace was perfect . . ."  This promises to be an interesting evening's entertainment, and we hope you will plan to attend.  It will be at the Cabot Historical building on Main Street.

I saw Garey at the store yesterday and he told me Jane is doing pretty well.  She is hitched up to the usual paraphernalia to help her breathe more easily and to administer necessary medications, and getting great care, he said.  If you don't already have her address, she's in Room 240B at Central Vermont Medical Center, 130 Fisher Rd., Berlin, Vermont 05602.  Garey said he was sure she'd love to hear from her friends.  We are very glad she's doing better and hope she'll be home soon.

After a weird weekend of strange weather, we had a gorgeous day yesterday.  Fred took down our nice clump of white birches.  He was ready to do it Monday, but I needed a little time to get used to the idea of losing them.  They were really nice when they were small, but became a hazard as they continued to grow.  I admit I made a mistake in planting them so close to the house.  Again, perfect as a nice little clump of birches, but darned if they didn't grow like Topsy.  Now the house is very exposed - but there's an up side of that - we now have a clear view of the driveway and the mailbox and road.  

We really didn't need more rain, but we've been getting it throughout most of the day so far.  There are predictions of more on the way tonight.  Everything is soggy.  There shouldn't be any fire danger at least for a few weeks - if it ever stops raining.

The lilacs don't seem to have been damaged a bit by the snow.  I'm not so sure about the apple trees - the ornamentals were looking really good, but now they don't seem so zippy except for one small tree pictured here, next to the driveway.  The regular apple tree has either taken a hit or is simply past the blossom stage.  We won't know for a few weeks if there will be apples or not.

We were in St. Johnsbury yesterday to wish oldest son, Bill, Happy Birthday.  I have a hard time believing I have a son that old - or even the age of the youngest, Jamie.  I guess it's good that I don't feel my age, at least most of the time.  Yesterday after helping Fred clean up the limbs and wood from those five birch trees, I admit to major stiffness in my back by the time I sat down to watch TV last night.  I don't know how or when all three boys got to be almost middle aged, but there they are.  That makes me "old," darn it!  The only time I think about it is when one of them has a birthday - or when I do.  Four times a year I go for a little walk down some memory lane and get a little nostalgic - it's like when you hear some music that takes you back to a special time in your life, or catch a brief scent of apple blossoms, sweet summer hay or the woods after a warm rain, or have the brief sense of deja vu that zaps your memory, and you get sentimental and misty.  Or maybe you don't.  But I do.  All those things and birthdays do that to me.

We got a lot done in town - picked up material for a new flag pole, had a few minutes with Monika and the grands when we ran into them as they were walking on Main Street, and got in some errands in the bargain.  Today I've been catching up at the computer, getting ready for some new projects.  Before I can get involved in anything new, I need to reorganize and clear away some of the odds and ends of what I've been working on over the past several months.  No easy task, but I always feel better after things are put away and filed properly, even though I know everything will be in confusion again within days.

 

We had a pretty day today, and it turned out to be warmer than I'd thought it would be.  Nice to work outside again for a bit.  Fred got the lawn mowed and I got some trimming done and some of the deck chairs out.  We have to do some repairs to our flag pole and my anemometer that was attached to it.  One of the birch trees that got weighted down with snow yesterday apparently hit the flag pole and broke the arm holding the wind gauge.  Another of the birches is showing stress signs at the base, so I guess we'll have to take them down.  I hate to see them go, but they are getting too big and dangerous - too close to the house and to the power line when they bend over like that.  Young birches are notorious for bending under weight, and although they do straighten back up somewhat, these are in a clump and lean outward naturally, so every time we have some heavy snow, even before they have leaves, they tend to lean a little more.

One more cold night and we may be through with frost until September.  When you think about it, this year we'll probably have only three frost-free months.  Along with that, we've broken daytime  high temperature records a few times this spring, too.  Hard to figure.  

We replenished the humming bird feeder today.  They've been feeding voraciously, both yesterday and today.  They couldn't find any flowers under all that snow.  This cold snap must have some of our spring song birds wondering if they took a wrong turn someplace.

I heard from the Carcobas over on Woodbury Lake that the goose eggs are hatching now.  Sharon wrote that she saw 17 goslings and 16 adult geese going by, and not just swimming.  They are grazing on lawns, too, of course - and fertilizing them.  I'm sure there will be more.  Woodbury Lake has a similar problem to what we have here at Joe's Pond with too many geese. 

We have two sets of nesting loons at work here again this year.  We haven't had a report of how many eggs there are in each nest, but all the parents seem to be "on the job" so we'll no doubt have at least a couple of baby loons in a few weeks, and maybe more.

I hope everyone had a memorable Memorial Day and that you took a few minutes to think about our service men and women, past and present.  We owe so many so much.

