My friend Mary Whitcomb sent me this screen shot showing snow amounts in our area of Vermont this morning. She lives in Duxbury and got only a half inch at her house. Walden is just north of us, so I'm guessing Joe's Pond got about the same amount - six inches! Unfortunately, I wasn't there to record the snowfall and precipitation. I'll make a note in my next report to CoCoRaHS, though.

Good Morning! We were surprised to get Diane's email this morning with pictures of the Ice-Out setup with what looks like three or four inches of snow on it! That doesn't look like spring, for sure. We were surprised because we left yesterday in warmish rain (47 degrees), and had rain most of the way to Boston. The sun came out as we arrived in the city and it was quite nice. Today is cloudy and the temperature according to the forecast, will be in the high 40s, with showers. It seems Boston is cooler than normal this spring, too.
    We have had inquiries about the Ice-Out just this morning, whether the contest is over, and these pictures tell the whole story. Looks like it will be a few days! People who chose dates in May could be winners! This is going to be one of the "late" years, if my memory is correct, joining only five other years the flag has gone down in May.
     We will both be checking our email and will report any changes as Diane sends them to us. We hope to be home in just a few days and will try to bring warmer weather north with us.

Diane sent these pictures this morning. Notice the ice is beginning to darken - that's a good sign. The ice looks pretty solid where the flag is, though. We're getting a little rain this morning and the temperature is 47 degrees. Still melting, but slowly. Spring is definitely here, just not as wholeheartedly as we might like. I took off the burlap wraps on my shrubs yesterday, and even did some raking around the flower beds. Nothing is really waking up much yet - the snow is still patchy in the woods. But I noticed the lilac bushes are budding, and the pussy willows are turning yellow/green, so we're moving ahead.

Here is today's Ice-Out report, with pictures:
Not much change visible, but surely gradual melting going on. We don't have any sun so far - some rain yesterday and during the night, (I measured .19 in. this morning) and some fog early this morning as you can see in the pictures. Temperature is in the 50s again - much like yesterday.

     Here's a picture to remind us of what's ahead for us here at Joe's Pond. We haven't seen many flowers here yet, so Andy Rudin is sharing his garden with us. Thank you, Andy - I can almost smell the daffies and tulips! Very nice.
     We noticed on our way home from St. J. this noon time there is open water the whole length of the first pond. Of course there is a tremendous amount of water going over the dam right now - the pond has tons of water flowing in - and out. We also spotted some loons in the first pond, and some ducks or geese - we couldn't tell exactly which as they were far off, but we were sure there was at least one loon.  Gretchen Farnsworth has already alerted us that one loon was back at their end of the pond - Sandy Beach Road area. Things are waking up around here!
     We've had a pretty changeable day today. There was a little sunshine, a little rain, and fairely warm temperature - in the 50s. Most of our snow is gone, but there is still some in the woods on the hillside behind our house and in pockets on the lawn - and of course the banks along the driveway and where the snow from the deck was shoveled off. It will take a while for all of that to melt. 
     There was a flood alert for the Connecticut River area south of us beginning tonight through the weekend. All the water coming off the hills is rushing into the Connecticut and pushing over the banks in low lying spots. More showers are forecast for the weekend, but then we're getting some warm, dry weather.
     Looks likely the Ice-Out Contest will extend into May this year. This hasn't happened for over a decade. The clock stopped on May 1 in 2007, and since then it has always been in April. The latest was May 6, 1992. I suppose it could go beyond May 6, but I wouldn't want to bet on it. Still . . . there isn't much dark ice yet . . . so anything could happen.

 This is what things look like this morning - as Diane says, there isn't much change. The temperature is ranging in the 50s again today, with a little sun from time to time, but it surely isn't blazing down on us to cause unusual melting.
     Diane did say the ice is beginning to pull away from the shoreline a little, but the whole pond is still very white - and we know that has to change before we can expect the block to drop. The ice needs to become dark gray-blue and then we know things are about to happen.
     The cement blocks are resting on a small wooden pallet, so that should keep them from falling through the ice prematurely - that is to say, before the rest of the pond has begun to open up. Sometimes the whole setup rides around on an ice floe, perhaps up or down the pond, depending on the amount of open water and the wind direction. Usually, it goes down about in place, but we never know. It all depends on the weather and how the melting is taking place.
     I'm learning a lot about the cedar oil business back in the late 1800s through about 1950. A few blog readers contacted me and gave me good leads. I've followed up with a couple of people and am gradually putting information together about this apparently lucrative business. As often happens when I begin researching a question, the whole process takes on a life of its own and becomes way more than I'd ever supposed. But it's all very interesting, and I'm so happy and thankful my readers came up with such good ideas. I've always thought two or more heads are way better than one!

