We should have made up some of the water we need in the pond.  We've had pretty steady rain from last night through most of today and it's going to continue tomorrow into next week.  I recorded .83 inch this morning and we've had more today.  The ground is absorbing it nicely, so there may not be as much runoff into the pond, but still, it's going to help.

My friend, Mary Whitcomb, caught an error I made on the blog yesterday - I said construction on the Route 15 bridge was scheduled to begin on June 6th, but it is actually the week of June 8th, and the bridge is scheduled to be completely closed around the 22nd, if everything happens on schedule.  I went back and changed that - sorry if I caused undue concern about when things will get interesting along West Shore Road.

I had a message today from the grand niece of the late Julia Milligan, who with her husband, Flea, owned a store in West Danville some years ago.  The lady inherited some of Julia's photos and other memorabilia and has offered to share.  I'm excited to learn what she has.  I have a meeting with the West Danville History Committee tomorrow, and I'm sure they'll be interested.  It's a real thrill to have someone come forward and offer historic items or information.  

If you went to school in West Danville or lived there years ago, we'd like to hear from you, too.  E-mail me here, or give me a call, 802-563-2381, and one of us will work with you in person, by phone or e-mail.  We are picking up a lot of information from old newspapers through 1922, but the papers are not digitized after that date, so research will be more difficult and we are going to need personal interviews to fill in the gaps.  Photos, diaries and journals are wonderful resources, and we appreciate an opportunity to see or scan those if you don't wish to donate the originals.  We're also always interested in personal recollections.  Just hearing about what the village was like when someone moved here or left here, or worked at Point Comfort back in the day,  knew former owners of the stores, filling stations or farms close by, maybe worked on the St. J. & L. C. R. R., or your family has long owned or once owned a cottage here and you have stories to tell - it is all important information for us. We hope you'll help us collect memories to preserve and share.

Today was a perfect day to be at Joe's Pond. It started off cloudy but then we got plenty of sunshine and finally a bit of rain and a bit of thunder and lightning, but nothing severe.  We really need the rain.  The pond level is down, and Association President Tom Dente got in touch with the folks at Green Mountain Power just to be sure the dam wasn't malfunctioning again, but after checking with the people who oversee the dam, Josh Castonguay reported back to Tom that the low level is due to so little water coming into the pond.  Tonight's rain may help a little, but we still need more.

People are gradually coming back from their winter retreats.  We notice the difference in traffic already, and that reminds me that in about a week we will probably notice a really big increase in traffic along West Shore Road.  I believe the latest word is that construction on the bridge begin about June 8th, and starting June 22, the bridge will be closed for 28 days. We saw a State Police cruiser go down through today and wondered if they are checking out the route in order to be able to respond better if/when needed during the time the bridge in Walden is being replaced.  The prescribed detour is through Marshfield and using Rt. 215 through Cabot, but we all expect most local folks will use Brickett's Crossing Road and West Shore Road.  The best advice is what Tom Dente said:  Take the same precautions when walking on West Shore Road as you would walking along Route 2.  Walk facing traffic; keep children and pets away from the road; if you need to walk your dog along the road, keep it on a short leash.  

We had our grands with us for supper tonight.  Woody is exhausted.  He escaped into the night a few times during the evening, but kept coming back in, to the delight of Tangeni, so I'm pretty sure he didn't mind all the attention that much. He was brushed and petted, followed, talked to and finally, when it was time for everyone to go home, cried over.  Tangeni sobbed as her Dad took her to the car, and told him Woody is her "best friend," and she was going to miss him "all day tomorrow."  It would be nice if they could have a kitty at their house, but big sister, Jo-Ann, is allergic, so that isn't going to happen.  I'm sure the fascination with Woody will wear off in another year or two, but for now he's got a special place in Tangeni's heart.

Ice Out Tickets Available for 2016 Contest

We've had a busy day, and got a lot done.  It was cooler and not as humid, and that helps.  We got a little rain, but in between showers there was some sunshine, too.  The black flies are still out and eager to feast on my blood.  A little over a week ago I was bitten several times, including in back of my ear, and the following morning I woke up with severe vertigo.  I don't know if that was what actually triggered it, but I do know I have often had pretty severe reaction to those bites.  I try to steer clear of the little pests as much as possible.  I still do my walk up the hill except when it's very hot, and as long as I keep moving they seem to leave me alone.  No stopping mid way up the hill to smell the apple blossoms or catch my breath these days - I just keep chugging right along so they won't use me for lunch.

We picked up the Ice-Out tickets from the printer today.  Here's what they look like this year - pretty robin's egg blue!  Fred and I got those for our members counted out and ready for pickup.  Joe's Pond Association members will find theirs in an envelope at Hastings Store. (Every member is asked to sell or buy 10 tickets.) The boxes of envelopes will be in plain sight - usually on the table at the right as you go into the store, each envelope labeled.  I'll be leaving them off tomorrow, so I'm not positive where they will want me to place them, but I'm sure you'll find them.  

For non-JPA members, I will also leave a good supply with the store, so ask for them at the counter.  If you are not in the area and want tickets, let me know.  E-mail me, janebrown@fairpoint.net or give us a call - either me at 802-563-2381, or Diane Rossi at 802-563-6088.  We'll be happy to send you some.  It's fun to have them on hand during the summer months when people are visiting - or to give someone as a little surprise in a birthday card or just a fun thing to do.  It's curious how people react to receiving them - like it's a really generous gift.  Of course it could be if they turn out to be a winner.    

We hope you will all join the fun of getting into the contest.  or myself.  

I think summer is here!  Well, at least a preview of what summer may be like.  It's been hot and muggy the last couple of days and we even had some rain along with our first real thunder storm.  It seems a lot like summer to me, but it still smells like spring - there is the scent of apple blossoms in the air and that rich, heavy smell of warm, wet earth after the rain - it doesn't get much better than that.  The June bugs are bouncing off my office window; I keep it closed, otherwise they cling to the screen and their buzzing is distracting.  Besides that, I have a feeling there are tiny flying bugs that could make it through the screen only to die before morning, and I don't want the dead bodies cluttering my desk and getting into my computer.