I'm glad the day turned out to be a pretty nice one; there were lots of people out to watch and participate in parades and other memorial ceremonies, and lots of folks enjoying picnics and cook-outs.  Memorial Day starts off summer for lots of  us, although it isn't always as warm and delightful as we might like here in the Kingdom.  I recall watching quite a few parades from under an umbrella and thinking how cold the kids in the band must be, especially the girls with nothing between their short skirts and tall white boots except bare skin.  But starting off summer with friends and a BBQ is an important part of Memorial Day weekend ritual.  So summer has begun - if tonight's frost is actually the final one .  .  .  !

Well, we had our spring meeting yesterday and as we were leaving, Mother Nature was spitting snow at us.  It was a very good meeting - we had a really good turnout in spite of the cold, windy, wet weather.  For those of you interested, the minutes will be posted on the website within a day or so.  

Now there is weather to report!  This morning we awoke to nearly 4 inches of wet, heavy snow on everything.  We think it was miraculous we didn't lose our electricity - although there was a blip or two during yesterday and again this morning, but nothing serious.  I expect it was limbs on power lines or perhaps the release of snow on limbs this morning as the temperature rose causing trees to brush power lines briefly.  I was up early and got some pictures.  While I was doing that, Fred was out releasing the snow from our trees and bushes - and oh, yes, going onto the roof again to brush the snow off our satellite dish.  He went up last night at around 10 o'clock so I could see the end of my movie.  He's such a sweetheart.  He said he didn't mind and even commented how beautiful it was with all the snow on everything last night.  

This morning when I first looked out, I could hardly believe how different things looked.  It was as if all the trees were bowing to Mother Nature.  I could make out some of the pretty pink apple blossoms under the mantle of snow, and the not quite fully developed lilac blossoms were vibrant little purple splashes; but the trees looked so sad and bent  I wondered if they'd recover.  Most have by now - four or five hours later and some 10 degrees warmer.  I don't believe we had awfully low temperatures last night - I saw a low of 30.1 on one thermometer and 31.6 on another.  It may be that the heavy snow protected the apple tree blossoms/buds so no damage will be done.  It will be interesting to see how my garden looks by the end of this week when the temperatures hit 80 again!  Wild, wild weather.


I took these pictures a few minutes ago.  The trees have recovered nicely.  Now there will be a lot more water running off to add to our flooding problems in the lower areas.  I measured 3.8 in. of new snow this morning, and another 1.35 in. of precipitation (combination of rain and melted snow) from my rain gauge.  I did the reading early (7 a.m.) so I could catch the snow before it began to melt.  I noticed the Danville report was in (I believe it's Jeff Merrell's) and he was reporting about a quarter of an inch at his station at 6 a.m.  I haven't been back to look at the more recent reports.   Snow like this is not unheard of this time of the year, but certainly not what we expect when we're considering global warming.  I guess it all ties together somehow, and we humans will just need to adapt as best we can.  For now, swapping our lawn mowers for snow shovels may be in order.

We are again concerned with high water here at Joe's Pond with an unfortunate combination happening again.  The power station below the rubber dam was severely damaged by flooding last year and is undergoing repairs so isn't operating.  That means the penstock that would normally help carry excess water from Joe's Pond cannot be used and the rubber dam has to manage the overflow.  Normally that works pretty well, but without the penstock, when we have heavy rain or runoff from lots of snow like right now, the water in the pond rises quickly and the relatively narrow opening at the dam cannot always compensate.  This would not be a problem if Green Mountain Power could anticipate high water and release water to a lower level before the storms hit; however, state regulations prevent them from doing that, the theory being that lowering the water damages the wetlands.  I wonder what is more damaging, having the wetlands a little less wet or having them erode and float away due to high water.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I still  can't seem to wrap my brain around this being a sensible decision, and I have to conclude somebody isn't being very smart - or perhaps they're being just plain stuborn.  Is it reasonable to believe large clumps of wetlands floating down the pond, adding sediment to the already murky diminishing depths and diminishing the amount of wetland area is actually better than allowing the water level to be lower for a short period of time and preventing that? 

Well, I've had my bah-humbug-crotchety-old-woman moment for today.  Now I'll go get some lunch together and watch some news on TV.  That should get my blood pressure up a few notches more.

Flooding Alert from National Weather Service

 

fROM JEANNIE JOHNSON, EMERGENCY MANAGER, CABOT PLAINS ROAD, CABOT, VERMONT:

Confidence is high that northern NY and Vermont will be affected by a significant rainstorm beginning tonight and lasting into early Sunday.

Unlike the localized torrential downpours of the past couple of days, this will be a widespread continuous moderate rain for the region. Rather than fast occurring flash flooding, we are looking at widespread flooding, especially on most small streams and many of the main-stem rivers -- and low-lying areas.

The rain will develop this evening and overnight, and with the ground already saturated in many areas, smaller streams will quickly rise -- likely going over their banks either late tonight or by Saturday morning.

The areas most at risk for the most significant flooding are the eastern Adirondacks and the northern 1/3rd of Vermont where we've seen the heavy rain and flash flooding already.

