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The Cabot Chronicle

June 2016 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the June 2016 pages (PDF)

Text extracted from the original pages and checked for reading order. Advertisements, listings, the calendar and puzzles are omitted. Where part of a story could not be converted cleanly, it is marked and the full story is in the PDF.

In This Issue

School Board Update Working with Act 46

Since January, the Cabot School Board has met regularly with members of the school boards of Danville School and Twinfield School to determine if forming a larger, consolidated school district would potentially benefit our Cabot students. From those discussions, we’ve found that there may indeed be educational benefits from consolidation, but whether and exactly how our districts may consolidate is at this point far from clear. Act 46 requires that small school districts across Vermont research the benefits of forming larger school districts with neighboring districts. The law’s stated objectives include improving the educational opportunities available to Vermont students and the fiscal sustainability of Vermont schools. Should a school district like ours determine that forming a new, consolidated district would be beneficial, the plan for the new district must be approved by the Vermont State Board of Education and Cabot voters by July 2017. If our school district determines, however, that continuing to operate a preK-12 school on its own as the Cabot School District holds greater benefit for our students and community, Act 46 requires that a plan detailing how Cabot School plans, on its own, to meet the goals of Act 46 must be approved by the State Board of Education. Our board hosted a forum on March 30 to update community members on the results of our discussions with the Twinfield and Danville boards and administrators and to gather feedback. We highlighted that evening how the strengths of our three schools might potentially benefit our students, and suggested some ways that student grades might be brought together in a merged district to realize those benefits. In the discussion that followed, there was a good deal of interest in making the varied opportunities across the three districts available to all students (especially at the high school level), but there was also concern raised about Cabot’s elementary students potentially being taught at Twinfield as part of a new, consolidated district. For interested community members who were not able to attend the forum, there is a copy of the slide presentation and feedback from the forum posted on the Cabot School web site (CabotSchool.org). Since the community forum in March, our board has met twice jointly with both the Danville and Twinfield school boards to gauge interest in merging all three of our districts together. At the first joint meeting, much of the discussion centered on the potential tax benefits that would result from consolidation, especially during the first four years when state-awarded incentives were in place. Although it’s difficult at this early stage to accurately predict how a new, merged district would affect the annual tax bills of property-tax payers in the four towns over the long term, it’s certain that the state’s incentives would reduce the Equalized Homestead tax rate by 8, 6, 4, and 2 cents in the first four years, respectively, that the new district is operating. Our second joint meeting with Twinfield and Danville included discussion on potential configurations of students and grades in a new, single district of close to 800 students. We • Stigma in the cafeteria is eliminated;

• Families do not need to turn in school meal applications and schools no longer need to distribute, collect, and process school meal applications;

• Administrators do not have to spend valuable time and social capital collecting school meal debts.

EDUCATION Act 46 Update - Last spring, the legislature passed Act 46, a law that was designed to promote equity in quality and variety of educational opportunities to Vermont students and to create an affordable and transparent education system for Vermont taxpayers. Over the past year, 81 of Vermont’s school districts have voted or are scheduled to vote to unify into 15 larger districts. Act 46 has proven to be successful in some areas, but unifying has proven to be very challenging for many of our smaller communities. Vermont’s Agency of Education, the Vermont School Boards Association, and the Vermont Superintendents Association are working collaboratively with local officials and committees to develop and tailor local proposals to meet each community’s unique needs. Last year, the legislature passed a temporary constraint on the growth of education spending in each district. Early in the 2016 session the Legislature passed a revised cost containment mechanism for fiscal year 2017 and repealed the provision for 2018. This year statewide budget growth is 1.5% compared to 3-5% in previous years. The annual Education Tax and Finance Bill sets non-residential property tax rate, the residential rate and the income based property rate. The formula used to compute local education tax rates was changed last year. Beginning this year, “yields” are set instead of the tax rates. The state education tax rate in the formula is now fixed at $1.00 and 2% of income for income-based payers. The bill also provides for the following:

• Maintains the current excess spending threshold at 121% of statewide average;

• Requires the AOE to collect data on local budget surplus amounts, reserve fund amounts, and reserve fund uses;

• Convenes a study group to examine the viability of moving merged districts to an aggregate common level of appraisal (CLA); • Requires the Joint Fiscal Office to provide an annotated version of the Education Fund Outlook at least twice a year;

• Requires the Joint Fiscal Office to analyze and report on two different proposed changes to education tax calculations. One creates a hybrid property and income-based education tax system. The other establishes a local tax rate that includes an annually adjusted base amount (derived from the state’s total education fund revenues divided by the total number of equalized pupils) and is adjusted for how much higher or lower the local district’s per pupil spending is relative to the state average.

2016 REVENUE To support expenditures of the state, legislation was passed to increase revenue in the miscellaneous tax bill, the executive branch fee bill and the transportation fee bill. Highlights include an adjustment to initial and annual fees paid by mostly out of state large mutual fund companies raising $20.8 million. The revenue package also increases from $60 to $90 the registration fee charged to broker dealer agents. To support Vermont’s weatherization of homes initiative, the gross fuel receipts tax on energy sources was increased with no increase to electricity. An agreed upon ambulance provider tax was established to raise $1.2 million with the revenue dedicated to increasing reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients using ambulance services. Additionally, entities like AirBnB will now be subject to Vermont rooms and meals taxes like other similar busi-

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 1 onward.

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CABOT CASH

Jack Daniels buying Cabot Cash with Stephanie Searles and son.

Monday, May 9, was the first day that Cabot Cash was on sale at the two stores in Cabot, Harry's Hardware and the Cabot Village Store, and people were lining up to buy it. Cabot Cash is a way people can pay for their food, gas, and hardware in advance as a way to support small downtown businesses. At the Cabot Village Store, people buy food in advance by purchasing a gift card at the register. After that, the gift card works just like a debit card until the balance runs out. At Harry's Hardware, you pay dollars to open an account. After you do that, all you need to do is sign for purchases until the balance runs out. Jack Daniels, the Chair of the Cabot Selectboard, bought a card. He said that the Cabot Cash project was "very timely," and that he learned something about how to support local businesses by getting involved.

Susan Robinson, a musician who bought the old schoolhouse in Lower Cabot and offers house concerts there, also thought it was a great idea. She was one of the people waiting in line to buy the card. Dr. Michael Taub, who works as an optometrist at Shippee Family Eye Care, said "It's important to have these stores in town, and I'm happy to help support them." Gwendolyn Hallsmith, founder of Headwaters Garden and Learning Center in Cabot, bought Cabot Cash at Harry's Hardware from Bobby Searles, co-owner of the Hardware Store. "Here in Cabot, we are fortunate to have a town center where we can still buy food, hardware, and gas." Gwendolyn said. "Many towns in Vermont have lost these key anchors for their local economy. When they're gone, they're gone - it's hard enough to stay in business in this era of big box stores, internet sales, and just-in-time production. Starting up a new one is next to impossible. Bobby and Stephanie Searles deserve a lot of credit for keeping the two stores going. I just want to show them how important I think their hard work is for the town." Oliver Welters, owner of Green Mountain Eco-Floors, an ecological flooring company, said "I know I'll buy beer here over the summer, might as well pay for it in advance." Will Ameden, a farmer in town, had already pre-paid the Hardware Store for his gas, so all he needed to do when he filled up was sign his name on his account. Cabot Cash is available to anyone who shops at the two stores - it is not limited to Cabot residents. For more information, talk to Bobby or Stephany Searles at each store.