I expect most of Vermont knows that Marselis Parsons, former news director at WCAX passed away.  We watched tonight as nearly the whole broadcast was devoted to memorializing him.  It was interesting and very touching.  I didn't know him personally, but I was sorry when he retired a few years ago, and now it's hard to imagine that we won't see any of his "postcards" again.  I noticed they mentioned his interest in sailing, and I know he had a lovely vintage inboard boat; he also had an interest in vintage Vespa scooters.  I know this because some years ago our youngest son, Jamie, had occasion to talk with Marselis and found out they had Vespas in common.  It is sad he didn't have more time to enjoy his retirement, interests, family and friends.  I thought his friends and former co-workers at WCAX did a very nice job remembering him on the air tonight.  It was a fitting tribute.

I have been putting scraps out for the crows.  They have been very active around our house this year and they are one of my favorite birds.  I read an article recently about how tame they can be once they realize you aren't going to hurt them.  I suspect I'll run out of fruit and vegetable scraps before they get very chummy, but it's still fun to watch them working on whatever I've put out.  I got some pictures this morning - and that isn't easy, because they have very sharp eyes and get spooked at the slightest movement in a window.  I waited until they were concentrating on the potato peels and ended up with a series of pretty good shots.  The picture at the top of the page was taken last fall and they weren't as high on my list of favorites then - they consistently got to the apples before we did - bouncing on the branches to knock them off or pecking at them on the tree.  I had to admit they were pretty crafty and I respect their ingenuity. They can be noisy, but their calls and squaks are so varied, I enjoy guessing whether they are calling others in to join the fun or cussing out one that's already there. I'll probably never figure it out as I don't have a lot of time for studying the habits of crows.  I do enjoy watching them from my office window as I work, though.

Memorial Day

We hope you are having a nice Memorial Day.  It is quiet here today with hardly any traffic.  The day started off with sunshine, but now it has clouded over and a few minutes ago I saw some rain drops on the window.  It's pretty warm, though - about 69 degrees, and the wind isn't quite as strong and cold as it has been for the last few days.

There is more information about Margaret Lucenti's death - our deepest sympathy to Margaret and Sal's family.  Losing both of them so close together must be very difficult for them.  At our Joe's Pond Association meeting Saturday, someone mentioned that Margaret and Sal were "always together," so it wasn't surprising they would depart this earth close together as well.  They were long-time Joe's Ponders and always took an interest in the summer community here.  There always seemed to be a lot going on when they were at camp, with friends and family enjoying their company. We will miss both of them.  

I had news this morning of the birth of John and Liz Randall's first granddaughter, Hallett "Hallie" Leslie Randall, on May 5th.  She joins their first grandson, John "Jack" Perry Randall, now almost two.  The proud parents are Jason and Kerrin Randall.  Grandma Liz said Hallie came a bit earlier than expected and weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces, but she's a happy, healthy baby and she and her mom are doing just fine.  We are very happy for the whole family.  The Randall kids, Jason, Matt and Lauren, grew up at Joe's Pond, and the family was here most of every summer and often in the winter when they were all young, so we got to enjoy them as our neighbors.  They all still have a soft spot for their cabin on West Shore Road at Joe's Pond, and come as often as possible, now Jason with a family of his own, Lauren with her fiance, Kevin, and Matt with his lovely girlfriend from the Netherlands, but they are all busy, so visits now are usually brief.  

I just learned that our neighbor, Don Encarnacion, is celebrating his 93rd birthday today.  Don is living in St. Johnsbury now, in the care of Deborah Baldwin, 271 Hillside Ave., St. Johnsbury VT 05819, if you'd like to send him a card.  I'm sure he'd like to hear from any of his friends here - and if you are in the vicinity, he'd enjoy a visit.  Hillside Avenue is a dead-end street off of Breezy Hill Road.  Breezy Hill Road connects Pleasant Street to Hospital Drive - we call it the "back road" to get to the hospital area from downtown St. Johnsbury.  From Pleasant Street heading north, Hillside Avenue is a left.  Pretty area, and Debbie says visitors are always welcome to stop and see her guests.  I'm thinking of Don especially today because for as long as he was able, he marched in the Memorial Day parades in St. J., spiffy in his Navy uniform.  A dedicated veteran, justifiably proud of having served his country.    

Frosty night, chilly day!

We had a low here last night of 29.6 degrees.  That could do some damage to tender plants.  The day didn't warm up a great deal, although I think it may have reached 45 or may a little higher, except the wind was blowing a gale and that made it seem so much colder.  My weather station is indicating 45 degrees right now, and that is good news.  Still chilly, but better than last night.

Our Spring Meeting of the Joe's Pond Association went quite well, but everyone was feeling the cold by the time we left.  Even though the side curtains were in place, the wind was sweeping under and around them in places and in addition to making us cold, it was very noisy with the curtains buckling and straining in the wind.  There was a good turnout and several of our new members were on hand, plus lots of the "regulars," who generally brave whatever the weather is to come to our meetings. Fred got a couple pictures.

We were shocked to learn at the meeting that this week we lost another of our long-time members - Margaret Lucenti, who died on Wednesday.  She was 93 and recently lost her husband, Sal, on April 4th.  I will post more details as soon as they are available.  
 
Apple and cherry blossoms are in full bloom - going past in some areas, but around the pond mostly just about full.  This one at the Danville Health Center was dropping petals when I was there on Friday.  I'm not sure where Fred found the pink one below, but it was somewhere in the same vicinity.  Here at our house the crab tree is nearing full bloom, but the others are a bit behind.  The service berry tree has gone by and the lilacs haven't begun to bloom.  We mowed a little of the lawn today - Fred doing the big areas and I did some trimming with my faithful old walk-behind mower along walkways and wet or rough spots.  We transplanted the holly bush that had serious winter kill this year, but it may not recover, even though it is in a more protected spot, out of the wind with plenty of moisture.  We'll see.

