Another beautiful fall day.  The weather has been absolutely lovely for mid-October.  We had a wind a couple nights ago that stripped the leaves from lots of our trees, but there are individual trees that were somehow protected from the full force of the wind that are still gorgeous.  We were in St. Johnsbury most of the day - Fred had several appointments and then we did some shopping.  It was like summer, and people were dressed accordingly.  In fact, we bumped into Ted Chase (North Shore Rd) sporting shorts in Danville - I think it was on Sunday we saw Dave Parker (Otis Drive) at Marty's and Dave had just been for a swim.  Dave also told us he has now joined the "Year 'Rounders" at Joe's Pond.  That's great news, and we wish Dave "happy trails" on his commute to Barre every day.  He's looking forward to snowmobile season!!  Don't rush it, Dave!
    If you haven't already seen and been awed by the new Barre Gray ad on TV, click HERE and enjoy.  I was preparing supper in the kitchen the first time I heard it a few days ago.  It literally stopped me in my tracks.  I'm still mesmerized whenever it's on.  And I'm generally not a fan of opera - but this is exceptional.
    Talking about exceptional - we've been very impressed with the job Tom Simonds of North Danville is doing installing a new roof for Jamie and Marie.  Here's the thing - they called for an estimate, he came right away.  The estimate was reasonable.  He told them when he could begin - and came when he said he would.  He gave them a time frame to have the job completed - he's probably going to finish ahead of schedule.  And the roof looks great.  Tom has a reputation for being "the best there is" and we're inclined to believe it.  He's been in the roofing business for many years and says he really enjoys it.  Watching him work, I can believe it.  I like that Tom can carry on a very cordial conversation when we visit the job, but he doesn't stop working.  He's on the move every minute. (That's him in the photo!)  I almost wish we needed a new roof!  Actually, we had excellent roofers (Murphy Construction and Roofing) do ours a few years ago, too. It's just really nice to find reliable people who are experts in their field when you need them.
    Enjoy the lovely weekend coming up.  The later we get into October, the more likely we are to have some nasty weather, but I think we'll be ok - we have an appointment to have our winter tires put on at the end of October, the snow blower is tuned up and ready to go, most of the gardens are mulched for the winter, and after this weekend, any loose ends we need to finish will be done, so we will be able to tuck in and enjoy the cooler weather, snow or whatever.