We are stunned to learn that Scott Palmer, of Danville, died from injuries received Wednesday evening in a motorcycle crash. Scott was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock with serious injuries. Scott was our neighbor here on West Shore Road in the 1980s. He built the log cabin at the head of Sandy Beach Road. We thought a lot of Scott - he was always upbeat and a really good neighbor and friend, and we shall miss him.

The Fourth of July is coming right up (JPA fireworks on Wednesday the 3rd, or if it rains, on Friday, July 5th) with lots of activities going on everywhere. Remember to get your luminaries to set out along the shoreline of your camp or home to add to the festive atmosphere around the pond. You'll find them at Hastings Store, $1.00 each.

The Joe's Pond Association Annual Meeting is on Saturday, July 6th, and is open to the public. Ice-Out tickets will be available, new directories for JPA members if you haven't picked yours up yet, and always an interesting news and ideas from members. You won't find a more congenial bunch of people, I guarantee. We will be welcoming new officers, Joe Hebert as our new president of the association, and Jamie Stewart as secretary. We hope to have a great turnout to start off what we hope will be long and happy terms in office for them both. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. - come early for coffee and conversation with friends.

 

How nice it was that the thunder storms seemed to have passed us by tonight. I saw a couple flashes and heard a little thunder, but we certainly didn't get the major wind and rain some other areas got. We probably don't need any more rain right now, either. I measured .80 inch this morning. I was surprised we got that much yesterday. On top of the two inches we got last Friday, we are wetter than normal.


I got some pictures of the sky over our house tonight - it was beautiful with the trees silhouetted against it. And there was an enormous rainbow that reached completely across the sky southeast of us. It was in a little different position than what we usually see, probably because it was late in the evening, but the pictures show it pretty well just the same. Really nice - and the air is mellow.

I've been working on the book today. I have a number of chapters to format now our editor has finished looking at them. That is a frustrating exercise, believe me. We are doing the manuscript in Word because we need to use lots of footnotes, and Word does a nice job of keeping track of those; but formatting the text into columns and inserting photos is really tricky. It's coming along, though, and I'm doing chapters individually so I don't have as many items to juggle when something gets changed.

I noticed in the Times Argus that Steven Somerville's sister, Carrie Benedickson, passed away. Steven and his wife, Sarah, share the camp that used to be Lucenti's on West Shore Road with Randall and Andrea Carbonneau. If you would like to send a card to Steven, his address is P. O. Box 515, Barre, VT 05641. Carrie was only 59. We are very sorry for her family.

Also, Stephen Mark Baker, brother of Kate Bertolini  (Cove Road) passed away on May 31.  Last year in July, their mother, Dot Baker, passed away. If you would like to send a note to Kate, her address is P. O. Box 86, West Danville, VT 05873. Our sincere sympathy goes to Kate and her family - we are thinking of them.

We hope lovely memories help ease the pain these families are feeling. I'm sure kind words help, but only time can mend the broken hearts of those left behind. This has been an unusually sad spring for the Joe's Pond community.

I mentioned a few days ago about the loon nest being in bad shape and needing fixing. I got the following from Scott Pelok, Sandy Beach Road:

The floating loon nest built by Ray Richer started to fall apart in 2018. But by that time the loon pair nested further up Joes creek inlet. The biologist, Eric, said let them nest naturally, so we did and did not bother with pulling or rebuilding the nest. This year however, the loons nested on Joes Island and Eric asked if we would put an artificial island out again to get them out of the main channel around the island. The old artificial island had washed up onto Joes island and we did not want to recover it until the chicks had hatched. They did on Father’s Day and unfortunately were lost in a loon fight the day after. So Eric was even more adamant about rebuilding and trying to get them back up the inlet. 

So, on Friday June 21 with a big help from Jamie Dimick, he and I climbed onto Joes island and pried away what was left of the nest and towed it in heavy waves to the landing and got it onto a trailer to haul it back to my house (see first photo). The next day, Jim Farnsworth and I used a plastic pallet as a base and build a frame with flotation foam to  create the new island. It is back afloat and ready for loon nesting again. See attached photos. Big thanks to Jamie and Jim.
Scott Pelok DDS Spelok@icloud.com
734-845-1302





A big thanks to Scott and Geri Pelok and Jim and Gretchen Farnsworth for monitoring the loons, taking pictures for us and doing the heavy lifting - literally. I know I can speak for loon enthusiasts all around the pond when I say we appreciate your interest and hard work keeping our loons safe and happy. And of course, a nod to son Jamie for his part in all of this, too. Sometimes it "takes a village."