Oops!

Correction:  Bill Rossi is home from the hospital.  We just talked to him this morning at home.  

I'm off to the JPA meeting. 

JPA Spring Meeting Saturday

Don't forget the Joe's Pond Association Spring Meeting tomorrow, Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m. at the pavilion.  Put on your sweaters and woolen socks - it's going to be a cold morning, but you can depend on lots of good humor and warm greetings as our members assemble to start off the 2015 summer season with lots to talk about.  Camilla will have hot coffee to help keep us warm.  See you there!

Bill Rossi is spending a few days at NVRH in St. Johnsbury - Fred saw him today and Bill expects he won't be there very long.  He's doing fine and getting lots of attention from the nurses.  If you happen to be in the area, stop by and see him - you know Bill - he loves visitors.

Rt 15 Bridge Closure Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:         Immediately

Submitted by:                          Francine Perkins
                                                Project Outreach Coordinator

Dated:                                    5/20/15

Walden VT 15 Bridge Replacement Project to Start

VTrans - The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced that construction will begin the week of June 8, 2015 to replace the Walden VT 15 Bridge 83, located over Joe’s Brook approximately 5 miles southeasterly of the Hardwick/Walden town line.  
 

The project will replace the existing bridge, which has a sub-standard width and is in poor condition, with a new bridge that meets current design standards.  The new bridge will be 58 feet in length and 34.25 feet wide including two 11 foot travel lanes and 4’4” shoulders.  Accelerated Bridge Construction methods will be used, which will expedite construction. 

Due to the location of the bridge, a temporary bridge was deemed unfeasible because of wetlands and the roadway alignment.  As a result of these findings, the bridge will be closed for 28 consecutive days, starting June 22^nd, 2015 so crews can replace the bridge.

During the bridge closure period, a traffic detour will be in effect and marked with directional signs.  Motorists wanting to travel to Hardwick on VT 15 from US 2 West will continue on US 2 West to VT 215 Marshfield and follow VT 215 to VT 15 in Walden.  Motorists traveling from VT 15 in Walden to US 2 East will take VT 215 to Marshfield to US 2 East. 

After the closure period ends, work will continue on the bridge with daily lane closures.  Traffic control personnel will be present to assist in maintaining traffic flow.  The project completion is October 16, 2015. 

Please visit https://outside.vermont.gov/agency/vtrans/external/Projects/Structures/09B308  to view the Project Fact Sheet and Detour Question and Answer Sheet.

Work updates and press releases will be issued and distributed to various media sources.  Information will also be available on www.roadworkupdates.com.

Francine Perkins of FRP Enterprises, LLC has been assigned as Project Outreach Coordinator to work with the Vermont Agency of Transportation and J.A. McDonald on this project.  Anyone with questions or concerns about this project, before or during the project, should contact Francine Perkins at 802-479-6994.

On Dancing Grands and Loons

This photo came to me last week, and it slipped out of sight and never got posted - I apologize.  It seems spring is the time for dancing - all of "Young America" are strutting their stuff for parents and especially doting grandparents to see. Here's what Steve Allen wrote:

Hi Jane and Fred,

    Joe Ponders are everywhere!  While attending our granddaughter’s dance recital in Concord N.H., we were surprised to see Fella and Nancy Buttura waving to us from across the packed auditorium!  The dancing grandgirls put on a fabulous show.  See you soon!  Bev and Steve

Thank you, Steve, for sending this second picture.  

It's chilly and wet here today.  I ran out with bare feet to check my CoCoRaHS gauge this morning (it has been moved to the back yard from our front deck for the summer) and that wet grass must have been close to freezing.  It was raining a little then - I had no idea it was going to be that cold.  A reminder that although spring is here, the weather can turn on us and still bring some low temperatures.  My thermometer is reading 42 degrees.  I should have checked before I went out.  Our Spring Meeting of Joe's Pond Association is on Saturday - it isn't unusual to have fairly nippy weather for that meeting, but members' enthusiasm at being present makes up for that.  It will be Saturday, May 23rd, at the pavilion, 10 o'clock. 

Something more to add - this just in from Evelyn Richer:

There is one egg on the loons nest as of yesterday afternoon, and may be another by the end of the day today (not sure, of course)... Ray was unable to put the signs up yet as the wind was too strong to do it 'casually' as he passes the loon on the nest... so we will wait for the waters to calm down, maybe tomorrow... but folks should know to be in "loon nesting mode" while using the channel this weekend...  Joe's Ponders are great in knowing what that means... (staying clear of nest, and not approaching the nesting area if possible)... As usual, thank you so much for posting this... have a great weekend!!  And someone certainly may announce it at the meeting for us.  Blessings, Evelyn.


It is good to know our loons are ready to raise another family here this summer.  We would appreciate information on the other loons in the middle pond and first ponds, too.  Please remind visitors this summer to stay away from the loons when on the water.  Sometimes people unfamiliar with our Vermont laws are not aware they need to not harass them in any way - that means, no skiing or boating close to them or even with your kayak or canoe to get a good picture.  We (and the loons) thank everyone for remembering to give them plenty of space.

This came to me from Homer Fitts - I couldn't resist passing it on.  There was a caption:  "This is what Vermonters do on a Sunday afternoon."  And then the comment, ". . . and not a single spectator walked away during the whole concert."  I watched closely and I'm pretty sure a couple of the girls were singing along!  Take a look:
Sunday afternoon in Vermont - (pretty darned good music, too!!!)

What a beautiful day this was!  I went to Cabot this afternoon for the Historical Society annual meeting and it was very nice.  The old building hadn't lost all it's winter frost and we were chilly by the time we left, but it was a good meeting - about normal for our meetings these days with seven members present.  Things get done and we move ahead in spite of little interest except from a handful of loyals.

