Sunday, June 30, 2013

Only a little more rain today - and sprinkling tonight.  Seems like the rainy weather may be slowing down a bit.  It was actually pretty nice today - lots of people around for the holiday week.  John & Liz Randall arrived yesterday.  They are celebrating the birth recently of their first grandchild, a baby boy, born to Jason, their older son and his wife, KerrinWe'll have more information and a picture later.

I received a picture tonight from Henretta Splain on Clubhouse Circle, of a bagpiper who was playing the pipes at sunset.  As Henretta says, "Anything can happen here at Joe's."  Bagpipes can be a mournful sound - appropriate for heralding the end of one of the few pleasant days we have had so far this summer, I suppose.

I think I can hear thunder rumbling outside now.  Not surprising since it was pretty hot and muggy today.  I went to the Historical Society to help get ready for the Fourth of July - that is always a busy day for us with lots of people visiting.  It's always fun to see people I know, especially those I may see only once a year when they visit the Historical Society!  

We have some new and interesting things on display this year.  We are concentrating on the Civil War era since David Book will be doing a presentation later this month about two men who served from Cabot, Abel and Edwin J. Morrill.  Both died during the war.  Their family lived in the house where Amanda's Greenhouse is now.   We have photographs of both men, and now have Capt. Edwin Morrill's small bible with his hand-written instructions in the back, as to how he wished his body to be returned to Vermont as soon as possible.  He had been shot while attempting to escape after being captured at Weldon Railroad, and died soon after from his wounds.  Before joining the 11th Regiment, Morrill had worked for the Fairbanks in St. Johnsbury.  His body was returned to Cabot and was buried not far from the family farm, in Durant Cemetery.

Edwin's brother, Abel, had died at Wilderness two months before Edwin's death in July, 1864.

David Book researched carefully the men from Cabot who served in the Civil War, and wrote a very informative book titled after an inscription on the Civil War Monument on the common in Cabot Village, It is Sweet and Honorable to Die for the Fatherland.  According to David's research, 35,000 Vermonters served in that war during the four year period, and at the time "the population of Vermont was only 315,000 men, women and children."  In 1860, 267 men between the age of 20 and 50 resided in Cabot, according to the census figures.  I counted 135 names of soldiers from Cabot David had researched and listed.  We have a similar list with approximately 150 names - our list includes some who lived in Cabot but on official records were credited to other towns.  It is particularly interesting that when David was researching for his book, he traveled to Washington, D. C. to find official records;  he then located as many grave sites of Cabot men as he could and sprinkled some Vermont soil he'd brought with him on their graves - so there would be a bit of home with them always.  

Saturday, June 29, 2013

I finally remembered to contact Kellie Merrell about how the water testing at the beach is going.  She got right back to me saying she has been testing the water since Memorial Day and the bacteria count has been consistently low.  Therefore, it may be the samples that tested so high last year were held too long before being tested in the lab.  However, as Kellie said, we will probably never know.

The goose population is down this year, several faulty septic systems have been corrected, and probably people around the pond are considerably more aware than they may have been in previous years, so are watching carefully what may go into the water.  With all the rain we've had, we cannot do much about the runoff through culverts, etc., but we can be careful about putting chemicals on our lawns that will almost immediately wash into the water, thanks to the rainy weather.

We'll hope to have some sunshine during the Fourth holiday so folks can enjoy some time off and all the parades and activities going on everywhere.  Have fun, but please be careful with fireworks, boating and swimming.  We don't want your good time to be marred by someone being hurt.

 
We have some sunshine today!  It's actually very nice by spells - then dark clouds roll over us, but it's a nice break from rain.  We didn't get as much rain as expected yesterday.  All together, I've recorded just a little over 1" for the past two days.  However, from Sunday, June 23 to today, I've recorded 2.86" of rain.  According to my reports, we've had 7.69" so far this month.  That's a lot of water for these hills to absorb - or not.  And only a little over a month ago, on May 26, we were dealing with nearly 4 inches of snow that added considerably to the rain count of 6.09" total for May.  Weather is certainly interesting to watch.

