Spring Thoughts and Trials

 I heard the first frogs of the season on Tuesday. I was working on getting my porch set up ready for summer weather and realized there were occasional frog sounds coming from my pond. They were rather tentative and I immediately thought the frogs probably had the same doubts about whether that beautiful, warm and sunny day was the beginning of something wonderful - or just a tease. Turns out, it was the latter. Yesterday turned into another wet, cold, snow/rain mix of a day and last night the temperature dropped to 17.4F. No self-respecting frog is going to croak over weather like that. Today is still very chilly with my thermometer not yet reaching 40 degrees in the shade of the house. Even in the sun it feels cold because of the sharp west wind. Still no peepers, but they will be warming up soon.

After getting my porch summer-ready earlier in the week, my spring optimism prevailed yesterday and I got the screens put on my kitchen windows. They are difficult to do because of insulated blinds that make it tricky to get everything lined up just right. I have to work from a step stool in order to reach into the corner where my sink is, with a window on either side. I love the "cockpit" effect of having the sink there - but it's a bear to wash those windows or get the screens in. I have Woods Windows wash all my windows and take the pesky screens out in the fall - but the remainder of the year, it's up to me.

I also re-potted some of my house plants. I had been waiting for a warm day to do it outside, but finally gave up on that yesterday and dove in. I covered my counter with plastic and it actually went pretty well. It was more comfortable working there than at a lower level outside - but of course I had more cleanup to do. I have a couple more very large plants that need attention, too, and I may tackle them later today. 

As with most of the tasks I attempt these days, I often run out of energy before I finish a project. I was very tired by supper time last night., so I intended to fix a quick supper and settle in my recliner for the rest of the evening. However, "Murphy's Law" often disrupts the best laid plans. When I pulled out my big sliding under-counter storage shelf to get a pan, the darned thing came off the track and dumped pots, pans, wooden bowls and measuring cups in a heap at the back of the cupboard. I think I may have said some unkind words about the guy that invented such a device, and then I shoved the thing back as far as I could and closed the doors on it. It was too much to deal with and I knew that trying to get it back on the tracks then would not go well. So - that was the first thing I did this morning while my coffee was brewing and I had both energy and patience for the day ahead. In the process, I found some items I no longer need, so the load on the shelf is lighter, nothing got broken, and the rummage sale pile has some additions.

Have a happy, resourceful day - spring is in the air!

April Showers

Our April Showers are darned cold this morning. My outside temperature reading is 37.5F and there is a bit of wind out of the NW. It isn't raining hard - just light showers from time to time, and there is an unmistakable chill that lets us know it isn't shorts and flip-flop time just yet.

Our summer residents will be coming back soon. Cyndi and Ray Rouleau are already back, and it's very nice to see activity again at their house. People along our West Shore Road are busy clearing away winter debris from lawns and driveways. Recent road work left a berm of gravel and dirt along our road that is troublesome, but probably a small price to pay for having the road passable all spring and no serious mud to deal with. I found it quite remarkable that our road was so good this spring. There are still slimy spots where the frost isn't quite out yet, but nobody has been hopelessly mired or had to leave their vehicles and walk home - nothing like that this year!

I had a call yesterday from Shelly Walker, next-door neighbor to Ned and Carolyn Hamilton. Shelly told me she had just talked with Ned's brother, Doug (Channel Drive), and they want to let people know that Carolyn was recently hospitalized (in Florida) and is in the ICU, quite seriously ill. Carolyn is progressing and doing well, but she may have a long recovery period ahead and their usual trip north may be a bit delayed this year. I was very sorry to hear she's had such a rough time - and I'm sure this has taken a toll on Ned, too.  I'm sure they would appreciate knowing that their many friends here are thinking of them. If you'd like to send a card or note, their address in Florida is: 8151 Green Mountain Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33473. 