Gwendolyn Hallsmith [email protected]

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CABOT ♦ DANVILLE ♦ PEACHHAM

By Representative Catherine (Kitty) Toll

Dear Constituents, provements to human services facilities and educational facilities. Added for a 2year period is a new E911 grant program which provides funding to local schools to connect emergency services to specific locations within school buildings.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve Cabot, Danville and Peacham in the Vermont State Legislature. The 2016 legislative session has adjourned. I look forward to hearing from you.

-Kitty Toll

INVESTMENTS IN CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE 2017 BUDGET The 2017 fiscal year state budget includes investments to stabilize existing programs that provide critical services to Vermonters throughout the state. Budget highlights include increasing funding by 2% to local agencies that provide services to elderly Vermonters and Vermonters with mental illnesses; provides $700,000 in need-based aid to Vermont State College students; increases child care assistance payments by $1 million; increases funding to Parent Child Centers by $190,000; increases Medicaid reimbursements to primary care providers; grants $800,000 to the Working Lands initiative; provides funding for the Child Protection Initiative focusing on Vermont children at risk of being harmed, as well as important funding to support Vermont’s education system and transportation needs. Additionally the budget fully funds stabilization reserves at statutory levels; reserves $1.6 million for anticipated needs in 2017; includes $6.8 million in the Rainy Day Fund; uses available ‘one-time’ resources for ‘one-time’ expenses.

ENERGY SITING Annually, the legislature reviews the condition of the state’s infrastructure to ensure it aligns with fiscal policy and safety goals. Major components of the Fiscal Year 2017 Capital Bill include increasing security in state buildings, supporting clean water, strengthening higher education, increasing internet connectivity and financing building community grants.

Security in State Buildings: A total of $1,885,000 was approved to improve security in state buildings including state office buildings, courthouses and the Statehouse.

Clean Water: Through the Drinking Water Revolving Fund and Municipal Pollution Control Grants, the State will be investing a total of $5,014,494 in grants and loans to local municipalities to improve drinking water and pollution control facilities.

Higher Education: Vermont State Colleges received $3,050,000 which includes funds for major maintenance, an engineering technology lab at VTC, a STEM lab at Castleton and roofing enhancements to accommodate solar panels and equipment for wind sound monitoring at Lyndon. At UVM, $1,900,000 was invested for major maintenance and a capital contribution towards the new STEM lab. UVM, VTC, Lyndon and Castleton all have matching grant requirements in order to receive portions of their funding.

Internet connectivity: High-speed internet availability continues to be an issue for approximately 30,000 Vermonters – including some schools. To address this, $300,000 was appropriated for continued expansion.

Building Communities Grants: To assist with local needs in Vermont communities, $1,600,000 was appropriated in the form of economic development funds and historic preservation grants to preserve historic barns, renovate recreational and cultural facilities and to make im- S.230 – an act to improve the siting of energy projects passed the Legislature on the final evening of the session. This critical piece of legislation enhances energy planning and siting at the municipal and regional levels by allowing Vermont communities a greater voice when projects are being considered for approval. Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) can now add an enhanced energy planning section to regional plans that are consistent with the state’s goals and policies on renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction. Once an RPC finishes an enhanced energy plan and the Department of Public Service (DPS) approves the plan, town plans can then be submitted to an RPC for approval. If an RPC has not completed a plan, a municipality is allowed to submit a town plan directly to the DPS for a determination until July 1, 2018. Once a town has received this determination, the Public Service Board (PSB) must give substantial deference to the town plan regarding the siting of energy projects unless there is "clear and convincing" demonstration that other factors affecting the general good of the state outweigh the application of the measure or policy. The bill requires the PSB to adopt sound standards for wind projects on or before Sept. 15, 2017. These standards will be required of all applications that receive a Certificate of Public Good from this time forward.

PAY ACT A Pay Act for Vermont State employees occurs every two years following a negotiations agreement between the Administration and the bargaining units representing classified State employees. While negotiations generally include wages, benefits, and working conditions, it is only pay increases which are reflected in the Pay Act. This year, the Administration and the Vermont State Employees’ Association (VSEA) could not reach agreement in negotiations, even after mediation and fact-finding. As a result, both entities were required to present a ‘last-best-offer’ to the Vermont Labor Relations Board. The Board heard oral arguments presented by both parties and to adhere to state law the Board is required to select either the proposal of the VSEA or the Administration, without amendment. This year’s Pay Act (H.888) represents the decision made by the Labor Relations Board to accept the VSEA last best final offer. The offer includes a 2% increase in wages for fiscal year 2017 and a 2.25% increase for 2018 as well as step increases for eligible employees. The House Appropriations Committee included a provision in the Pay Act that will target programs to generate savings in state government. The language passed by the committee calls for the Administration to report on state programs where both efficiencies can be made to create savings and better outcomes are achieved. Additionally, a $300,000 reduction must be made in the use of overtime through better management practices, as well as an analysis to determine if the use of permanent employees is more cost effective than the use of temporary employees.

UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS

Farm-to-School grant funding enables Vermont schools to participate in the local food system by incorporating local food and farm education into their cafeterias, classrooms and communities. Farmto-School advances agricultural literacy, promotes healthy food choices, and creates economic development opportunities for farmers. This year the Farm-to-School Program was expanded and strengthened by establishing a universal meals pilot program to provide meals at no cost to Vermont students in underserved areas around the state. The expansion of this program ensures:

• More students eat nutritious complete school meals;

• Students are no longer segregated by income – all students receive free meals; (See “End Of Session”, page 3)

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OBITUARIES & MEMORIALS

Ruth Merryfield Ruth Inez (Therrien) Merryfield, 89, a former longtime Barre, VT, resident, passed away on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at the Cottage Hospital, Woodsville, NH, following a stroke. Since 2014, she has resided with her daughter, Lorna Merryfield, of Groton, VT. Prior to 2014, she resided in Barre for over 50 years. Ruth was born in Swanton on July 17, 1926. Much of her earlier life was spent in Cabot. She was one of seven Therrien siblings with whom she shared close lifelong bonds. In 1944, she married Ralph Merryfield, her husband of 40 years, who predeceased her in 1984. Among her enjoyments were growing vegetables and tending flower gardens at her home on Tamarack Lane. She loved getting together with family to play cards on weekends. Homemaking and family were the center of her life. After her own children were grown, she did private child care, as well as running a community care center for the elderly in her own home. She will be remembered for her quick wit and humor, as well as her fondness for French Canadian clog dancing. Ruth loved watching the various animals and birds outside her home. She was a lifelong member of the Lower Graniteville First Presbyterian Church. Survivors include her three children, Elaine, of Portland, Oregon; Roger and his wife, Priscilla, of Shelburne; and Lorna, of Groton; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Eula Foster, of Bristol, CT; two sisters-in-law with whom she felt very close, Millie, of Westford, and Dot, of Florence, MA. A graveside service was held on May 25, at the South Cabot Cemetery on Houghton Road, Cabot. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the local animal shelter of one's choice, in her name. For more information or to sign an online condolence, please visit www.ricker fh.com. Ricker Funeral Home & Cremation Care of Woodsville is in charge of arrangements.

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Local Volunteers Needed ~ Can You Help?