Construction Update Cabot Danville US 2 Reconstruction FEGC F 028-3(26) C/2    Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019. Reduced Speed Limit – The posted speed limit has been reduced to 40 mph through the project.  Please reduce speed and use caution traveling through the construction zone. Expect traffic delays as there will be several active operations throughout the project.   Week of April 30, 2018   Crews will continue installing the temporary bridge west of Houghton Road.  Work will also resume on the new bridge near the Folsom farm. Excavation for a retaining wall and widening of the road will occur in the area adjacent to Goodrich’s Maple Farm.  All work is weather dependent. Traffic:  Alternating one-way traffic will be maintained throughout the project.  Flaggers will be present to assist in maintaining traffic flow. It is illegal in VT to use any handheld portable electronic devices while driving. The law carries fines of up to $200 with points assessed if the violation occurs in a work zone.  Contact Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regards to the project at 802-479-6994.  Construction updates are posted at www.roadworkupdates.com

These pictures are from Diane Rossi - not much has changed (that we can see) down there on the ice, but we know literally tons of water are flowing into the pond, and that will raise the temperature of the water under the ice and will push the ice upwards, dislodging it from the shoreline and causing it to weaken and begin to break apart. We'll see more distinct changes soon.
     I saw an interesting piece on CBS this morning about states that are now going back to teaching cursive in their schools. Unfortunately, Vermont is not one of them. Turns out, lots of children actually enjoy taking the time to write a real letter - and teachers are finding it's a great way for the children to have some "quiet time" (which apparently is rare in modern-day classrooms). Teachers also said they find teaching cursive to the students is a great way for them to learn punctuation and helps them with thought formation. The class they featured had teamed up with some senior citizens who were more than happy to exchange letters with the students - and everyone gained from the experience. What a great way for students to learn! Seniors have a lot to share, and so do the children.
    Which reminds me - I've been searching for information about cedar oil stills. There were lots of these operations in the late 1800s and 1900s, but I have not been able to find out how they worked. I remember there was a cedar oil operation on Route 15 in Walden years ago, but I don't know who ran it. I remember seeing it next to the road in a cedar swamp area. I'm sure there are many people who know about this process, but I haven't found anyone yet. I could not find anything on line, either. Please let me know if you have any knowledge about the process or know someone who might. Email me at janebrowncabot@gmail.com. Yes, it's for the West Danville history book! Write what you know and we'll certainly give you due credit in the book.

Gretchen Farnsworth just let me know she saw the first loon a few minutes ago. Good to know - spring must be here after all!
     Today has been very wet and not too cold - about 50 or a little above most of the day. We've had off and on showers and now there is lots of fog. More of the same for the next couple of days, I think. The ice is still holding firm - the flag is still flying. It will be a few more days - quite possibly into May.

 

This is our clock and thermometer this morning, thanks to Diane Rossi. Now, at 9:30 a.m., I have a reading of 56 degrees on my shaded thermometer. We have sunshine today, but a few high clouds that are filtering it a bit - however, the snow is melting and lots of water is running into the pond. That will warm the water under the ice and also move it upwards as the pond fills, so melting will be increasing as the days go by. We are expecting some rain perhaps tomorrow afternoon, and that will add more to the mix. So far there isn't much water showing around the shoreline, but there are long stretches of open water in both the first and middle ponds where the narrows are very open. The first pond had a stretch almost the whole length last time we looked (Saturday), and the middle pond had open water about half way down. We're going to St. J. today, so will report on the progress when we return.

Gretchen Farnsworth (Sandy Beach Road) sent these photos Jim took this morning. Here's what she wrote: 

Jim took these pictures of the eagle today right in front of the house. We have been watching him soar with his mate and try to snag ducks and mergansers out of the water. I’m never sure which bird to root for. Love watching the migration in progress.
Gretchen Farnsworth

 I'm wondering if having the eagles here will be a threat to our loon families. There isn't much to be done about any of the habits of wildlife - it's always the survival of the fittest, but it would be sad to think the loons might leave or end up sacrificing their chicks. We'll see what happens.  In the meantime, many thanks to Jim and Gretchen Farnsworth for these great shots. They have a perfect spot for wildlife watching, as do Scott and Gerri Pelok, next door to them.

     Gretchen sent this third picture of the eagle - cropped from the one above. 

 What a beautiful day this has been! and more to come. It's about 


time. I had a call from Ted Chase this afternoon to let me know it was him on the snowmobile Diane Rossi and Henretta Splain saw a few days ago. He said he keeps close track of the ice depth and when he was out there he measured 16 inches of very solid ice.  That is plenty for snowmobiling - at least in most places. Ted assured me he knows where there are brooks coming into the pond and about the narrows being thin spots, and said we should not worry. That's good to know, Ted, but it's also good to know someone is watching and we're looking out for each other!

