A Bit of Rain

 Many of us were happy to get a bit of rain in the past 24 hours. I measured .90 in. this morning, and there was a misty rain here when I left to go to St. Johnsbury around 10:30. On the way there, I ran into more dedicated rain showers, but nothing exceptional. Some places had some fairly heavy rain and thunderstorms yesterday, but not here at Joe's Pond. We now have cooler temperatures, though. I like it to stay in the 70s. More or less is uncomfortable for me, but I'm not working outside, so it's probably a good think I don't have control of the outdoor "thermostat"!

The last couple of times I've been in St. Johnsbury, always on weekdays, I've noticed there seems to be a marked increase in traffic downtown. Railroad Street had few parking spaces available when I was there today, and shops seemed to have people visiting. I hope this is an ongoing trend and this summer proves to be good for business there. I really like that there are several outside dining options along Railroad Street, and shop fronts are looking great. There are very interesting little shops that I've never visited - but I think I'm going to take some time and try to do that.

After seeing my post with the photo of a Ladys Slipper in Rhode Island, my friend, Mary Whitcomb, shared photos she took while on a walk in the woods at Half Moon State Park in Hubbardton, Vermont with her son, Dale. It's nice to know that these lovely wildflowers are alive and well in Vermont, too - as I suspected them to be. And it's great that we have state parks where they can exist undisturbed.

I had never known what the little white flowers (above) were called, but Mary said they are Canada Mayflowers. I've seen plenty of them in the woods over the years. I looked them up and later they have little red berries that are poisonous. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your lovely photos with us.

Some information was passed on to me today that some of you may be interested in. It is about wake boats. There is a petition available for anyone interested to sign and present on line. The link is: tinyurl.com/RWVLLetterOfSupport.