Rivers will likely be reaching flood stage by early Saturday afternoon at the latest -- and continue to rise the remainder of Saturday before peaking sometime on Sunday.

There is the potential that we may see some rivers reach moderate flood stage -- at this time we believe those rivers most at risk are the: Lamoille, Missisquoi, Passumpsic and Au Sable.

Not as confident about the Winooski or Otter Creek reaching moderate flood levels, but these will at least go into minor flood.

Rain won't be tapering off until Sunday.

In addition to the flooding, we are also concerned with landslides, and additional erosion of river banks and roads that were damaged by the flash flooding last evening.

Just a side note, there will be enough cold air with this storm that we expect accumulating snows at the highest elevations -- probably above 2500 feet.

We will be issuing a Flood Watch for much of the region shortly.

Please continue to monitor our forecasts, warnings and river conditions.

River Conditions are at: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=btv

As always, forecasters can be reached 24/7 by calling 1-800-863-4279.

Andy Nash
Meteorologist-in-Charge
NOAA/National Weather Service - Burlington VT
802-862-8711 x222
weather.gov/burlington

 BENEFIT EVENT

Lisa Kaiser; a late stage cancer patient, lives in Woodbury with her husband Jeff and their two young daughters 7 and 10 years old. Lisa has served as a Registered Nurse at CVMC for most of her adult life.

Lisa was diagnosed in January of 2012 with metastasized (stage 4) breast cancer. In March 2012 doctors found that her cancer had already spread to her liver and both her lungs. She underwent a mastectomy in April 2012; and after getting a second and third opinion about her options she started hormone therapy in June 2012. After six months of hormone therapy her doctor’s determined that the hormone therapy was not having a positive effect on her cancer. Lisa started undergoing chemo in January 2013. Only 20% of woman with Lisa’s type of cancer will live 5 years from the point of diagnosis; Lisa was diagnosed a year ago.

This family has a wish!

They want to take their two little girls to Disney while Lisa is still healthy enough to enjoy it with them. The two girls have wanted to go to Disney and so we want to earn enough money fundraising to send them all there for two weeks. This would give the entire family a much needed respite from the grueling regimen of treatments and worries. It would offer a positive distraction to the realities they all face; and give the girls fond, fun memories of their Mom that will be priceless to them as they grow up without her.

A fundraising event will be held June 8, 2013 at the Montpelier Elks Club at 6pm; we will have a 50/50 raffle, food, dancing, and silent auction!

The public and kids are welcome!!!!

You can donate online at http://fundly.com/lisa-kaiser-benefit-fundraiser

consider donating a silent auction item for the event!

* * * * *

 Village Harmony
Alumni Ensemble
Led by Larry Gordon and Helle Thun

Sunday, June 9
7:30 p.m. Concert followed by folk dancing at 9 p.m.
Marshfield, Fritz's Barn at 693 McCrilis Road

20 college-age Village Harmony veterans perform Nordic kulning, traditional music from South Africa, Bulgaria and Georgia, shape-note singing and renaissance works by Ockeghem.

Benefit for Jaquith Library
Suggested admission: $ 10
Students and seniors- $ 5

Information:  802-426-3210  or call the library at 426-3581 jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com

# # # # #

Cabot Neighborhood Conversations:    What do our graduates need to succeed in the 21^st century?

During the next couple of weeks, the Cabot School Board will be sponsoring several informal discussions to gather ideas and input from community members. These discussions will focus on one question: what skills, knowledge and attributes do we want our Cabot students to have by the time they graduate from high school? These discussions will be facilitated by community members who have generously offered to host these meetings in their homes.

The dates, times, and locations of these discussions are:

Tuesday, 5/28                 Lynn Rockwell and Roman Kokodyniak                                                      7-8:30 PM

             Houston Hill Rd.     (563-2999)                                                                

Wednesday 5/29            Roz and Jack Daniels                                                                                           7-8:30 PM

              Cabot Plains Rd.      (563-3116)                                              

Thursday, 5/30               Cathleen Maine and Lars Hasselblad-Torres                                          7-8:30 PM 

             Main St., Cabot Village   (563-2757)            

Saturday, 6/1                  Karen and Brad Alexander                                                                         2-4:00 PM

             South Walden Rd.   (563-2294)                                    

Tuesday, 6/4                   Cecilia and Gary Gulka                                                                                         7-8:30 PM

                                              Danville Hill             (563-2284)

 The ideas and input generated from each meeting’s discussion will be summarized and recorded. That information will be passed on to the Cabot School Board, which will publicize it and use it as a starting point for further discussions.

We hope that many Cabot residents will take the opportunity to participate in one of these discussions.  The goal of this process is to enhance and improve the education available to our town’s young people. We believe that having a broad, community-wide discussion about what our graduates should be gaining from their education is a crucial first step in that process.

Please call Cabot School Board chair Chris Tormey at 563-2842 (or any one of the discussion facilitators/ hosts listed above) to reserve a spot in one of these important conversations.