Fred gave me a link to the big Nenana Ice Classic in Alaska.  Their clock stopped before ours this year!  On April 24th.  Their "pool" is a lot larger than ours, $330,330.00, but they also had 28 winners!  Each one took home over $9,000, so that's still not bad.  I think their tickets are $2.50 each.

Most of this winter our neighbor, Elizabeth, whose son lives in Alaska, has been telling us the winter there this year was much milder than usual and certainly milder than ours was.  Even today their temperature when I went on the website was 75 degrees - of course they are four hours behind us, so it was still daytime.  I was interested, too, that tickets are available there from Memorial Day to April.  We hope to have ours available by this weekend so we can distribute them at our Joe's Pond Association Spring Meeting this Saturday.  They are being printed - we'll hope they are ready in time.  I'll let everyone know when they are ready!
 
When I looked at this picture Fred took this morning, at first I was confused about the feet - then I realized there are two birds - a male and female, I think.  They were observing the hummingbirds at their feeder.  Click on the photo so you can count toes better.

Mimi

I have more information for you regarding the passing of Mimi Pilo on Friday.  There will be a memorial service for her on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Osprey.  That is on Route 41.  The family asks that you do not send flowers.  Walter said Mimi was treated wonderfully well at hospice and if anyone would like to send something to them it would be most appreciated.
Donations in Mimi's memory may be sent to:
Tidewell Hospice
210 Westford Blvd.
Venice FL 34293

Walter thanks everyone for their kindness and help during Mimi's long illness.  He hopes to arrive at Joe's Pond soon and looks forward to seeing his friends here.

Sad news this morning, our dear friend, Mimi Pilo, Walter Ruf's sister, passed away yesterday morning in Florida.  Mimi finally lost a long courageous battle with cancer, but her spirit and gentle nature will remain with those of us who knew her.  There will be a memorial service in Florida on Wednesday.  I will share any further information as I receive it. Our thoughts now are with Walter and his two remaining sisters.  We will all miss Mimi; she was a dear soul with many friends here at Joe's Pond.  If you wish to send condolences, Walter's address in Florida is:  Walter Ruf, 407 Signorelli Dr., Nokomis FL 34275.

This morning is drab and would be considered a bit chilly except it is mid-May, and that makes it about normal.  We have a little rain in the air, but I measured only .01 in. at 9 this morning.  When I made my CoCoRaHS report, there was a link to a Guide for Master Gardeners - actually, it's for any gardeners, or just people who are interested in weather patterns throughout the nation.  It has some interesting charts and a little about what to expect from climate change.  I had a little trouble reading the line graphs, but I was reading it on-line rather than downloading it.  Either way, it's interesting.

I'm getting my things together for the Cabot Historical Society (CHS) Annual Meeting at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  We encourage anyone interested in Cabot history to come to the meeting.  You do not have to be a member of CHS.  Of course, we always welcome new members.  One of our members recently told me, "You have to get old before you begin to appreciate your history," and while I know on some level that's true, I also think young people (and those older but younger than I!) would find our Cabot Museum very interesting, and might want to help preserve our past.  We would like to be able to pass the torch to younger, more energetic members, knowing our work will be continued.  There are so many old tools, relics and artifacts, it is more a museum than just storage space for dusty books and papers.  There are some of those, too, but we also have new books and many pictures, genealogies and memorabilia that would take hours if you were to examine it all.  Our meeting will be brief, and we'd be happy to show you around afterwards.  This will be the first year for a very long time Blanche Lamore will not be with us for the meeting.  Blanche was treasurer for many years - I think she may have retired when she was 100 or 101.  She is now 103 and living in a nursing home in Derby.  I'm sure we will all be thinking of Blanche and her dedication to the Cabot Historical Society and the town in general.  The above photo was our 2012 meeting, and that's Blanche on the far left.

 

I was asked by Lorraine MacLeod, a friend and former neighbor who grew up in East Cabot, to let you know there will be a memorial service for Russ Therrien at the Cabot United Church on Saturday, May 23.  Russ died in December while visiting at one of his daughter's.  He and his wife, Dot, farmed for many years in East Cabot, on Route 2, and have many friends in the area.  Our sincere condolences to Dot and her family. 

*****

Friends of Cabot's oldest citizen, Blanche Lamore, are invited to send cards to Blanche in honor of her 103 birthday this month.  I'm not certain of the exact day, but I know she was born in May of 1912, and had lived her whole life in Cabot until this winter when she went to a nursing home in Derby, near where son and family live.  Her address there is:  Derby Green, Blanche Lamore, P. O. Box 24, Derby VT 05829.  I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from old friends.

*****

Our day has "weak" sunshine and a cooler temperature of about 60 degrees.  Not altogether unpleasant, and good weather for working outside.  The cherry blossoms are just beginning to show and I think the black flies will not be far behind.  Old timers say the trout fishing isn't good until the cherry blossoms are out.   I don't know about that.  I guess nature works cooperatively so everything is related one way or another. 

The no-fires ban has been lifted in some parts of the state, but even though we've had 1.65 in. of rainfall here this week and things are greening up nicely, there is still danger in having open fires.  We should also remember that we need a permit from the local Fire Warden if we want to burn leaves or grass, and some materials such as plastics, treated wood and garbage are not to be burned at all.  Recycle those.  We don't burn, but use our leaves for bedding in the flowers or vegetable gardens, and what we don't use for that are left on the ground and mulched by the lawn mower. The grass is getting to cutting length already, so Fred will be out there soon.  There isn't much time to rest between moving snow and mowing grass! 

We decided about a week ago it was safe to take our winter tires off, and that was done yesterday at the Danville Garage.  While waiting, Fred took a walk in the park and brought back some nice pictures of the new Green and surroundings.  Danville Green walk.