As I finish off this entry, our rain showers have turned to snow showers - big floaty white flakes slanting down from the northwest and melting as soon as they hit the ground - for now. If the temperature goes down just a bit, some of those flakes may remain for a while. It's too wet, cold, and miserable to do anything outside, but I have a really good book to read. My friend and neighbor, Rebecca Wallick, author of Growing Up Boeing, has just published another book, Wild Running. She was kind enough to bring me a copy last week. It's about her life running with her beloved malamute dogs. Her running career has taken her to interesting and beautiful spots all over the country and in a variety of other countries over the years. She is now retired and lives in Vermont where she writes  and still runs or walks regularly with her dogs. This book is about her competitive running days and chronicles her life, running both competitively and for her personal enjoyment and well-being with her dogs. She has a close bond with her dogs, nature, and her environment, and writes about it in a lovely way that sort of envelops the reader into almost being there with her. I've laughed and cried - and I'm only about half way through the book.  I've been stealing moments in between other commitments to read a few pages at a time, but today will be a good opportunity to take some dedicated time to finish it.

I do expect Jamie sometime today. My phone died yesterday, so of course I took it to Jamie last night, thinking I probably needed a new battery - or a new phone. He thinks it's a problem with my charger, so he will stop by and check it out. It's a good thing he lives close by. There have been numerous times when he has rescued me because my TV died right at news time in the evening, my computer froze up first thing in the morning, or some other gadget failed at some inconvenient time. Usually it's not the gadget but the user that's "failed." I admit I'm pretty clutzy when it comes to all this new-fangled stuff, and I'm forever thankful Jamie is close by and always "on call." Oddly, I don't miss the cell phone that much. I sure miss my computer when it fails because I've done something foolish, though! 

Have a great weekend, stay safe and happy.

 

AND THE WINNER IS . . . !

The winner of the 2024 Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest is Stuart Ramsdell of Danville. Stuart is retired and bought five tickets at Hastings Store. One of his guesses was April 14 at 4:09 a.m, and that turned out to be the closest to the actual date and time of April 14 a5 4:02 a.m. Congratulations to Stuart! He's a lucky fellow and probably feeling pretty good right about now! 

Just an update on the ice - the smaller two ponds are ice free, but the big pond still has a small amount of really dark ice floating around out there, pushed by the wind.It would normally be gone by now but last night was pretty cold and today has been mostly in the 30s. I was coming home from Danville at about 3 o'clock this afternoon and there was a brief period of mixed precipitation hitting my windshield. It was raining in Danville, but at Joe's Pond, the "rain" had a bit more "substance" to it. Not unusual in our JP world.

This morning dawned with bright sunshine, but it didn't last. I was up fairly early and was entertained by four beautiful turkeys in my back yard. They spent a lot of time picking up seeds and insects along the shore of my pond, and finally disappeared into the pucker-brush at the far end of the lawn, apparently headed for Jay and Kate Chatot's. They were fun to watch. The big one with the fanned tail was likely a Tom, strutting for a mate. I didn't dare open a window to hear if the big guy was gobbling, because I knew it would likely spook them. The two pictured on the right came fairly close to my house and I was concerned they would catch a glimpse of me in the window as I took their picture. They made their way along the shore of the pond and then I spotted the other two. I was glad to see that they looked very healthy and seemed happy! There will no doubt be some nests close by in my woods, and this fall the flock will be considerably larger. They usually have 12 or so chicks - but of course some will be lost to predators. 

Years ago while Fred and I were walking in our woods, we found a turkey nest in our lower wooded area with 16 eggs. We had accidentally gone too close and the hen took off almost within arm's reach - startled me big time! We didn't touch the nest, but I counted at least 16 eggs from where we stood on the walking path. We didn't walk there again until after the nesting period was well over with. 

I'm noticing that the wooded area around my house and the surrounding countryside is beginning to show muted colors of pale green, indicating buds are forming on hardwood trees. Summer is on the way - we just need to be patient a little longer!

CLOCK STOPPED, 4:02 A.M. TODAY

We finally have an official Ice-Out time - 4 a.m. today, April 14, 2024!

