This doesn't seem to be turning out to be a very good night for trick or treating.  It's warmer than it has been, but there's been a steady misty rain since about noon, and it doesn't seem likely it will let up for the ghosts and goblins.  At least it isn't snowing - yet.  That could certainly happen at higher elevations.

I probably have mentioned this before, but every Halloween I think back to when I was a kid growing up on the farm on Cabot Plain.  I remember going out only perhaps a couple times to "trick or treat."  When I was perhaps a second or third grader, my Grandmother Bolton showed me how to make noise-maker from an empty wooden sewing thread spool.  She found one in the drawer of her old treadle Singer, and showed me how to notch the edges with a jack knife, wind a string onto it and then, holding the spool against the glass of a window with a pencil through the hole in the spool, pull the string to make it turn.  The result, if done correctly, was a loud rattling sound.  It took coordination, not so much to cut the notches, most farm kids grew up whittlin', but holding that pencil so the notches on the spool had contact with the window wasn't so easy.  I do remember that after putting up with the noise a reasonable time, Grandma gave me one of her doughnuts and told me it was time to go home.  One of her doughnuts was worth more than a whole bag of candy, and I'm sure I went home happy.

I remember reading ghost stories at school on Halloween, and the parties we sometimes had.  I recently came across some pictures of Halloween when I was in school in West Danville, about 1942 or 43, I think.  I don't remember much about what we were doing - I guess we probably just dressed up that day and perhaps had a party the last hour of the school day.  I can't say we four were a very scary bunch, and wonder what the rest of the kids looked like.  I found another photo from the same era when we were obviously putting on a minstrel show.  Those were great fun, and as I think we used burnt cork on our faces.  Students today cannot do blackface, of course, but back then minstrel shows were common, performed not only by school children, but adults, as well.  We learned lots of great songs, and something of the southern culture, I suppose, although probably it was badly skewed.  There was "Swanee River," "Polly-Wolly-Doodle," "Dixie", and "Camptown Races," among other great Stephen Foster songs for these shows.  The jokes were silly, but the audiences would always laugh, and everyone had a good time.

Now I'll have "Camptown Races" running through my mind and hear Emerson Lang calling out, "Up tempo!  Up tempo!" as only he could do it. 

We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween tonight.  
 


 

Boy, was it cold last night or what?  Weather folks were reporting this morning we got "a killing frost" overnight, and that was definitely so.  The nasty weather cleared out, though, and today was sunny.  Although I don't think we got much above 40 degrees, it was a lot more pleasant than the snow and rain showers we had during most of the weekend.  There have been some reports of accidents caused by black ice on the interstate, so it's time to gear up and slow down for winter driving. 

There isn't much news to report - in fact, things seem pretty quiet around the pond.  Most summer residents have gone, and the year around folks are fairly scattered - and pretty quiet.  Hunters are out, and when the weather was warmer, we heard gun shots from the direction of the pond, generally early in the morning.  They are going after ducks and maybe those pesky geese, I guess.  Or it could be rabbit hunters.  We've heard some dogs in the woods below our house from time to time - there's no mistaking the sound of hounds on the scent of a bunny.


Here's a schedule of events from the Cabot Public Library.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

We went to Cabot Village to work at the Historical Society building this afternoon - the old pot-belly stove was going and kept us cozy, even though the day outside was  awful.  We  left in a mini snow storm, but in Cabot it was raining just a little and about 5 degrees warmer, with no wind.  On the way home we stopped by the Plains Cemetery and took these pictures.  First is looking towards the southwest, we think the area of Sugarbush; the next one is Mt. Mansfield, and then one looking north towards Jay, with the Foster Covered Bridge in the foreground.  Just behind the covered bridge, you can see the Bob Davis place through the trees.  

Even though we'd had some snow, it wasn't sticking to the ground or even collecting along the sides of the road.

 By the time we got home, there was some spotty sunshine, and I  noticed it was very pretty looking towards Route 15, so took this picture. The sky was still heavy with clouds, and it's still cold - in the 30's tonight, but not quite down to freezing.  It will probably be there by morning.

We're watching the World Series games - I'm not a big baseball fan, but I do get interested at series time.  

Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 

We're enjoying snow showers here at Joe's Pond today.  The snow isn't sticking, in most spots, but it's definitely a huge switch from the near 70 degree weather we were having just a week ago.  We had a low of 25.3 last night, and more nasty weather predicted for the next few days, at least.  The forecast is for rain, but we know it will likely be snow showers here.  There is a brisk wind out of the southeast this morning, too.  That makes it feel colder.

I had a nice note from Butch Bouchard about the slide show I posted last night.  Butch and Sue are not far away from the area we visited, and he said they often go there for a get-away, and Butch knows the area from growing up nearby in Haverhill, MA.  Here's what he said:  

Your pictures of the coast of NH & ME were awesome.  It saved Susan and I a trip that way this weekend.  As it's not far from our home in Haverhill, MA, it makes for a nice & quick get-away for us.  The Salisbury and Hampton beaches were a frequent hangout for me as a teenager, once my friends and I got our licenses. 

 The photo of the Isles of Shoals was so close.  I believe the islands are about 8 miles from the point you took the picture from, which I'm guessing is about where some of those large beautiful homes are. That's actually the closest point on the mainland.  I've been out there several times in my life and I couldn't imaging living out there.  Some do still.

So thanks for that show.  Good work.

Butch

We will be putting in some time at the Cabot Historical Society building this weekend, wrapping up from the Apple Pie Festival, and preparing to close the building for the winter. After that, I have a couple of new projects I'll be working on - one with the Danville Historical Society, and one I've already started, digitizing the interviews done for the Cabot Oral History book published in 1999.  While the book has a wealth of information and quotes, and we used what we considered to be the most important stuff, reading the whole interviews gives one a better sense of the people involved, not only the person being interviewed, but also the one asking the questions.  We have these interviews on tapes, and they will be further preserved in MP3 format; and when I'm finished scanning the pages of transcriptions, we'll also have a hard copy of every interview done.  It's going to be a lot of work, and time consuming, but I started this past summer so I could be sure it was something I could actually do, and it went very well, so I'm excited to get back to that.  First, I have some wrapping up of some other loose ends, but at least I have a couple of interesting projects to look forward to this winter.

That said, I need to get busy - right now!

Oh, yes, someone asked if Woody missed us while we were away.  Marie and Jamie looked in on him, kept is food and water dishes full (he worries if either gets low!) and said he followed them wherever they went as they tended to his needs, and kept up a constant conversation.  Woody seldom meows, so we have to believe he was lonesome for some human contact.  When we got home, he was far more interested in us than even getting outdoors - usually his foremost thought after being unable to go out for a while - and he's still sticking very close to us, keeping one of us on his radar at all times.  He went out briefly last night and brought back a gift of a mouse - dead, fortunately, as we didn't spot it until he dropped it on the rug at Fred's feet.  And he didn't even eat off the head before he gave it to us!  For him, that's a high compliment.

We were away for a few days doing out annual pilgrimage to the Coast of Maine.  Actually, we spent more time this year on the "coast of New Hampshire," exploring the beaches and communities in and around Rye and Hampton. 

Many years ago, we had breakfast at a place called "The Golden Egg," just outside of Portsmouth, and ever since, we've talked about going there again.  Last year we finally located it, but there was a sign on the door saying they were closed due to a power failure.  We ended up at a great place on the beach in Rye called "Petey's," and decided that, too, was worth another visit.  So when we headed to Portsmouth from our hotel in York, we had a plan:  if "The Golden Egg" didn't look promising or wasn't open, we'd just go on to "Petey's."   

We had a great lunch at "The Golden Egg" and then decided to take another look at the beach communities we'd only driven through last year.  We spotted a Great Blue Heron fishing in the marshes, and watched loons riding the swells off Rye Beach.  Later we stopped to watch some surfers, and took some pictures.  We didn't realize until we unloaded the photos when we got home that one of the surfers was, unexpectedly, a middle-aged, balding, man.  We walked on the beach and enjoyed seeing the front side of the lovely homes along the shore.  I've put together a short slide show of some of pictures we took.  We went to Dover, NH, to visit my cousin and we were impressed with the foliage, but it doesn't show up as vividly in the pictures.  Then at Rye and Hampton beaches, some of our favorite places in York and the Nubble at Sohier Park.  We had lunch in Laconia with Fred's brother, Tom, and Ellie, and took the scenic route (where we didn't take any pictures!) from Laconia through the lake region past Squam Lakes, then home through the White Mountains where we could see snow squalls looming ahead.  However, as we progressed through the Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch area, we found only light rain, and an occasional snowflake, but nothing was sticking - until we got to West Danville and Joe's Pond, then we began to see a little  snow along the roadsides and in protected spots on lawns.  This morning we awoke to snow on the few leaves left and on tree branches.  We didn't mind because we had such nice weather while we were away.