I just learned that Sandy Ricker's mom died on June 18.  Her name was Lillian Johnson, and she was 93.  I have only Sandy and Bill's Florida address - 4466 Mainmast Ct., Ft. Myers FL 33919 - but I'm sure condolences will reach them if sent there.  Their summer home is on Sandy Beach Road here at Joe's Pond. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

Work Update
Danville Route 2 Project
Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 7/1/13
In observance of Independence Day, crews will not be performing any work on the project Thursday, July 4th and Friday July 5th.  Work will resume on Monday, July 8th. 
PAVING: 
The majority of the final wearing course paving is complete!!!! 
Crews still have to finish up paving driveway entrances around the Village Green, Route 2 and Hill Street.  They are planning to pave these areas Tuesday, if the weather cooperates.
LINE STRIPING:  Crews will be out preparing the newly paved roadway for line stripes.
Miscellaneous clean-up work will be performed throughout the week.
Travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic while most of the work above is being performed.   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.

Fred went through Danville this morning and got a couple of pictures showing some of the finished road work - through rain drops.  The top picture shows two "islands" in front of  the Diamond Hill store.  Fred was in the right lane, heading east.  It would seem that the road at this point is somewhat wider than it used to be and probably cuts into the Green a little to allow for the two lanes, two islands and still have space in front of the store.  It's all designed to slow traffic, we're told.


This picture is Danville Restaurant, and you can see that the road and sidewalk look pretty much finished - the lawn in front of the restaurant has been reseeded, and things are looking fairly normal again.  All good news to Danville businesses and to all the folks who routinely have to travel through Danville to get where they're going.

It rained pretty steadily most of the morning, but tapered off this afternoon and now the sun is shining bright as can be and there's a nice breeze coming out of the west.  It's still very humid, but having the sun out really cheers us all up.  Looking at the long-range forecast, it seems that next week may see some improvement.  We can only hope.  If the weather clears enough, Joe's Pond fireworks will be on Wednesday, July 3rd with a rain date of July 5th.  We also hope the daytime weather will be rain free on the Fourth - it would be too bad for the parades, BBQs, picnics and other activities to get rained on.


Thursday, June 27, 2013

I'm happy to report we saw Jane Larrabee at the store today, and she's looks wonderful and said she's feeling great.  She told us the whole recent episode that landed her in the hospital began with pneumonia.  She's not on the mend and we certainly hope she continues to do well.

It's been another off and on rainy day.  Every time I decided things were dried out enough to go outside and try to get something done, either finishing the painting I started a couple months ago or working in the garden, before I could get out there it would begin to rain again.  Not a lot, but just enough to keep everything wet.  I finally gave up after lunch and began an inside project scanning a scrapbook recently donated to the Cabot Historical Society, and darned if the sun didn't come out - and it stayed out!  By then I was too involved in what I was doing to do more than dash out to pick some lettuce and spinach.  I didn't intend to stay out long, so I didn't put any insect repellent on and the black flies found me immediately, so I was out there even less than I'd expected to be.

I had a note from Diane Rossi today - she and her committee have the luminaries ready to distribute for the Fourth.  Here's what she wrote:

 We have luminaries for sale again this year, a dollar a bag and candle, to be placed about 10 ft. apart along the shore line on the 3rd of July just before the fireworks.  Rain date is Friday, July 5th....but we're pretending it won't be raining next week when it's time for the fireworks!  We have a couple of new sales people this year, and any of us would love to get calls about buying luminaries.  There is Pam Hebert (684-3655) on Brown Rd., Lynn Hamilton (563-2254) on Sandy Beach Rd., Cindy Rubulcaba (563-2785) on Barre Ave., and myself, Diane Rossi (563-6088) on West Shore Rd.  Hasting's Store also has a supply.  Our hope is to surround the pond with candle power (it really looks great) and make a few dollars for the association.  We're hoping to get a lot of support for our efforts this year.....and have a Happy Fourth of July!!! 

Let's make this Ring of Fire around the pond the most complete one ever.  If everyone purchases enough to set along their waterfront at 10 ft. apart, it will complete the Fireworks Celebration in grand style.  For those of you who don't know the history or may have forgotten, the first Ring of Fire was in 1979.  For a few years, there were no fireworks here at the pond and this was a way to celebrate the Fourth.  Fred and I went out in the canoe to enjoy them.  It was lovely, and while there were a few fireworks from some camps here and there, the evening was relatively quiet.