There are thousands of tickets sold each year and our data specialist is still working on piles of tickets. Once those are all entered, her spreadsheet will be searched to find who the winner(s) might be. Then verification has to take place, all of which takes time. As soon as those official details are taken care of, there will be an announcement. I'll have more information then. In the meantime, Diane sent photos of the clock and what the ice looks like this morning. 

Many thanks to the Ice-Out Committee for their careful oversight to keep the contest running smoothly year after year. There is a great deal of planning and work behind the scene each year to update and print tickets, keep merchants supplied, do publicity, keep the equipment functional and safe, keep detailed and careful records of entries and monies, and answer questions from the public. When the clock stops and a winning ticket(s) is found, there is a verification process to be certain the winner or winners are legitimate. Working in unison, the committee makes it all seem effortless. It isn't. They work hard and are constantly "on call" keeping the momentum going, running smoothly.

The contest has grown each year - this year promises to be the biggest contest yet - and that is due to the coordinated efforts of a super-efficient committee: Diane Rossi, Mary Anne Cassani, Michelle Walker, Larry Rossi, Henretta Splain, and the late Lisa Hebert. Thanks to all of them, and to the merchants and many individuals who sell tickets each year, for another very successful Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest!

Birds are Singing!

We awoke to very a very brief flash of sunlight this morning, and now we are having the all too familiar rain showers. Fortunately, it's still reasonably warm - 43 degrees - and the overnight low was 42. Most of or snow is gone this morning, and when I was outside a few minutes ago (recycling day with Jamie and Marie) I was suddenly aware of a robin singing loudly about something or other. I had been watching for robins to show up, but hadn't noticed any until I heard this one. That means I need to block the areas under my porch where I had a robin condo last year with five nests - one in each space between the floor joists on my porch. With lots of activity on my porch, that was not an ideal space for nesting, and some were abandoned, eggs intact. To avoid that this year, I'm planning on putting some sort of barricade in there - either temporary or permanent. I haven't figured out exactly what I'll do. But the robins will be building nests very soon, so I've got to got going on that project. Maybe I'll put out some dry lint for them to use lining their nests, too.

Yesterday as I was picking up broken branches at various spots on my lawn, I found daffodils were up 3-4 inches in several spots. They look healthy and I was happy to see signs of new life in my gardens. I will shovel away the snow that seems to have broken down part of my rhododendron - Susan Socks is going to trim that for me once it's fully out of the snow. I had hoped to propagate some of those cuttings, but now I may be able to rescue the broken portion and will try to get that to root, too. Spring is such a neat time of the year. I love that nature is waking up all around me. I'm anxious for peepers to begin singing in my pond, so I'll go out on my porch tonight to listen for them. It's been so cold and windy, I'm sure the poor frogs were not anxious to sing about anything. Maybe warmer nights will impress them!

Diane sent this photo to me this morning. She said there was a significant change in the ice overnight. The ice is definitely getting darker and now there is a wide strip of open water along the shoreline. We can expect the block to go through and stop the clock any time now - and I'll let you know as soon as that happens. It is exciting that the contest could be over this weekend. Stay tuned!

The day is getting brighter - could we possibly have a little sunshine? Time to get outside and "make hay while the sun shines!"

Ice Update

I don't know whether this is good or bad news for many of you, but the block with the flag is still sitting proud and the clock is still ticking. No sign it's going to change right away, but we never know. 

Today is warmish (50 degrees!) and there's a pretty strong wind out of the east. Because of that wind, Diane has had to cover and tape the clock on her deck to keep it from being blown off and damaged. She took these photos this morning and you can judge for yourself how stable the ice looks. Diane told me it looks like this will be the best Ice-Out ever with a record number of tickets sold. The final count of tickets and exact amount of the split after expenses isn't known, but it's certainly looking like a bumper year.