Here is the obituary for Hazel Greaves.

Once again, I have sad news to report.  We just learned that Hazel Greaves died at her home this morning.  We knew she had been ill this summer, but Jane Larrabee told me Hazel was in church yesterday and certainly had a good day.  She apparently died in her sleep, and like Jane said, "that's the way to go." 

Hazel was a really fun lady to know, and had many friends here at Joe's Pond.  She's had her "Camp Old Joe" on Barre Avenue for many years, and living close by in Walden, we saw her often out and about, all year long, always in great spirits, planning for a fun trip or helping out in the community.  We will certainly miss her a lot, and our thoughts are with her family.  I'll post details as soon as we have them.

We are very sad to report that Joanne Bugbee's mother, Madeline (Rash) Moulton, passed away on October 15th.  Joanne's dad, Charlie, passed away on August 26th of this year.  Our deepest sympathy goes to the family.  Joanne and Mike have a cottage on the middle pond, on Route 2, and their home address is 163 School St., Apt. 1, St. Johnsbury VT 05819. 

I've known Charlie and Madeline for many years, and we shared many good times when I was living in St. Johnsbury.  They had lots of friends, and were devoted to each other and to their two daughters.  It is very difficult to lose both parents so close together; but I hope the family takes comfort in knowing Charlie and Madeline were not separated for long.  

Finishing Touches to the Danville Route 2 Project

 

Punch List Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Crews will return to the project for the next couple of weeks to complete punch list items.

Week of 10/21/13 – Crews will be working on grinding sidewalk edges at crosswalk locations at Route 2/Hill Street/Peacham as well as at all traffic islands.  Landscapers will also be working on punch list items in various areas around the Village Green and the Library.  Traffic can expect to be interrupted with alternating one-way traffic while this work is being performed.  Crews will maintain two-way traffic as much as possible.

Week of 10/28/13 – New crosswalks will be installed on Park Street near the Post Office throughout the week.  Most likely, motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic around the work zone while crews perform this work. 

Other miscellaneous minor work will be performed throughout the project for the next few weeks in an effort to address the punch list items.

Contact Alex Sellar with Pike Industries with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 603-630-9500.

Help Megan Foy win an ultrasound machine!

This was sent to me a while back and got lost in the shuffle - sorry.  It's still not too late to help Megan Foy win the ultrasound, but do it right away - the voting ends on October 20th.
 

My name is Megan Foy and I was born and raised on a dairy farm in North Danville, VT.  I graduated from CALS as an Animal Science major in 2010 and I am now a 4th year veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin and will be graduating in May!  My career goal is to move back to Vermont and practice as a large animal veterinarian.  I entered a video contest to win an ultrasound machine, which (as you know) is a valuable tool for veterinarians and very, very expensive.  If I win, I would own my very own ultrasound, and could use it to help vermont farms prosper through the health and welfare of their animals.

The contest is solely based on popular vote, and it would be HUGE if you could promote my video to the UVM alumni listserve, CALS facebook/webpage or any other way possible.  My video talks about my goal of returning to VT and practicing as a large animal veterinarian.  The voting ends on October 20, 2013.  Please let me know if you would like more information regarding the contest.

Here is the link to vote:

http://www.northamerica.bcftechnology.com/lp-aabp-2013-video-contest-vote

There is an obituary in today's Caledonian Record for Jeff Downs, who passed away on September 27, 2013.  Jeff owned the Joe's Pond Country Store in West Danville, and was a member of the Joe's Pond Association.  This tribute to Jeff is at Hastings Store in West Danville.

On our way home from the post office, we went down Sandy Beach Road to try to locate the origin of machinery noise we've been hearing for several days.  We were pretty sure someone was digging somewhere, and found it was at Byrd's where they have installed a sea wall and are now drilling a water well.  I'm sure they'll be happy not to have to carry their drinking water.  We all used to do that a few years ago, and then, one by one, people began to drill wells.  Now, the spring near Mason's on West Shore Road that was a popular source of drinking water, is only used by a few people.
 