Sincerely,

Chris Tormey

Chair, Cabot School Board   

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

 Week of May 27, 2013

In observance of Memorial Day, no work will be performed on the project Monday, May 27^th, 2013.  Crews will return to work on Tuesday.

Crews will continue to install electrical conduit within the center of Town throughout the week.

Peacham Road – Crews will begin working on installing the new sidewalk on Peacham Road this week.

Access to Smith, Peacham and Park Street will be closed at various times throughout the day.  Travel may be reduced to one-way around the construction area. 

Traffic control will be present to assist in re-routing traffic in this area.

Route 2 will be reduced to alternating one-way at times throughout the day.   

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're looking at some much colder weather coming at us today.  We could easily see some snowflakes flying over our pretty apple blossoms, but hopefully the temperature will not go far below the freezing mark to damage crops.  It has been a swift change from last night's muggy air.  I'm seeing 40 degrees on my thermometers, and there's a misty rain going on.

We've heard from Jason at Green Mountain Power Corporation this morning that they are doing everything possible to keep the water level in Joe's Pond within the prescribed limits.  While it may go a little above "normal," the dam is releasing water at maximum and will continue.  We are asked to report excessively high water, should it occur.  Jason said they will have someone monitoring the dam, but it's always good to have eyes on the actual water level as well. 

I've been interested in the progress being made on repairing the power plant after the washout last year.  Jason said the building is finished and the generator has been sent away for repairs.  They will replace the lower portion of the penstock that was damaged last year and expect to be generating power by late summer or early fall this year.   Fred and I will get down there to get some photos soon.  Jason said the road down to the plant has suffered some washout, so we will  probably park at the top of the hill and walk down.  This is how the power plant looked on June 18, 2012, after the flood.

All you Joe's Ponders please remember that tomorrow (Saturday) is our Spring Meeting:  10 a.m. at the pavilion.  If the forecast is correct, it could be a chilly morning, so be prepared.  It may be a long pants, sweater and parka kind of day.  Better to layer and have to shed some clothing than to shiver.  Weather like this we appreciate having the side curtains at the pavilion.  So much for "global warming."

I was contacted this week by Tom Brown (not the Tom that is Fred's brother) of VTDigger.org
They are doing a piece on global warming and wanted some pictures of our Ice-Out pallet on the pond.  I sent them some of this year's setup and we gave them permission to use information from our website.  Tom said he will let me know when the story runs so I can post a link.  He mentioned that some scientist he talked to for this piece believes that within 150 years Joe's Pond will not freeze over at all.  Hmmmmm.  This after we at Joe's Pond experienced one of the later "ice-out" dates of recent years and in Alaska, the Nenana Ice Classic had the latest ever "out" date.  My concern is more about the increasingly more violent and more frequent storms we are seeing everywhere.  But who knows, perhaps future generations will be enjoying tropical weather at Joe's Pond - but what then of Florida, Arizona, Texas, etc.?  I expect scientists have projections about that, too, but I'm not sure I want to know.  In the meantime, I've turned up the thermostat and will spend a quiet day at my computer watching the misty cold rain bathe the lush, vibrant green world outside my window.

Jack LaGue just let us know that a section of someone's dock has washed up at his place on Sandy Beach Rd.  He said it has metal eye-bolts on each end (picture of ends here).  Contact him if you recognize the dock or you can come get it.  He will return it to you if you can't come pick it up.  His phone is 476-4505, or send an e-mail:  jacklague@fairpoint.net.  Now that we've had a fair amount of rain, the water level will probably be up a bit, so be sure your belongings are secured so they won't float off or blow away in a storm.

We got lots of rain last night, and fortunately only a brief electrical storm.  I measured .85 inch of rain in my gauge this morning, which was not as much as some of the reports from southern Vermont, but in the ballpark for our area.  With more on the way later today and tomorrow, we should be making up for all that dry weather.  We awoke to pretty serious fog this morning, but it is beginning to rise now.  I can see it along the treetops on the hill behind our house, but at this level we are fairly clear and I'm able to see the pond again.  It's 60 degrees, and there's a nice breeze, so not a bad day overall.

I waited a bit too long to get out to work in my garden this afternoon - or maybe my subconscious was working overtime - I wasn't too enthusiastic in the first place, but I got in about 15 minutes before it started raining.  Now I'm hearing thunder, so that's my weeding time for today, and tomorrow and Friday are going to be rainy, so I lucked out.  Things are looking pretty good, though.  Peas and radishes are up, also some early beets.  However, I have to say, those things came up quickly but haven't really flourished.  I've had that experience before, planting early and then ending up with nothing doing very well so then replanting later in the season.  Some folks just don't learn, I guess.

