Last Chance!

 

Ham Dinner Tickets

Tickets are available for the ham dinner on June 21.

Cocktail and social hour 5. Dinner 6:30

Bring your own beverages and an appetizer to share. 

Fun and different raffle items.

Dinner prepared by Marion Beattie Cairns and friends.

Price $25. ( all proceeds to be directed toward the milfoil effort)

Call Peter or Paige Crosby

Peter:802-535-4949

Paige:802-274-4772

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We finally had a pretty decent weekend weather-wise! I think we've had something like 28 consecutive weekends with some sort of precipitation this spring, but according to my rain gauge, we didn't get any precip - or at least not enough to register in the measuring tube this weekend. There were clouds and periods when it looked threatening, but that was it.

 

I had distant cousins visit yesterday - originally from the Niagara Falls area, there are now two generations living in Vermont. Apparently my father's eldest sister, Ruth Bolton, instilled a strong sense of appreciation for Vermont in her Daughter, Dorothy, now 101 years old and still living in Niagara Falls. Dorothy was a favorite cousin when we were growing up - a few years older than I, it was always a treat when they visited Vermont in the summer. Dorothy was always very tolerant of me, and I idolized her; and for several years, I was the proud recipient of her outgrown clothing. She seemed to love Vermont, and that has come full circle with her son and grandchildren moving here.

 

Over time the "home farm" was sold, older generations passed away, and younger generations scattered. I've mentioned Dorothy here before - I don't hear from her anymore, and her son, Steve told me yesterday that dementia has a firm grip on her - but she remembers certain things sometimes. I'll write to her about Steve visiting with his two children, Zeb and Katie. Zeb has a small farm in Warren and Katie teaches school in Montpelier. The visit was orchestrated by Katie as part of the celebration of Father's Day.

 

Aunt Ruth was very much an outdoorsy girl, appreciating nature and the solitude of woods and fields. My dad used to tell how upset his mother got because she was a.w.o.l. for doing household chores. In a large family like my grandparents had, I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for my grandmother. And for Ruth, the eldest of the family of five boys and five girls, who no doubt was expected to assume care of some of the younger siblings and the work involved in a busy farm household. Still, Ruth wrote poetry, read books, and grew up to be a great mother and grandmother. This is a photo of Aunt Ruth and husband Leslie Dane with my grandparents at the farm, probably in the 1930s. Leslie grew up in Cabot and later worked for U. S. Immigration at the bridge in Niagara Falls.

 

Our day is fading - I need to get outside and accomplish a couple of things before it gets too damp! Yep, looks like rain may be  headed our way.