The new cottage on Point Comfort is coming along, but there isn't much happening on the outside except one side of the roof is done.  It certainly looks like it will be a nice spot.

We totally missed the celebration at Hastings Store on Sunday.  Neither of us thought of it.  Turns out they had a pretty steady string of visitors all day - Garey said they estimated about 300 people came by.  We apologized for not being there - we would have liked to get some pictures to show you, but all I can say is that we forgot to put it on our calendar, and that was a big mistake.  The chances are we'd have noticed it there, but maybe not.  Sometimes I forget to look at the calendar, and I never remember to put appointments on my computer . . . I really appreciate that doctors offices call a day ahead to remind us of appointments!

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Ardys Ruth Eldred, mother of Steve Eldred, a long-time member of Joe's Pond Association.  Steve and his wife, Louise, live in Walden, but have a Hardwick address:  382 Stevens Hill West, Hardwick VT 05843, if you wish to send condolences.  

We have not-so-great weather today, but it's also not-so-bad as it could be.  Not much sunshine, and a brisk wind that seems to be out of the south, but it's often difficult to tell from where we are on the east side of Cabot Plains.  There are hills on either side of Joe's Pond, and some north of it, and they seem to interrupt wind streams and I'm guessing that's why there always seems to be something going on with wind in West Danville - the air gets funneled into that narrow outlet from almost any direction.  That keeps the village cool in the summer, and downright frigid in the winter.

Pie bakers, don't forget that the Apple Pie Festival pie contest is coming right up this Saturday at the Cabot Gym.  Bake your favorite apple pie and enter it in the contest.  Bring a second pie for us to sell or pay $5 entrance fee for the contest.  Here are the

rules:  

1. Pies must be registered by 10:30 a.m. (Judges like them warm!) Judging begins at 11a.m.
2. Make a traditional two-crust apple pie.
3. Use Vermont apples.
4. Be willing to share your recipe.
5. Agree to allow us to sell or auction the remaining slices of your pie after judging.

Pies are judged on:

1. Appearance of the whole pie 

2. The crust 

3. The filling.

Prizes include cash ($50 for the best adult pie!) Beautiful winners ribbons and other gifts. Winners of Best Apple pie also have their names engraved on our beautiful apple plaque. Enter the baking contest to find out if your name will be engraved with the 14 other great apple pie bakers!

We can also use more apple pies to sell, so if you can donate a pie or two, we would appreciate that very much. This is our one big, very important fund raising event for the Cabot Historical Society, and we can never have too many pies to sell. People look forward to buying a slice or a whole pie at this event. If you can donate a pie, get in touch with Mary Beth Churchill at 563-2345. 

See you at the Apple Pie Festival!

A Short Trip Through Area History

After a rainy day yesterday, we have our sunshine back - however, lots of the trees are bare and the daytime temperature is lower than it has been - right now I'm showing 55 degrees in the shade - but it is still very comfortable outside, especially for working.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and we went with friends to the Danville Inn for breakfast.  It was a treat to see the Halloween decorations owner Steve Cobb had; and in addition, the food was wonderful.  After lingering over coffee, we took some back roads on the way home.  To say we took "the long way home" would be an understatement.  We went first to Greenbank Hollow, then to Peacham, South Cabot, and finally over Last Road (a stretch timid drivers would not want to attempt) to Danville Hill Road to Cabot where I showed them one of my favorite spots, the Center of Town Cemetery.  We spend some time at Greenbanks Hollow where the big five-story woolen mill had been.  Foundation remnants are clearly visible on the west side of the covered bridge that spans Joe's Brook.

According to historical records, John Bolton, who I believe was my great, great grandfather, built a small mill there in 1802, which he sold to Mr. Greenbank some 40 years later.  The area was known as "Bolton's Hollow" before becoming "Greenbank's Hollow."  I'm trying to find the connection to Harrison Bolton, referred to in a pamphlet about the area as the person Greenbank bought from.  There were many John Boltons, also William Boltons, but I haven't found Harrison.  I could be mistaken and the John who built the first mill might not have been part of my father's direct line - but a trip to the Danville Town Offices may help clear that up. 

From there we found our way to East Hill Road in Peacham where we went past the farm where author, Bill Lederer, lived when I worked for him (it hasn't changed much, but looks less "lived in" than when he owned it), and then through Peacham Village and along the back road leading to East Cabot -  but we took a side road so our friends could see the Covenant Hills Camp in South Cabot.  That's how we happened to take Last Road, which is almost directly opposite where the Covenant Hills Road intersects Route 2.  