I heard the other day in "Dear Abby"someone wrote it would be nice to revive the tradition of ringing bells at 2 p.m. on July Fourth to commemorate the day.  I found references to bell ringing, but not much about President Kennedy having suggested it back in 1963 like the lady mentioned.  I can imagine it happening in 1776 - those colonists rang bells for all sorts of occasions, good and not so good, so no surprise there.  I think it would be an interesting switch, but I doubt very many people will stop whatever they're doing at 2 p.m. to go ring a bell.  However, if enough people were on hand in church belfries so church bells rang out in unison from town to town, I expect it would get some attention.  

Speaking of things patriotic, a few years ago a 45-star American flag was donated to the Cabot Historical Society.  The donor believed it was made between 1896, when Utah joined the Union and 1907 when Wyoming joined.  I put it in a frame this week and it will be on display at the Main Street museum on the Fourth. 

Keep safe during the next few days of extreme weather.  We're watching the weather closely hoping the rain clears out of here by the holiday.  I guess we can have fun even if it's raining, but fireworks don't adapt well to wet weather; and certainly not to the foggy conditions we've noted from time to time.  So do your sun dancing or whatever it takes, and let's think positive thoughts.

Someone told me today that old time Vermonters say you that whatever the weather is on the last Friday of the month predicts the weather for the coming month.  If that's the case, we may all want to get out our slickers, boots and umbrellas - and maybe build an ark. 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Here are some announcements taken from Front Porch Forum today:

Just a note starting this Sunday June 30th we will be accepting donations for the Cabot 4th of July sale.
June 30th - July 3rd 9:00am to 3:00pm
If you need iteams picked up give me a call Terri 279-6818.
All proceeds go to the Cabot PTSO
Thanks, Terry Persons
* * * * *
Saturday, June 29th – 7:00 pm Alec Ellsworth and Katie Trautz
Alec Ellsworth and Katie Trautz are a Vermont based duo that plays traditional old-time and Cajun music. Both musicians are strong fiddlers who weave harmonies and melodies together with their instruments and voices. Ellsworth and Trautz are multi-instrumentalists and integrate banjo, guitar, and songwriting into their sets. Most recently, they have traveled to Louisiana where they learned and shared Cajun and Old-time music along with their stringband ‘Kick ‘em Jenny’.
* * * * *
 
The Cabot Planning Commission has started work this spring on a comprehensive re-write of the town's current land use (zoning regulations). We encourage residents to learn more about this effort and stay informed as work progresses. We will be sending out general updates periodically via Front Porch Forum. But if you really want to stay on top of what is happening, please check out our project web page at www.placesense.com/cabot where you can also sign up for our email list.
The Planning Commission is very pleased to be working with a consultant, Brandy Saxton, of the firm PlaceSense. We feel that we will have an excellent product in the end.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

A timely reminder from Henretta Splain and the folks at Pope Memorial Library in Danville:
Hi all Joe's Ponder's and Friends,  Our Spirits of Vermont has come together.  Our committed restaurants are: The Creamery, Bentley's Bakery, Vermont Coffee Company, Brown's Bistro, Baliwick's on Mill, Goodfellas, Butter's, Market Cafe, Genuine Jamaican, and Sumptuous Syrups.  The tasting component is: North Branch Vineyard, East Shore Vineyard, Grand View, Caledonia Spirits,  Dunc's Mill, Vermont Spirits, Eden Ice wine, Artesano Mead and Sparkling Wine and The Alchemist Brewery (Heady Topper).  Tickets are selling but can still be purchased at the Pope Memorial Library in Danville on Park St or by calling 802 684 2256 or Henretta Splain at 802 227 3082.  Suggested ticket donation $30.  Looking forward to seeing you all there.  Sunday, July 7, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Thanks, Jane.
Henretta
(Click on the poster to make it large enough to read details.)
The weather pattern is pretty much set for this week - sunny mornings and rain storms every afternoon.  Great for the flowers and lush foliage, but difficult for farmers who have crops to plant or hay to harvest.  The good news is that it's going to be a tad cooler by the end of the week, but we are also expecting more rainfall.  Not exactly what we need any more.  We've already had almost 4.5" of rain this month.  This morning I measured .57" in the rain gauge, but looking at  some of the other total precipitation in the area, we didn't get the brunt of the storm.  It seems to me the heaviest rain fell in the mountains.

We were on the road when it began to sprinkle, headed for Newport to the Eastside Restaurant  
to celebrate our anniversary. We were pleased that the sun was out by the time we got there, so we were able to sit on the deck.  It's really a lovely spot, and of course we took pictures.  There were lots of people there, some of them I'm sure came by boat to the marina; and there were tourists from Canada, as well as many locals.  They were busy, as usual, but we had great meals - Fred really likes their chicken and biscuits, and I had stuffed haddock with a really great lobster sauce.  The salad bar there is always great, too, so it's almost like having two meals instead of just one.  

We stopped at Price Chopper on our way home, and in the short time we were there, dark clouds came in from the northwest and the wind picked up to almost gale force.  We had apparently timed it just right and by the time we were a few miles down the interstate, we had hard rain. 


 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Work Update
Danville Route 2 Project
Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Paving Update
Monday, 6/24/13
PAVING:
As of 3:00pm, crews had paved one lift of asphalt on the streets that surround the Village Green and some on Hill Street.   They were on hold because of a severe thunderstorm going through Barre where the asphalt plant is located.  The weather will dictate if they continue paving today.
The paving plan for tomorrow is to finish the second lift around the Village Green and Hill Street and start on Route 2.  Paving of Route 2 will probably continue into Wednesday. 
PAVING TRAFFIC DELAYS Travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic in the center of Town while crews are paving.  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.

Sunday, June 23, 2013





What a muggy day!  Summer is definitely here, thunderstorms and all.  We were fortunate not to have been hit too hard with heavy rain and high winds, although it did come down pretty hard for a few minutes this afternoon.  At one point I noticed some strange patterns on the water behind the big island.  I think it was sort of between showers, so may have been either wind or rain ruffling the surface of the water.  

Later on we saw this very large rainbow over the pond.  It seemed to stretch from one end to the other, from where we were watching.  On the news tonight there were reports of power outages and some flooding, I think in the Rutland area.  We didn't seem to have very hard storms, but several rolled through this afternoon.  Around 5:30 the sun came out and it was very lovely - everything washed down and fresh, and the air felt like warm pudding.  When it gets this humid, the perfume from the flowers is wonderful.  I have lots of white peonies in bloom, also pinks which give off that sweet, cinnamony fragrance, and just the smell of warm, moist soil is wonderful.  


Earlier in the day we walked around the perimeter of our lawn to check out apple trees, and see what surprising plants or trees are springing up where the logging was done.  We have some mossy areas that were looking very dry now they are exposed to full sunlight after many years of dense shade.  I suppose something will eventually take over there, too.  There are very moist areas that are lush with ferns that we will let grow - other areas will be kept mowed.  

Woody went with us, but it was a little too warm for him, so every time we stopped to examine some tree or bush, we'd find him either sitting or stretched out in the shade.  He went the whole route with us, but when we stopped for several minutes to talk with Mimi and then Tom Morgan came along, Woody sat patiently in the shade of one of the ornamental apple trees and waited for us to climb the hill back to the house.  Tom mentioned today would be a "cool day" in Texas, where he lives.  I think animals feel the heat perhaps more than we do.  He always is very quiet on hot days.  Jamie and Marie routinely take their dog, Otto down to camp for a swim on very hot days.  I guess we'll all have to get used to hot weather for the next few days.

Don't forget that the Danville Baseball Club will be picking up returnable bottles and cans on July 7th, from 9 a.m. to noon.  If you have questions, give Kevin Johnson a call at 274-8048.  

Also, if you have articles for the big rummage sale in Cabot on July 4th, give Terri Persons a call at 279-6818 and she will arrange to have your items picked up.  The parent/teachers group puts on the sale each year to benefit the school kids.  And plan to go to see the parade (11 o'clock) and take in some of the other events in Cabot to celebrate the Fourth.  Click the poster to learn more.

Also there's an interesting benefit for the Kingdom Animal Shelter in St. Johnsbury on June 29.  See poster below.

There are lots of things going on - you'll find an announcement on the web site about Rhythm of the Rein fund raiser on the 29th, too.  Check it out, right under Fred's picture of the trees on our lower lawn.

We just lost our electricity for a brief moment, but it was only a blip, so no damage done.

We have had only one report on geese, and that was from Sam Lewis who said he has seen only a very few in the area of the channel, so I'm guessing there aren't many hanging out here this year.  That's good news, and the Goose Committee will have a report at the Annual Meeting on July 6th.  We'll also have 2014 Ice-Out tickets for each of our members.  There are tickets at Hastings Store and Joe's Pond Country Store now.  You can also print tickets from the website and mail them in.  Later on we'll have the pay on-line tickets available, but not until we actually have ice on the pond! 