I had a message from Andy Rudin saying he fished what looks like a waste basket out of the pond today. He sent this picture and said he will leave it by his kitchen door (403 Old Homestead Rd) so the owner can pick it up. (Another example of how wind and high water can rearrange our toys and other belongings around the pond.)
Tie it securely or put it inside if you possibly can. The wild weather is probably not going to stop, so keep things properly battened down.

Jamie Dimick just sent the following to me:
 I've lost 7x8 inch, 3-foot  pressure treated wooden tie. This is something that I was using on a project at our Camp. High water last week has made it float off and I will come get it if someone has found it.
Contact: jamie.dimick@katv.org

High winds, high water!

If you wondered what happened to the sailboat race today, we had notice from Susan Bouchard that it was cancelled due to the high winds. The next race will be on July 21st.

If you recognize this container of toys, you can pick it up at Lee Hackett's, 18 Narrows
Drive. Richard Hackett notified us and sent this picture, saying the bucket of toys washed up on his cousin Lee's beach a few days ago when the water was very high. Somebody will certainly be looking for these! Lee said he will leave them under the deck so the owner can pick them up any time.

Butch Bouchard sent this shot of a bear swimming near Sandy Beach Road.  The bear either needed to cool off or was taking a shortcut from one side of the pond to the other. Perhaps he/she was fishing and needed to cool off and wash up after his meal. Thanks for sharing the picture, Butch.

Which reminds me. I don't have all the details yet, but I believe the reason the loons nested "on the little island" this year was because their nesting platform had slipped its mooring and was lodge at the island. Turns out the platform need a major overhaul and with permission and instructions from Eric Hansen of Fish and Wildlife, Scott and Geri Pelok enlisted the help of Jamie Dimick to haul the platform out and the Peloks will refurbish it so it will be sturdy and ready for the loons next year - and will be in its proper place. The poor birds must have had some special sense to be able to locate the nest  when it was gone from the usual location. This hasn't been a good year for them - first their nesting place is misplaced and then, after finding it, building their nest and patiently sitting on eggs until one hatched, some predator makes off with their chick. One can't help wondering if things would have turned out better for the birds had they been able to nest in a more protected location. That said, whatever got the chick probably would have been aware of the family, wherever it was located. We'll never know, and some things are best left to nature anyway.

This morning I had the historical newsletter from the Vermont Historical Society in my mailbox. These are usually very interesting, but today's is especially so because it mentions several items of local interest. At the very end is a short piece about the "Yellow House" tavern that stood on Cabot Plain.  You will also find interesting snippets of  information on the Waterbury Asylum, Barre granite quarries, among other subjects.

When I read about the Yellow House tavern, I realized there was an error in the piece on the Cabot Historical Society site. Archie Stone's account of the tavern is posted there and in that, he referred to "the Beardsley brothers." I learned some time ago from a relative of the Beardsleys who lived in Cabot and did, indeed, build the old tavern and were very active in the community in the late 1700s and early 1800s. However, Horace was Gersham's nephew, not his brother.

It is not unusual to find conflicting information when one is researching historical events. Not only was the handwriting on old documents difficult to read, when these old documents are digitized, the computer frequently makes mistakes when "reading" those old papers.  It is always good, whensoever possible, to double check - and look at the original, if possible.

I found that Horace Beardsley served several years on the board of the Caledonia County Grammar School in Peacham that later became Peacham Academy. He lived in Cabot at the time.

Here's what I think the Yellow House tavern may have looked like back in it's day.

The inflatable boat fished out of the narrows earlier this week is now at the Allen camp at the junction of Old Homestead and Brown Rd. Owner can pick it up there.

This wind may release a few more items into the water to be blown away from home! It's a beautiful day, but the wind is making the water very choppy. Anything not tied down is probably going to be moved around a bit.

The raft that had escaped and settled in front of Frank Dolan's has been retrieved and returned to it's rightful home.

Please remember to register with Susan Bouchard if you intend to race tomorrow. Her phone is 563-2716. If the wind tomorrow is anything like what we have today, it should be a really exciting race! Good luck staying dry, sailors!

This is a picture of the inflatable boat found in the narrows yesterday. Lee Cobb said he was instructed to leave it at Allen's on Old Homestead Road, but he is unable to get it into his car. Perhaps the owner can come and retrieve it - it's at Lee and Karen Cobb's at 98 Narrows Drive. It looks like a really nice boat, and someone is no doubt missing it - or will be. The Cobb's phone is 802-684-2131.