That's sort of like our cat, Woody.  We trained him right away (and easily) to bat a sap spout hung on a string so it raps on the kitchen door when he wants to come in.  I put the same arrangement on the front door, but all these years he's never used it, so after a few tries, I took it in - until this spring.  I put it back on the door one day about a week ago when the weather was super nice and we had the front door open.  With the inside door closed, we really didn't expect to hear it, but a few days later we were in the living room and heard an unfamiliar tapping.  We finally realized it was coming from the area of the front door and then discovered Woody sitting on the deck patiently waiting for us to answer his knock.  We've had him for something like 7 years and he finally "gets it?" 

 

Traffic Alert

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Work will continue on installing curbing on the side roads that surround the Village Green. 

Access to Smith, Peacham and Park Street will be closed at various times throughout the day.  Travel may be reduced to one-way around the construction area. 

Traffic control will be present to assist in re-routing traffic in this area.

Route 2 will be reduced to alternating one-way at times throughout the day.   

THE 2013 NENANA ICE CLASSIC IN ALASKA IS OVER!
Check it out:  Nenana Ice Classic

 

 *  *  *  *  *

Traffic Alert

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

ROAD CLOSURES- While crews work on installing curb around the Village Green, they will have to close Smith Street, Peacham Road and Park Street.  Only one street will be closed at a time, starting with Smith Street, then Peacham and Park, respectively.

Traffic control will be present to assist in re-routing traffic in this area.

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.

I only recently found out that one of our members, Janet Fortin, passed away back in November.  I have been unable to find an obituary, but for those of you who may have known Janet, she and Richard lived in the house that is very much right on the water on the right as you cross the bridge going out of West Danville on Route 2. Richard has put the house on the market, so there is a For Sale sign there now.  Janet had been quite ill for some time.  If you wish to send a note to Richard, his address is P. O. Box 175, West Danville, VT 05873.  I have sent a note on behalf of JPA members, but I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing from any of you individually.  

It's very hard losing a friend, and especially hard when that best friend is also your mate.  We all know that as we get older, there is more loss of good friends and family, but it's important to focus on the good times of the past and that present friends and family are ever more precious.

We're having a split personality day - this morning we were awakened by a very mild thunderstorm around six o'clock, but by noon there were periods of sunshine and now, at 4 o'clock, it's a gorgeous sunny day, but there are high clouds that may overtake the sunshine any moment.   The thermometer on the sunny side of the house has zoomed up to 80 degrees - but I know better than to think that's what the temperature really is outside.  I need to get out to work in the garden a bit before then next rain comes, which will probably be tonight. 

We are watching the devastation in the mid-west from that awful tornado.  How horrible for those poor people.  I can only imagine how awful it must be to experience something like that over which one has absolutely no control.  I think if I were to live in a strong tornado prone area I'd want to live underground.  Or maybe design a dome-shaped home of some very strong material the wind might not be able to grab onto very easily.  Of course, there would be the problem of debris, but perhaps there is a material strong enough to withstand projectiles driven by 200+ mph wind.  I sure hope people who know about these things are working on designing structures and materials that will hold up against these all-too-frequent disastrous storms.  Even bad wind storms here scare the heck out of me sometimes.  First thing we did when we moved to this house was remove big trees that could potentially blow over on the house.  I missed the "woodsy" feeling, but that's nothing compared to worrying about a tree crashing onto the roof or a limb shattering a window.  I know we can't protect ourselves from every natural disaster that comes along, but I like the feeling I have at least some control.  And the storms do seem to have become stronger and wilder recently. 



 

We've had enough rain to at least begin replenishing the much needed moisture in the ground.  I measured .26 in. in my rain gauge this morning, and we've had a lovely misty rain most of the day.  Late this afternoon the sun broke through, and everything looks fresh and green.

The past few days have been a series of meetings of one sort or another.  We had a short  presentation ceremony at the fishing access on Sunday when we met with our 2013 Ice-Out winner, Gary Clark to give him his check.  We enjoyed chatting with Gary and his wife, Sherrie.  Fox 44 News came, but we haven't been able to locate the piece on their website yet.  It should have been on the 6 p.m. news last night, but we missed it.

 As you can see, we had a small group, but it was fun to meet Gary.  Our JPA president, Tom Dente, made the presentation of the Awards Certificate and the check.  After that, Gary did an interview with Fox 44 News (right) and you can tell he's pretty darned happy about his good luck.  He said he purchased 30 tickets and made them out for successive days.  

Later in the day I went to the annual Cabot Historical Society meeting.  It was chillier than we'd expected in there, having been closed up all winter I guess the frost wasn't out of the timbers yet.  The big old wood stove was going, but it's a large space to heat and it didn't get warm right away, but I'm sure everyone enjoyed the food (I couldn't be there in time to eat, but I know from past meetings, it was delicious), and there was a very nice turnout.
We acquired some interesting items, too.  A couple of youngsters who had visited me at the museum one day last fall, had found a 1915 license plate in the mud of the Winooski River as it flows through town.  They cleaned it up and brought it to the historical society.  It's a little beaten up, but it looks like it was number 2076.  There weren't a lot of cars around back then, and I wondered if it might have belonged to the old gentleman who lived on Main Street and went to park his car into the barn and, not having driven much yelled "Whoa" when he wanted to stop.  He went through the back of the barn into the river.  I have forgotten his name, but I have the story written down somewhere.  My father delighted in telling it to my cousins and me when we were learning to drive the farm vehicles.