Saturday, June 22, 2013

I received a little more information on the moose that visited on Narrows Drive this week:

Hi Jane!
Yes, acc. to Eric Powers a male Yearling. He has a shot of him as well ,as Moses, our Moose, poked his snout into Eric's shed with Eric inside at the time! Eric estimated him at 600-700 lbs.

Found your link on Moose extremely informative and well worth reading!

Boy, since I have been here a lot has happened! Storm, murder, and Moose to name a few.
Still the best place to be!

Continue to be an avid blog reader!

Many thanks, 
Karen

That must have been a surprise for Eric to have a moose investigating him in the garage.  Chalk it up to being young, inexperienced, and probably never shot at like most adult moose.  

I agree with Karen - we've had a lot happening here in the north country recently.  It isn't the Vermont we knew even 20 years ago.  I also agree it's a great place to live, and most of the time we enjoy pretty decent weather, most people are law abiding, and as long as we don't interfere too much with the wild life, we, and the animals, have it pretty darned good.
I received this photo and message from Karen Gruggel this week:

First saw Moose on big lake side. Went in to get IPad, and this is best I could do as he headed down the lane!

Boy, the surprises up here continue to amaze me!

Karen

This was taken on Narrows Drive and Karen sent it to me on Thursday.  Sorry I didn't get it on sooner, but the picture got misplaced in my  picture file and I just now found it as I was rearranging.  This guy was probably looking for some relief from deer flies and heat, and likely took a swim before he left the area.  Here is some information on Vermont moose put out by the 
Vermont Fish & Wildlife folks.  They are fun to see, but it's good to remember they are wild animals, so don't get too close.  Thanks to Karen for sending the photo.


Friday, June 21, 2013

Summer arrived officially today, and what a great weather day it was!  Temperatures in the high 70s even here at Joe's Pond, a nice breeze, and except for a few high clouds early in the day, it has been mostly clear and pretty dry.  We didn't celebrate by dancing around a fire or any of the other ways mentioned in this piece about Summer Solstice, but we did get a fair amount of work done.  I've been waiting for a string of dry days in order to finish up painting the railing on our deck and some of the trim around doors, etc., that get weather beaten over time, and today was perfect for that.  I got about half done of what needs doing.  Fred scraped the three basement windows ready for a primer coat, and we'll probably get to them tomorrow.  I don't believe they will need any re-glazing, but the garage windows are in dire need of lots of work, so that will take some time. 

We met a really cute little dog today.  Our friend (and egg lady), Jenn Persons, came by with our eggs today and brought Clara, a very sweet "foster" dog Jenn is caring for until she is adopted.  She seems to have lots of black Lab, but perhaps not a thoroughbred.  She has shorter legs than most Labs, I think, and Jenn said she believes she's about two years old and won't get much bigger.  She stands about 14-16 in., I'd say - definitely neither a small nor a large dog.  She made friends with our cat, Woody, right away.  We were impressed that as soon as Jenn called her, she immediately came.  Jenn said she does a little dance standing on her hind legs when she's really excited and happy.  I'm sure it won't be long before someone adopts Clara.  She's a very nice little dog.

Jenn was Woody's owner before he wandered into our lives.  She told us today all his siblings have died.  We were sad about that - he came from a litter of at least four, I think.  We are thankful he seems to be very healthy, even though he does have to have a special diet (augmented by wild creatures in the summer, of course), so he never gets canned anything, and isn't interested in "people food."  A clerk at Price Chopper told us last week her cat begs for table food all the time and loves oreo cookies.  I don't think chocolate is good for animals, but I didn't get into that.  Woody likes to hang out at the table when we're eating, but it's just his way of being social.  He never begs, just stretches out on the rug either beside or under the table to be near us while we eat.  As soon as we leave the table, he leaves, too.  Sometimes he startles guests by brushing against their legs as he maneuvers for a resting place under the dining room tableWe've had guests try to feed him, but he will only sniff the food and then walks away.  