If you have questions or would like to purchase a tennis ball or two, give Helen Morrison a call:  802-563-2488.

Well, I've done it again!  I just had a message from Karen Cobb letting me know I goofed when I wrote in the newsletter about the monument at Quantico, VA honoring officers of Basic Class 1967.  First of all, Karen is married to Lee Cobb - her maiden name was Gruggel and Stuart Gruggel is her brother. (I knew that!) It was her husband, Lee who, with nine Marine classmates championed the monument at Quantico.  There.  I hope I got it right this time.  It is a lovely monument and here's what Karen wrote to clarify:

The info on the dedication of the monument to Lee's Basic School Class is wrong. There were 498 in the class. The monument was dedicated to the 43 killed in Vietnam, 1 in Lebanon, and 6 in training exercises. Over 200 were wounded in combat. Lee headed up the Board of ten of his classmates.

I apologize for getting that so mixed up, Karen, and I'm thankful you have a sense of humor about being married to your brother!  

We got our soaking rain!  Actually, we got a lot yesterday and overnight, especially.  I recorded 1.14 inches at 9 a.m. and it has rained sometimes quite hard, off and on most of the day, not clearing until late this afternoon.  There was a little thunder and some lightning last night - enough to make us think "summer."  Too soon for that, though.  There was a frost warning in the forecast tonight for later this week!

For those of you who are not Joe's Pond Association members or members who would like to see the JPA newsletter in color, Fred posted it on the website this afternoon. Click the above link to access.  Members will be receiving their printed newsletter (in black and white) shortly - they were delivered to the West Danville post office yesterday.  Please take a minute and look inside for the dues remittance envelope and put it with your household bills so you don't forget or lose it.  

Some of you are in between seasonal homes and it may take a little time for your mail to catch up to you.  It is impossible for me to know who is back, who isn't or who is on their way, and since Garey is no longer postmaster and the hours have changed, nobody has the time to intercept mail for people who have just returned here, so this year everything will go through the regular mail channel to wherever it is addressed (usually your winter address) and then has to be forwarded back here. 

I've thought about sending the newsletter earlier so you get it when you are still at your winter address, but we like to wait until the Ice-Out Contest winner is known so we can include that information for people who do not have computers - and there are a few of them still around.  We could wait until almost everyone is back here, but by then our "news" letter would be an "old news letter," so we do the best we can.  I will have extra newsletters and remittance envelopes at the meeting on May 23rd if you haven't received yours by then.  

I may have 2016 Ice-Out tickets at that meeting, too!  Yep, I sent the order to the printer today.  Like Diane said this afternoon - there is no end to Ice Out.  It is a year-around endeavor.  I finished the award certificate for our winner today and Diane and I will sign it so we can send it and the check to Mary Numa later this week. Then the 2015 Contest will be officially over.  

For those of you who have not seen the certificate, this is what it looks like.  We've been handing these out along with the checks for a few years now.  It's printed on glossy paper and several of our winners have told me they framed theirs.  (Click to enlarge).  We had hoped Ms. Numa would be able to visit us this past weekend when she came to pick up her daughter at UVM, but she e-mailed to say their schedule was just too tight, but said she hopes to visit Joe's Pond perhaps next fall when her daughter returns to school.

We understand Jane Larrabee is doing pretty well.  She is back home and able to be up for short periods, but apparently gets very tired so isn't back to feeling normal.  We wish her the very best.  I understand Curtis, Garey and Jane's son, is to be married in a few weeks, so Jane is hoping to be well enough to be at the wedding.

I think I have good news for those of you who enjoyed music by the BelAires at Danville Fair for so many years.  This year a new band, the Hitmen, will be playing.  They are not the BelAires, but they have an impressive song list and I think you'll like them. I don't know them all, but I know the keyboard player very well, Bob Dimick, middle son; and I know Bruce James, drummer and general manager at WSTJ radio in St. Johnsbury from years ago when Bob was playing in the TANK band.  The other two  musicians we'll get to know as time goes on, I'm sure.  I may be a bit prejudiced, but they sound really good to me and Fred says he is certainly not going to miss them at the fair this year. They have a Facebook page and there are some excerpts of their music if you'd like to check them out.  Nice Facebook page, too.

Happy Mother's Day, Ladies!

While this hasn't been the greatest day ever, it's been warm with enough sunny moments to make it feel really steamy - although my weather station is reporting only 68% relative humidity.  We had a brief shower, but really just a sprinkle earlier this afternoon - not enough to help the very dry conditions.  I was checking my CoCoRahs record and the last appreciable precipitation I recorded was .80 in. on April 23, and that was snow.   The last snow I recorded was on April 27 when we got 1 inch that amounted to .05 in. precipitation.  We've had only .19 in. from the 28th of April to now, and that was scattered over about four different days, the only time in May was on the 5th when I recorded .05 in.  Tonight we are getting real rain, and that will do a world of good for everything!

This year we had two granddaughters in the spring dance recital, Dance Express.  Jo-Ann is an seasoned dancer by now, but this was three-year-old Tangeni's first year.  They have a rigorous performance schedule that includes dress rehearsal on one night, then perform on the following two nights and a Saturday matinee.  We got there late on Saturday so didn't get a seat close to the front like we usually have, but it was fun being in the last row where the girls' mom and dad were.  I wished I had binoculars, and we had a little trouble taking good clear pictures because we had to put so much zoom on - but I've put together a slide show.  Tangeni made only one appearance, but Jo-Ann was in several numbers.  Both girls enjoy dancing and did a great job - actually all the children  did.  I didn't see any serious gaffs although there were some comical moments, especially with the younger groups.  