It is quiet here today. We have a steady rain falling - probably needed for crops to grow after a few days of dry weather. Everything is lush and green - mostly everything is in full bloom. As usual, I have given up trying to get my flower beds completely weeded. The black flies (and now ticks) really make it a job I don't want to do. I haven't felt threatened by ticks before this year, but now I know they are definitely flourishing here, I am very aware and even my favorite walks around our lower lawn area have lost some appeal. Please be careful to check yourself, children and pets every day and before coming in from being outside to be sure there are none of the little menaces hitching a ride, looking for a meal. The most common tick found in Vermont, the deer tick, does carry Lyme Disease, and that is not something anyone wants to have. Here's a site that may help you understand the real threat and still be able to enjoy the outdoors this summer. TICKS

Someone asked this weekend how the West Danville history book is coming along. I'm very happy to say we are making real progress. Two big chapters are virtually finished (all except adding photos and of course a final edit) - one on the railroad and one on the Joe's Pond Association. Next to be finished up are chapters on the dam, prohibition, crimes and misdemeanors - and there is a lot more to do on the Joe's Pond chapter (that will be a really big one, with numerous separate sections). We have research started for  sections on deaths and drownings, and there will be chapters on wars and weather - all of which have information waiting to be organized. Most of these have already several pages done - not including photos. It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle, but it is beginning to come together nicely. Our editor has several sections she will be working on this summer, and should have everything by the end of the summer. Then pictures and a final read-through edit and we should be ready to publish.

I know, that is more information than you probably wanted, but we want you all to know that even though it seems as if we've been at this forever, we are making headway. This is a far more complicated process than any of us guessed. Who know there was so much information about little West Danville? We have been nothing if not thorough in our research. Patty and Dot have dug through the massive files the historical society keeps, and we have all gone through literally thousands of issues of newspapers - and we still have more to search that are not digitized. It's hard work, but we all get totally engrossed in it, sometimes to the extent our families begin to miss us! But that's the nature of research and writing. We have been fortunate to have the assistance of able helpers such as Geri Pelok who searched deeds for us, and input from others like Jane Larrabee, Andy Rudin, John Moore, and Ted Chase. And then there are the numerous readers - some who contributed valuable ideas and suggestions how we could make the story better - and we appreciate the input from all who gave their honest opinions.

So you see, we have not been idle these past six years! Now we rush to make our realistic deadline - get the book out before Christmas, 2019!

Body Found at Joe's Pond This Morning

We have just heard the news over WCAX that a body was found here in Joe's Pond this morning. Neighbors have been calling and what we have learned is unofficial, but I'm confident this is what happened - or at least some of what happened. The Caledonian Record also has a little information.

Lee Cobb (Narrows Drive) found the body early this morning. The body was that of John Allen whose family has owned a cottage at the intersection of Old Homestead and Brown Road for many years. He was the son of Jack and Mary Allen, of St. Johnsbury. We have been told that John was causing a disturbance, possibly with a hand gun last night on Old Homestead. Apparently police were called and whether he went into the water to end it or fell in, nobody seems to know. We will supply more details as we learn them.

I just had a message this afternoon from Gretchen Farnsworth. Here's what she wrote:
 

Sadly there was a fight out by the island, I’m not sure if it was another loon or another species but the baby is gone. It looks like the original pair are ok and together, but I couldn’t see the baby when I went over that way in my kayak. So sad.

 Gretchen didn't mention whether she could tell if there's another egg in the nest that might still hatch. She thought a day or so ago that might be the case, and if so, there sill might be a chance this loon pair will have another chick. However there are no guarantees 
the same predator won't remember and be watching.

Lost Doll

This is very sad -
From Dee Palmer, Clubhouse Circle:
My 5 year old granddaughter, Eloise is missing her beloved baby doll, Ayla.  Her mom last remembers Ayla being with them at the Joe’s Pond playground on Sunday, June 15. Ayla is dark skinned, with dark squiggles for hair, wearing a rainbow colored flowered dress.  She is about 18” inches tall.  Eloise is very sad and we hope we’ll find Ayla.  If anyone has seen her please contact Dee Palmer, Eloise’s Grammy at 802 233 2756.  Thanks so much.

We manage to get things straightened out pretty quickly here. The kayak swap has been made and everyone has their own back in place; the errant raft off the lower east shore of the big pond has apparently been secured; wildlife is circulating normally - a deer on Narrows Drive and one on our lawn here at W. Shore Road; the black flies have been joined by mosquitoes and deer flies making life miserable for humans and animals alike. Our son, Bob, went up into our woods this afternoon with Cheree, his dog, and when he got back he said the ticks were rampant. He got six or eight off his pant legs and removed two or three from Cheree. We haven't walked in the woods for a couple of years now, not altogether because of ticks, but that is certainly what's keeping me from enjoying our woods now. Bob had sprayed his pantlegs and the dog before leaving here, but even so, the ticks found both of them.

By Butch Bouchard, 4:45 p.m. 6/17/19/

On a much  more cheerful note, I just had a message from Gretchen Farnsworth saying the loons were making a racket and when she got out the glasses, she could see there is a chick. She wrote a little later that the mother loon was back on the nest on the island, so Gretchen thinks there may be another egg to hatch soon. She will keep us posted. That IS GOOD NEWS! I was worried that the nest on the island would prove to be disastrous for our loon pair, but apparently they found a good spot and water fluctuations with all the rain we had earlier didn't bother them that much.
Here's a picture of the baby hitching a ride - Butch Bouchard (Sandy Beach Road) sent this a few minutes ago - he took it at about 4:45 p.m. today (Monday). Pretty darn cool! So now we remind people to be extra careful when out on the water not to go too close to the loon family - always be on the lookout for them, and give them space.

In case you aren't familiar with ticks - here is a LINK to a page that may help you identify and remove them safely. Ticks are not something to take lightly. Twenty years ago or less, it was fairly rare for us to find ticks here, but now they are rampant. Not all of them carry Lyme Disease, but please don't take any chances. If you feel you have been bitten, best to go to a doctor and even if you don't have the "bullseye" rash or may test negative, try to get treatment with antibiotics - just in case.  Vermont Digger has an interesting article you should read regarding Lyme Disease and mistreatment.

You do't have to go into the woods to be a target for ticks - long grass, brush, almost any place you go they could be waiting for you. So check whenever you have been outside - and check you animals for them, too.

1st SUNFISH RACE OF SEASON!

Just a reminder that this Sunday is the 1st Sunfish Sailboat Race for any interested sailors to race single or double.  There is a registration form to sign before the race.

All participants must have a life preserver on board and the Commodore mandates anyone 16 years of age wear the life preserver at all times.
Basic right-of-way rules to avoid protests, disqualifications or collisions

• Port – Starboard Port tack boat keeps clear
• Windward – Leeward Windward boat keeps clear
• Tacking Tacking boat keeps clear
• Luffing Windward boat before the start is OK
• Barging Don’t force your way between the Committee boat and another boat at start
• Over easy Return and start over, keep clear of all boats
• Buoy room Give room to all boats that have inside overlap
• Luffing after start You may luff an overtaking boat to protect your position
• Hitting a mark Circle the mark once and continue racing
• “360” rule Infractions above will be on the honor system and require a complete circle

Starting rules
The Commodore will position the Committee boat perpendicular to the first leg and all boats will pass between the first buoy and the Committee boat at the start of the race. The first leg will be into the wind.The Commodore will sound a series of horn blasts as follows:

• Three long blasts 3 minutes to start
• Two long blasts 2 minutes to start
• One long blast 1 minute to start
• Three short blasts 30 seconds to start
• Two short blasts 20 seconds to start
• One short biast 10 seconds to start
• One long blast START

The race will go four legs and the finish will be at the second buoy. The Committee boat will be positioned perpendicular to the line between the first and second buoy, at the 2^nd buoy.  Boats must pass between the 2^nd buoy and the Committee boat.

Please contact Susan Bouchard at 563-2716 or chatotbouchard@comcast.net

I just received this message from George Baxter on North Shore Road:
Jane:
 Last Summer Peace and I loaned our two kayaks, one yellow one green,
and thought no more of it. The green one came back, BUT this one in
the picture I am sending you was substituted for the yellow one. Would
it be possible to put this picture on the blog. Maybe the "owner" will
recognize it. And maybe that person might have our yellow kayak. 
George.

This is certainly a colorful kayak, and I'm sure someone is missing it. Hopefully this will get things straightened out and everyone will happily have their own favorite kayak back where it belongs. Contact George at 802-684-1083 if you know about this mix-up and can help.