Finally a real spring day! We started off the day with breakfast at the Danville Inn with Jamie and Marie and our neighbor next door, Bob. It was a lot of fun and the food is good. Jamie was happy - there was sausage gravy on the buffet. Fred was happy - he had pancakes. 
     The weather inspired lots of people to finally get outside to enjoy the warmer weather and feel the sun. Diane Rossi sent this picture of Bill, bundled up but happily enjoying the sunshine. Diane said they spent quite a bit of time outside. There seems to be some green grass in the background - the difference between Shelburne and Joe's Pond!
     We lost quite a bit of snow today and probably ice, too. Our neighbor, Bob, is a fisherman and told us today that a couple weeks ago there was about two feet of ice where he was fishing at the north end of the big pond near the islands. That is more than we had thought, but not surprising - I think we may have gained some during some of the recent cold spell.
     The contest in Goshen, Massachusetts that was patterned after ours and has been running for twelve or more years, is over.  The clock there stopped on Tuesady, 4/17 at 8:37 PM. The winner received $545. They sold 1,221 tickets, and split the proceeds the same as we do, 50/50 after expenses. However, they use a "Price is Right" rule which means a guess cannot be over (past) the time the clock stops. Our winner is the guess closest - under or over.
     We will begin serious watchfulness now that the weather has turned warm for the next several days. Until now, there hasn't been much point in checking the setup - too cold, too much ice, no melting. But that is going to change, so we're getting close to the end of the contest! Will it last until May? Probably not, but it certainly could. It's only 9 days away.

Here we are, digging out from another four inches of new snow. The wind howled like a lonesome wolf last night, and snow drifted around the house, sweeping clean high spots like the top of our driveway and dropping the snow along the banks and gullies in little drifts. It felt more like a March than mid-April. Today the temperature remains in the 30s, but there is warmth in the ground and the snow is soggy, melting in spots, which is fortunate because it's too darned heavy to shovel much. I cleaned off the deck and the front walkway; Fred made two tracks down the driveway in case someone had to come up to the house, and it's all melting from underneath. A good sign the earth is warming, in spite of the cold air sweeping over us from Canada.
     Jamie's "Peach" (Jeep with a plow) has a flat tire and with the weather miserable, he has been hoping we wouldn't have much snow to plow at this late date. So when we got snow earlier this week, our neighbor, Bob McKay, came over with his small tractor plow and kindly cleared our driveway so we could get in and out. Today we didn't need to go anywhere and had nobody coming here, so Fred cleared two wheel tracks - just in case. Now Jamie is plowing us with his big tractor - hopefully for the last time this season. He'll get the "Peach" back in operation once the weather warms up so it's comfortable to work on it outside. Which reminds me - we are scheduled to have our winter tires taken off this coming week! Perhaps bad timing?
     Diane sent this picture of the clock and thermometer this morning, asking the question: "Are we making progress?" 
     I don't know how many inches of snow covers the ice right now, but the forecast is for very warm weather - possibly in the 60s next week, with lots of sunshine. That will melt the snow quickly and there will be a lot of water coming into the pond as well as all the water from the melting snow on the surface, so there will almost certainly be flooding in some areas. 
     Ray Rouleau (W Shore Rd) mentioned the other day that in the week since they've been back, we've had nothing but winter weather. Ray and Cyndy spent many winters in Vermont before migrating to Florida after retirement, so they are no strangers to the frustrations of sprintime here.
     Someone said to me recently that this has seemed like an unusually long winter and cruel spring - like some of us remember and talk about with relish as being like it was in our childhood. The figures do not seem to bear this out. Statistics gathered by NOAA reports that March 2018 in New England was 42.6 degrees, 1.1 degree above average, and precipitation was 2.42 inches, .09 inch below average. That is not representative of Vermont's temperature range, however. Take a look at these charts of March and April.

Click on images to make them appear larger.

Construction Update
Cabot Danville US 2 Reconstruction
FEGC F 028-3(26) C/2

  
Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019.

Reduced Speed Limit – The posted speed limit has been reduced to 40 mph through the project.  Please reduce speed and use caution traveling through the construction zone.  
 

Week of April 23, 2018

Crews will be installing the temporary bridge on the west of Houghton Road.  Work will also include placing erosion control measures such as silt fences along the project perimeters.

All work is weather dependent.

Traffic:  Traffic may experience intermittent interruptions to allow construction vehicles to enter and exit the project area.  Flaggers will be present to assist in maintaining traffic flow.

It is illegal in VT to use any handheld portable electronic devices while driving. The law carries fines of up to $200 with points assessed if the violation occurs in a work zone. 

Contact Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regards to the project at 802-479-6994.  Construction updates are posted at www.roadworkupdates.com

*******************

We have snow flurries this morning adding to our six or eight inches left on the ground. There is more snow than bare spots on our side of the pond, but we have some nice weather coming our way, I think, so we may see a huge difference in the way things look (and feel) by the end of next week.

     We heard from Henretta Splain, who logs in Ice-Out tickets for us that she is nearly finished. She expects to have a final count for us later today, if all goes as planned. Fred and I will post the number as soon as we get it - he will put it on the website Ice-Out page, and I will post it here on the blog.

     Both Henretta and Diane reported there was a snowmobile on the pond yesterday or the day before (I don't remember the exact day). That seems a bit risky to me. There is a lot of open water in both the narrows, and I'm sure a stretch from the channel leading into the pond, too. Anywhere there is a brook running in, there will be open water and punky ice. Also, there are spots in the broad lake area that seem to open up sooner in the spring and stay free of ice later in the fall than the rest of the pond, so it probably means there is warmer water from springs or something in those spots. Whatever the reason, those spots could have thinner ice and now there has been some over-all thawing, it might not be too safe to be out there. Every year, we worry, those of us standing on firm ground watching the shenanigans that go on out on the ice. I remember when Fred and I lived on the pond year around all those years, we had some scary moments watching ice fishermen with their vehicles - and other dare devils driving out onto the ice just for kicks and sometimes getting stuck in slush. We tried to think of ways we might be able to help if something happened, but fortunately we were never put to the test.

     We've had several trees come down along West Shore Road in the past couple of weeks. I called Cabot road crew this morning about one just above Sandy Beach Road - the top of a rotten tamarack or spruce, I think - lots of small branches in the road, and people have been driving around it okay. Best to get it taken care of, and I was pleased that whoever I spoke to apparently got in his truck right away and came to take care of it. Within about 15 minutes I saw the truck go down by and then return a few minutes later. There have been larger trees down on this road recently, but they were taken care of right away, as well. We've had some pretty strong winds as the weather changed back and forth. It's good to weed out the dead wood, but those big old dead trees can block traffic and are dangerous, especially for some that travel the road at excessively high speeds. 

 

Cabot Artisans Group

The Cabot Community Association is undertaking the development of a promotion and sales center for Cabot and regional artisans.  It is to be located at 3053 Main Street in Cabot.  That is the white house at the foot of Whittier Hill Road.  The Name “Cabot Artisans Gallery” has been registered with the VT Secretary of State.
We invite you to be a member of this new project.
The Cabot Artisans Gallery is a consignment based retail shop, which will open in May 2018.  Maybe as early as Mother’s Day, but certainly by May 26 for the Vermont Craft Council Open Studio Weekend and will operate weekly Friday through Monday through Fall Foliage season, and on special days like the 4th of July.
The Cabot Artisans Gallery is committed to providing a high-quality fine arts, contemporary crafts and artisan products that showcases local artisans from Cabot and the surrounding area.
In addition, we hope to create events, exhibitions and educational opportunities throughout the season to increase the exposure of the member artists.
Accepted work must be original in design, handmade by the artist with minimal manufactured components or accessories, demonstrate technical quality, be marketable, and integrate with the rest of the gallery.  The gallery jury retains the right to determine which pieces of work will be displayed the gallery.
We welcome participation from any artisans in Cabot and the surrounding area who produces fine art, hand-crafted gifts or shelf-stable specialty foods.
If you would like to apply to be a member please complete and return the attached documents.  If you have any questions, please call the CCA at 563-3338 or email info@cabotvermont.org.
Thanks, and we look forward to displaying and selling your work!
Lori Augustyniak & Sandy Ducharme

PS - If you would like to have hard copies of the documents mailed to you, please respond with your mailing address.

-----
Lori Augustyniak
Executive Director
Cabot Community Association
PO Box 245
Cabot, VT 05647
802.563.3338

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We're starting off with another gloomy day, but there's a promise of sunshine later on this afternoon. That would be nice. We've had another sifting of snow overnight - not significant except that it covers up some of the mud and makes dodging potholes a little more difficult. Cabot plowed yesterday, and that helped - sort of. It took away all the slush, but uncovered the potholes and washboard that will probably get worse before improving. Danville put some material on their end of West Shore Road, but within hours, many of the potholes were back. So far that end hasn't had much of the deep mud we sometimes have to navigate there. Danville has been good about keeping up with that so far.
     I don't have email addresses for all our Joe's Pond Association members, but I recently sent out a message to all those I do have that they can pay their dues on-line now. We like to wait until the Ice-Out Contest closes before we activate the pay-on-line for dues. It keeps the accounting from getting too wild. So, if you are a Joe's Pond Association member and didn't get an e-mail from me this week, it's because I don't have your address. I want as many as possible to know they can pay on line now so if you are a JPA member and would like to receive notifications such as this, get in touch with me at janebrown@joespondvermont.com. Dues notices are always in the spring newsletter, but many people prefer not to wait for that. Dues must be in by July 1.
     Just a reminder that to become a member of the Association, you must have property on the pond or deeded access to the pond. The thrust of the JPA is protecting the pond - preserving its natural resources and keeping it clear of invasive plants. Every now and then we have a request from someone who loves the pond and would like to support the Association, but does not have property here; however, the bylaws are clear on this.
     Diane sent this picture of the clock and thermometer this morning. As you can see, we were not far from the freezing mark at that time of day. Now the reading is more like 37 degrees. We noticed that both narrows are very open now. That is a good sign! She said the radio announcer this morning said he picked July 4th. That's a stretch, but it is surely going to last a while longer. Whether it holds until May is a good question. With warmer weather coming this weekend, the chances are serious melting will get going. Stay tuned!

Just when you think the weather might be turning better, it gets really nasty. We got more snow last night - only an inch or so - on top of frozen everything, and then the temperature rose a bit today so everything got really mushy. We had to go to St. Johnsbury again today and when we went out a little after ten o'clock, the road was pretty good. It had some snow, but the Cabot road crew had plowed with the truck and sanded. Most of the potholes and washboard areas were filled in nicely - still frozen, I suppose underneath. There was a little snow in the air, but seemed to be turning to rain. When we came back, early afternoon, everything had deteriorated and for the first time this winter, we couldn't make it all the way up our driveway. The two or three inches of snow that was on the driveway had turned to heavy slush with ice underneath. We left the car in the turnaround, but Fred was determined, and went back and backed the car the rest of the way into the garage! I could not have done that, I'm sure - I hate backing up anyway. Jamie used to do that routinely all the way up his driveway, but hasn't had to do it for a couple years now, I believe. 