It is a long process during the awards ceremony when all the dancers are on stage at once.  There are so many and it all takes time to get them out there and make the presentations, so I was amazed that everyone, including the pre-schoolers, were so patient.  One little girl had fallen asleep in her mother's arms so when her name was called, her mom carried her onto the stage to receive her award and certificate - and the little one slept through it all.  Lots of activity and so many performances does take a toll.  We went to Goodfella's for cold drinks and to relax a bit and then Jo-Ann was off to meet friends for some school activity and Tangeni and her mom and dad were going to Applebee's for supper.  Jo-Ann would catch up to them later.  They have a very busy life - I get tired just thinking about all they do.  (Click to enlarge the pictures.)

I hope everyone has had a nice Mother's Day.

Good Morning!
We have been busy here at the Brown residence.  Fred is coping with upgrades to the website - certain pages where security is a factor may be down (unavailable) temporarily until everything is verified as secure.  Please be patient - we're hoping within the next few days everything will be back to normal.

The process has no impact as far as I know on this page.  My lack of attention here is simply because I've been getting the Joe's Pond Association newsletter ready to go - and JPA members, please remember that there is a remittance envelope tucked into your newsletter.  The newsletter is printed and labels are on - today I will finish putting postage on and members should have it sometime during the first of next week.  I've had several interruptions; somehow these first weeks of spring with Ice-Out and the newsletter, then extra meetings, appointments, and family stuff make life a bit more frenzied, but then everything settles into a more civilized routine.

Thanks to Steve and Bev Allen for sending us the following:  I took time late last night to go through these photos, and they are very interesting - especially to those who are fascinated by Civil War history.  Click on this LINK.  I'm not really a Civil War buff, but my great grandfather, John Bolton, served in the 9th VT Infantry and was twice wounded before being discharged in 1863.  That makes it interesting for me, especially since he was apparently a bit unusual in that he wouldn't march in the open with the rest of his regiment, but kept to the woods along side of the roads and then would join the others when they camped for the night.  He was captured once and escaped; was awol a couple of times, but for some reason wasn't disciplined for his misdemeanors.  One day when I have more time, I hope to find out more about his military adventures.

We expect rain later today, but right now it is another sunny, fairly warm spring day.  Rain will be most welcome.  We hope it's a soaker!

What a great day - a little cooler than yesterday, but still really nice.  We were on a short road trip today, through Waterbury, Stowe, Morrisville and down Route 15.  We stopped in Waterbury at Green Mountain Coffee to pick up a supply of coffee and grab a snack. They had freshly made biscotti with cranberries and almonds.  Is there anything better than coffee and biscotti?  If you haven't visited there (it's the old railroad depot and very interesting inside) you should do that.  

It was close to noon and there were lots of people enjoying  the park, like in summer, eating their lunches, sitting in small groups soaking up the sun, or just strolling around on the beautiful young, green grass.  The trees are much further along than here, and almost everywhere the grass WAS truly greener than here!  Even yesterday when I was in St. Johnsbury it was noticeably warmer, greener and springier.  It's pretty nice living in a higher, cooler location because then we get to enjoy spring a lot longer.  We just have to go a few miles in either direction, and by the time those locations have begun to lose the spring buds and flowers, we'll be getting them here.  Pretty neat, actually.

Stowe area wasn't quite as far along with spring as Waterbury seemed to be, but it was still very pretty driving through the area.  We don't often go that way, so it was fun seeing the changes.  We actually took Route 2 instead of the throughway from Montpelier to Waterbury, and that was interesting, too.  Not much traffic, and although the road had some potholes, it wasn't awful.  I used to take that road frequently when I was working in Montpelier and had to go to the Dept. of Vital Records about every week.  

Actually, we were impressed with Route 2 from here to Montpelier today.  The last time we'd been over it was back in the winter sometime and it seemed very rough, but today was much better.  That's more than I can say for our dirt roads from Walden Heights to Route 2.  We've been very fortunate not to have deep mud, but none of the three towns have done much to smooth out the bumps yet.  Brickett's Crossing road is mostly Walden's, and from Barre Avenue to Route 2 is Danville's, while the stretch in between, most of West Shore Road, is Cabot's.  I think Cabot will be out with the big hone pretty soon - the frost must be mostly out by now.

You may have noticed there was a brief period when our website was down today.  Our site is hosted by Go-Daddy, and they are changing something about their service that is supposed to make it better, and in the process we were knocked off.  No surprise there - that's the way these things go; it's technology showing us all how dependent we've become on it.  After spending most of the afternoon on the phone with tech support, Fred was able to get things ironed out and we're good now.  It will be interesting to see if we notice any difference in how the site loads, etc. 

Here is the schedule for the Cabot Library - click to make it bigger.

They have some interesting stuff going on there.  The Willey Building will soon have more parking available, too.  At town meeting it was voted to purchase land adjoining the lot the building stands on in order to make extra parking. 

There is also an upcoming struggle for Cabot folks to decide how to solve the problem of extensive repairs on the satellite buildings at Cabot School. There are water problems, dwindling enrollment, increased overall expenses, a gym that needs attention - all of which adds up to a pretty penny.  The School Board is trying to come up with the best solution to a host of problems. One of the biggest problems is that the school was built in a swampy area and it's very difficult to keep things dry.  We will be hearing a lot more about this issue, I'm sure.

Ban on Burning in Effect State Wide

Burn Permit Ban Goes Into Effect in Vermont
MONTPELIER - May 5, 2015 - After a warm, dry weekend and a Red Flag warning yesterday that ended with more than 25 new reports of wild fires, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has issued an order for all of the state's forest fire wardens to cease issuing burning permits as of 3:00 P.M. on May 5th through May 19th. A Red Flag Warning means there are critical fire weather conditions including low relative humidity, high winds with little to no precipitation had fallen in the past few days. Fires that ignite during these conditions spread rapidly and with high intensity. The ban may be revoked or extended based upon weather conditions.
"We have received notification from many Forest Fire Wardens that they have stopped issuing permits in their towns," said Lars Lund, Vermont Forest Fire Supervisor, “This non-burn order supports their efforts.” This ban is a cooperative effort between FPR and the Green Mountain National Forest.
"We are seeing fast moving fires burning intensely in difficult terrain and with damage to structures or with structures threatened,” said Lund. “Downed power lines caused the largest fire yesterday in Brattleboro due to high winds. While this type of fire can’t be avoided, human caused fires can be prevented. Because of the warm weather, we know there are a lot of people in the woods. Today's order will help us and help the state's fire wardens reduce the sources of fires."
Lund stressed that the order is for two weeks, and if significant rain falls anywhere in the state, the order can be revoked by county.