By Beth Wade and Jack Daniels

When you or someone in your family has a medical emergency, minutes can make a vital difference, and every second spent waiting for help to arrive can seem like an eternity. Ambulance response times in rural areas like Cabot are already lengthy by nature, even when the town’s ambulance and personnel are available. Cabot Ambulance is in critical need of local volunteers to keep the service running as it should. With staff now down to a total of nine certified EMRs, EMTs and AEMTs, dispatch services have been forced to call for mutual aid from surrounding towns (primarily Barre Town EMS for Cabot) more often than in the past. At the ambulance service’s request, the Cabot Select Board has initiated an ambulance service working group, composed of service members and community representatives from Cabot and Marshfield (the primary area served by Cabot Emergency Ambulance Service), which held its first session on May 12. The service also brought the matter to the attention of the Marshfield select board some weeks ago. (Several CAES members live in Marshfield, for which Cabot is the primary responder, with East Montpelier as backup.) “Recruitment and retention” were two words mentioned often at the meeting. These problems are not unique to Cabot: with residents working many hours outside town, it is hard to find people willing to take the 60-80 hour “entry level” Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course. And according to CAES Director Sheila Brown, run times in Cabot average about two hours, plus some additional reporting time. Still, members say, it’s a rewarding and gratifying experience. “It’s addictive,” says AEMT Josh Gouge, who runs with Cabot and lives in Marshfield. His wife, Rachel, is also an AEMT and member. As a take away from the meeting, Gouge said he would like to work in partnership with backup towns so they don’t feel like it’s an imposition when Cabot can’t cover calls, and to let them know that recruitment efforts are underway. The retention aspect of membership can also be a problem. Sheila Brown pointed out that new members, especially younger ones, may take the EMR course and then move out of the area. But about half of the currently active members are long timers, including Andy Luce, who was recognized in 2015 for his long service on both the ambulance and fire department. Beth Wade, a working group member who recently retired from the service after 35 years in EMS in Massachusetts and Vermont, echoed Josh Gouge’s comment. “I’ve aged out of EMS, but it’s hard to give it up, particularly when you know how much of a difference you can make to someone’s life. And the EMS people I’ve worked with over the years have been wonderful, caring, smart people.“ Lest prospective recruits think the EMS world is grim, Wade points out that “a sense of humor is an absolute requirement.” The working group discussed recruitment and retention strategies. Sponsoring an EMR course in Cabot or a nearby town was mentioned, as were property tax incentives for EMTs and going from ambulance to “fast squad” status. Were this to happen (a fast squad is a service where EMS personnel arrive at the scene but do not provide transport), it is estimated that this would add about thirty minutes to the time it would take a Cabot resident to arrive at a hospital. Outlying areas of town might take longer. Compensation to services providing mutual aid was also mentioned.

The group will meet again in June and would like to involve neighboring services and invite interested parties to contact them through Betty Ritter at the Cabot Town Clerk’s office, tcocabot@ fairpoint.net, 563-2279.

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Summer Theater Programs

By Karen Mueller-Harder This summer, Cabot Community Theater and the Cabot Recreation Committee are joining forces to offer a Theater Camp the mornings of July 11-15, for kids in grades 3 and up. Under the leadership of Karen and Cameron Mueller- Harder and Megan Walker, the kids will engage in theater games and activities, and will rehearse a play to be performed at the end of the week in front of an audience! An afternoon session in Art and Set Design that same week will be creating the sets and props for the play, and kids can sign up for both programs, or just one. The fee for each camp is $60, with discounts for siblings or attending multiple programs. Registration forms will be handed out at school, or you can email [email protected] or call 498- 4704 to get one. We are also partnering with the Cabot Library to present “A Night of Improv and Drama” on Thursday, July 7, at 7:00 p.m. Clues, items and hints will help your group formulate short skits to be presented on stage of the world-renowned Willey Building Theater! Whether you’re an experienced performer, or just want to get a taste of performing, younger or older, everyone is welcome to participate, or just to watch! Meanwhile, Cabot Community Theater is starting to plan for next year’s spring production, which may be another musical! Over the next couple of months, we are talking to folks who would like to take a leadership position in such an endeavor, and hope to have a plan in place by the end of the summer. If you’d be interested in being involved, please send an email to [email protected] or call 793-5617.

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News from the NEKWMD

As oil prices start to rise, markets for recyclables are also picking up. Leading the way are cardboard, paper, and plastics. The Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District (NEKWMD) keeps a growing stream of recyclables flowing to regional markets, offsetting a large part of the cost for recycling programs now in place at Cabot’s recycling center. The State of Vermont estimates that the average Vermonter generates 2.7 lbs. of trash every day. Residents of the 49 towns in the NEKWMD, including Cabot and Marshfield, generate only 2 lbs. per person per day. Because our effective recycling programs are partially funded by a surcharge on the trash we generate, less trash means fewer dollars for recycling programs. At the District’s May meeting on May 8, supervisors representing member towns discussed proposals to get around this dilemma by setting fees based on tonnage, adjusting the surcharge rate, and opening the possibility of a per capita fee to fund vital programs.

In the bigger picture, Vermont’s new recycling law is hitting some implementation speed bumps, due to a lack of funding by the Legislature. Many of the materials, including organic matter, scheduled for landfill bans in the coming few years, have limited infrastructure in place to handle the materials. Now that the landfill bans are beginning to take place, residents expect the crafters of the law to fund the alternatives. In the meantime, discussions are under way about how to expand the Cabot recycling center and begin to conveniently collect more items for recycling and reuse. Items now being collected include aerosol cans, all types of small batteries, metals, and more. Currently only plastic containers labeled #1, #2, #3, #4 are being collected. Please note that trash is collected at the site for a per bag fee. Information on recycling programs in northern Vermont can be found at www.nekwmd.org. Ben Davis, 802-563-2341

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ADVICE FROM THE TREE WARDEN

By Roland (Slim) Payne

Half way through May, and we have had some good weather, but snow is in the forecast for Monday morning. I picked up the trees to put around the parking lot at the Willey Building. We got nice trees this year. We ordered sixfoot trees and got twelve-foot ones. I have staked locations, and now have to wait for Dig Safe to do their thing so I can plant after Tuesday, May 17. I may have to sweat them to pop the buds open. Roland Jr. and I went to an annual Tree Steward meeting on May 6. It was a good meeting, with about three hours in the field looking for hazard trees and determining each one’s risk factor and what, if anything, should be done. We looked at about 25 trees, and of that, about four trees should be removed because of human danger or building damage factor. Then back inside for awards presentations and then Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. I went to the Town Forest this week. The road is pretty good; washed a little but not too bad. Most of the holes are where Mr. Brooks dug and installed his electric line in the middle of the road. It looks like he didn’t compact it, and when the frost came out, it settled down. [A little boy went to summer camp, and after about a week there, he wrote to Mom – he said he liked camp, and the thing he missed most was the little pot under his bed at home. His mom wrote back and told him not to worry, because he missed it most of the time at home, too!]

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The Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network

WHO WE ARE We are a diverse group of Greater Cabot Area community members passionate about making life in our town the best it can be, focused on our working landscape.

OUR MISSION To develop, support, and promote the sustainable and working landscape in the Greater Cabot Area through networking, cooperating, and asset sharing.

WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR

Since its inception after the town-wide meeting organized by Vermont Council on Rural Development in December of 2012, our group has begun reaching out to all those who are involved in agriculture, forestry, energy, and other business activities, to get a better idea what’s happening in town and what needs exist.

Using that information, we have come to the conclusion that there is a critical need for marketing assistance and closer cooperation between businesses. We have made that one of our platforms to work on.

We started a Youth Education Program to instill in the young an appreciation and knowledge of the working landscape by organizing informal workshops such as Snacking through the Seasons, Growing Rice in Cabot, and Goat Husbandry.

We organized “Conversations from the Working Landscape” which is a series of presentations bringing business leaders from the Greater Cabot Area and elsewhere in Vermont together to share their experience and knowledge. We had speakers from Fat Toad Farm, Farmerto-You, The Cellars at Jasper Hill, Kingdom Creamery, and Crooked Brook Farm sharing their experiences and views.

OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In terms of farm business and food processing, we would like to stimulate and promote ways townspeople can share equipment, cold, drying, and freezing facilities, and help increase sales in Cabot and beyond. In order to increase sales of local products we can:

● work cooperatively with the Cabot Creamery to connect with the large numbers of tourists who visit the Creamery as possible buyers of other local products;

● use the Cabot Creamery name to draw attention to other products of the Greater Cabot Area;

● spread the word about our products using local TV, internet websites, printed media etc.;

● make the Greater Cabot Area farmers, products and services more visible to the Cabot community and beyond. Furthermore, we’d like to expand our activities to include sustainable energy development. We’d also like to broaden our scope to include many other activities related to the Working Landscape aside from the obvious economic agricultural and forestry angle. HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED Cabot and its other surrounding small towns and villages depend on its resident-volunteers to make them what they are. Your enthusiasm, passion, dedication, and time are among the greatest assets of Cabot and the Greater Cabot Area. Please consider joining our Network group to make our area an even more flourishing, sustainable agricultural and culturally rich community ready to take on whatever the future might offer us. Contact cabot.community.assoc @gmail.com, call 563-3338 , or simply come to our monthly meetings at the Cabot Town Hall and announced at Front Porch Forum. The Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network initiative is part of the Cabot Community Association.

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Youth Programs for 2016

By Niels Larsen The Cabot Working Landscape Network, sponsored by the Cabot Community Association, will again this year offer programs that engage youth with our working landscape, growing things, caring for animals, roaming the woods to learn to identify plants, trees, birds and critters and wildlife. We invite new leaders to step forward. Contact Niels Larsen at 563-2062 or by email at [email protected]. If you have an idea and would like to try it, start with one or two sessions, chose a target age group that and decide how many participants you think will work for you. So far we have leaders for three excellent offerings. Karen Mueller-Harder will lead off on June 11 with an intermediate horse care program at her place on Coits Pond Road. This workshop is for kids or adults who already have some familiarity with horses but want to learn more about how to take care of them, including basic stable details, feeding, grooming, pasturing, and any other topic of interest to participants. There will be a $5 fee. If you have questions or want to register contact Karen at 793-5617 or at karen@praxis works.org. Sarah Zettelmeyer, a local Cabot folkloric herbalist, doula, food justice educator and environmentalist will offer four classes. June 16 - Wild Foods and Medicine in our backyard. This is a local plant identification walk in the recreation field, along the stream, and into the woods to identify local plants that can be food or medicine and learning safe harvesting rules. Some plants will be sampled in prepared tasty wild treats and more. June 30 – Fairy Houses. Spending time in the woods, listening, observing and maybe encountering some magic while exploring the world where mystery and creativity flows freely. A fairy-story book will be read, items collected to make fairy houses, small ones by individual participants and a big one together for fun and wonder. July 21 – Herbal kitchen medicine for kids. Get familiar with the local healers outside and make them into medicine for yourself and your family. Plants will be harvested using safe harvesting practices and brought inside to be transformed into salve and medicinal oils and more. July 28 – Herbal Remedies for winter that can be made in summer to be ready for cold and flu season, including delicious cough syrup and spicy fire cider. Everyone will leave with recipes and a bottle of the remedies made in class. There is a fee per class of $10, $35 for all four classes. Open to prearranged barter. The Fairy House session is for 3-13 year olds. The other 3 are for 5-13 year olds. To register, contact Sarah at 563-3185 or [email protected]. For the third year, homesteader Susan Socks and Christy Aucoin of Dancin’ Carrot Farm are offering their “Snacking with the Seasons” program, starting June 25 – a field trip to a youpick strawberry farm, harvesting vegetables in season and cooking at Socks’ homestead. July 23 – raspberry picking, seasonal harvesting and cooking at Socks’ homestead. August 20 blueberries and harvesting and cooking of seasonal fruit and vegetables. September 17 apples, field trip to an orchard, cooking seasonal fruit and vegetables. Participants usually find a few extra goodies while gathering the main crop. Open to children of all ages and adults. No fee. To register, contact Susie at 563-2073 or [email protected]. Brochures for these programs have been distributed through Cabot School and will be available at the Library. However, these are not Cabot School sponsored programs. Cabot families should be aware that Amber Bothfeld is now leading 4H clubs with support from the UVM Washington County Extension Service.

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Cabot Selectboard Budget Advisory Committee

The role of the local citizenry is very important in deciding a town’s budget. The Cabot Selectboard is asking for any interested local folks to be part of this process and would appreciate your input. Many towns across the state have budget committees. These committees are not mentioned in state statute and, therefore, have no independent authority or duties other than those the selectboard grants to them. The most important role for the committee is to make recommendations to the Selectboard based on public input or committee members’ concerns. The selectboard has the final authority on all budget matters, subject to the approval of the voters. I would envision two members of the selectboard, the town clerk and three to four town citizens would constitute this committee. The selectboard will determine that number shortly. The first meeting would be in June, so we could look at the current budget for 2016 and start planning for 2017. Please send a note of interest to Betty Ritter, Town Clerk, at email tcocabot@fair point.net or phone 563-2279. We appreciate your helping Cabot be good stewards of its Town Budget!

Michael J. Hogan-Cabot Selectboard

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Planning Notes

By Karen Deasy, Zoning Administrator and Town Planner

Town garage open house, Saturday June 4, from 3-5:00. Please come join us to tour the new facility and see our equipment. Woodbelly Pizza of Cabot will be on hand, and will be making wood fired pizza. The new grader, excavator and other Town equipment will be on site as well. The Road Crew thanks you for your continued support to fund reliable and safe equipment. We will continue to replace equipment in rotation to assure that we minimize expenses to the taxpayers. Recycling center will be expanding services. Keep an eye out for updates on additional materials that will be accepted. Specific information will be posted at the recycling center as it becomes available. Summer construction projects:

• Paving at the Willey building will occur either the week of June 20 or the first week in July. The access drive and portions of the parking area may be closed during this time period. Specific closure dates will be posted online and on the message boards.

• Bicycle trails and pedestrian access the Town of Cabot will be applying for a pedestrian/ bicycle grant to improve walkways and access from the senior housing and community trails to the recreation field below the Cabot Creamery, improved walkways and lighting will be installed next year if funding is received.

• We will be starting the final stage of the site reconstruction at the old Town Garage location. We anticipate project documents will be available in June. There will be limited fill available for community members, if anyone is interested please contact Karen Deasy at [email protected] or 563-2279, and we will assess locations.

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FOOD SHARE AND FOOD DROP DATES

CABOT FOOD SHARE Wednesday,

JUNE 8 Noon-2:00 p.m. Wednesday,

JUNE 22 Noon-2:00 p.m. Cabot Masonic Hall 3339 Main Street FAITH IN ACTION NORTHERN COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP INC. A Nonsectarian 501C3 ~ Who Is My Neighbor?

Available for Cabot Residents

MARSHFIELD FOOD DROP Second Saturday of every month.

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A “Bell Raising” at the Historic Schoolhouse

The schoolhouse, built in 1880, served Lower Cabot for 68 years until it was closed by the Cabot School Directors in 1948. Charles and Barbara Carpenter bought the building in 1960 to store antiques. The Carpenters sold the schoolhouse to Bill Scoville, who had a gunsmith shop. In 1996, Mark and Jackie Bromley purchased and restored the property, turned the schoolhouse into a home, and raised their children there. In February of 2015, Dana and Susan Robinson bought the schoolhouse and are continuing the care and stewardship of the historic building. They have initiated a house concert music series and will be hosting other events – including the bell raising – with the intention of opening the school doors once again to the local community. The rain date for the bell raising is July 10th. For more information, call (802) 793-3016.