There was also a toy firetruck that all the Perry children had played with as kids.  It dates back to the 1940s, according to what I was able to find on the internet.  It is a replica of an Auburn pumper truck, and is made of hard rubber.  The picture shows it from a side view and from above.  I thought it was metal, but I found an identical picture, so I'll take a closer look when I go back to the building next time.  That was donated, along with a Fulton Sign & Price Marker kit and a water dipper, by Erma Perry.  The price marker kit had been used by her mother-in-law, the late Beatrice Perry.  We were excited to be able to add these items to our collection.  Each generation of the Perry family has worked hard to support the Cabot community, and we appreciate their generosity and enthusiasm over the years.

Plans are in the works for Cabot's big Fourth of July celebration.  I had an e-mail from Terry Persons today asking me to remind people she will be looking for donations for the big Rummage Sale.  She said proceeds go to the kids - it is put on by the Parent-Teacher group, I believe.  Terry's phone is 279-6818.  Take a look for any items that your kids have outgrown or that you don't use anymore but that still have some use left, and give Terry a call.  She will arrange to pick up your item at your convenience.

By the way, if you've been out and about on the pond you may have noticed some of the buoys have a light on them.  Jamie Dimick has installed solar lights on some of the buoys as a trial to see if it helps people when navigating in dusk or after dark.  They also have reflective tape on them, but the lights may be helpful, too.  He said he needs to know if they help or annoy, so you can let us know at the meeting Saturday, or comment here. 

GOOD MORNING FROM JOE'S POND, VERMONT

We're getting some warmer weather and it seems the recent frosty nights may not have done much damage.  Everything has that soft green freshness we see only in spring, when the leaves are still small and there are a few trees with catkins.  The grass has an exceptional bright green, too, and then there are the dandelions . . . even though they are a pest on lawns and in gardens, they are a welcome sight as one of the early spring flowers.  I walked through a little bit of the woods between our house and our neighbor's the other day and found purple and yellow violets, trillium, and lots of cherry blossoms.  Now the apple blossoms are beginning to open and when the wind is just right, there's a lovely scent from them.

Last night at about eight o'clock, I happened to look out our bedroom window towards our woods and there was a big black bear nonchalantly picking his way over the debris left from the logging.  He was in no hurry, and didn't venture onto our lawn or to our garden (where I compost in one section).  It was too dark to get a picture, but Fred and I watched him until he disappeared in the dark distance.  He seemed to be headed for Don Encarnacion's.

Our first thought when we saw the bear was, "Where's Woody?"  We knew he was outside, but didn't find him in any of his usual "hunting" spots where he sometimes sits motionless for long periods, and he wasn't on either the back or front deck.  I opened the door into the garage and there he was, sitting on the roof of the car, peering out the garage window towards where the bear had been.  Leave it to a smart cat to find a safe place to observe an animal much bigger than he is.   

Isn't it nice to see the Route 2 Project progressing to a close?  Here's an update for work next week.

 

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 5/20/13

Crews will be installing curbing and lighting throughout the week. 

Two-way traffic will be maintained as much as possible.  However, Route 2 may be reduced to alternating one-way traffic in the center of Town at various times during the week.  Motorists should expect and plan for traffic delays when traveling in and around the project.

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.

 

The weather has warmed a tad and now we're getting a little rain.  I think we still need the rain, but I do wish it was just a little warmer.  My thermometer is stalled at 50 degrees.  Of course, that's a whole lot better than the 27 it was last night.  There was some frost on the grass this morning - and I noticed some of the very small stalks of asparagus in the garden looked pretty limp as the sun began warming them up.  There was bright sunshine for a little while and it was fairly comfortable out of the wind.  The good thing about this cold snap is that you can work outside without getting over heated - and there are no black flies.  Those little critters don't like the cold, and the wind tends to blow them off their mark.

Everything is nice and green though - and if it hadn't been for a dead battery on the lawn mower and that it was raining by the time Fred got the new one in place, he would have mowed at least some of the lawn.  It needs it - we have a fair crop of dandelions I like to get clipped before they go to seed.  I should go dig some of the smaller ones to eat . . . hmmm.

I had a note from Andy Rudin this morning.  Last fall sometime a "sky blue" barrel washed up at one of his neighbor's and they never found the owner.  Andy said it's a really nice one and somebody probably wants it back, so he's asking again if someone is missing it - otherwise it's going to be a compost bin.  Andy will arrive at Joe's Pond late Monday, but you can call me (563-2381) or e-mail me and I'll pass on the information if the barrel is yours.  I'm not sure when Andy will have communications hooked up here at camp.

We're getting a fairly steady rain.  I'm wondering if it will turn to snow later . . . ?  I guess it will be a good night for popcorn and a movie.

