Good Sunday Morning!

My friend, Mary Whitcomb sent this to me a few minutes ago and it is so cheerful I thought it would be fun to share it here - a visual pick-me-up! Thanks, Mary!

 As predicted, our weather has warmed, but the snow "keeps on keepin' on." Just about everyone is tired of waking up to another snowy day, even if the temperature is in the 20s and there is a glimmer of sun trying to shine through the snowflakes. It was close to zero when I went to bed last night, but in the teens when I looked this morning. Now, at almost mid-day, we have 27 degrees! I'll take it, snow flurries and all! And there's no wind! Imagine that!!

Jamie came with his tractor plow yesterday to push snowbanks back along my driveway. The banks are getting up there - we have seen them higher some winters, and although we're dealing with about twice as much snow as we had last year, there have been snowier winters. What I don't recall is the really bad combination of snow every day along with near or below zero temperatures and constant wind, although I'm sure there have been winters like this before. This is the snow drifted against my porch. It will be a few days before I'm enjoying the warm breezes out there!

I went to Cabot Village yesterday. The snow is piled high along the field opposite the Plains Cemetery and when I came home by way of Route 215 and Brickett's Crossing Road, there are impressive snowbanks along some of those roads - and other places the wind has just swept almost clear of snow. 

Mark Collins sent me these photos yesterday. He told me he has been digitizing old slides and found these Joe's Pond photos taken in the 1950s or 60s. Mark is the boy wearing a life preserver in this first photo, and it appears it was taken from a spot pretty close to the narrows into the big pond. The sunset slide has some interesting age marks - 35mm slides deteriorate over time and this one has some flaws that kind of blend into the scene. I'd say it was saved just in time. Another year or two and it might have been lost forever.

Mark also mentioned that the Roy Collins we wrote about in the West Danville history (published in 2021) was his uncle. Roy was the fireman on a St. J. & L. C. Railroad train that crashed in 1944, and lost his life in that crash. Mark said his father was in the service at that time and wasn't able to be at  Roy's funeral. That was a terrible crash - a head-on collision. Both engines were totally destroyed. For some reason, messages were not received that would have side-tracked one of the trains to let the other one pass.

This picture is of Mark's father. Mark didn't say who is with him - but the boat is something we don't often see anymore - it seems to be a neat wooden boat with what could be a small Johnson outboard motor. It looks like the passenger has a cane or walking stick with him. Mark believes this picture was taken in the middle pond with Cow Hill in the background. I would have said it was in the third or big pond looking towards the west shore, but it's difficult to tell. Thanks, Mark for sharing these great old photos. I'm glad you were able to save them.

I'm watching the snowflakes drifting down (at least they aren't zipping past my window sideways like  the past several days), and it seems we can't get through a full 24 hours without at least an inch or two of new snow. I can't help wondering if we are in for a wet summer this year with rain every day or so. I have been reading our Cabot town report and seeing what an enormous amount of damage was done to our town because of the July floods in 2023 and 2024. I'm impressed that the town is looking ahead and has taken steps to mitigate future flood damage, but the cost to the town is incredibly high. FEMA funding is promised, but in the present political climate, anything can happen. In the meantime, Cabot is moving ahead, hoping to relocate the Cabot Garage presently on Main Street, so the brook that nearly took out that business in 2023 and damaged it again in 2024 can be directed into a larger culvert under the street to empty into the Winooski River without taking out Main Street again. It all takes careful planning and lots of money.

Recently we have been made aware that there is a state-wide shortage of salt for Vermont roads. Crews have needed to use more than normal this year because of the unusual weather, and now everyone is running short. With March still to get through, it could be a serious problem. We are being warned to slow down on the roads because there may be slippery spots on lightly treated roads - or roads that are untreated. Road crews are doing the best they can rationing the supplies they have. So if you are driving in the north country, be aware and slow down.

Have a Happy Sunday and a safe week ahead.,