Ah, spring in the Kingdom! As I look out my office window, there are big, wet snowflakes falling. We've had steady rain since last night and I measured a whopping 1.2 inches this morning. It is still raining/snowing, and the temperature is hovering in the 30s. Nasty weather, but nothing unusual for this time of year.
     We  know things are moving ahead - even with snow flurries teasing us that there's more winter lurking in our future. The block went through the slushy ice and stopped the clock on Thursday, April 25, at 5:39 a.m. - we were able to locate a winner of the Ice-Out Contest, although out of over 13,000 guesses, nobody had the exact time this year. There were several close to that time, and the closest was Robynn Albert of Essex Junction. Lucky lady - she will receive a nice fat check later on!
     We learned this week that Jenny Larrabee Rafuse not only now owns Hastings Store, she is also a postal clerk. She works in the Peacham office mornings and told us yesterday she's enjoying her new duties. Some of you may not know that serving as postmaster in West Danville dates back to her great grandmother, Jennie Hastings who had the job in 1914, followed by her grandfather, Ralph Hastings, then her father, Garey Larrabee, who retired in 2015. That's a long tradition of postal service in that family! We wish Jenny well - and can't wait for the sandwich bar and creemee stand she promised to open at the store later this spring!