     Anyway, we are tucked in for the night now, it has been raining quite hard and there is a strong, gusty wind out of the south, supposedly bringing warmer weather, but who knows! It's 35 degrees here now, but with the wind chill, feels much colder.

     Nancy Buttura sent these pictures of a cute red fox on the ice in front of their home yesterday. Nancy's daughter, Jenna, took the pictures. Nancy said the fox was out there for quite a while before being startled by something nearby and taking off. He may have been scavenging for leftover food like discarded fish or anything left by the fishermen. The recent rain and crust on the snow may have made it difficult for them to find food in the wild, and I think this is about the time pups are born, so perhaps this was one of the parents foraging for food for the new babies. Nice pictures - thank you Jenna and Nancy.
     Here's something many of you may be interested in seeing. Homer Fitts made a graph for us showing the trend in Ice Out dates over the years. Click on the image to make it larger. Thanks, Homer, for taking time to do this and for sharing it with us. As many of you know, Homer is one of the founders of the contest and hosted the clock on his deck for many years.

We seem destined to remain in winter mode indefinitely here at Joe's Pond. I'm trying to accept the nearly two inches of new snow we got yesterday and last night - heavy, wet, crystallized and probably beautiful to some - as just a blip in the journey to real spring weather and a boon to the water table. That said, when it turns warmer a few days from now, there will be flooding and mud all over again. We are still going through unreasonable cycles to get to bare ground, green grass and open water in the pond. I am sure we will get there, but the how and the when are in question.
     I met with the book committee at the Danville Historical Society on Saturday afternoon. When I came out to my car at a little after 4:30, there was a thick coating of ice on everything. Dot Larrabee was parked beside me and for a few minutes, I couldn't locate my scraper, so Dot started hers, then came and helped me until I dug my scraper out of the trunk of the car. We hadn't had to use it all winter - thanks to having a garage and the fact we never happened to be out on a snowy or icy day, I guess! 
     Speaking of snow and prolonged winter weather - we talked with friends in Anchorage, Alaska tonight and although they have a foot of snow on the ground in some places near their house, they also have all sorts of spring flowers blooming (!) and rhubarb up!
Their days are long and sunny this time of the year, so that helps. Perhaps that sunny weather will eventually reach here - we hope so. 
     The Rouleaus have returned, and Bob and Dotty Noyes have frequented their home here several times during the winter - Bob was here this weekend. It's nice to see people back at the pond. We are getting inquiries about places that might be for rent - one asked if we knew of a cottage they might rent for the summer and in return they would take care of the lawn, flowers, etc., or even do minor repairs. They have rented here before, usually places that are on the market, so that's why they are looking for a place again this year - where they rented last year was sold. Let me know if you have a place or know of one that might be available on that basis. (janebrowncabot@gmail.com)

This is a gloomy morning. We had rain off and on yesterday afternoon and during the night, and the snow pack has gone down considerably. That said, we can expect rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow over the weekend, according to the weather folks. That is a definite Bah-Humbug!
     I measured almost half an inch of precipitation this morning. It's about 40 degrees, but damp and clammy cold. There's a little wind that adds to the misery, but overall, it's not a total loss. Yesterday I saw my first robin on one of the few bare spots on the lawn by our house, and when I went to get the mail I heard geese - apparently down on the pond. There is probably open water at the north end where the channel dumps into the pond. Let's hope they are just stopping for a rest on their way to some other place to nest - not here!
     This morning I noticed some movement in the leaves under our Washington hawthorn tree and at first thought it was a female robin, but then realized it was much too large. I thought it might be a mourning dove because it walked very slowly, but when it turned so I got a broadside view, I realized it was a partridge. It is really hard to distinguish the bird from the ground - it's very well camouflaged. Can you see her? She is a little grayish against the brown grass and leaves. 
    I know there has been one nesting in the woods between our driveway and Jamie and Marie's in the past - I've been startled a few times when she took off as I was walking up the driveway. After a while, I think she got used to Fred and me going up and down, as she seemed to stay in the area, but she only occasionally took off when we went by. I hadn't seen any partridges in our apple trees last fall, so I was happy to see this one visiting, and perhaps she will hang out and raise some young.
     

For Immediate Release
Submitted By:  Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator
802-479-6994

VTrans to Resume Work on Reconstruction Project -US 2 Cabot 

April 12, 2018 – The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is scheduled to resume construction on the US 2 Cabot Danville reconstruction project.  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot.  This multi-year construction project began last August and is expected to extend into 2019.  Crews are expected back out on the project the week of April 16th, 2018, weather permitting.

In 2017, crews reconstructed the east end of the project from Danville Hill Road to approximately Goodrich’s Maple Farm.  Crews partially constructed the new Bridge #88, located just west of Goodrich’s Maple Farm where a temporary bridge is currently carrying traffic.