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Stories From The Cabot Historical Society Adolphus Perry

By Barbara Carpenter Adolphus Perry, Jr., was exactly the right age in July 1861 to answer the calls of President Lincoln and Governor Fairbanks for volunteers to come to the aid of the Union and to the defense of Washington. In August, his Lower Cabot girlfriend begged him not to go, but on September 11, at the age of 21, he enlisted. He was mustered into the U.S Army at Brattleboro on the 21st as a private in Company H, 4th Vermont Volunteer Infantry. He was one of 1042 officers and men in the Fourth regiment. The new soldiers were issued blue uniforms and Enfield rifles; they were feted in New York City and Philadelphia, and arrived in Washington September 23rd. May 11, 1862 he started keeping a diary: “In camp about 30 miles from Richmond,” was his first entry. Adolphus (he wascaled “Dolph” by his Cabot friends), was faithful to his diary. He wrote about the weather and he wrote the names of the towns the regiment visited; but he neglected to write the names of his family, his own name, his hometown or his army unit! This presented a major problem for those who later inherited the diary. I received a copy of the transcription of the diary in 2009. It was hand written by Ron Glaude, whose wife, Grace Carpenter, is the great granddaughter of George Nathan Carpenter, a Civil War veteran who lived on Southwest Hill in Cabot. For many years it was thought by the Cabot Carpenters the diary had been written by George, but soon after I began researching the transcription, it became evident the direst was not George. George was a soldier in the 9th Regiment of the Vermont Volunteer Infantry, which was captured in its entirety September 15, 1862, at Harpers Ferry. The men were paroled to a prisoner-of-war camp at Chicago for six months, while the diary writer was engaged in several battles in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Adolphus survived some of the bloodiest battles of the war: Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. On June 23, 1864, he was captured while in a work party tearing up a railroad that supplied Richmond. He was imprisoned at the infamous detention camp in Andersonville, Georgia, for almost a year. No diary survives for 1863 or ’64, but February 10, 1865, near despair, he wrote once more in his ’62 diary: “Shure seems to be one discouragement for me. Unless the Lord of All seems fit to spare me though. I have not heard from home since I was captured. Sometimes I dream of home. Today is pleasant but windy. I got out and we try to do something but I am so mournful that I can hardly go about. I am terribly lousy and cannot get my clothes washed. Last night I did not sleep but my skin is like leather.”

Adolphus died 21 days later, on March 2. The cause of death was given as diarrhea and starvation. His remains are buried in the National Cemetery at Andersonville and there is a cenotaph in the Cabot West Hill Cemetery honoring him and his father, who died three months before his son’s death. Adolphus nearly survived the war; 38 days after his death, Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. Barbara Carpenter, historian and long time resident of Cabot, has written several important works involving Cabot history, including co-authoring Cabot Vermont, a Collection of Memories from the Century Past, published in 1999. Ms. Carpenter discovered George N. Carpenter's second wife was Adelia Perry, cousin of Adolphus, and that was how the diary came to be in the Carpenter family. The complete report of Adolphus Perry's diary is available from Ms. Carpenter or through the Cabot Historical Society. Unfortunately, the original diary transcribed by Ronald Glaude has been lost. Any information leading to its whereabouts would be much appreciated by the Cabot Historical Society.

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Saturday, July 9 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

1643 Rt. 215 South Lower Cabot, Vermont On Saturday, July 9, Dana and Susan Robinson and a crew of volunteers will restore the original bell to the bell tower of the historic schoolhouse in Lower Cabot, VT. The bell, which had been stolen from the schoolhouse shortly after the building was constructed in 1880, had been recovered from the bottom of a nearby millpond during a drought year. Mark and Jackie Bromley bought the schoolhouse in 1996 and obtained the bell ten years later. Mark was in the process of rebuilding the bell tower with the intention of restoring the bell; but in 2015, the Bromleys sold the schoolhouse to the Robinsons – passing the mantle of the bell. The bell will be raised with block and tackle, and bolted into place upon its standards, so it can once again “send its call over the countryside.” Dana and Susan are extending an invitation to all local residents to come celebrate the raising of the bell. They are especially interested in community members who may have attended the school, or who have stories to tell. To accompany the celebration, there will be live old-time music. Cabot’s very own farm-to-table Back Road BBQ food truck will be on site, and wagon rides will be offered by Paul Ruta and his Percheron horses, Jesse and Babe.

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Clementine O’Connor

…will pursue his Associates degree at the Community College of Vermont and then plans to transfer to Castleton University, where he will study small business or engineering.

The beginning of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 9.

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Lunch All Summer Long at Cabot School

By Scott St. John School is almost done and summer is just about here. Don’t go hungry This summer, your own Cabot School is offering free breakfast and lunch for anyone under 18 years of age. Starting June 18, and continuing through July 29, breakfast will be from 8:00 to 9.30 a.m. and lunch will be from11:00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Looking forward to seeing all of you, so come in and get a good nutritional meal. Don’t go hungry, come and eat. For information, contact Scott St. John, Cabot Food Director, 802-563-2289, ext 232.

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“SEEKING TO EXP@ND IT’S LOC@L VOLUNTEER B@SE”

Many early volunteers from our first four years of local services have ‘aged out’ and are now, themselves, in need of volunteer services, such as friendly visiting, medical appointments, and ‘memory lane’ rides, transportation, telephone check ins and visits, prescription pick-ups, shopping or other appointments and/or scenic rides about town. Seasonal, ‘special Saturdays’ volunteers to help with gardening, yard work, changing detector batteries, light bulbs, etc., and perhaps that least attractive business of window washing. We also would like to start both hobbyist beginner and, if possible, more advanced Art Classes (perhaps with lunch) at our Masonic Hall Office.

CAN YOU PROVIDE, OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS

TRANSPORTATION? FRIENDLY VISITING? INTERESTING & FUN SENIORS’ MORNING GATHERINGS? TELEPHONE CHECK- IN? OR HANDYMAN TYPE HOME REPAIRS?

NAME______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS_______________________________________AGE_______________ TOWN___________________________STATE_____________ZIP____________ DAYTIME PHONE#_______________________________________ A NEIGHBOR’S FUTURE INDEPENDENCE MAY DEPEND ON YOU PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO US AT: FAITH IN ACTION, BOX 157, CABOT, VT 05647, or email us at [email protected] , or call us: 802-563-3322

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COUNTRY COMMENTARY

The rooster crows in the house at 4:30am. I know because I looked at the clock. I got up not to check on the recuperating rooster who had a stroke and couldn't stand properly or crow like himself, rather I got up to see if my Labrador made it through the long night. Jade, our Labrador, completely collapsed at the end of the day with heavy, labored breathing. We couldn't do much except to make her as comfortable as possible until we could call the Vet and get her in. Jade is or rather was fourteen years old. One of her tumors burst and she was bleeding out internally. There was nothing to be done except to put her down. As you all know I had to put down one of my cats in October. When they become family, it is like having your heart ripped out and a feeling of overwhelming emptiness seems to take hold. I know no cure for this except to get up the next day and then the next until one day you feel you can carry the burden of loss with a little more ease, not that it ever goes away, because it doesn't but it does get easier to breathe and to get up yet another day. Tommy, our recuperating rooster, is still getting better, so we have hope that he will be able to rejoin the flock once again, happy and healthy. It has been a very difficult year so far, and we do have high hopes of experiencing better occurrences. We maintain a positive attitude as best we can, because life does go on. We have a new cat named Webberly, who was severely abused and dumped. We rescued him from the Central Vermont Humane Society. He is making much progress and seems to fit into our family. He is grieving the loss of our dog. Webberly sleeps beside the dog’s bed, as we haven't the heart to put it away just yet. Funny how we hang onto things. Our other cat just doesn't get along well with Webberly at all, so we anticipate cat fights. I look forward to the day they actually can be in the same room without hissing or snarling at one another. Positive attitude is sometimes harder to find some days. We have to put a good face on because we have other creatures that depend on us and each other. So, we hold one another and cry and we wipe away our tears and get up another day. We must carry on even with a hole in our hearts. It will be filled with all the other critters that we see as our family, but it will take time to heal and to ease that burden of pain. To all of you who have lost someone, have faith that you, too, will be able to carry that burden of pain a little bit easier as time goes by and know that you were blessed by that special someone’s' presence How sad it would be to never had Jade or Ghost (my cat that passed). I wouldn't trade the experiences with them for anything in the world.