Recently someone contacted us at the Cabot Historical Society asking if we knew when the town garage was built.  It is located at the foot of Bond Hill, on the right after you cross the bridge heading north out of town on Route 215.  None of us knows, but Bonnie Dannenberg remembered there used to be a freezer locker about where the garage is now.  I hadn't thought about that, but after she mentioned it, I remembered there was one there when I was in high school.  It was a fairly large building that seemed to have been made from cement blocks.  We are hoping someone will remember when that building might have been torn down to make way for the town garage.  I was at the historical society briefly yesterday to drop off some things, but I didn't think to look in the town reports.  I expect there would be some mention there as it would probably have come up for a vote on whether to erect the garage there or some other location.  

You may have noticed that Jack LaGue posted a request on the web site "Comments" page for people to let him know if you have seen many geese so far this year and if they are hanging out on your property like they did last year.  We haven't heard of any problems this year - perhaps because we gave them a pretty hard time last year, or maybe because they got here when the weather was pretty warm and decided to keep going north to a cooler climate.  Jack's interest is for the benefit of our Goose Committee, of course, so e-mail him, jacklague@fairpoint.net if you have information.  

As far as we know now, weather permitting, Joe's Pond Fireworks Display will be on July 3rd.  If there is rain, we will set them off on July 5th.  We'll keep you posted.  Also, Cabot's big Fourth of July celebration will be rain or shine on July 4th.  Click on the poster to make it larger so you can see all the fun activities they have lined up.  It's always a fun day for everyone.
Work Update
Danville Route 2 Project
Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 6/24/13
PAVING:
Final wearing course paving in the center of Town is set to start on Monday and last into Wednesday. Below is the tentative schedule for paving:
Monday – Weather permitting – Crews plan to pave the streets around the Village Green (Park, Smith and Peacham) and also Hill Street.
Tuesday – Weather permitting – Crews plan to pave Route 2 and tie in the side roads.
Wednesday – Weather permitting – crews plan to pave in driveway aprons, side road entrances and parking lot entrances.
If it rains, paving will be canceled and rescheduled for another time.
PAVING TRAFFIC DELAYS Travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic in the center of Town while crews are paving.  Motorists should expect and plan for traffic delays when traveling in and around the project.
Landscaping will be installed in the Village Green throughout the week.
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 have received troubling information about someone harassing the loons in order to take closeup photosHere's what we've been told:  Click on the photos to make them larger.

Yesterday (6/19/13) this person was out at least 3 times (including after dark with no nav light) taking very close pictures of the loon family.  At one point (about 6:00 p.m.) he forced them all the way from in front of the camps on Meadow Lane over to Smith's Point on the East Shore.  The loons were protesting the invasion, but to no avail.  We were relieved to see the Loon family back [off Meadow Lane shore]  at dusk where they apparently spent the night. This photographer was back the following morning (5:30 a.m.) and chased the Loons down the West Shore. After all the publicity given the loon family and the care that should be taken to avoid harassing them, we hope that if someone recognizes this man they will give him some kind of warning before Fish and Game is notified.  At least 3 camps watched this incident; shouted requests for him to back off were ignored.  Pictures were taken by a neighbor.

Click on the photos to make them larger.

 This is obviously not a youngster fooling around.  With that zoom equipment, more like a professional, or would-be professional - except that a professional photographer would not risk endangering the loons or risk a $5,000 fine.  It is illegal to harass wildlife in Vermont (and most other states).  

If you recognize this person, please let him know we are very protective of our loons and he should not have been so close to them, and ask him politely not to repeat this offense.

We have also learned several people on the West Shore have discovered ticks.  They are thought to be not the deer tick that carries Lyme disease, but we want people to be careful and wear appropriate clothing when in the woods; also, be sure to inspect your animals regularly for them, as well as yourself if you frequent woodsy areas.  




 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Musicians in the area may be interested in the Historic Organ Convention.  Several local church organs are on the list for their inspection and admiration.

From: Alan Ruggles
Sent: Wed, Jun 19, 2013 4:11 pm

Good afternoon,
I wanted to let you know that this Saturday we will be hosting 20 games ranging in levels from T-Ball (4) to Babe Ruth (15/16).  Games will begin at 9:00 am on Leonard Field and run through 9 – 10 on our Legion Field facility.  In addition to all of the teams from our St. Johnsbury League participating, we will be hosting teams from Danville, Hardwick, and Lyndon.
The start time of games on each field is listed below:

20 games and 40 different teams.  Join us for the day and support our local youth!
See you there!
Alan
PS: Admission is free but the fun is priceless!!!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