Full depth reconstruction of US 2 will continue from Goodrich’s Maple Farm to the west end of the project near Last Road.  Construction to reconstruct US 2 will include replacement of existing underlying select materials and widening of US 2 to 12 foot travel lanes and 8 foot shoulders.  Along with the new select materials, three layers of new pavement will be placed.  Plans also call for new drainage improvements throughout the project.

As part of this project, along with Bridge #88, Bridge #87, near Last Road, is also scheduled for replacement.  Temporary bridges will carry traffic during both bridge replacements.  US 2 will undergo a shift in alignment and grade change at Bridge #88 to increase safety.

In an effort to minimize traffic disruptions, temporary two-way diversions will be constructed along US 2 to maintain traffic flow during construction. Alternating one-way traffic will also be maintained to allow construction vehicles to access the work site and other construction related tasks.  

Access to all residences and Goodrich’s Maple Farm will be maintained throughout the duration of the project.

Contact Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regards to the project at 802-479-6994.  Construction updates will be emailed weekly and posted at www.roadworkupdates.com.

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I sometimes take a little time to just observe Woody, our cat, and

Woody went out the front this morning.

wonder what, if anything, he is thinking - or is it all instinct with cats? I'm pretty sure he has instincts about the weather, although he never "gets it" that no matter which door he goes out, the weather is the same.
     Recently he has taken to dashing into the bedroom as soon as I open the door in the morning. He will spring up to the windowsill and peer out

Cruising between bare spots, sniffing the air.

suspiciously, tail lashing.
     One sunny morning I opened the window as much as possible, thinking I'd treat him to a good sniff the fresh air. I was completely taken off guard when I heard a scratching noise and a thump and turned just in time to see his butt disappearing through the narrow opening. He's a big cat and the awning type windows only open five or six inches, so it was a pretty daring plunge - and it is at least six feet off the ground. He was all business when I got to the window and looked down on him. Ears perked, tail lashing, all senses tuned in to the great outdoors.
     I thought once was probably enough, but a few morning later, I opened the window for him again, and sure enough, he went out again. The thing is, within five minutes or so, he's at the door knocking to come in. So why go through taking that plunge just to come back inside? I'll never know.
     Speaking of him knocking on the door to come in, on Monday a very nice gentleman came to the door and explained he'd read on this blog about our cat knocking on the door and I had mentioned that the knocker was a Foster sap spout. It seems he is a collector and wanted to see my Foster spout. Turns out it was one he didn't have - an "early Foster spout," he told me, and he went away very happy to have acquired such a treasure. 
     I'm not a collector - well, in a way I am, but what I collect I doubt is worth much. Mostly I simply don't throw anything away if it has any possible use left in it, either as it is or as a possible rehab item. I keep containers - glass plastic, cardboard - especially if it has a nice shape. You never know when you want a special kind of container for flowers or something; and then there are the nuts, washers, screws, bolts, bits of string, wire, rope or twine I keep. I get kidded a lot by family and friends for that, but every now and then someone is looking for something unusual and I have it.
     The only way I can account for my keeping seemingly useless stuff is that I absolutely hate throwing anything away that isn't used up or damaged beyond repair. That's why I have several lamps of one sort or another hanging out needing repairs or parts, and those little plastic trays mushrooms come in at the grocery store are forever filling up with bits and pieces and scraps of this and that. Because someday I know I'm going to be looking for somthing special and it will be in one of those saved containers right beside  some of the jars of left-over paint, boxes of rubber bands and bags of scrap cloth I've salvaged. I also save wrapping paper. I've been known to iron the wrinkles out of that and reuse it to wrap gifts. It's also great for doing collages. Especially tissue paper - I have lots of that! Glass jars are a favorite item to save. I can always find just the right size to use for things like a special chocolate sauce I've made or line one of the pretty cardboard containers I want to use for fresh flowers. It's all important stuff, and I don't care how amused my family and friends are - I'll keep saving stuff - it's who I am. It was nice to see how happy that nice man was when I gave him that Foster spout - I'm so glad I saved it.
     By the way, I found just the right size big washer to replace the spout as Woody's door knocker. It was in with a bunch of nuts and bolts . . . in one of those neat little blue plastic pans mushrooms come in at the grocery store.

This sign of spring was sent to me by Andy Rudin, who lives in Philadelphia. I'm thinking we're at least three or four weeks away from seeing this kind of display at Joe's Pond . . . !

