Reprinted with permission of The Vermont Standard

2/23/20

Our unsettled and unpredictable weather continues! A couple of nights were pretty nippy and the windchill made it feel well below zero. It was interesting that when Tom and I were tapping trees on 2/13, it felt cold, but the sap appeared to be running. Who knows what this sugaring season will hold! More tapping going on over the weekend and especially on Sunday, the weather has been incredible. I guess the turkeys think so, too, because half a dozen departed from eating the fallen seeds from under our feeder and marched up into our woods when I arrived home from church!

There have been significant wind gusts at times and apparently there was an electrical issue with a transformer at Jackson Gore on Friday morning that delayed the opening of the lifts for a time. Perhaps the cold temps kept skiers from complaining too much.

I can’t understand what is happening at our bird feeder lately. It hangs high off the ground and we fill in from our dining room window. Until the other day, massive numbers of finches have been present, necessitating refilling the feeder several times each day. The last two days I have seen no finches, mainly chickadees and the seed consumption has decreased dramatically. I did notice a blue day the other day and wonder how that fits into the equation….

Well, I am afraid that I goofed! I noted the wrong book for this cycle of the Reading Group. Girl Waits with Gun will be for a subsequent discussion. The next selection is actually Boo Walker’s Red Mountain. The beautiful setting of eastern Washington state is the backdrop for the story of four “complicated” people, whose lives intersect. Copies of the book are at available on loan at Town Hall. Discussion will take place on 3/12.

The Town reports are in the mail and perhaps already delivered. You can also see all of the pertinent information on the Town website, including the school district report and sample ballot for the school budget and other school related items to be voted by Australian ballot on 3/3. If you would like a better understanding of the school piece, you can attend the District informational meeting on Thursday, 2/27 at 6 PM at the Woodstock Union Middle School library.

It was a hungry group who gathered for the recent Community Luncheon – both soups, all of the salad, and the beautiful chocolate heart cake made by Teresa Ennis were all devoured! If you would like to order a cake designed by Teresa, you can reach her at teresa.ennis99@gmail.com.

We also had a delightful discussion about love that included shared stories about meeting our special sweethearts. It is such a dedicated group of volunteers that some of our “cooks” weren’t actually unable to attend, but they made sure the food got to the table. Thanks to one and all.