Cabot's July Fourth Celebrtion

NEWS RELEASE, CABOT, VERMONT FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION Contact:  Lori Augustyniak, Executive Director, lori@cabotvermont.org, 802-5653-3338

TOWN PREPARES FOR CABOT’S JULY 4^TH CELEBRATION & PARADE
2019 Theme: Celebrating Vermont Agriculture and 100 Years of Cabot Creamery
Annual event begins at 8:00 am on Thursday, July 4^th, 2019

Cabot, VT  What’s red, white, blue and fun all over? The town of Cabot’s 4th of July Celebration, where folks from around Central VT come to experience the great old-time celebration you remember, with a few new surprises this year!

Come early to find a great spot to enjoy the parade and stay to experience this annual fun-filled, family-oriented event with live entertainment, food and activities.

While the exact date of its origin in unknown, Cabot’s proud tradition of celebrating Independence Day started more than 50 years ago, and continues this year on Thursday, July 4th on the Cabot Town Common.  The festivities begin at 8 am with the Annual rummage sale in the Cabot School Gym.

Other activities will be held on the Cabot Town Common, located in the heart of Cabot village on VT Route 215, and
kick off at 9 am including:

• Book sale to benefit the Cabot Public Library;
• Bounce houses & games for children (and fun adults!);
• Live entertainment, featuring The Outerburgs -rocking high-energy old-time string band music and traditional songs- at 10 am and the classic country and roots music band, Hillside Rounders from Noon-2 pm.;
• An assortment of local vendors;
• Exhibits at the Cabot Historical Society;
• A beverage tent hosted by The Den;
• Food vendors serving strawberry shortcake, sugar on snow, Italian sausage, burgers and hot dogs;
• Cabot’s famous BBQ chicken dinner that begins serving at Noon; and
• The Cabot 4^th of July Parade stepping off at 11 am.

The parade, organized by the Cabot Fire Department, will include the usual array of entries including the giant puppets, horses, tractors, fire trucks and emergency rigs, musical performers, Cabot residents of note and more.  This year’s theme is “Celebrating Vermont Agriculture and 100 Years of Cabot Creamery.” Parade line up is from 10:00 -10:50am at 2466 VT Route 215. (South of Cabot Village).

There is no need to pre-register to participate in the parade, but all participants are required to fill out the parade participation form, available to download at cabotvermont.org or on site on July 4.

The parade starts south of the village and takes the traditional route north on Main Street through the village of Cabot.  Parade viewers may sit anywhere along the parade route that is not restricted; you are encouraged to bring your own lawn chair.

The reviewing stand is located on the Town Common and parade awards will be presented during the parade.  The parade entries that are judged as the Cheesiest, most Agricultural, most Historic and most Patriotic will receive a $50 cash prize.

Travel on VT Route 215 through the Village of Cabot will be restricted from 11 am until the parade concludes.

We are still accepting registrations for vendors. Business, candidate and food vendors are welcome. The fee is $30 businesses/ $15 non-profits.

For your pet's safety, please leave all animal companions at home.  Service dogs only.

This year’s event is sponsored with generous support from the Cabot Community Association, Cabot Creamery, Vermont Organic Farmers, Vermont Farm to Plate and Rooted in Vermont.

For the complete event schedule, please visit our FB event page at "Cabot, VT July 4th Celebration" or contact the Cabot Community Association at 802-563-3338 or info@cabotvermont.org.

If you were in the West Danville/Joe's Pond area today, you know the wind was whipping seriously at the pond. Things were getting tossed around and anything that wasn't hitched probably landed in the water - or on a neighbor's lawn or dock. We had a call from Karen Cobb saying that a boat on the south shore was being banged into the seawall. I was unable to reach the owner, but I did get in touch with Kevin Johnson who contacted his son, Kyle who was mowing lawns in the area and was able to go over. He said there were some other folks there when he arrived, and the boat was secured - I don't know if it was the owners or some kind neighbors who noticed the problem, but many thanks to Karen and Lee Cobb, as well as Kevin and Kyle for helping.
    Karen said the runaway raft is still in the same place - I guess nobody has missed it yet.
     Today I measured .90 inch of rain that had fallen during the night. We've certainly had a lot of precipitation this spring. In spite of that, our back lawn has dried out nicely - but there are still some very wet spots in some areas on the lower lawn. The hillside above us has lots of springs and marshy areas. I'm impressed every spring with how lush and green the foliage is, especially when we've had plenty of rain like this spring. The trees and grass are gorgeous. I think I've heard people complain about the hordes of black flies more this year than ever before, though. It seems to me they came early and so far there's no sign of them letting up. With all the rain, this will no doubt be a big year for mosquitoes, too.
    I don't always watch CBS in the morning, but this morning I happened to see an interview with Dr. Louise Aronson about her new book, Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life. She was saying that elders, people age 60 and older, are now happier than either children or adults. She also made the point that the three age groups, childhood, adulthood and elderhood are equal in size now. Our population is getting older - grayer - more rapidly than the other two groups, apparently because couples are not having as many children now. She also stated that medicine/doctors are not keeping up with the aging population, i.e., they get extensive training on how to care for children and adults, but only a few hours of training devoted to elders. I don't know about all of that - but her message is that generally speaking, elders are happier because they know and accept who they are, have gained some wisdom along the way and therefore don't have the angst younger generations do.
     I think I can relate to all of that. Of course, there are certain limitations we elders have, usually physical, which can make us a little cranky sometimes - or maybe that's just me. It doesn't make me happy that I can't bend like I used to, don't have as much stamina, have occasional aches and pains and can't thread a needle on the first try - or the tenth, or sometimes I just decide to forget the button and use a safety pin. But there are lots of things I'm way more comfortable with than when I was a few decades younger. I know my limitations and keep my expectations reasonable. I see more good in people I associate with than potential problems, and I know it isn't the end of the world if I make a mistake - or if someone else does. That's life, and I guess it's easier to handle the more you live it. And I just heard today there is an immunization to prevent Alzheimer's on the medical horizon. Now, that's something to be really happy about, whatever age group you're in!

We were just notified there is an upside-down section of dock, legs upward, loose in the middle pond. Please be careful, or if you are able to snag it and tie it up on shore where it no longer presents a danger, that would be good. Just let us know where it is so the owner can retrieve it.

It's been a beautiful day here - finally! We have more nice days ahead for a stretch. We got more rail last night. I measured .85 inch this morning. I think we may be past the danger of a frost now.

I had an email from Marti Talbot today letting us know that she and David will be occupying their little cottage - Camp Sylvia - this summer. The long flight of steps to the main cottage are more than David can manage right now, and Camp Sylvia is all on one floor - much easier for both of them. Family was on hand this week to help them get moved in and they will be cozy there for the summer. Marti also wanted to let people know that cell service in their area is so spotty they have installed a land line at  Camp Sylvia. The number, 802-563-5010, is now listed in the on-line directory. Mark your new directories, Joe's Pond Association members. 

Which reminds me, get in touch with Joanne Stewart if you didn't get your newsletter of the new directory. Her email is verthai@gmail.com. Also, if you haven't paid your dues, you can do that on line with your credit card. Go to home page on the website and follow the directions there. 

We just found out tonight that our granddaughter Jo-Ann will be transferring to the University of Texas in Austin this fall. She is delighted that she was accepted at her first choice. She had two years at Dean College in Franklin, MA and says she really wanted to go someplace warmer. I expect she won't be disappointed on that score. She is growing up altogether too quickly.

Our younger grand, Tangeni, was excited tonight that she learned to ride a scooter AND got the training wheels off her bike. Her dad better get his Harley tuned up and ready if he wants to be able to keep up with her this summer, I'm thinking. She's a pistol. She said he's "the best dad ever," and they have a tight bond, I know. She may join him in the car business, who knows? 

We hope everyone is able to take advantage of the nice stretch of weather ahead. We can't be sure what the summer ahead holds for us, so enjoy it while you can!

Runaway Raft

Anyone lost a swimming raft? One showed up mysteriously this week and is lodged about in front of Frank Dolan's on Old Homestead Road. It is not far from Karen Morris's place -

sort of in in the cove between Karen's and the Cobb-Gruggel place on Narrows Drive. Karen Cobb sent a picture. The pond has been rough today - lots of wind. It was probably a combination of high water and strong wind that released it from wherever it belongs and sent it tossing on the high seas until it finally caught on something. With the nice weekend ahead, you'll want it back in place, so that is where you'll find it. Good luck retrieving it. Towing it back to wherever it belongs will be a chore.

If some of you have been waiting for a nice weekend to visit the pond, this could be just the ticket. Beginning tomorrow we're starting to warm up and dry out. By Friday night, things should be looking good and it will be a great weekend! Promises are for temperatures in the 70s and even possibly the 80s! It's about time, too.

