Catching Up!

Time slips by so quickly! There are a few things I have neglected to tell you about this past week, so today I'm going to try to catch up - and I hope I remember everything I want to include.

First of all, my apologies to Susan Bouchard for not getting this really fun, short video, produced by her son, Scott, on the blog sooner. It is of the artists who engaged in the Paint & Sip Party that Susan and her family put on to support our Milfoil Eradication efforts. The afternoon was a huge success and not only did they raise a nice sum of money, everyone had a great time, so many thanks to the Bouchard family. I'm sure you will enjoy Scott's video - and a special thanks to him for doing that.

As some of you know, the application of ProcellaCor herbicide to the areas in our pont that were found to be infested with Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), happened on August 13th. It went exceptionally well. The weather cooperated, as did residents around the pond who stayed off and out of the water as directed. The EMW team was able to apply the herbicide where it was needed with no hiccups. Several days later, the divers and snorkelers on our JPA team spent hours searching those treated areas and according to a report by team coordinator Barry Cahoon, JPA Water Quality Director, nearly 100% on the areas treated directly showed no sign of EWM. Other native aquatic plants were showing no signs of damage, and fish were happily swimming where they couldn't before the treatment. This is a huge step forward in controlling this very invasive, fast growing weed, but Barry cautions that there will no doubt be other outbreaks in the future, so we need to remain vigilant. He also advises that we should not operate watercraft of any type in shallow areas either where EWM has been or where it is likely to be present, as it is still the growing season for EWM and small bits of the weed could be dislodged and quickly infest other areas. The team will continue to monitor some spots at least until the weather and water cool to uncomfortable temperatures. You will find videos on the JPA website of the complete EWM saga, from when it was first discovered late last summer through the steps taken to control (or perhaps eliminate) it. Our JPA has been proactive in this emergency and we are grateful for the support of our whold community. People not associated with JPA have pitched in to assist in whatever way they can. We thank those volunteers and everyone in JPA for their dedication and support of this cause.

One more important bit of information - we finally got some rain this weekend. Saturday brought us a nice, gentle, steady rain! We haven't had a soaking rain since back in July. The whole month of August I recorded less than one inch. The actual count was .85 in. We've had a total of 1.09 in. since the beginning of September, and that is encouraging. However, ponds and streams are nearly dry and there was absolutely no runoff from the rain we got Saturday - it immediately soaked into the ground, and that is so needed and good.

Son Bob and I did our monthly "First Thursday" lunch on Friday this month as he couldn't do it on Thursday. We went to Barton to Nick's Snack Shack. We'd never even known it was there, but it rates as a "find" for us. Great little place with good service, great food, and a perfect spot for lunch. They have a large back yard with picnic tables and benches, but also very nice space inside. Bob had whole-belly clams that were very good - I know, because I snitched one or two! - with fries and slaw. I had a really good fish sandwich - nice slab of fish perfectly cooked, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on a bun with chips. It was really good.There is a bar, and a cooler full of soft drinks - so we made Arnold Palmers. 

We came home through Irasburg and East Craftsbury, which is a beautiful drive, and took Route 16 to Hardwick. We could have turned at Craftsbury and come out in Greensboro, but opted for the Hardwick route. Everywhere we went there was a very obvious lack of water in ponds and streams. We need more rain, for sure. Oh, yes, we took a selfie in front of Nick's - we have the technique down now - Bob holds the phone and I press the button to take the picture - a bit goofy, but we have fun. I don't know how people navigate to take selfies with one hand - my fingers don't work that well! We try to remember to get a picture in front of the signs of the places we go for lunch - that started a while back, but sometimes we forget as we're leaving, so Friday we took the photo before we went inside. It was a really nice day and lots of fun interacting with the servers at Nick's. Very nice young women who did a great job. 

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead - full of fun and pleasant surprises.