We have no more snow except a patch in the pucker brush here and there.  I was kinda hoping that snow at Thanksgiving would stay, but Wednesday night's rain washed it all away.  The weather is mild and we can't complain about that, I guess, but many of us are simply ready for snow to come and stay.

We visited the new Aubuchon store in St. Johnsbury today - just wanted to see what it's all about.  It's very nice - much larger than the old one on Memorial Drive, and nicely laid out.  They are still stocking the shelves, but there are lots of items there - even lumber.  We picked up a few things - a timer for the Christmas lights, and some LED bulbs Fred couldn't resist because the price was really, really good.  There were lots of people milling about - both customers and employees.

We made a short stop at the mall.  J. C. Penny store was busy and there were more cars in the parking lot than usual.  Looks like it may be a good year for retail stores.  Downtown didn't seem to be as decorated for Christmas as I expected, but they are still working on the new sidewalks on Railroad Street, so probably after all the work is done the decorations can go up.  There's still time.

We noticed that the Diamond Hill Store block looks a lot different outside than when Tom and John owned it.  There weren't any decorations outside and at first we thought it was closed, but then we noticed lights inside.  It will be interesting to see how it develops, and we wish the new owners the best.