In love and peace, Laura Lee Saorsa Smith

[email protected]

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A New Monthly Column About Local Businesses

By Sarah Spletzer Welters

About the author: 31 years old; moved from the Netherlands to Cabot in 2014; married to Quint Welters, artist and builder; son Milan, 5 month old; owner of movementum; artist, dance therapist and workshop leader; sarahspletzer.com

Q: What are you up to right now? A: I just picked up the shirts and cards that I printed for my gratefueled project. Now I am making pictures for the online store. Q: Gratefueled is a combination of the words grateful and fueled. How did you get the idea for this word? A: After the birth of my son, I was feeling so thankful. In the morning of his third day here on earth, the word came to me, all of the sudden, as if it appeared out of nowhere. That is how most ideas come to me

- out of the blue, just after waking up. One part of the gratefueled project is an appeal for a writing contest on my website. I am curious to read and hear more about other people’s gratefueled moments in life. Q: You seem to like new word combinations. Movementum is the name of your business. Tell us more about it. A: I develop creative projects and workshops of all kinds for kids and adults. The movement and perception of one’s own body often plays an important part in that. Let me give you an example: In the Netherlands I once gave a workshop in which I challenged the students - from the age of four to thirteen - to draw the inner landscape of their bodies in movement. That’s quite a complex thing, really, not just for kids! To my surprise, all the students were going wild with it, they loved it! At the moment, I am working on a series of sessions in which I combine dance and movement with writing and visual means of expression. At least one of those sessions will take place in Cabot. I love to constantly invent something new! Q: You were born and raised in Germany and studied in the Netherlands. What brought you to Cabot? And how do you like it here so far? A: Both my husband, Quint, -and his family- and the beauty of Vermont convinced me to come here. I love Vermont, the outdoor life and feel like I got a whole lot more relaxed since I live here. Vermont people are definitely more down-to-earth than most Dutch or German folks I know. Germans often seem to find some kind of joy in complaining. Here I rather see a doit-yourself -mentality - don’t wait for someone to fix it for you. I don’t know whether that’s a Vermont thing or more of the general mentality in the United States. I guess I’ve got to travel more, to find out! Information about Sarah’s writing contest can be found at sarahspletzer.com/gratefueled.

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Cabot First Cheesemaker to Receive Sustainability Award

Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been recognized with a 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability. The cooperative was selected for its Real Farm Power™ program, which is the latest in a series of sustainability projects pioneered by the 1,200 dairy-farm families of Agri-Mark dairy cooperative, owner of Cabot Creamery Cooperative. The program takes a closed -loop approach, recycling cow manure, food scraps and food processing byproducts to produce renewable energy on a Massachusetts dairy farm. Real Farm Power™ reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 5,680 tons annually while generating 2,200 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean, renewable energy per year to offset the power needed to make Cabot™ butter. The $2.8 million project is expected to have a six-year payback, and it offers a blueprint for scaling anaerobic digester technology to small- and medium-sized dairy farms. An example of the Real Farm Power™ program begins with Geissler’s Supermarket stores in Connecticut, where food scraps are collected and delivered to Barstow’s Longview Farm, in Hadley, MA. At the farm, the organic material is put into an anaerobic digester that blends it with the farm’s cow manure and food processing byproducts from dairy processing, citrus processing, vegetable canning, breweries, sugar production and more. In partnership with Vanguard Renewables, the renewable energy produced by the anaerobic digester is sent in the form of energy credits to the Cabot facility in West Springfield, MA, where the farm’s milk is processed, and offsets all of the energy needed to make Cabot butter. “This process is the ultimate closedloop recycling model – the food waste from the grocery store goes to Barstow’s Farm and is converted into power and natural fertilizer to make more food that ultimately returns to the grocery store, completing a full-circle cycle,” Davis said. In total, the farm’s carbon footprint reduction is 5,680 tons per year, which more than offsets their emissions. The farm receives 14,000 tons of organic food waste in total each year from 15 different food companies, and the process is catching on with other manufacturers – a revolutionary step forward in recycling and re-using food waste in the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award winners were evaluated based on their economic, environmental and community impact, also known as triple-bottom-line success. The independent judging panel — including experts working with and throughout the dairy community — also looked for learning, innovation, improvement, scalability and replicability. Cabot Creamery Cooperative is the world’s first cheese maker and dairy cooperative to achieve B Corporation Certification, a validation of its attention to environmental and social impacts on stakeholders.

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Feeding Our Canine Companions Healthy Food

Whole raw eggs are one of the best and least expensive foods you can feed to your dogs. Eggshell membranes contain:

• Collagen- a fibrous protein that cartilage and connective tissue strength and elasticity.

• Elastin- a protein that supports skin, cardiovascular, cartilage, and spinal health.

• Desmosine and isodesmosine - two virtually amino acids responsible for elastin’s elastic or “rubbery properties”

• Glycosaminology (GAGAs) –small amounts of glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic-vital polysaccharides that are structural components of connective tissue, interstitial fluids and skeletal structure.

• Transforming growth factor-b - A protein that supports tissue rejuvenation, cellular differentiation and immune function. Many dogs will eat the whole raw egg if I just put it in their feeding dish. For dogs that don’t, or for small dogs, I crush the egg, shell and all, and mix it together and feed it to them that way. Once a week, the dog’s major protein source is eggs, and other times it is fish or meat and vegetables. They also get a variety of different kinds of meat, bone and all. Never give your dog cooked bones.

I also grind a variety of fresh, raw vegetables, such as kale, carrots and sweet potatoes. Grinding veggies makes it easier for the dogs to digest. I personally do not feed dogs tomatoes, eggplant, or hot/sweet peppers. In small amounts dogs can also eat apples, raspberries and blackberries. A small bite of watermelon (without rind) is good too. I’ve learned not to bring the dogs with me when I go berry picking as they get to the berries before me!! Just a reminder to not ever give your dog chocolate and avocadoes. These are great for us humans, but are deadly to your dog. Once a week, my dogs’ main source of protein is fish, such as canned mackerel or sardines. I encourage people that are feeding their dogs a commercial brand to make sure it is grain free. There are many dog food brands out there now that are grains free and contain meat. We, as people, have a choice on whether we eat meat or not. Your canine companion was never meant to be vegetarian, they are carnivores.

April Frost, Animal Behaviorist www.AnimalVisions.org

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Cabot Community Fund Grants Awarded

By Jackie Folsom The Cabot Community Fund Committee recently met to award several grants to local activities in town. We are pleased to announce the following will receive the maximum $500 grant from the fund:

• Cabot School 8th Grade Class trip to Washington, D.C., presented by Billie O’Connor on behalf of the Class of 2020.

• Payment of entry fees for Cabot students participating in the Twinfield Summer League basketball program presented by Kevin and Lynn Lehoe on behalf of the students.