We had to be in St. Johnsbury today - appointment for Fred and errands for me.  We were there all morning and it was quite warm - warm enough so at one point we fired up the air conditioner in the car.  Once on the highway headed home, having the windows open was enough to keep the car cool, but it was really very warm in St. J.  When we got to West Danville, I stopped at the post office to pick up mail and commented on the nice day, Diane Jeger said, "Yes, a nice FALL day." I hadn't paid much attention to the temperature, but when I went back to the car, sure enough, there was a bite to the air that surely felt like fall!  I know it was the result of cold air straight out of Canada sweeping down the pond into West Danville - pretty normal, actually, and when combined with the added elevation compared to St. Johnsbury, temperatures at Joe's Pond are always considerably cooler than other places.  A blessing in hot weather, a curse in the winter, I suppose.  It was nice to see the sunshine, though.

Going through Danville, we have noticed on several occasions the row of lilacs at the veterinarian's just past Marty's 1st Stop.   At least, I think they are lilacs.  I got this picture of them today.  I was reminded of the lilac bush that was at the Gruggel camp at the narrows between the middle and third pond.  That bush had blossoms on it all summer long most years.  I don't know if it is still blooming there or not.  I haven't been down there in the summer lately, but we used to enjoy seeing it very much way after all the other lilacs had faded away.

 We are interested in seeing the final touches being put on the road through Danville, and especially how the Green is taking shape.  Today workers were planting trees along the roadside near the school.  I suppose there will be lots of young trees planted on the Green, too.  It is very bare now, having lost several big maples.  This picture shows the Green and the bandstand - noticeably bare of trees.

The islands spaced through town, designed to slow traffic, seem to be mostly finished except for any landscaping on them - I'm amazed they found room for them, two lanes of traffic and  sidewalks.  It's a little "busy" having so much detail on that stretch of road after years of seeing it just a two-lane strip of highway. 

The above picture is in front of Diamond Hill Store as we were heading west through the village.  I believe there is another island directly in front of the store.  I'm not sure how that will work for getting in and out of the store, but I'm sure it'll work out.  The same island is shown as we were heading east.  The curbs look very high, but I think that may be to allow for new paving before the job is finished.

There are more islands all the way through town, with breaks to let traffic turn off for Hill Street, onto the Peacham Road or to get to the library or businesses.  There is one-way traffic through town during the daytime hours, but no very long waits.  I think when the job is finished the town will look very "dressed up" and hopefully traffic will slow down and take in the beauty of the place.

I was very sad to find the obituary of Maurice Drown, Nate Drown's father, in the Caledonian today.  Mr. Drown has been a familiar visitor at the family camp on West Shore Road over the years, and he loved coming to Joe's Pond.  We always enjoyed talking with him, and we'll miss him.  Condolences may be sent to Nate and Sally and their family at:  2366 Shadow Lake Rd., Concord VT 05824.


Work Update
Danville Route 2 Project
Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Paving Update
6/19/13
PAVING – Paving for this week has been postponed until Monday, June 24th, 2013.   More details about the paving plan will be released in the work update for next week.
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.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

I wonder how many people did as we did and rushed outside this afternoon to get their lawns mowed?  Seems like every day we either get a little rain or it doesn't clear off long enough to dry out the grass enough to mow.  There are soggy spots in various places on our lawn, but I think we're resigned to letting ferns take over some of those areas now.  No point in stressing over it.

I finally got the rest of the supports for my peas up.   Not that I couldn't have done that in the rain, but it's more fun when the sun is shining.  I still have other vines to get trellises up for, but they are the flowering kind, not the food sort.

I don't think my garden is doing very well so far this year, but the weeds and witch grass are thriving.  So are the slugss.  But I fixed them - I put some bait out, the organic kind that they seem to really go for but it turns out to be sort of a last supper for them.  It worked well last year, so I'm using it again.  There are more slugs and snails everywhere, not just in the garden, than I remember ever seeing before.  I spotted snails in the road and in the gravel of Jamie and Marie's driveway when I was walking yesterday.  I've heard these creatures can lay dormant for something like three or four years if conditions aren't right for them to thrive.  Oh, well, they probably have their place in the scheme of things and provide food for birds and such.  They are a banquet this year!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

I know it's hard to believe, but I've been working off and on all weekend to get the slideshow of Jo-Ann's graduation pictures ready.  I think it's operating fairly well now.  I used only a few of the photos as most of them were family oriented.  