We got our sunshine back, but there was darned little warmth in it.  We had a low of something like 28.5 last night, and there was a little white frost in places this morning.  Even with bright sunshine, it was still very chill most of the day.  There was a stiff breeze right out of Canada, I think, and it never really warmed up a lot.

We have lots of folks heading this way from their winter homes in the south.  The Allens were arriving today, Sherry and Andre LaPrade are in, and Walter Ruf e-mailed this morning he was leaving and will be here by Monday.  I'm sorry we don't have warmer weather, but I guess they will all adjust, and by the weekend we're supposed to have much nicer weather.

I just learned that Doris Svec (Chatot Road) passed away on Sunday. Our sincere condolences to her family.  Here is her obituary, and if you'd like to send condolences to her daughter, Deborah, the address is:  Mrs. Donald McKeever, 154 West Street, Lunenburg MA 01462.  

I received the following from Henretta Splain today:

May 27 from 9am to 12 pm, there will be a Book, Bake & Plant Sale to benefit the Pope Memorial Library in Danville.  It will be held  'on the green' in front of the library.

 

We had our wrap-up Ice-Out meeting tonight at Positive Pie in Hardwick.  It was fun - we were able to get a lot done as we waited for our food to come, and enjoyed the evening very much.  We are ready to gear up for the 2014 contest - I'll be ordering tickets within a few days and will let you all know when they will be available - first at Hastings Store and Joe's Pond Country Store, and for all our members to have on hand during the summer to give or sell to visitors and family.  Our other distributors will not have them until around the first of March.  We will also put up the pages to buy them on line then.  It seems early to begin thinking about the contest again, but it has evolved to almost a year-around project.  This Sunday, the 19th, we will be presenting the winner, Gary Clark, his check at the State Fishing Access, at 1 o'clock.  It will be a short ceremony, and the public is invited.

 

Also on Sunday, the Cabot Historical Society is having their annual meeting at 5 o'clock at the Main Street building.  There will be a light supper before the business meeting.  We encourage anyone interested in the history of Cabot to come by, get to know us a bit, have a bite to eat and browse before and after the meeting.  We'll have the old wood stove going so it will be cozy if it's still cold weather - and you'll meet some of your neighbors.  See you there, I hope.

 

I know this is going to be hard for some of you to believe, but when we came home over Cabot Plain this morning from Cabot Village, there were snowflakes in the air.  As soon as we go to a lower level, it was misty rain, but still the wind is cold and the thermometer hasn't gone above 40 so far today at our house.  The low last night was 32.5 - I'd say that was just barely escaping a frost.  We were out checking the apple trees yesterday and all have buds - some, like the crab are further along than others, but a hard frost could almost certainly do damage to this season's apple crop.  I think the forecast is for colder temperatures tonight, then perhaps a gradual warming again.  This photo was taken late Saturday afternoon.  If you look carefully, you can see the rainbow colors through the trees as the setting sun bounced off raindrops over the pond.

I know Fred posted on home page this article that Henretta Splain found and sent to us recently, but when I read it, I thought it was worth posting on the blog, too.  I do think this stuff is important to know about, but I also sometimes wonder how in the world those of us who are fortunate enough to have been around for a while have managed to survive.  I guess there are more people, thus more pets, plus more bad stuff in everything we have that gives us pleasure and the so-called good life of modern days.  There's always a trade-off, isn't there?

When we were in Cabot this morning, we stopped at Harry's Hardware to check them out and Butters Restaurant.  Stan Linkovic who owns Butters Restaurant at the far end of the hardware store, wasn't there (they are closed on Mondays) but the building owner, Bobby Searles, let us go in to take some pictures for the blog.  That's Bobby in the first picture of the Harry's Hardwarae group.  Click on the names to see short slide shows.

The official "Grand Opening" of Harry's and Butters is on May 18th.  Harry's is sponsoring a fishing contest for kids under 16 years of age, with prizes for the biggest trout and/or biggest fish of any kind, caught in any pond, brook or river in the area.  Harry's has a very large assortment of fishing gear, we noticed - lots of lures, etc.  Stan at Butters is doing an outside BBQ, and there will no doubt be other festivities going on to celebrate the two businesses.  There will be more in the Hardwick Gazette, and I will have more information from that on Thursday.  In the meantime, if you know youngsters who might like to enter the fishing contest, have them contact Bobby Searles at Harry's Hardware, 802-563-2291.


Ok, now it's snowing outside again.  We've been having snow squalls most of this afternoon.  The temperature is still around 38, so of course the snow isn't sticking, but if it gets much colder tonight, we could wake up to a white world tomorrow.  Seems like we go through something like this just about every year lately.  I believe springs aren't as defined as they used to be.  I don't recall when I was growing up on Cabot Plain being subjected to really hot weather until after Memorial Day, and then there were gradually warming days when we let the cows out in the barnyard for a few hours before they were put into pasture for the summer, and finally, sometime after the worst of mud season was over, we'd take the young stock to their summer pasture down the hill towards the pond from the farm to the Fisher Lot, which is land across the road from where we live now.  That pasture was broken up into lots and sold when my uncle Bill Bolton owned the farm and is now owned by John and Liz Randall, Ken Coleman and David Mayhew. 