It was a pretty day today, at least in the morning. Shortly after noon the sun began to fade and the temperature never did get much above freezing. People are wondering where spring is, but we all know it's just a matter of being patient.
     Some folks just carry on with whatever seems natural, like this fisherman this morning, out on the ice early. It may have been Kevin Johnson, but he was too far away to tell. Diane Rossi sent the photo. Yesterday when the Ice-Out committee met at Diane's house, we spotted a flock of birds on the ice about in front of Ted and Barbara Chase's house. We couldn't tell exactly what they were, but they were big, so probably were turkeys. Their GPS was probably not working well. I doubt they'd find much food out on the ice, and they need to eat almost constantly to keep up their stamina, especially when it's cold. 
     Fred and I were wondering if the ice will hold until May this year. Probably not - it has only gone out in May seven times and the most recent was 2007 when it went out on May 1st.  It happened pretty often (five times) in the late 1900s - but only twice so far in the 2000s - the first time was in 2001 when Kay Scott of St. Johnsbury guessed May 1. Dr. Bob Marshall was the winner in 2007. It will be interesting to see if the cold will continue and delay the date this year. The earliest it's every gone out was April 5, 2010, and the latest was May 6, 1992.
     The roads are holding up pretty well. We went to the Danville Inn this morning for breakfast (it was very good!) and we were surprised that Danville had dumped some crushed rock on the hill by Barre Avenue. That was getting pretty dicey, but in order to get to that spot, the truck had to maneuver over some really bad potholes and nasty washboard on the flat before intersecting Route 2 - and I'm surprised they didn't come back with more for that. Perhaps they'll get to it this week. It has been consistently bad along there this year. It's hard to keep that road good in the spring for some reason. I know on West Shore Road there are springs here and there, and ledges in a few spots, all of which have their own mean tendancies each spring, but I expect on that flat, like some others along that road, it's basically marsh land and takes a bit longer to dry out.
     The pussywillows are blooming, so spring is definitely on the way!

Three inches of snow and 30 degrees at about 9 a.m. here this morning, with a wind that won't quit. Diane Rossi sent this shot of the clock and thermometer at the Ice-Out flag site this morning. You can see, it was even colder then. I was surprised at the amount of snow we got - the Town of Cabot plowed and sanded West Shore Road - probably not entirely necessary, but we'll take it! The snow has probably smoothed out the ruts and washboard areas along the road, but when it begins to melt, it will probably add to our mud misery.
     Here's a good way to forget about the mud, taxes, and whatever else is weighing on your mind this month. Liz Sargent sent this poster for their lasagna dinner fundraiser for the North Danville library. Sounds like a good feed, but only 65 tickets will be sold, so better give them a call right away.

Here we are, watching the snow swirl around the house. It's been snowing steadily since around 2 o'clock, and it's sticking! All the bare ground is covered up again. The wind is sifting the snow off the roof and the trees, and the temperature about 30 degrees, but  wind chill is in the teens when it gusts. According to the weather report this noon, there were some near zero temperatures last night - I think around Island Pond. Gary Sadowsky said temperatures should be in the 50s this time of year. And it's going to be a cold week, according to him. So we need to put off getting out the jet skis for a while yet.
     I've been working diligently on the West Danville history for the past few days, but it's going pretty slowly. I will be meeting with the rest of the committee on Monday, so I really wanted to have one more chapter finished, but looks like that may not happen. I still have the weekend to work on it, but also have a meeting with the Ice-Out committee on Saturday to recap this year's contest and figure expenses, etc. Never enough time for everything, I guess.
     Not only that - I'm behind in answering e-mails and personal mail. I have been concentrating on the JPA newsletter - and that's in pretty good shape, but there are address lists and all sorts of stuff that needs to be updated before I can send them out. Lots of new people this year - cottages sold or ownership switched within families. It happens every year to some degree, but it does create a bit of chaos while I sort things out. 
     I may have mentioned that while I was in Boston when Fred was in the hospital there, I began playing Solitaire on my computer. I have never played it with actual cards, so knew nothing about it. It served a purpose for me then, but it seems now I'm addicted. I find myself turning to Solitaire to "warm up" before starting to work on projects, and to "relax" after spending a few hours on something else. Playing is sometimes frustrating, but also in some way rewarding. I still do Sudoku, but not as often. I don't really have time for either. So back to work. I can still get a little work done before I have to stop to get supper.

Stuck in Vermont Video with Eva Sollberger

We're getting a jump on the Friday night airing of Eva Sollberger's "Stuck in Vermont" about Joe's Pond Ice Out Contest. It is posted on HERE on sevendays.com. I really enjoyed watching the video - nice shots of the pond and particularly nice interviews with everyone. Larry, Jay, Judee, Shelly, Kevin, Jane and Garey - you are all stars! It looked like everyone had fun with it. 
     I was in St. Johnsbury for a dental appointment today and although the wind was blowing down there, it was nothing compared to how it was howling through West Danville!  When I stopped at the post office on my way home, I honestly wondered if I was going to be able to open the car door. It was really whipping down the street, right off the ice. I could feel it against the car as I was coming down out of Danville. 
     We had high winds during the night that took down a couple of trees on West Shore Road. I could see the remnants when I went by. Apparently the Town of Cabot road crew got out early and took care of them - Dr. Scott Pelok, my dentist, lives on Sandy Beach Road and said they had already been moved when he went out early this morning. It looked to me as if they were pretty well decayed - like perhaps they'd been standing dead trees - but even so, they can block the road, for sure. With the wind still blowing a gale, we could have more down today or tonight, and possibly power outages. At least the sun is out - it isn't warm, by any stretch of the imagination, but nice with the sun when you're in the car.
     I noticed there is a good sized stretch of open water in the narrows between the big pond and the middle pond. Not surprising since the water runs fairly swift through that narrow opening, especially after a rain when there's a lot of extra water coming into the pond. Sometimes there is a little waterfall right there as the pressure build up in the big pond and not enough is getting through the narrows. All of that is working on melting the ice - and that's a good sign spring is coming! We may have to go through some cooler days before it warms up again, but that's ok. We'll get there!

