Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

5/3/21

A new month and although we had snow flurries on Saturday, I see many signs of leaving winter behind.  My daffodils have weathered snow and rain and continue to bob their multi-colored heads.  Birds abound, but I understand hummingbirds have been seen, so it is time to swap out my feeders to accommodate these feisty little ones.  
Although the weather has been quite variable, on nice mornings I have been exercising and journaling outdoors.  The other day a chickadee landed on my knee.  Not sure who was more stunned!  It quickly flitted to the deck railing, but continued to look at me.  A messenger perhaps.

I wanted to alert folks to an important meeting regarding Lake Amherst.  Some of you may be aware that the dam that leads to Echo Lake is privately owned and apparently is in need of repair.  The Amherst water level has been lowered, meaning the several docks are now out of the water.  

Please note that today, 5/3, there will be a Selectboard meeting with Todd Menees from the Vermont ANR Rivers Program and Ben Green from the Vermont ANR division of Dam safety. Both representatives will be on hand to provide information on the condition of the dam, why the water level has been lowered, and possible courses of action.  This portion of the meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m.  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89226538781?pwd=VUxMNFZwZFY3Ni9yVFRUcVdid044QT09

Good news, the Historic site is scheduled to open 5/29 and although it will be closed on Mondays, the hours for the other days will be -10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  According to Bill Jenney, the seasonal exhibit will be “The Roaring Twenties: Fashions, Fads, and All That Jazz!”, which will include the beginning of the modern era.  The 1920s had it all – The Charleston, Prohibition, gangsters, flappers, women’s suffrage, Charles Lindbergh, Charlie Chaplin, and Babe Ruth.  With the use of artifacts and images from the Coolidge Site’s collection, Vermont Historical Society, and the Coolidge family, this should be an incredible and uplifting display, made possible through the generous support from the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation.