Update on Weather and Other Items

 We are getting the predicted snow - it began just about noon and I'm guessing we have about two, maybe three, inches. It is a bit slippery because it hasn't actually been awfully cold. Right now it's about 25F, and it's still snowing very lightly. There will definitely be some buildup, but we may not get as much as predicted, which was 6-8 inches, the last report I saw. At least the wind isn't howling like it has been!

I heard that Doug Hamilton is headed home - he not only got a gash in his head, he also broke five ribs. That is very painful. He probably won't be up for visitors, either personal or phone calls, but I bet a note or card would at least let him know we are thinking of him and sympathize. His address is P. O. Box 131, West Danville, VT 05873. Tough luck, for sure, and I hope he feels better soon.

I also recently saw an ad for Noah Alonso's cottage at 111 Barre Avenue. I had wondered if it would go on the market after Noah died. It is an impressive place.

Book sales are chugging right along. If you haven't contacted anyone (or been contacted), you will find our recently-published book, West Danville, Vermont, Then and Now 1781-2021 at Hastings Store in West Danville, the Corner Stop Inn Shop in Walden, the History and Heritage Center at 421 Summer St. in St. Johnsbury any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., or at the Danville Historical Society any Tuesday or Thursday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The book costs $45, cash or check. If you cannot pick up a copy at one of the  above places, give the folks at the Historical Society a call (802-684-2055) and make other arrangements. Shipping and handling costs $7 per book. You can also contact someone there by email at: book@danvillevthistorical.org. 

We are thrilled that so many people have reported very favorably about the book. Several have said they didn't start at the beginning, but looked through and read certain chapters randomly when something caught their attention. That is great. It is a very large book with lots of information, and we purposely broke it into manageable subject-specific chapters and sub-chapters. We tried to make it easy to find whatever subject the reader might be interested in, whether it's a place or a family. This makes research much quicker and easier.

I heard from a blog reader recently who had contact me about 10 years ago, looking for information on a Cabot family from many years ago. I had many long email conversation with this young man at the time, and he took time to write to me this past week because he had gone to the blog and read that my husband, Fred, had passed away and wanted to extend his condolences. He also wrote about his young family - he now has two children, and had only recently been able to carve out some time to work on the family history that had originally introduced us. 

Most of us know what it's like, trying to keep up with a growing family, especially when they are very young. These days raising a family is further complicated by having to work with Covid hanging over all of us. There will be a generation of kids who grew up accepting masks as part of their school apparel, I expect. Who would have thought we'd find ourselves in such a situation?

Well, if you haven't done your Christmas shopping, better get on it. Forget trying to do it online - that won't work at this late date. I ordered some things weeks ago that are supposed to arrive this week, but I'm not convinced they will be here at the prescribed date. However, our family decided to do Christmas in July, so we'll get together when the weather allows us to be outside and we can enjoy being together without worries. My packages should be here by then! Although I did have to wait eight months for the chairs I bought last spring. Something about only one company in U.S. makes the stuffing that goes into the cushions, and they were seriously backed up. I think there are other companies overseas making stuffing, but that was not an option for this Indiana company, apparently.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Christmas week! It doesn't seem possible the holidays are here already. We will be welcoming a new year soon, too. I remember last year we were all saying that 2021 would certainly be an improvement over 2020; but I'm not so sure that is the case. It was better in some ways, but we still have terrible things happening - shootings in schools, beatings on the streets, homeless people out in the cold, drug and alcohol problems, devastating storms, and of course the everlasting political nonsense, investigations and finger-pointing. I have given up watching most news programs. I catch some local news, either first thing in the morning or at noon, but often skip the gory details generally featured in the national news.  I often wonder how in the world reporters can continue covering the same old stuff day after day without going bananas. I guess they get immune.

Now I need to get back to writing a few Christmas cards. If I don't get them in the mail on Monday, they probably won't make it before Christmas, either. Better late than never, I guess. Stay healthy and safe - and enjoy the week of last minute Christmas preparations!