It's been a pretty day for the most part today - bright sunshine at least most of the day, and temperature in the 20s.  The thermometer is going down now the sun has dropped behind the hills - I see 16 degrees now - and also the blustery wind that has swirled snow off roofs and trees off and on during the day has subsided.  We'll probably see zero or below during the night.

I haven't taken my usual walk for two days.  I've had one problem after another that kept me at my computer - I left only long enough for food a food break at noon.  Well that isn't quite true, I too time to watch the news and my favorite soap, "The Young and the Restless," but admit I dozed off a couple of times.  The "cat naps" refreshed me so I was able to get back to my computer this afternoon and made good headway. 

Mark Conley sent me this nice photo of a Joe's Pond sunset taken when Mark and  Karen were here on Martin Luther King weekend.  Thanks to Mark for sharing - I don't remember exactly, but it looks like a cold evening.  That's the west shore across the frozen pond we're looking at.

No surprise that any groundhog that happened to be out today - and around here that would be highly unusual - would have seen his shadow assuring another six weeks of winter - or will it be eight?  Either way, we'll be well into Ice-Out Contest time, and also Town Meetings and Maple Sugaring.  It will be interesting to see what kind of weather March brings.  I'm looking forward to spring, for sure, but so far this hasn't been a terribly difficult winter for most folks here in the north country.  Except for the icy going a few times, we haven't had dreadful storms or long stretches of sub-zero weather - yet.  There's still time.  

I heard someone complain the other day about the electricity having gone off where they lived.  She said it hadn't been off all winter until this one time.  I'd say that is nothing to complain about.  We've had some wild winds and really heavy snow several times this year, and keeping the electricity flowing has been a challenge in lots of areas.  Most of us keep extra food, water and some kind of emergency heat source available just in case, and that's the best insurance I know.