• Cabot Ride the Ridges for assistance with event promotion and fundraising for this event, which is a fundraiser for Cabot Connects Mentoring Program and presented by Ry Hoffman.

• Cabot Arts Performance Series for 2016-2017 to pay for sound equipment rental for Willey building performances and piano tuning and rental fees for United Church performances, presented by R.D. Eno.

• Greater Cabot Working Landscape Networking Event on May 6, 2016, for food and drinks, presented by Sjon Welters. We also honor four “Legacy Grants” that have been part of the Cabot Community for many years and the CCA made the request that these “Legacy” groups do not have to reapply for their $500.00 annually but DO have to send an invoice to CCA:

• Cabot Apple Pie Festival, hosted by the Cabot Historical Society

• Cabot Fall Foliage, hosted by the Fall Foliage Committee • Cabot Maple Fest, hosted by the Cabot Chronicle

• Cabot 4th of July, hosted by Cabot PTSO/CPIE Cabot Creamery donates $9,500 per year to the Cabot Community Fund for distribution to non-governmental organizations in town who complete the form (which can be found on the CCA website

– www.cabotvermont.org) and submit the application to the CCA. The maximum grant request is $500, and groups or organizations can only apply for funds for the same purpose once in a calendar year. Funds can only be used for expenses and not for capital investment and cannot be used for personal or business gain. Applicants must document how the funds will be used, why the amount being requested is needed, and how it will benefit the community. Organizations don’t have to attend the CCF meeting where the grant will be discussed, but sometimes that is helpful!! Applications must be received at least 90 days prior to need, but this requirement can be waived when circumstances prevent an application from being submitted 90 days in advance. Paperwork can be mailed to or delivered to the CCA; they will then go to the CCF chair to schedule a discussion. CCF meetings occur quarterly on the first Wednesday of the month; our next scheduled meeting is August 3. We’d love to have more Cabot programs request funds to help support their economic development or town enhancement events! If you have any questions about applying, please contact Jackie Folsom at 802-426-3579 or [email protected].

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Cabot Had Great Ice Skating This Year Will You Sign Up for 2017?

By Susie Socks The Cabot rink was a great success this year. It was wonderful to see so many people of all ages using the ice. The warm winter was a challenge, but thanks to our dedicated crew, we remained open for the full outdoor skating season. To maintain ice, the rink has to be completely clear prior to rain/wet snow, and cleared immediately after the weather event. Because of the warm and unstable weather, most communities in the Northeast Kingdom either didn't build rinks this year, or abandoned their efforts after the first couple of weeks. We had a number of skaters drive in from surrounding areas, very grateful to have a good skating surface. The rink is run solely on volunteer hours. No one is paid for the building, maintenance, or management of the rink. I would like to thank all the fine folks who dedicated their time and energy to this community resource: Christy Aucoin, Lori and Leo Augustyniak, Jen Boucher, Rose Bothfeld, Blue Christianson, Dean Deasy, Jim and Susan Dineen, Steve Godin, Ry Hoffman, Frank and Irene Kampf, Gyuryeong Kim, Niall, Jeannie, Isabella, and Lucia McCallum, Tavis and Aiden Morse, Angela Ogle, Juan Carlos Sanchez Velasco, Shane, Mekiah, and Harper Smith, Michael, Susie, Ethan, and Jonah Socks, Chuck and Will Talbert. A look at the numbers from 2015-16: This year we flooded the rink on January 3, similar to past years. It takes 20,000 gallons of water to fill the frame. The ice By Melissa Laurita Kohl Violet leaves and flowers are edible and nutritious. Leaves taste good raw in salads or as a garnish. They can also be cooked and served like spinach or turned into an infusion (a strong tea). It is particularly important to eat or drink your herbs. Our bodies evolved in the context of a wild diet, which included a large amount and variety of plants. Eating wild plants is what humans are meant to do. Violet flowers can be candied, but they can also be used fresh in any and all dishes. Their flavor is mild, hardly noticeable. This means that you can add them to soups, sandwiches, sautees, and meals of all kinds for a splash of color and nutrition. If you taste a violet leaf, you will be pleasantly surprised. Violets have none of the intensity that many herbs do. Instead, a perfectly mild, somewhat slippery green greets your tongue. This slippery feeling is important. It comes from mucilage. This is a horrible word to describe a benign and useful substance found in varying degrees in most plants. Plants that have a lot of mucilage are quite slimy when chewed or when steeped in water. Flax seeds have so much mucilage that you can use them to replace eggs. Other herbs that contain notable amounts of mucilage include marshmallow, aloe, and slippery elm.

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 13 onward.

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Eat Your Violets

Why is this slippery substance so important? Well, just like our own gooey secretions, it can heal and protect mucus membranes. Herbs with this quality are called demulcents. This is very useful, as our digestive system is basically one big mucus membrane. Demulcents can be used to heal leaky gut and treat sore throats. They can also be used any time there is irritation or burning sensations in the body, as they tend to be cool, wet, and soothing. Aloe vera gel is a great example of this. You can split an aloe leaf and scoop out its gooey insides, then slather them on first and second degree burns (after you have taken the heat out of a burn with diluted apple cider vinegar). Johnny Jump Up (also called Heartsease Pansies) and pansy flowers are also types of violets. Their flowers are edible, too. Edible plants with blue, purple, or deep red coloring contain antioxidants that are good for your heart and brain. As the name implies, heartsease pansies have traditionally been used to heal broken hearts. Melissa Laurita Kohl runs the Fungi & Flora Folkschool in Peacham and Barnet, where she offers classes, private lessons, and herbal consultations. Contact herat : ( 8 0 2 ) 5 0 3 - 1 2 6 8 ; [email protected]; or fungiflorafolkschool.com.

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Cabot High’s Ultimate Team New Spring Sport

By Michelle Delaney This year, Cabot High School has added a new spring sport. The brand new ultimate team, coached by teachers Peter Stratman, Darrin Dezotelle and Michael Hendrix, has won all but one of their games. We are playing in the Vermont Youth Ultimate League, which at this point is not a VPA sanctioned sport, but will be in the near future. One exciting factor has been that, since it is relatively new in Vermont, we have faced schools that we normally would not play, like South Burlington, St. Johnsbury, and Montpelier. It has also been exciting to have some students playing who have not been involved in our traditional sports of soccer and basketball.

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FROM THE CABOT PUBLIC LIBRARY

This summer’s theme is and adults of all abilities.

Go Fly A Kite! Make your own kite and try flying it outside, weather permitting – we’ll provide supplies, but feel free to bring your own decorations if you like. We’ll also have all the fixings for making your own ice cream sundaes. Sign up for the Summer Reading Program and find out about this summer’s programs, prizes and fun!

Saturday, June 25th – 10:30 am – The Traveling Storyteller & Company – Rina Choiniere

Nanuk’s Arctic Adventure – Nanuk, the little polar bear and his arctic friends enjoy a peaceful life together full of games and jokes until one day, an Inuit boy named Nukak comes near their homes to hunt. The animals must join together to save the life of one of their animal friends. Stay after the program for a craft project.

Tuesday, June 28th – 7:00pm – The Talesinger – Lisa Ann Sammet Music and stories from around the world using guitar, Appalachian lap dulcimer, flute, bowed psaltry, banjo and others. Lisa has been a regular performing artist at the Boston Children’s Museum. Having served in Africa with the Peace Corps, she has a special repertoire of African stories and songs with African artifacts and musical instruments.