I'm sitting at my computer listening to the wind howling outside. I went into the garage a few minutes ago to secure both pedestrian doors that were not properly latched. The wind is gusting over 20 m.p.h. and the temperature is 25F and still heading down. At one point there was a wind gust that sent the wind chill down to -0.3F. Our lights blinked a few times, and we lost power earlier in the evening, but just long enough to upset the electric clocks so they have to be reset.
     We have had misty rain and occasional snow showers most of the day. This morning there was slushy snow on the small spots of bare ground and covering our deck, but that melted very soon. I expect we are making ice again, probably only briefly, but the pond has shown few signs of the ice letting go any time soon.
     I've had several messages from Eva Sollberger, who does the "Stuck in Vermont" segments on Fridays for WCAX. Eva was here this past weekend doing interviews about our Ice-Out Contest. The piece will be on the 6 o'clock news over WCAX this Friday evening. She did the interviews with Shelly Walker and some other folks, and contacted me for photos. It will be interesting to see what she does with all of it. So plan to watch WCAX 6 o'clock news on Friday.
     Unfortunately, her piece comes too late to give our contest a boost in sales, but still, I expect we did pretty well this year. Diane told me tonight she thinks everything is in now, so they will begin tallying proceeds and subtracting expenses in order to be ready for when the clock stops and there is a winner - or winners. It will be several days before all the tickets are logged in - that's no problem since the ice isn't melting much. We know on-line ticket sales were up quite a bit from last year, so hopefully that is a good indicator that people were more interested this year. When we have some figures, I'll let you know.

We hope everyone had a safe, wonderful Easter. The weather was not great, but mostly what the first of April always is. There was an Easter Sunrise Service on Cabot Plain - up by the cemetery where the wind can get you no matter which direction it's blowing in. People were instructed to "dress warmly," and that was good advice. There was a little rain, a little snow, lots of wind, and the temperature was about 39 degrees when I first looked at around 7:30 this morning. It didn't warm up much, and there were very few sunny breaks. Tonight is cold - my weather station is showing 26.8F. I think the wind has gone down and the sky has finally cleared. I noticed a beautiful moon earlier.
     Diane Rossi sent this cute picture of Alba. Diane spent part of the day with Bill in Shelburne, and then stopped to see Alba in Barre. They have lots of parties in both homes. Last year we had a picture of Bill with bunny ears - this year one of his mother! Very nice ears, I must say. Alba looks like she's enjoying the fun. 
     We decided last minute to go to the Eastside restaurant in Newport for brunch this morning. It was fun getting out early, and it actually wasn't awfully crowded when we were there. They had an enormous variety - anything and everything one could imagine, literally from soup to nuts. As a general rule, I don't care much for buffets - I'm kind of like an elderly friend of ours who used to say, "When I go out to eat, I want someone to serve me, I don't want to have to go and get it myself. I can do that at home." My objection is more that when I do a buffet, I generally end up with way too much food, some that it turns out I don't care for or it isn't hot, and who knows how long it's been sitting out. That said, I enjoyed almost everything I chose from today's selection. One big reason I was eager to go was that I know Fred enjoys the salad bar at Eastside whenever we go there. He enjoyed the buffet today, too, and ate a lot more than he normally would - which really wasn't such a good idea and his stomach let him know he'd overdone it a bit. But he was ok and his big regret is that he didn't find the pancakes until he'd pretty much filled up on other stuff - including chocolate pie. I couldn't complain - I topped everything off with (a very small piece) of coconut cream pie. I haven't had that for ages, and I love anything coconut, but especially pie. I used to make them often, but that was another lifetime.
     We will be up until midnight in order to take down the pay-on-line page for Ice-Out tickets. Sales have been very good this year on line, but we won't have all the tickets logged in and a complete picture of how the contest did for several days. Then we will wait for the block to sink and stop the clock. By the way, if you missed the interview WCAX did this week, click HERE.

This message came today from Geoff Carnes, who recently purchased the Eric Martin  cottage at 3932 Rte 2W:
 

I'm looking for a sunfish for our new camp on the pond so we can sail, in particular in the regattas over the summer.  If you have one, or know of someone that does, and are looking to get rid of it please email or call.  Thank you.  geoff.carnes@gmail.com  617-905-4572

LAST CHANCE TO GET IN THE ICE-OUT CONTEST!
BEST TO USE THE PAY-ON-LINE OPTION SO YOU WILL BE SURE YOUR ENTRY IS INCLUDED!
     PAY WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD HERE. 

HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER SUNDAY.

I JUST LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND IT'S SNOWING!
MOTHER NATURE'S "APRIL FOOL" JOKE ON US, I GUESS.

                                                                                  FRED & JANE