I noticed in the Caledonian Record there's a new policy at the public beach in West Danville - no trash receptacles this year. The bears found them last year and not only made a mess, their presence posed a danger, so the West Danville Community Club (WDCC) made the decision to remove the trash bins and ask people to carry out whatever they carry in to the park area at the beach. This makes perfect sense. It's food scraps that attract the bears - someone was telling me bears can catch a scent from a carcass as far away as twenty miles, and when they are hungry, they don't mind the walk to wherever their nose tells them there is lunch. I don't suppose they could smell popcorn or french fries that far away, but there are plenty of the critters much closer than that to the beach. Anyway, when you go to the beach, don't leave your garbage or other litter there. Take it with you and dispose of it properly in your recycling at home.

Another rainy day - but isn't everything beautifully lush and green?! I love the bright green colors of spring, and the bursts of white wild cherry and apple blossoms. 

Yesterday was supposed to be a "get-away" day for us. We had appointments just before noon in St. Johnsbury and intended to go to Polly's Pancake House in Franconia for lunch - always a treat this time of year when flowers are blooming and the mountains have the soft, fresh colors of early spring leaves - plus, the expanded menu at Polly's is very good.  Nothing went as planned. 

I'll back up a little. Every morning I check my eyes using a little card - straight grid lines making little squares around a single white dot in the middle of the card. With macular degeneration, the grid lines become skewed. With me, my right eye has skewed vision, but my left eye has only slightly dimmed vision - lines are straight on the card. The purpose of the card check every day is to note any changes and if there are any, get in touch with the doctor. For the past few days, I was getting slight skewing with my "good" eye - the left one. I didn't want to call my doctor unless I was positive something was changed, so I waited. Yesterday when I went on the computer, I had a difficult time focusing - the lines of text were running together and swimming in crazy curves and dips.

Long story short, I called Dr. Kim's office and they said they wold talk to him and get back to me. We headed for our appointments in St. J. and as soon as we finished there, came back home. We had a message from Dr. Kim's office and we headed immediately for Shelburne. The good news was that there is nothing serious going on with my eye, but he did give me the usual shot. At my appointment in May, I got the shot only in my right eye. He assured me yesterday that from now on I'll be getting them in both eyes. That's better than losing my eyesight, and it's only uncomfortable for a few hours. But darn, that's no way to spend a rare "day off to play." Fred assures me we'll make it to Polly's (or at least take another "day to play") soon.

So I expect today will go about as usual. My eye seems to be behaving better already - I expected it would take a few days for the medicine to work - and that will probably be true. Things aren't back to normal, but better than before.

We got a little rain overnight - I haven't measured yet, but the temperature is still below normal for this time of year at 50 degrees. Someone said recently they expect we'll get instant summer when the weather finally turns around. Then we'll all be shining about the heat, I suppose. The weather with humans is a lot like fleas on dogs - they keep them from worrying about being a dog. Without the weather to bug uss, just think of all the other human problems and troubles we could be complaining about! 

Have a good day, regardless of the weather or lines that aren't exactly straight in your life.

     I expect you all noticed the change in the appearance of the blog today. Fred has been updating the website so it will be more compatible with hand-held devices, and that led me to check out how the blog was being received on the smaller devices. Obviously, it needed a change. So there it is - for better or for worse. Better, I hope. You can still subscribe so you'll receive the blog as an email whenever I make a new post -- top of the page, under the title. Lots of people have told me they really like that feature.
     I don't have anything new to contribute today except that the weather is still iffy - we had just a little bit of rain last night and today it's warmish - finally hit 70 degrees just now and there will be thunder storms later in the day in some areas. We simply can't seem to break the "rain a little every day" habit this spring. It's still quite nice, though, and just about time for me to put my indoor house plants out on the deck for the summer. I don't think we'll have another frost now - but it could happen. It's not unusual to have a frost in early June just as the apple blossoms are forming. This can sometimes seriously damage the apple crop and other tender plants that are up in gardens. If we can make it through another week or so, we should be safe.
     Now I'm going to have lunch and spend most of the afternoon here at my computer. We are pressing to get the West Danville history book finished by late fall, so we'll all be in "writers' mode" which means relative seclusion in order to buckle down and get it done! If I don't answer the phone, leave a message. It's crunch time!

I've received a really interesting response on my black fly post. It came from a friend's daughter-in-law, Whitney, who has had similar bad experiences as I have. Here's what she wrote:

OFF! (even the deep woods stuff!)  tends to have too little DEET in it.  It is not effective for me.  I need in the 90's (98% and higher seems to work most of the time, especially if there are other victims not using anything).  It's a vile, toxic, awful substance, but better for me than the intense itching.  Repel is good, which is what I use, and Benadryl ES [if bitten, to stop the itch].

