Quiet Spring Day

 Not much going on here today except a lot of melting of snow! That said, the block hasn't moved, but it seems to me there are spots where the ice is darker, but not near the Ice-Out setup. Diane sent this photo a few moments ago (on the left) - compare it to the one on the right from last night. She said a little more of the block is showing - she thinks the snow has probably melted from around it. We lost most of our snow on the ground today. With rain expected tonight, things will begin to change, I expect. 

We are happy that the next several days will be more like April should be - no snow or single digit temperatures in the forecast! Just nice warm, wet, spring weather! When I went through West Danville this morning, there was a channel the whole length of the first pond, and lots more open water in the middle pond. I expect the ice is getting pretty soft - it was in the 50s today, with sun shining most of this morning. I just looked (at 6:15 p.m.) and it's 61 degrees! Windows open and fresh air for sleeping tonight, for sure!!!

My friend, Mary Whitcomb told me about an article on wake boats that was posted on Vermont Digger. It is very interesting to get some insight to what the people at the state level are thinking. Seems to me they should begin thinking in terms of making it easy for lake associations and marinas to install wash stations. They haven't cooperated with our lake association in considering that option. They really need to be willing to sacrifice a couple of parking spaces if that's the only alternative, or relax any regulations that prevent installation at the state-owned fishing access at our lake. So far, it seems they are determined to stick to their guns and refuse to consider reasonable options. 

We are grateful they are willing to act quickly to change the laws regulating wake sports, but we are already fighting milfoil here and trying to prevent spreading it to other lakes, and it seems short-sighted to not do everything in their power to make it possible for us to install a wash station at the fishing access.

I'm thinking the maple trees in the woods behind my house are beginning to show a little rosy color, like there may be some buds beginning to show. That will put an end to sugaring season - but it's good news for those of us who are tired of bare trees, snow, and cold. And I can definitely see some pussywillows on at least one tree in my back yard! Unfortunately, they are all pretty high up - I've cut them for so many years, the trees are well "pruned" and no branches within easy reach. They are fun to see, though. A sure sign of spring! 

Spring?

 Does this look like spring to you? It doesn't to me, and last night was anything but springlike, too. We had an overnight low of 9 degrees!  When I looked at my thermometer at 7 a.m., the sun was already shining on it and it read 25 degrees, so I knew the day was only going to get better. Now, at almost noon, the snow is falling off the big evergreen trees by my driveway and the road is back to mud - although, not the deep, sinking kind we sometimes experience in the spring. Thankfully, our road (West Shore Road) has been really ok except for some washboard and puddles. So far, so good!

I measured another four inches of new snow this morning, making it six inches in all from this two-day storm. It's pretty and clean, all that white snow, but we've had it long enough and it seems only fair for us to be able to pull out of winter and get going on some real spring weather. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that Joe's Pond has its own micro-climate. Those of us who live here or in the immediate vicinity, need to accept that it is colder, the growing season is shorter, and it's often harsher here than two miles in almost any direction. The exception would be in Walden. Their weather is much like ours, only more so. We're in a snow belt, there's more wind, deeper cold, and in an electrical storm it often seems that we are too darned close to the heavens above. If nothing else, living here gives us bragging rights about lots of things other folks never experience. But sometimes we could do without all those perks. 

After I took my bird feeder down this weekend, the weather turned sour and we began to get snow. I found several birds sitting patiently in the maple tree when I opened the window shade Monday morning, and of course I felt sorry for them and put the feeder out again.  I measured two inches of new snow, cleared my deck and figured that would be it. It snowed off and on all day Monday here (but nowhere else!) and it didn't build up much, so when I went out this morning and found another four inches, I was really discouraged. Once againI cleared the deck and filled the bird feeder. The birds are happy - I may leave the feeder out at least for the rest of this week since we are expecting warmer weather. Once the snow is gone again, I will take the feeder down again - hopefully for the last time this season!

