klw

Heat's on. (Further proof that I do not control the thermostat in our house) And building on this mornings question- why is it thermo-stat but not thermo-meter?

We have a forced hot water system with an oil burner so we can't shut off the heat without losing the hot water too. We just turn the thermostat down to as low as it will go. 37F as I left the house this morning. I forgot to see if it had been lower at some point but I doubt it as it was 39 when I got up. No sign of frost at the house but saw some pockets of it on the drive in to the office. Lowest I saw on the car thermometer was 36. On an unrelated topic- why is it pronounced ther-mom-eter and not thremo-merter when it is reading heat levels?

If you perform like I did in Peacham with a similar mid-hill location, you may find you are cooler than the radiators right after a frontal passage if the wind stays up enough to prevent settling. And yesterday when I said not to be surprised if it snows in September, I mean don't be shocked to see flakes and snow up on the mtns but don't go expecting accumulations at your spot. That would be the surprise.

In my Vermont years, I have had snow in every month but July and August. (not each year mind you) In our 4 years in this house we have had accumulating snow in October in 2 of the 4 years and seasonal pack started as early as Nov 13. You should not be surprised to occasionally see snow in late Sept at your location.

Scotty doesn't know.

This would stop Phineas from complaining about the heat of Northern New England.

https://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KBJC.html 3 day history though there is a gap overnight last night.\ Meanwhile up here, the pool got drained and taken down this weekend. I planted 5 plum trees last weekend which has promptly put an end to the rainy stretch we were in. Lots of watering about to have to happen.

Big big leaf-peeping incoming.

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true or is it something worse?

Poor man wants to be rich Rich man wants to be king A king ain't satisfied til he rules everything I want to go out tonight and find out what I got.

Two big signs of fall today: 1. a v-shaped flock of geese flying south over the Connecticut 2. The hills are starting to get a tint of color to them and a few red/orange branches are popping out here and there.

By the way people in the NEK tell it, the Victory Bog is half peat/ half bodies. The climate of northern Vermont really means criminals need to plan on their body disposal better than they usually do plus they forget that people up here are always in the woods, especially this time of year.

Those help but picture what you do when you go in. You check in a table, the person looks you up on the rolls, gives ballot. Rinse and repeat for hours for the person at the desk. And you know not everyone will be wearing masks. if it is safe, does that mean you are going to be a poll worker?

I think the biggest concern about in-person voting should not be about the voters but rather the poll volunteers. They are in that space for hours risking exposure and almost all seem to be in their retirement years.

Another story, this time with pavers. Last year we wanted to get estimates for repair/repave our driveway (110 yards long and steep). 3 companies were going to come out. 1 sent a low level employee who muttered out some loose range of numbers 20 to 30k and that they would send us a written estimate. They never did. The other two companies never showed. I am gradually doing it myself. Joys of home ownership.

We ran into many problems with consistency when we were in the St J area. People would show up once but not again. We had one guy who came and said he would be back on Tuesday to finish the project. He no showed and then called a year later to say he would be out on that upcoming Tuesday. In fairness he hadn't said the year before which Tuesday he would be back. We had another guy who was also doing a job next door. We got pretty sure he was billing us for time he was next door. We later found out (years later) from another handyman in town that he came in and helped the guy add supports in the basement when the first guy removed too much of a retaining wall and our upstairs was on the verge of collapse. We later found a vodka bottle and some emptys in a crawl space in the basement- I have no idea if the two things were connected. One day the guy billed us for 8 hours- he had put up one piece of trim around an opening. That night I rehung it properly and we let him go. I have learned to do much of the work myself as a result of these adventures.

Killington folks gone wild. https://www.wcax.com/2020/08/31/state-probing-covid-cases-related-to-killington-party/

2 possible explanations: 1. The numbers we are looking at are from July. The State really reopened in June. Many professional services required for closing on houses were not really running until then so Attorneys could not do title searches, hold closings, etc. So even if that place for sale was instantly under contract places were not closing until July. Then you need to get in, figure out what changes are to be done, get contractors etc- so there is a time line. Thus the huge explosion recently in construction material costs. Lets see where those construction employment figures are come September. 2. Vermont may not put electricians, plumbers under the construction category but as other professional services. It could be an accounting issue. Also: Fewer kids are going into trades up here. For instance when we first moved to the St. Johnsbury area, the St J Academy had a thriving electrical program with two full time teachers. We had a class of kids come out and do wiring projects at our house. Within 2 years, one of the teachers were gone and the program was hanging on by a thread due to lack of student interest despite the opportunities that are out there in the area for good reliable electricians, plumbers, etc.

If you look hospitality is not the biggest employment sector but rather is behind government, health care, professional and business services, retail trade, and manufacturing. Sure it does add money to some other sectors but Vermont is not as dependent on tourism as perceived though it certainly helps.

And now the rain starts. 2 seconds lightning to thunder, damn that was loud

Lightning to thunder at 11 seconds

"Here at the Home Depot we know that the back of summer is broken and want to make sure that your back is not broken this winter. Our Associates can help you choose the best snow blower for you."

It looks like it is weakening near here (losing the red pixels on COD). One approaching Bennington looks juicy. https://weather.cod.edu/satrad/?parms=local-Vermont-comp_radar-12-1-100-1&checked=counties-usint-map&colorbar=undefined

Looks line a line of storms should hit here in about 20 minutes or so.