We didn't get much rain last night - I measured .05 inch in my collection tube.  Not enough to wet things down sufficiently.  Everything is very dry in the woods, even though the snow has really only been gone a few days.  Things are beginning to get a little green - even that small amount of rain helped the grass - and trees are budding.  It wasn't as warm today, but still quite nice.

Karen Cobb in Virginia, sent this picture of "Gunnar," their new puppy, and I noticed how lush and pretty things are there, making the perfect background for this handsome fellow.  Karen is looking forward to fun with Gunnar at Joe's Pond.  He's only about 15 weeks old, so there are lots of new things for him to explore and learn about.

Things are beginning to change here at the pond.  The Joe's Pond Craft Shop is open - I haven't been in to see Deb, but I noticed a few cars there when I came through town this morning.  Then up the road Sambel's food truck is back.  I expect with road work going on in the area this summer they will do well.  I think the crew working on the rail trail are closer to Danville and St. Johnsbury, so they find other places for their lunches.  At Hastings Store, James and Garey are still making their home-made offerings.  The traffic is different since the post office is only open in the afternoon - mail doesn't get sorted until mid or late afternoon, as I understand it, wo mornings at the store tend to be pretty quiet. 

Jane is home from the hospital in Boston.  I haven't seen her, but have been told she's been out and about a little bit.  She did not have the procedure the doctors had thought could help her, but they may have found other ways to make her more comfortable.  We wish her the very best.

I talked on the phone with our granddaughter, Tangeni, for a few minutes tonite.  When she calls, right after her cheerful, "Hi, Grandma," she will always ask, "How's Woody?" and then her next question is "How's Grandpa?"  Tonight she had a little cough, and when I asked if she had a cold, she told me, "Yes, I'm very sick."  Her dad quickly came on the phone and told me she's not sick, just has a residual cough that seems to be useful for getting a little extra attention.  Her dance recital is this Thursday through Saturday, so both she and big sister Jo-Ann have been very busy with rehearsals. It seems like a hefty schedule to do so many shows - I think four including the Saturday matinee.  A lot for a four-year-old, and also a heavy schedule for a teenager with a very busy school schedule.  They will both need some down time after the performances are over.

Woody is actually very happy these warm nights.  He comes in only long enough for a snack and then wants to go right back out.  The night sounds and smells transform him from a laid-back house buddy to a lithe, bright-eyed predator.  A couple nights ago he'd only been outside for a short time when I heard a loud knock on the kitchen door.  I went to let him in, careful to open the door only a crack because sometimes he has a critter in his mouth and then lets it go in the house so we have to hunt the poor thing down.  This particular night I was surprised that Woody wasn't anxiously  pressing his nose against the door like he usually does, so I opened the door wider and as I did, I caught a glimpse of Woody darting down the stairs into the garage just as a mole scooted off the threshold onto the stoop in the opposite direction.  Apparently, like a kid playing a prank, Woody had brought his quarry to us, knocked on the door and then ran, leaving his gift on the door step.  It all happened very quickly - I shouted "Woody!" at him as he fled and slammed the door shut so the mole couldn't get into the kitchen.   I almost felt ashamed that I didn't appreciate his loving gesture more. I had to giggle, though, at the similarity to a kid ringing the doorbell and then running away.  For those of you who may not be familiar with Woody, our cat, we have hung a sap spout on a string on our back door and taught Woody to bat the spout, causing it to knock on the door when he wants to come in.  He has a very meek meow for such a big cat, but he knows how to give that sap spout a good wallop so we have no trouble hearing it.  If we don't respond right away, he bats it harder.  He's no fool, and we're his "staff."

We've had a really super day today - I'm not sure how high the temperature actually got, but pretty close to 80, even here at Joe's Pond.  Here's a note I had today from Barbara Pollock who's in Arizona right now - hopefully headed our way very soon:

Dear Jane,

I thought you might be interested in this fact: At 6:14 p.m on April 29th in Cabot, the time in Tucson, Arizona was 3:14 p.m.   It was 100 degrees, the first 100 degree day of the spring.

Then, this morning, at 8:00 a.m. Tucson time it was 61, and in Cabot at 11:00, it was 71.  How about that?  The climate is  changing! --Barbara

Just for fun, I just now checked the temperature in Tucson and at 8 p.m. there it is 68 degrees; at 7 p.m. in Anchorage, Alaska  (they are always on Standard Time), it is 54 degrees; here at 11 p.m. it is 61 degrees.  Really not that much variation.  When I went to Google Weather for West Danville, it gave 69 degrees at 11 p.m., so there's some allowance for elevation or something, I suppose.  We had a sprinkle of rain earlier in the evening, but it didn't amount to much.  We do really need a good wetting.  Everything is pretty dry in the woods until things begin to grow and green up.

Today I noticed what appears to be the very last of the ice having moved through the narrows headed for the dam.  This photo was taken from Route 2 just below the narrows on the middle pond.  All three sections of the pond are ice free and there have been boats out today.  Diane Rossi told me she and Ray Rouleau brought the Ice-Out stuff in because they were afraid a boat might run over the rope which floats but would be hard to see and an unsuspecting boater could have gotten tangled up in it.  Thanks to them for hauling the blocks, flag and rope safely to shore.  No easy task, I'm betting - the blocks are really heavy.  Everything is being put away for another year; we'll soon have 2016 Ice-Out tickets ready to go! 

