Many of you have known Morris Burrington over the years. Morris has lived in West Danville for a long time and lots of Joe's Pond people stopped by the greenhouse her ran or bought farm goods from Morris and his wife. You will be sad to learn that Morris died this week. He had been ill for some time. It is sad when a long-time friend or familiar face is no longer present, and many people will miss Morris. To read his obituary, click HERE.
     Today has been an unusually warm one here at Joe's Pond. As I write this at nearly six o'clock, the outside temperature is still a very mild 70 degrees. I don't know if we broke any records for high temperature today, but perhaps. The sun on the leaves was absolutely beautiful - we are finally seeing foliage at just about peak color.
     We went down through Groton State Forest on Saturday with Jamie and Marie (they took us out for breakfast and for leaf peeping to celebrate my birthday!) and while the colors were nice, they didn't show up as they have today. I worked outside a little while, but it was actually a bit too warm for me to be comfortable and I had to give it up. I got some things done, though, and soaked up a little vitamin D from the sun! 
     On Sunday, we met Fred's cousin, Ora, and her friend at the Autumn on the Green. We had thought we'd eat there, but it was damp and chilly and we decided to scoot back to West Danville and stop at Three Ponds. We knew they would be busy with all the fall foliage people in the area, but we hadn't anticipated waiting quite as long as we had to - about half an hour, more or less. The food was worth the wait, though, we all agreed! It was warm and friendly and we met some nice people while we were waiting. Some were waiting for a table like we were - another nice couple we met just came in to use the bathroom. When you gotta go . . . !
     We dropped Ora and Kate back at the Autumn on the Green, but I wanted to get back to my computer and the chapter I'm working on, so we came back home. We always enjoy seeing Ora and Kate - they find the most interesting things to do when they come to Vermont. They had visited the performing arts center in Greensboro on this trip, among other things. 
     While we were at the Autumn on the Green, we ran into several Joe's Pond folks. I found it hard to believe how many tents there were with all kinds of  crafts and interesting products for sale - and there was a good variety of food available, as well. Although the weather wasn't perfect, it wasn't raining and they seemed to have an exceptionally good turnout. Parking was at a premium and traffic was moving very slowly through town. This seems to be a good year for fall foliage tourists - lots of people in the area.
     We're still missing our Woody cat - we both expect to find him in the usual places around the house, and today when I was working outside, I missed him riding in the wheelbarrow or jumping out of the bushes at me. We have had many people say they enjoyed hearing about his antics over the years, and we thank all of you for saying that. He was very special. We have already noticed an increase in squirrel and chipmunk activity; those little animals apparently sense there is no dangerous cat to avoid any longer. We've had to set extra mouse traps in the garage - this is the time of year the mice are looking for a warm place for the winter. Woody kept the population down considerably - and now we have to do all the work! He earned his keep, for sure. His affection for both of us was evident and I think he knew how much we loved him. 
     We are thinking of the people in Florida and along the east coast where the hurricane is going to hit tomorrow. It seems as if the devastation just goes on and on. So far we in Vermont are fortunate not to have such severe weather - but nobody knows if or when our luck could change. We hope  our friends who have left Joe's Pond for their winter homes down south will be safe.