Back then the hot weather usually didn't arrive late May or June, and then we were in the fields planting corn.  I remember that because we had a one-row horse-drawn corn planter and at least at the beginning of corn planting each year it was my job to lead the horse to keep the rows straight.  After a while the horse would learn to follow the lines drawn in the soil by a wooden contraption that marked three or four rows at a time (also drawn by a horse, and as I recall a walk-behind like the corn planter).  Horses are smart, and while the horse might follow the line just fine on its own, after crossing the big field a couple of times, the horse would begin turning a bit too soon at the end of each row, shortening each row by a few feet each turn.  It was usually my Uncle Bob Bolton who walked behind the corn planter and he was good with horses, but there was one white mare that no manner of rein tugging or shouted instructions could persuade to continue to the end of the row; so then I'd be called into service again.  I never calculated how many miles we walked back and forth across that 40 acre field, but I remember being hot, dusty and bone tired after a few hours in the hot sun.  Farming is definitely governed by weather.  I've often thought that was something farmers have in common with sailors. 

By the way, those of you who are followers of the Walden Church Suppers will want to mark you calendars.  The first is on July 16th, then one on July 30 and on August 13.  They always start at 5:30 p.m.   If you have questions, call Diane Cochran at 802-563-2392.

We've enjoyed a really rainy day - the first we've had in a long time.  We actually had something like a downpour late this afternoon.  I think it did everything a world of good, but now we're going to have some cold weather and maybe snow . . . pretty typical, really, but after the nice stretch of very warm weather we've had, it's going to be a blow.  We're being warned to cover any tender young plants.

An article in the Caledonian Record recently tells us work is going to begin on the 15 mile stretch of rail trail between St. Johnsbury and West Danville.  Two bridges need to be constructed, and there will be ditching and surfacing.  The work hasn't been bid out yet, but hopes are high.  This will be a two-year project that will connect to St. Johnsbury's Three Rivers Transportation trail, which ends at a bridge abutment for Mount Vernon overpass.  The VAST trail project will construct the opposite abutment and the bridge to connect the two and continue the their trail work north to eventually end in Swanton.  There will be a second bridge in Danville near Trestle Road to replace a culvert which was washed out in 2011.  VAST will also be working to complete abut 15 miles of trail between Morrisville and Cambridge Junction, and a 10 mile stretch from Sheldon to Swanton.  Work will be funded by a $5.4 million grant that requires a 20% cash match or a 25% in kind match, so fund raising efforts will be stepped up.  No state money is involved.
 
We were in West Danville today and noticed Sambel's Catering and Concessions has set up near the public beach where John Woods had his lunch cart a while back.  They will be there every day this summer, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  They are offering a pretty full menu - appetizers such as chicken fingers, shrimp cocktail, onion rings and fries; burgers in various combinations; specialty sandwiches; chicken, shrimp, scallop, fish and fried clam baskets; and dinners that include choices of beef, seafood, chicken or surf and turf.  There is a kids menu, too. 

There are three people who will be working varying shifts, and each has a cell phone, so if you want to call in an order, try any of these numbers until one answers:  802-249-7758, 802-505-9019, or 802-238-1015.  If you want to find out about catering service, call 802-461-4669.  We wish them well - it looks like they'll have a pretty nice setup when everything is ready.  This was only their second day, but Bob Sambel said they've already had quite a few customers.

We had actually been up to see Bill and Bo Keach's new house that was set in place this week.  It is a Huntington Home and came in two parts.  Bill said they were supposed to bring in the pond side of the house first, but instead brought the one that would be on the road side.  So they set that in place and when the pond side came it was just lifted over the first section and set in place on the pond side.  Must have been interesting to watch.  Both Bill and Bo were there today and excited to be seeing things taking shape so quickly.  Bill said they may be
in by July 1.  It is a great looking home.  The
top picture was taken from the Narrows Drive side and below is one we took from Route 2 looking across the water.

There is also lots of work being done at the Paul and Dorothea Penar home (see photo on the left)at the entrance of Narrows Drive.  Most places around the pond are looking really good and there are quite a few people here already, getting a head start on repairs and updates to be ready for summer.

Most of our road signs around the pond seem to be in place and looking good, too, and we noticed there are buoys out, too, so boaters can safely navigate.  It's hard to believe that only about three weeks ago we were waiting for the ice to go out.  I expect the water is still very cold, but with this rain, the grass and leaves are looking lush and green so when this brief (I hope) cold spell is over, we should be on the verge of a great summer.

Oh, I should mention - the black flies have arrived.  We'd been fortunate they were delayed by the very warm dry weather, but now the rain has awakened everything - including those miserable little pests.