Hot Weather, Lots of Good Eating, Things to Do

Whew! It is HOT! I don't know exactly how hot it got in the sun here yesterday, but it kept me inside most of the day. My house stays very cool and I did step out onto my porch a few times, actually to warm up a little, but by afternoon, I was more than happy to just lower the blinds and stay inside. I took a nap.

Today I'm working at my computer and have a few other things I need to do, but not outside. I need to wash down my porch and front deck where the pollen is thick and yellow. I will wait until the weather  has cooled a bit - perhaps by this weekend I can get that done. 

I successfully re-webbed an old folding aluminum  deck chair yesterday. I began working on it a while ago, and after having it partly finished, I realized I was doing it wrong. So yesterday I took it apart again and redid it correctly. There is a certain way the webbing has to be folded over the clips to hold it securely - and I had forgotten how to do that. With a little experimenting, and rummaging around in the trash barrel to retrieve the old webbing so I could see how it was folded, I got it done right. It's really pretty - pink. I know - who wants a pink lawn chair! Years ago I bought a huge roll of webbing on line, on sale. At the time I used it with other colors - purple, blue, green, whatever I had left from other projects - so for years I had a variety of  colorful lawn chairs. A few years ago, the boys were cleaning all of those old type chairs out of camp and I rescued two chairs and a chaise. I redid them using odds and ends, and now have very little left except this big roll of pink webbing. There is enough for many, many more re-dos. It will probably still be around long after the chairs are gone - and me, too! The pink seems a little out of place on the deck, so I will probably keep it in the garage for a quick "sit-down" when I need to rest between projects out there. It is light and easy to carry around, and old and outdated as it is, I cannot bear to part with it.

Nancy Buttura sent me this very nice video made by Chris Hebert about his run on the LVRT Friday night into Saturday morning. I hope it works here and you can enjoy it. Sometimes this blog won't support certain types of links, so fingers crossed it will play for you. There was also a very nice write-up in the Caledonian Record about Chris's record-making run from Swanton to St. Johnsbury. That must have been a grueling exercise. I can't imagine having the strength and determination to do that. Very impressive - and a wonderful tribute to his dear late wife, Lisa. We all miss her.

Don't forget the ham supper at the Joe's Pond Association pavilion this Saturday. You do not have to be a member of the Association to attend - just give Peter Crosby a call: 802- 555-4949 to reserve tickets, if they are still available.You won't be disappointed. If I understand correctly, Marion uses her late mother, Catherine Beattie's macaroni and cheese recipe, well known and much appreciated by many, many Danville people and visitors from far and near at church suppers, the Danville Fair, and of course, The Creamery Restaurant. Catherine was a wonderful cook - and Marion obviously inherited those genes. So don't miss out on this very special meal.

The following Saturday, June 29th the West Danville United Methodist Church is putting on a roast pork dinner. The ladies of the church community know how to put on great meals, and I expect this will be excellent. The menu is: roast pork, stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, coleslaw, applesauce, rolls, cheddar cheese, pie and a beverage. This is by reservation only, and dinners are $15 each. Takeouts are available and must be picked up between 4-5:00 p.m. Sit-down dining begins at 5:30 and you will be served by table, in sequence. They ask that you please remain upstairs until your table number is called. All reservations must be in by Wednesday, June 26. This is for the benefit of the church building maintenance and repair. Call Jane Milne, 802-684-3343 for reservations.

The Fourth of July Celebration is alive and well in Cabot - we will have the historical building ope all day for visitors to take a break from the crowds, sit to examine albums containing old photos, newsclips, letters, etc., or meander through the exhibits on two floors of the 1845 building that served as the town's first school and community center. It is much like it was in the 1800s - no plumbing, heated by a wood stove, original flooring and detailed woodwork inside and out. We do have electricity, but that is the only modernization. It is filled with displays of antique tools, farm implements, furniture, manufacturing devices, quilts, clothing, uniforms, and other articles that were the crude, sometimes inventive tools early settlers in Cabot used every day. There is a large research library with books, genealogies, diaries, and letters (many originals) for you to look through to perhaps discover something you never knew before about your family or the town. There will be historians on hand to answer questions or help you find what you are looking for. I hope to see you there. 

There will be food! Not at the historical building, but there will be the usual BBQ and lots of food vendors to choose from, so nobody needs to go home hungry. Visit the library and stores downtown, sample the goods offered by vendors on the common and the school campus, listen to music, or find a treasure at the big yard sale in the gymnasium. There is always something for everyone at Cabot's Fourth of July Parade.

With all these great meals all summer and then the wonderful local church suppers during the fall foliage season, we will probably put on a few pounds by the time snow flies. But oh, the joy of good food with good company. It doesn't get any better!

Stay cool and enjoy the day as best you can!