Fred and I had not been on any of those roads for some time, but there was no problem - all were very navigable, although some quite narrow and a bit rough, and there were spots where the foliage and views were very nice.  It was especially pretty at the Center of Town Cemetery (picture on right).  Some of the old markers were tipped, and some have broken off and I found parts of them on the stone wall surrounding the graveyard.  I expect it would be nearly impossible to effectively repair those 200 year old markers.  It's still a nice, quiet spot to visit and remember that the founding fathers of Cabot once trod there, for instance, William Osgood, who donated land for the cemetery and was first to be buried there; the first school master, Joseph Smith, is buried there; also at least nine Revolutionary War soldiers, and familiar family names such as Lyford, Morse, Stone, Durgin, Marsh, Colburn, Perry, Adams and Walbridge.  The last burial there was in 1846.

 

None of us remembered that the Hastings Store celebration was going on Sunday, so we missed that.  We just thought of it yesterday, and were sorry we didn't get to stop in.  I'm sure they had plenty of well wishers without us, but it would have been nice to have joined the fun.

Here is a notice I received this morning that may be of interest to Cabot residents. Click to make the poster large enough to read.

We are going to have another beautiful fall day - the sun is shining brightly this morning, and there's not a cloud in the sky.  Earlier, I heard gun shots from the direction of the pond - I'm assuming it's either duck or goose hunters.  I don't  like the idea of shooting things, but on the other hand, too much of  anything isn't good, and we've certainly had "too much" of the geese around in the past couple of years.   I don't expect many of them will actually be shot, but just being shot at will perhaps discourage them from frequenting Joe's Pond quite as much in the future.  Assuming they have memory of past experiences.

Diana Klingler and I worked yesterday on organizing the articles for our Silent Auction that will be part of the Apple Pie Festival on October 19th.  Just a week from today!  We have lots of items - and a very broad price range, so there's something for just about everyone.  The weather may not be quite as nice next Saturday, but that doesn't really matter, the Festival takes place in the gym and there's plenty to see, do, and eat, right in one spot, comfortably.  After that, for me, at least, things will calm down and I can attend less hectic projects - until it's time to gear up for the Ice-Out Contest.  See how quickly time passes?  Already I'm thinking "spring"!

Today Fred and I will be doing outside work, and part of that will be to dig some potatoes.  I planted just a few last spring, and have no idea if there will be even a few.  I admit I forgot about them and only pulled earth up around them once after they were settled in a trench.  I had good intentions, but I confess - I'm not much of a gardener/farmer.  My father would not be proud.  Oh, well.  He'd like that I am doing my best to preserve local history, as that was important to him.  I do what I can.

This has been another beautiful fall day.  We had to spend the morning in St. Johnsbury, but it was quite pleasant.  Eastern Avenue is torn up - much like Danville was for a couple of summers - so it's a good idea to plot where you need to go ahead of time, and helps if you know alternate routes.  We know the businesses are feeling the pinch of people not being able to get to them by car.  I believe the plan is for the work, which involves  sewer and water lines and perhaps some communications lines, is expected to be finished in a few more weeks, but having the street torn up during the fall foliage tourist season is tough, and we just hope the mess is over before the holiday season.

The bridge on the rail-trail in St. Johnsbury was put in place today, so bikers and hikers will have access to the trail from St. Johnsbury to West Danville.  They are making good progress, and I believe the trail will be ready for snowmobiles by the time snow flies.

On our way through Danville this morning we got a picture of the Beattie's new barn.  It's coming along pretty well, but it's quite large and there's a lot of work still to be done.  It's looking good, though.

Then, on the way home, we swung down Point Comfort Road to see how the new cottage is coming along.  I believe it's Albert and Alice Towle's place.  It looks very large, but that's perhaps because the places on either side are quite small by comparison.  It will be interesting to see what the finished product looks like. 

Before I forget, here is an updated schedule of events for the Cabot Library.  The previous one had an error, so this one is a correction.  Click on any of the images to enlarge them.

Yesterday, Fred and I went to pick up some donations for the Apple Pie Festival Silent Auction coming up on October 19th.  We went out the old Bayley Hazen Road - there are a couple new houses since we'd been out there, perhaps two years ago, and that surprised us.  The road isn't great - it's better than a trail, but I believe it's a class 4 road that only gets attention from the town once a year or something.  It had some rough spots, but as long as we went slowly, it was fine.  Then views from there towards Camel's Hump, Mt. Mansfield the Worcester Range and Jay Peak are spectacular.  It's a different perspective from the view from the cemetery.  We used to often taken visitors on that road and could drive through a field to the top of what used to be called Burbank Hill, which is almost as high as our night pasture hill on my Grandfather Bolton's farm, about three miles southeast of there.  Now most of the land around both spots is private, with residences, so those lookout spots are pretty much out of reach.  But the view from the Bayley Hazen Road is still worth the trip.

We were in the area to pick up some Vermont Switchel at the Alexander's.  It's for the Silent Auction, and I took this picture of "Charlie" as we were leaving.  She's big, friendly and beautiful; and I think she knew she was having her picture taken.  

We had some different weather today.  It was still warm, but the wind was whipping the leaves off the trees and by late afternoon, the rain came and it was wild for a little while.  It will be colder tomorrow, we're told - more "normal" for October.  The storm seems to be over now, but in some areas people have lost their power.  I took out insurance against that this afternoon:  I filled a large pitcher with water and stored it in the fridge; then I filled a mop pail with water and left it in the tub in the bathroom.  That is the best insurance I know of.  The chances were pretty good that we would lose our power, and I believe had I not "prepared" for the outage, it would most likely have happened.  I guess that makes me at least borderline superstitious.  I say "borderline" because I rarely hear voices calling me when nobody is near, and although things often  disappear from where I'm absolutely certain I left them, I'm reluctant to believe there's anything paranormal about it.

Speaking of such things, the usual horror movies are being featured on television now, gearing up for Halloween.  I don't watch those - too horrible.  But I don't absolutely discount that when strange things happen there could be some supernatural cause.  Maybe. Someone contacted me a couple of years ago asking if I knew any ghost stories about Cabot.  I had to admit there have been some strange goings on in Cabot, but I don't believe ghosts were ever involved.  I once interviewed a lady, Mrs. Hoffman, in Lyndonville, though, who was certain ghosts inhabited her old house.  She had lots of stories, including how professional ghost hunters had stayed there and that they had seen apparitions and felt waves of cold air as if some spirit was present in the rooms.  I was at her house several times, and although she took me through the rooms one by one, and told me of the strange "happenings" that had occurred in each, I came away feeling it was simply a lovely, but drafty, old house with lots of creeks and groans from serving generations of one family for over 200 years.  However, I don't think I would want to spend a night there.

I've had some fairly unusual "happenings" over the years, myself, but my para normals tend to be  feeling I'm replaying a moment from my past - you know, that "been here, done this and I know what you're going to say next" moment.  And then there are instances when a bit of melody will drift through my mind or a scent in the air reminds me of someone or some place that is a long-forgotten memory.  But that's more nostalgic than ghostly, so if some prankster spirit wants to get my attention, it will need to do something more definitive, like showing up some night at the foot of my bed (that's what spirits do, isn't it?)  Until that happens, I guess I'll remain borderline superstitious.

We walked down on Sandy Beach Road today - the wind was raising whitecaps on the big pond, but at the head of the pond, it was pretty calm.  We watched an osprey riding the wind, nearly motionless in the sky.  These three crows were hanging onto a tree stripped bare of leaves, and below, a big blue heron stood motionless among lily pads ruffling in the wind, intent on catching his supper, I suppose.  There was a misty rain by the time we got back home, but it was warm enough so we didn't mind.  

Our surroundings will look very different tomorrow, I expect.  There will probably be few leaves still on the trees, and with the temperature much cooler, we'll begin to think in terms of real fall instead of prolonged summer.  Today there was a high of 70, according to my thermometer.  Right now, it's reading 50 degrees.  I had a maximum wind speed of 21.6 mph registered, but I think that was low compared to what was coming up the pond.  It was a south wind, and the hill protects us from the full force from that direction.

We are very sad to tell you of the passing of Hilda Martin, Kate Chatot's mother.  Although I didn't know Mrs. Martin, Kate has been a long-time neighbor here at Joe's Pond and active member of JPA. Condolences may be sent to Kate at: 199 Chatot Rd., Cabot VT 05647.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Kate and her family.