The itching is not directly caused by [the anticoagulant the insect injects], but rather, a reaction to its existence in the body.  The itching, welt, swelling, heat, hives, is all caused by histamine.  Histamine is produced by the body, typically in reaction to a foreign substance invading the body (such as an anticoagulant's proteins).  For some people, the body produces just enough to neutralize the perceived threat.  For others, the body goes into overtime and throws way more at it than it seems necessary for anyone else.  For me, one mosquito bite will result in hard, swollen, hot, red lumps that itch almost relentlessly for two weeks and the itchiness increases to an unbearable level every so many hours.  The more of these I get, the worse they feel, especially when whatever my body does every x hours hits.  They will all react at the exact same time and I get hot all over and the itch spreads internally where I cannot scratch.  I have perceived that most people do not get it this bad, and some get it worse - such as hives breaking out over their bodies, too.

My regimen before going outside longer than a few minutes with immediate escape available, if I'm not wearing a bug net over my entire body:  Repel (98.1% DEET) ALL OVER exposed skin, on my hat, around the edges of hat, smoothed onto hair, and lightly smoothed onto clothing all the way down to socks and shoes.  If I still get bitten, I carry Mometasone Furoate (prescription) for ear eczema which must be applied right away, and that nixes it.  I used to try Benadryl Extra Strength cream and at the time, it failed miserably... but the other night it worked when someone gave me some for a bite on a finger of all things.  So that may be an option for me again which is good because the MF isn't doing what it used to (it's expired, too, which makes me think my Benadryl ES had been, too).  Benadryl is an anti-histamine, which when it soaks into the skin, neutralize's the body's reaction.  MF is a topical steroid that reduces swelling - how, I'm not sure, but it neutralizes the itch so it must work somewhat similiarly.  Steroids (even topical ones) are generally frowned upon for heavy use in the same area because it thins skin.  However, I do not care.  The suffering from bites is, well, insufferable, and as an adult, I've stopped caring about all the new-age worries about the environment and frogs and health effects caused by poison.  I went unbelieved - even scoffed at, was given advice that never helped (don't scratch it makes it worse), etc - way too long to listen to anyone anymore.  I finally found what works for me, and now I laugh inwardly when I'm walking with my bug gear on in deep woods, lightly covered in DEET, carrying my anti-itch stuff, being laughed at at first... then seeing everyone scratching and swearing and giving me jealous glances.  Yeah.  That was me for thirty something years.  Only I had worse welts than they're getting.  They can byte me.  But they won't, because they're anti-poison.

I like the way she thinks! I went outside today for about an hour, all bundled up with one of those nets like bee keepers use tied tightly over my upturned shirt collar - cuffs of my long-sleeved shirt tightly buttoned and rubber bands cinching my pantlegs over my socks. I had smeared Crocodile on my face before I put on all the garb and felt pretty confident I was safe. That was mostly true - I got only one bite - on my hand. I was using the lawn mower and was moving all the time, so I didn't think I needed gloves. Wrong! I was bitten on my hand so now I have a big hot, red, itchy welt on my knuckles.

While the rest of me was safe and the black flies lined up all over the netting over my face, they couldn't get to me. But I darn near collapsed do to being over-heated. So I had to come in before I'd really accomplished as much as I'd hoped and shed all my tight coverings and enjoyed a cool shower. I will try Whitney's suggestions. It would be great to be able to work outside and not be eaten alive.

We have some rain coming tomorrow and a little each day all next week, looks like. I suppose when the weather finally turns around we'll be complaining about the heat and dry conditions. I was going to look at our old apple tree while I was outside this afternoon. It seems to be later than usual with blossoming. Our crabapple is just beginning to bloom and will be at peak in another day or two, and they usually bloom at about the same time. We have a service berry bush on the lower lawn that has been loaded with flowers for about a week; but the old apple tree seems to be resisting again this year. Usually if it misses a year blooming, like it did last year, the next year it will be loaded. Maybe it's just a late bloomer. We'll see. 

We had some motorcyclists pass by here this morning. I think there were eight or ten of them - I expect they were taking some sort of special "scenic tour" that would take time up to the Plain Cemetery and Foster Bridge. The view wouldn't have been great today - too hazy. According to Gary Sadowsky on WCAX, the haze is due to some forest fires in western Canada. Their weather has been hot and dry this spring and the fires have mostly been started by lightning strikes. Last year California, this year Canada. They get fires, U. S. gets floods and tornadoes. And now the hurricane season is beginning. "Troubles come not singly but in battalions," to paraphrase Shakespeare.