Today turned into another wet one - almost as forecast, although I believe rain was predicted to arrive earlier than it actually did.  It came down fairly heavily for a little while this afternoon.  I think it's stopped now and I'm going out to get some rhubarb to make sauce for supper.  I've had radishes from the garden and there is a pretty good supply of baby spinach.  The peas are up and doing pretty well, so there's hope. 

I trimmed the grape vines the other day.  I needed to wait until I could see leaves and buds so I wouldn't cut living branches.  I got rid of a lot of dead wood, so I hope it does well this year.  I think it was last year we had no grapes at all - they started out fine and then just dried up.  I had some hops growing on the north side of the arbor, but it seems they have mostly run away into the woods.  I found one small vine, but it didn't appear to be enthusiastic about climbing where I was directing it.  I'm not sure why I planted the hops anyway, but I guess I was intrigued by wine on one side and beer on the other at the arbor.  Silly thoughts to brighten a gloomy day.  I usually put some hanging plants in the arbor, but the weather has been so unusual I've held off.  There's still not enough shade until the grape leaves mature, and there's altogether too much water other times.  Best to wait.  I did hang a couple of wind chimes there - when there's a nice breeze on summer nights, we can hear them faintly and it's kind of nice.  

When I was hanging them up the other day, I was remembering how much I liked those little chimes we used to find in the five and dime store - they were made with different shapes and sizes of glass hung from bamboo hoops and had designs painted on them, as I recall.  We had one hanging on our porch and I could hear it from the hammock that was strung up between two big maple trees near our driveway.  I suppose they still make those, but I haven't seen one in years.  They weren't very substantial, as I recall.

I need to go get some rhubarb.  I hope all you fathers had a pleasant day, even if some of your activities and celebrations may have gotten a bit wet.  You're still appreciated, and it's nice you have a special day for your offspring to show it.  Enjoy!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Graduation exercises for the eighth grade of Waterford School were very nice last night.  They were held at the St. Johnsbury Academy gymnasium.  We took lots of photos, and a movie of the processional posted to YouTube.  I will make a slide show with a few shots of the graduates, but I haven't had a chance to do that yet today.  Kizoa that I normally use was not operating well when I was trying to work with it this morning.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Many of the graduating class joined other students from Waterford School in the band and played Soaring! - doing a very nice job.  The band also played the traditional Pomp & Circumstance for the graduates entering and leaving the auditorium.  Very nice.  

We were struck by the ease with which the students spoke; each one had perfectly prepared their speech and delivered it with assurance and grace.  They all seemed very well rehearsed and there were no fluffs or stumbles, in speaking, singing or accepting awards and diplomas.  Impressive young students.

I have learned that Bentley's Bakery is on the market because it is part of a five-year plan of  owners Jeff and Nancy.  That is good news.  Apparently the business has weathered the Route 2 Project reasonably well.  We're told Jeff has retired and Nancy is anxious to retire as well so they can move on to the next phase of their life plan.  We wish them well.

I heard from Chico Carcoba today.  He sent a photo Sharon had taken of their resident loon.  Their family will be just a little later than ours, apparently.  Can you see the loon - just a head sticking out of the bushes on a tuft of turf?  Good shot, Sharon.  Let us know how many eggs hatch and when.
 



Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project
Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 6/17/13


In preparation of final paving, crews will be adjusting manhole covers and drainage inlets to meet the height of the new pavement.  This work will take place throughout the center of Town. 

PAVING – Paving crews will start final wearing course paving on Thursday, June 20th and continue on Friday, June 21st,  weather permitting.  Paving will take place on Route 2, as well as Park St., Peacham Road, Smith Street and Hill Street.  Paving is expected to continue into the following week.
If it rains, paving will be canceled and rescheduled for another time.
PAVING TRAFFIC DELAYS Travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic in the center of Town while crews are paving.  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.
# # # # #

This came from Evelyn Richer yesterday (Thursday):


Hi Jane...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the nesting site here in
Cabot has produced 2 healthy chicks, and they are out on the main pond as of yesterday afternoon... Please watch out for them when boating and give them plenty of space... these little guys are pretty tiny and hard to see...

It does look like these guys are getting along well together (no sibling rivalry).

Thanks to everyone for watching out for them again this summer...

Blessings, Evelyn (and Ray)

Snow & Ice Report

 W e're through another March snowstorm, and as far as I can tell, we aren't expecting more snow this month. We'll probably have...