We're in winter mode again with everything frozen up solid.  I'm betting there are no holes in the ice this morning except those bored by fishermen, and the ones from yesterday are well frozen over.  We have 5 above zero with a little weak sunshine and a few fine snowflakes in the air.  I say "fine" as a description of size, but even these flakes that come in swirls more like fog that momentarily dim the sun are a "fine" addition to what we have on the ground.  I have 1 inch at my backyard post and a few bare spots on our mostly east facing hillside.  A sad state of affairs that will cause the winter of 2015-16 to be dubbed "the winter that couldn't get started," unless March turns things around. 

I found this in my e-mail this morning.  I'm sure some of you also had it from Homer Fitts - but for those who aren't on Homer's mailing list, I thought you might get a smile out of it, even though it isn't typical of this year:

  WHY  I  CAN'T  LEAVE  VERMONT

          It's Winter in Vermont

         And the gentle breezes blow

         72 miles per hour & 52 below

 

         Oh how I love Vermont

          When the snows up to your butt

          You take a breath of winter air

          And your nose is frozen shut.

          Yes, the weather here is wonderful

          So I guess I'll hang around,

          But I would never leave Vt.

          Cause I'm frozen to the ground.

I don't know who wrote it - I didn't find anything on line about it - but whoever it was knew Vermont as it normally is.

We had minor water problems on Monday during all that hard rain.  The ground was frozen so the water had no place to go as it came down from our roof and the surrounding hillside, and puddled at our basement door, finally coming over the threshold into the basement.  Not a calamity, but it kept us busy for a few hours Monday night channeling water to the drain and scrambling to remove furniture and rugs in its path.  By morning the water outside was gone and there was a sheet of "cat ice" suspended over the walkway.

Woody, always on hand for new and exciting goings-on, investigated,

  and decided he'd have no part of thin ice.  Smart cat!