Thursday, July 7 – 7:00pm – A Night of Improv and Drama – To all you budding thespians, this is the night for you! Clues, items and hints will help your group formulate short skits to be presented on the stage of the world renowned Willey Building Theater! Come prepared for a night to remember. Tuesday, July 12th – 6:30pm – Make your own Dragon with Mazie O’Connor Mazie has been building and selling sculpey dragons for many years in local markets. She will guide you in making your own dragon. Supplies and tools will be provided. Books and examples of Mazie’s dragons will be available for ideas. Please sign up in advance so we know how much clay to provide. This workshop is for youth aged 10 and up.

Tuesday, July 19th – 7:00pm – 13,000 mile Bike Trip – Lisa Ann Sammet

Lisa cycled 13,000 miles through the US, Mexico and Canada – come see her slide presentation and find out how she managed this remarkable feat.

Cabot Public Library – 802-563-2721 [email protected] Hunger Free VT – free summer meals – Cabot School cafeteria –

June 20 – July 29 Breakfast 8-10am, Lunch 11am -12:30pm

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 14 onward.

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TWIN VALLEY SENIOR CENTER

4583 U.S. Route 2 P.O. Box 152 East Montpelier, VT 05651 By Rita Copeland, Executive Director

CAWS FOR PAWS JUNE 4

Twin Valley Senior center is hoping you will mark June 4 a special date on your calendar. The second annual Caws for Paws Pet Expo will be at the Barre Auditorium from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The program is being offered by JD Green and Froggy 100.9 radio station. TVSC will have a table staffed with volunteers and information about the center. All donations at the door will be going to the Twin Valley Senior Center Pet Fund for our homebound residents’ pets. The Pet Fund provides their beloved pets with food, veterinary and grooming service. The program started in 2015 when TVSC applied for a pet food grant and was awarded $2,500. With the help of a dedicated volunteer (that loves pets), the program was put into action with deep appreciation from the pet owners.

FREE INTRODUCTORY FELDENKRAIS CLASS JUNE 15

The Feldenkrais Method is an exploratory, playful form of body work that helps many people increase their ease and enjoyment in movement. A Feldenkrais practitioner conducts group lessons by verbally directing participants through slow and gentle sequences. No equipment is needed. Movement sequences will be performed sitting and standing. It’s not about strengthening muscles; Feldenkrais is about using your muscles and skeleton efficiently and enjoyably. All lessons are appropriate for all ages and abilities. On Wednesday June 15 at 1:00 p.m., the Twin Valley Senior Center will host a free introductory Feldenkrais class taught by certified Feldenkrais practitioner Paul Erlbaum of East Montpelier. Enjoy a delicious lunch at the Center starting at 12:15 p.m. and then join the free class! If the introductory class gets you interested in trying more Feldenkrais, Paul will offer classes on the following six Wednesdays (June 22 & 29, July 6, 13, 20 & 27). The entire six class series will cost only $35. Come for a sumptuous TVSC lunch each day before class! For more information, speak with Rita Copeland, or you can contact Paul by email at [email protected].

TVSC CANADIAN CLUB FUNDRAISER JUNE 17 On June 17, the Canadian Club will host a Fundraiser for TVSC. Tickets are $100, which includes dinner for two. (There can be as many as four people going on one ticket, with the other two people paying for their dinner at the club.) This is an evening of good food, lots of fun, money and prizes. Dinner choices are Prime Rib, Baked Stuffed Chicken and Vegetarian Lasagna. Tickets may be purchased by calling 223-3322, email [email protected] or contact George Cushing @ 454-7331.

FLEA MARKET JUNE 18

TVSC is having their annual Flea Market on June 18 at the center. We will rent 6 foot tables for $25 each and the sale will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. TVSC will sell hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. We ask that you reserve your table as soon as possible by calling 223-3322 or emailing twinvalleyseniors@myfair point.net. Remember, great location with lots of traffic. No table reservations taken after June 14.

All programs are on Tuesdays and start at 10:30 am.

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On Your Mark, Get Set…READ!

All programs are free and open to children

Sign up for the summer reading program as soon as school is out and win prizes and T-shirts! The Thousand Page Club continues.

Evening Programs: (Days and times vary.)

Tuesday, June 21st – 6:00pm – On Your Mark, Get Set…READ Kickoff!

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Kingdom Animal Shelter

By Helen Morrison

Wyatt reminds me of some of the wonderful teenage boys I have taught in my career. He is just bouncing off the walls with energy, he is very smart, he is always getting into mischief, he hasn't got his social etiquette with other cats quite right yet, and he is just interested in everything. He is an orange and white fella, probably about one year old. He has the cutest face and very big paws. My guess is that he is going to be one very big boy. And he will liven up any home that is lucky enough to adopt him. If you would like to meet Wyatt, come on over to Kingdom Animal Shelter at 1664 Memorial Drive in St. Johnsbury Center, Mondays through Thursdays from 4-6:00 p.m., Friday from noon to 3:00 p.m., and every other Saturday, noon to 3:00 p.m. Check out our Facebook page.

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June 28 – You got to move it, move it – and READ it!

Sing and move along to some dancing books – Ten Go Tango, Miss Lina’s Ballerinas - weather permitting, we’ll take it outside for some fun water games!

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July 5 – Get Ready, Get Set, READ!

Come read about how different kinds of animals move about - see

where they’re going and what they’re up to! Then try out an obstacle course behind the library.

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July 12 – Read to the Finish Line!

Even the slowest tortoise can defeat the quickest hare, and even the proudest hare can learn a timeless lesson from the

most humble tortoise: Slow and steady wins the race! Meet with Deb Bothfeld at the Cabot school gym for Story Hour this week.

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July 19 – It’s a Good Day - READ!

We’ll read about great summer days and celebrate the Summer Reading Program with ice cream at the Cabot school playground! Meet at the Cabot School playground.

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Somewhere in Cabot is this Watery Light

By Chip Taylor Yes, found in Cabot is a light fixture partially filled with water. Perhaps when the water in the glass reaches the base of the bulb sparks will fly? How did the water get in this sealed fixture in the first place? A bit of a mystery. Perhaps Cabot Chronicle readers might want to venture a guess. Email [email protected] if you think you know where the fixture is located.

By Jane Brown

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Where in the World is the Cabot Chronicle?

The Cabot Chronicle had the opportunity to journey to Spain and explore the cities of Madrid, Ronda, Merida, Seville, and Toledo. ‘Though I was with my camera equipment the whole time, I only managed to get in the photographs at Toledo. Toledo was the favorite of all my travels. Beautiful "Old World" European charm. Everything I expected to find. I do believe I found where I will retire someday. My wonderful subjects, who by the way, continued to read on, even after I finished my shoot, are Elizabeth Mooney, Roberta Lacoste, and Katheryne Mero; Just a few of my traveling companion friends. I, of course, was just the photographer. They really made the photograph great. I am looking forward to the Chronicle traveling along with me as our family tours England, Ireland, and Scotland in 2017!

Cynthia Davis Lubas Chip Taylor and Paul Wade at the “Ham” conference.

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JPA Ice-Out Winner Collects Her Cash

At the Spring Meeting of the Joe's Pond Association on Saturday, May 21, this year's Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest winner, Pamela Swift of Barre received her winnings. Pamela is a pre-med student at UVM. She received an award certificate and a check for $5,297, the winner's share of the over 12,000 tickets sold in this year's contest. The proceeds from the contest are split after expenses, 50/50 between Joe's Pond Association and the person guessing the closest time the clock will stop. The clock stopped this year on April 12 at 5:04 p.m. Pamela Swift guessed April 12 at 5:03 p.m. Shown here are Miss Swift receiving her award from JPA President Tom Dente. Looking on are the association's secretary and cochair of the Ice-Out Contest Jane Brown, and JPA treasurer, George Anderson. Photo by Henretta Splain, data specialist for the JPA Ice-Out Contest.

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