I received a message from Homer and Margaret Fitts this evening letting us know that Homer's brother, Wendell, passed away in Florida yesterday.  Here's what Homer wrote:
 JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW MY BROTHER WENDELL PASSED ON YESTERDAY HERE IN FLORIDA.   IT IS A BLESSING AS HE HAS BEEN IN AN ASSISTED LIVING HOME RECENTLY BECAUSE OF ALZHEIMERS.

WE WENT TO A " CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE " TODAY IN SUN CITY CENTER.     ALL HIS SIX CHILDREN WERE THERE AND MOST OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN.   HE HAD SPENT LOTS OF TIME IN PAST YEARS AT JOE'S POND WITH CHATOTS, LA GUES, ANDERSONS AND LA PRADES.

    THE LA PRADES AND ANDERSONS WERE THERE, ALONG WITH BOB AND RACHEL BANCROFT.

    A RECEPTION DINNER WAS HELD AFTER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB.

    HAVE TO TELL YOU IT IS IN THE 70s AND A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY.

                        LOVE AND BLESSINGS,

                                            HOMER AND MARGARET

Homer and Margaret are in Venice, Florida, their address is: 789 Baveno Drive, Venice FL 34285. I'm sure many of the Joe's Pond people knew Wendell and remember the good times when he was here at Joe's Pond.  Our thoughts are with Homer and the family.  

We are so sorry to have to pass on more sad news, but Marguerite Impey, a long-time St. Johnsbury resident and most recently living here at Joe's Pond with Evelyn and Ray Richer, passed away on Saturday.  Mrs. Impey was a lovely lady - her family and her many friends in the area will miss her.

I went to St. Johnsbury today for a dentist appointment.  The thermometer on the car was showing minus 5 degrees when I left at about 10:30.  In town it warmed up a bit - but only to zero, so I was thankful for my seat warmer (!) and heated steering wheel.  Such luxury.  I've pooh-pooed these kinds of add-ons over the years, but now that they are more or less standard on most automobiles, and I've had a chance to enjoy them, I'd really not want to be without them, especially on a day like today.

On my way home, I paused briefly to get this picture of the fishing shanties near the fishing access.  No, I didn't get out of the car - I took a chance, and aimed the camera out the passenger window.  Not too bad for a one-handed, no-time-to-focus snap shot, right?  I wanted to get the "community" of fishing huts clustered there, but I really didn't want to take the time to get out of the car.  This year there are other shanties further up the pond and even one near the islands.  The one behind the islands I posted the picture of here a few days ago seems not to be there now.  It maybe was moved and is the one further down, just south of the islands.  Hard to tell.  I didn't see any activity on the ice, and I'm sure it would have been in the vicinity of -25 degrees with the wind whipping down the pond.  One would really, really have to love ice fishing to be out there when it's that cold.  It's -10 degrees now and going to be way colder tomorrow, we're warned.  However, we aren't supposed to get the snow people south of us will be getting.  Philadelphia, New York City and Boston are all expecting to get something like 12 inches.  Not a good winter for lots of folks this year.