We're concentrating on getting the newsletter out - it's at the printer's now and we should have it in the mail perhaps by the end of the week. Our summer season is about to begin in earnest!
Whoopee! 

 

We have had another glorious spring day. While we haven't had the deep mud we've had to put up with some years, our road is very rough with washboard and potholes.  Evelyn Richer told me this morning she was using their small tractor to move a pile of dirt left from a gardening project a few years ago and she said there was about eight inches of frost still in the pile and it was very hard  to break into it. That tells us there is probably still frost in our roads, and until we get a warm rain, things are not going to improve quickly.  The road crews can't really accomplish much honing the roads until the frost is pretty well gone.  However, our friend, Elizabeth, reminds us the roads are "pretty darned good," not like the soup holes we've had some years and that she got stuck in a couple years ago. She will be forever grateful to our neighbor, Luke Persons, for knowing just how to haul her out without damaging her car.

We went to the Danville Inn to the benefit supper for Garey and Jane Larrabee - it was very nice, and there were a lot of people we knew and a lot more we didn't know, but it was a really good turnout.  It's wonderful that a community can come together like that when needed.  The food was excellent and there was plenty for everyone. 

 
On the way home, we got some pictures of the last of the ice. It  is within hours of being history.  It's so nice to see open water almost everywhere.  There is still some of the slushy stuff crowding into the area by the narrows, but that will probably be gone by morning.  It would be gone now if there had been more wind today. 

I've started raking our lawn, working a little while each day, and surprisingly, it's very dry.  I hope the forecast is right and we get some rain tonight.  That will brighten things up a lot.  I'm a lazy gardener.  I don't do a lot of fertilizing - I just mulch my perennials with leaves or bark mulch and hope for the best.  They seem to do well in spite of me.  Of course, there are always weeds to contend with, and I'll work at those throughout the summer, a little at a time.  That way I never have to worry about everything looking great at once - I always have a section of flowers that need attention, so I feel needed - and  it lasts all summer.  Sometimes not everything gets "put to bed" in the fall.  Every fall I have that debate with myself whether to clip and mulch then or let everything fall victim to the snow and clean up the mess in the spring.  I hedged my bets last fall and cleared some and left some.  Either way, it's hard work. 

My once very pretty and thriving holly bush took a severe hit last year and looks like it's about finished off this year.  I'm going to have Fred dig it for me and we'll find a protected spot to transplant to.  The side that gets the north wind's blast has really suffered.  I'll try to wrap it better next year, if it survives.  One thing that's flourishing is my rhubarb.  I transplanted it last year and it looks very healthy this spring.  There are also some sprouts coming in the bed I transplanted it from, and that's probably going to do well, too.  Lots of rhubarb sauce for the freezer!

Don't Forget . . . !

The 2015 Ice-Out Contest Winner is Revealed!

I was successful in reaching our winner late last evening.  We can now tell you it is Mary Numa who lives in West Haven, Connecticut.  Mary was the only one who had the exact date and time.  There was one guess of 6:13 p.m. and two I noticed that were 6:15 p.m.

Mary told me in our telephone conversation last night that until her daughter chose to go to UVM a couple years ago, she had never been to Vermont, but she said she loves Vermont and was delighted when a neighbor who comes to Joe's Pond regularly to snowmobile told her about the Ice Out Contest.  Mary said she immediately got tickets on line and told her daughter to have all her friends get in the contest.  I have to say, her enthusiasm will be well rewarded as she will be receiving a check for over $6,000.  She will be coming to Vermont very soon to pick up her daughter at school and we're hoping they will find their way to Joe's Pond.  It is always fun to meet our winners and personally hand them the check.

Diane told me that Molly's Pond is free of ice, as are the first two ponds here. It usually happens that our main pond is pretty much free of ice within two or three days after the clock stops.  It's interesting that in the 28 years the contest has been running, only seven times has the clock stopped in May, the latest being May 6, 1992.  The earliest it has stopped was April 5, 2010 and April 8, 2012.  Most frequent times have been after April 15.  All the times are recorded and posted on the website.  We wondered if moving the setup to a different location would have any effect, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  In 2013 the clock stopped on 4/24, and the last two years, 4/29.  In case you are interested, more men have been winners, but that may be because there are more men entering the contest.  It isn't a big difference - over the years there have been 15 female and 21 male winners.  Remember that four different times we have had multiple winners, so we have more winners (36) than contests (28).  We have had a lot of local winners (28) in those years, and only eight from out of state.  I expect this is more than you really needed or wanted to know about contests most of you haven't won, so I'll move on to other things.

I had a call from Jack LaGue this morning telling me he and Sue had a visitor on their deck late last night - a good sized bear raided their bird feeder.  Jack said he had intended to take the feeder down but they had some seeds they wanted to use up and he really thought it was safe as their deck is eight feet or so off the ground and sort of over the water which should make it inaccessible to bears.  So he and Sue were really surprised to see one out there emptying the bird feeder. He said he grabbed a broom and yelled at the beast and it took off.  At least they got rid of some of their leftover bird seed!  Just give the poor bear the bag of seeds, Jack - the birds are faring much better these days than the poor bears!

Now we know for sure there are hungry bears in the area, so haul in your bird feeders and keep any garbage or food of any kind well secured.  They are clever beasts and have been known to somehow manage opening seemingly bear-tight containers and even break into buildings when they are hungry enough.  There isn't much for them to eat in the wild right now, and not only are the adults hungry, there are hungry cubs that mothers have to feed.

I had a message from Sharyn Duplessis (Otis Drive and Montpelier) that a friend needs a rental and would like it on or near Joe's Pond for the month of June while she waits to get into her new Danville home.  Sharyn said they need 2-3 bedrooms and have two well-behaved dogs.  If you have something available during June, you could get in touch with Sharyn at 802-229-9804, and she will let her friend know.