Here we are, waiting for our lovely fall weather to "normalize" and turn cooler.  It's hard to believe it's already October.  Used to be we expected our first snowfall during the first week in October.  October is "bird hunting" season, or partridge season, for those of you who may not have grown up here.  It's a time of tromping through brown pastures and along tree-lined roads where there were trees with berries or apples; of being startled when the loud whirr of beating wings announced the departure of a partridge; and sometimes the loud report of a shotgun which more often than not leaves the partridge unharmed.  

It wasn't so much shooting (or missing) the birds that I remember so fondly - it was the long walks in familiar pastures, visiting our favorite apple trees and gathering as many to take home as shirt tails tied together would hold.  It was the smell of the decaying leaves and the warmth followed by the sudden chill when the sun  dropped behind big spruces and we knew it was time to head for home.  That's why this October, even though the leaves are the right colors and are beginning to collect along roadsides and in maple groves, the air hasn't had that early morning nippiness, and there's been no need to scrape frost off windshields yet, so it just doesn't seem right to me that it's the first week in October.  

The robins seem to be congregating on schedule, the jays are screaming their objections at squirrels competing for nuts and berries, and the deer are visiting their favorite apple trees every night, so the world around me is definitely responding to shorter days.  I keep telling myself that instead of acting like it's summer and there are endless warm days ahead, I'd better make good use of the freaky weather to get everything tucked in and ready for winter because the real fall is lurking just around the corner.

There's another sure sign it's fall - the Autumn on the Green in Danville this Sunday.  It's a great way to celebrate autumn, and you'll find all kinds of crafts, food and people there, and I know you'll have a great time.  I'm hoping it will help me get real about fall this year . . . ! 

Summery Fall Days

Here we are in the very midst of Fall Foliage Week - Monday was Walden's day to host, Tuesday was Cabot's.  For the first time is a while, the weather was super nice for both Walden's and Cabot's activities.  It's not unusual that there is rain, or sometimes even snow flurries; but this year not only has the weather been perfect, but the foliage is just about peak in our area. 

On Saturday, we took advantage of the chicken pie supper in North Danville, and it was delicious; last night, we got take-out turkey dinners at Cabot - and everything was super good.  Church suppers are only one aspect of autumn in Vermont, but they are exceptional.  Some of our neighbors joined us last night for the turkey - it's become sort of a tradition for the past few years to order take-outs and have them at our house. 
 
 Fred took this picture yesterday when he went to Cabot to get the dinners.  It's the Foster Bridge across the road from the Plains Cemetery.  On Sunday when I went that way for a meeting in
Cabot, there were six or eight cars parked along the road and people taking pictures in every direction.  Further down the road at the Burtt Farm, cars were lined up from their sugar house to the Abbott's, and parked on their lawn and driveway while people milled about at their farm stand, buying apples, corn and other vegetables.  It's been a good year for apples - and most vegetables, too, I guess.  And it's a good year for tourists - they seem to be everywhere on our back roads.  The picture above is the road just above the Burtt sugar house, showing some nice color.

I had an e-mail from Marty Talbot recently - she and David are in Ireland with 12 students.  I believe they will be there until about Christmas - one semester.  Marty has started a blog, and it's very interesting.  There are lots of differences to get used to, but it sounds as if they are thoroughly enjoying their adventure.  Check it out:  Marty and David in Ireland.

And now, with Woody curled up on the desk beside me, I need to check my e-mail one more time before I call it a day.  Poor cat has a hard time dividing his naps between favorite spots, but nearly every night he come into my office, usually just before I'm getting ready to sign off for the night.  He gets all comfy, hind feet firmly braced against my arm (I think that's a security thing), and then I turn off the computer and leave.  I feel bad, sometimes, about leaving him - he's so happy to be there - but then I remind myself he's a cat, after all, and cats really don't need people - just staff.  But with Woody it's different - he's definitely a "people cat."  If he were just a tad smart, he'd have figured out by now that he could come in earlier each of these warm nights and get more nap time by my side.  I guess I can't complete with his hunter instincts.

 

 

 

A Home For Gracie

From Daphne Tanouye: 

I have great news!  I have found a wonderful home for Gracie with my cousin in Florida.  We are going to take her home to Maryland with us today, and then we just need to figure out transportation to Florida.  I know she will be happy there, and that this is the best way to honor my dad.

Thanks again,

Daphne