We are all amazed that the ice is still holding up. The warm March weather had all of us fooled into thinking this could be the earliest ice-outs ever, possibly stopping the contest in March. But winter wasn't over and we've had some cold and snowy weather from the end of March into April, and that was totally unexpected. This is what makes our contest interesting and fun - no matter how familiar one is with the area or how many Ice-Outs anyone has experienced, nobody has "inside information" or can even make an "informed guess" when it comes to when the clock will stop. People who have never even been here could still pick a winning date and time. It's all a matter of chance - and the weather. We all know how unpredictable the weather can be, especially in recent years. That said, here at Joe's Pond, we seem to be operating somewhat independently, even while experiencing the temperature swings and crazy weather patterns. Except for the undeniable indication over many years of recording Ice-Out dates that shows there is a gradual trend towards earlier endings, not much changes. While there were a few times the contest went into May in past years, that hasn't happened in a long time; and we still have never had a March date. 

I'll keep you posted.

This week I had a note from Gretchen Farnsworth saying that she spotted a loon in the water near her house on Sandy Beach Road. She will try to get a picture for us. That the loon is back is a good indication that spring is on the way. It would be nice if we had a couple of nesting pairs again, and especially great if the chicks produced are able to survive. With eagles being common residents here at the pond in recent years, it is particularly dangerous for the loons. However, overall, the loon population in Vermont is doing well, so the balance in nature is obviously working - thanks to some help from caring humans over the years.

My little pond opened up last night and there's only some slush at the end nearest my house, piled up by a strong east wind during the night. This photo shows just how bleak today is here! But at least most of the snow in my back yard is gone. We had hard rain (I measured .35 inches this morning), and that has done away with most of the snow around my place. There are still snow banks along the driveway and around my deck, but the next few days of warm, rainy weather will finish that off, I think. Temperatures are predicted to drop again, and then we can look forward to (hopefully!) just a light snow flurry from time to time, which probably won't be measurable. That comes from our elevation and the unique microclimate that creates. West Danville, Joe's Pond, Walden and Cabot Plain enjoy that distinction! Spring is a process.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are! Stay tuned for up-to-date ice reports. Anyone who would like to receive email notification whenever I make a new post to this blog can just ask - send me an email (janebrowncabot@gmail.com), or post a comment that includes your email address and I'll put you on the mailing list. Be safe and happy!

Ice Update

Here is a photo of the Ice-Out setup that was taken only minutes ago - around 6:30 p.m. today. A blog reader has asked for an update on the block on the ice for the Ice-Out Contest. As you can see, there has been no significant change - the block hasn't gone through the ice, the flag is still up, and the clock is still ticking. Yesterday some brave soul put a chair out on the ice in order to sit there to watch the eclipse. I would not venture out onto the ice for any reason at this point.

I had a report today that Moore Dam Reservoir on the Connecticut river is ice free. That said, that reservoir is at an elevation of only 806 ft., while Joe's Pond is 1,551 ft. That is a significant difference when it comes to temperature and weather. West Danville also recently had about a foot of snow and that serves to insulate the ice from the sun. However, we've also had three days of very nice, warm and sunny weather that has definitely whittled away at the snow pack and undoubtedly has also taken a toll on the ice.

Closer to us are Molly's Pond and the Molly's Falls Reservoir, both on Route 2 in Cabot, only a few miles southwest of Joe's Pond. Both those bodies of water are still frozen over. Historically, they open a few days before the clock stops at Joe's Pond. That could change this year - we never know what will happen.

My ice measuring friend who enjoyed fishing all winter, broke through the ice last week where he fishes on the east shore of Joe's Pond.  The Ice-Out setup is located near the west shore, which doesn't get quite as much sun, so the ice may be somewhat thicker. Fortunately the water where my friend broke through was only knee deep as he was just starting out onto the ice, but he told me that ended his fishing for this year. Thus, I won't have any more actual measurements for you from now until the clock stops. So we just have to wait. We have several days of warm, rainy weather ahead, and I expect that will do the ice in fairly quickly. We will keep you posted, and as soon as the clock stops, you will be notified here. It could happen any time. Good luck to everyone - there will be a winner (or winners) soon!