I thought you might like to read the follow-up plans about wake-sports legislation. Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes sent this update this morning: Wake Boat Update 

 

Still Here!

 Winter is still here, and so is the Ice-Out Contest block! No sign of it sinking yet! As I write this, we are having another snow squall - just like yesterday's weather. I measured 2 inches of new snow yesterday morning and because we had snow flurries most of the day yesterday, I though I would be shoveling away at least another inch or two this morning, but there was barely any on my deck or in the measuring tube. I got away with reporting a trace - really not measurable. Our temperature this morning was in the mid 20s and now, at high noon, right at 32. Not much melting going on except from whatever warmth the earth gets from the brief moments of sun we see from time to time. Water is running in ditches and there is open water in the first pond, but that is the smallest and the shallowest, and there is always a strip that opens up past the beach as the water flows to the dam in West Danville.

I went to St. Johnsbury yesterday, and left in a blizzard. It was snowing pretty hard and the wind was furious. I expected the roads to be really awful, but Route 2 was wet only to about Danville, then dry from there and absolutely no snow on the ground. It was like I was in a different country! I know I should be used to that after all these years, but it still amazes me at the difference. On the way home, there was sun in St. J. when I left, I began to see snowflakes as I approached Dole Hill just below Goodfella's, and by the time I got to West Danville, snow was swirling in the road, but the pavement was still mostly dry - it was too cold and windy for it to melt! Even West Shore Road was pretty good - only a bit of mud, and I really appreciated that since I had gone through the car wash in St. Johnsbury - only about the 2nd time I've been able to do that all winter because it was either bitterly cold and I didn't want my doors to freeze shut, or all the roads were slushy and there was no point. It was good to get it done - my car always seems to glide more smoothly after it is washed. I think getting some of the sludge out from underneath is a good thing, and maybe things really do move more easily.

Diane (Rossi) and I had dinner at Eastside Restaurant in Newport on Sunday. We ordered off the menu rather than doing the buffet. We agree that balancing plates and elbowing our way around a crowded buffet doesn't hold a candle to sitting comfortably and being served. The food was excellent, as always, and even though it was very crowded, we were seated withing a few minutes, and while service took a little longer than usual, we were in no hurry. All the wait-staff were on the run. Our waitress was a very nice middle-aged woman with a charming French accent. I'm sure knowing French comes in very handy at Eastside - they have always had lots of Canadians visiting, being so close to the border. Even with tensions high at the national level, people who love coming to Vermont for whatever reason are probably still coming. 

A few minutes after Diane dropped me off at home Sunday, she sent this photo of a para-glider (hard to see in the gloom of snowflurries, but he/she is a little left of center where the ice looks darker). We are always awed that anyone would be out there when the ice is probably very unstable. I'm sure they know what they are doing, but what happens if the wind takes them somewhere unexpected, like over open water? 

You can see that the Ice-Out block was showing no signs of movement. Nothing has changed since this photo - that is pretty solid ice where the block is, and there is very little open water around the shoreline of the pond. It's only open in the narrows between ponds and where brooks come into the pond. Even the middle pond isn't open from one narrows to the other. There is a strip of open water about half way along the Route 2 side where the current runs from the narrows, but that's it - as of yesterday when I came home mid-afternoon. Temperatures have remained near or below freezing since then.We are expecting a slight warmup later this week. Spring does not come easily here!

Our Ice-Out Committee has been approached by a reporter from the Boston Globe. It's always nice to have a big-time news outlet give us some press, but I can't help wishing it had come a couple weeks ago, before ticket sales closed! We had that happen one year in the early 2000s when an Associated Press reporter stationed in Montpelier did an article on us. It went nation-wide, and we saw a pretty good surge in ticket sales. The most fun for us was getting emails from Joe's Ponders wintering across the nation who were surprised to see the article about Joe's Pond in their local papers. Any coverage, any time, is great. 

And Now We Wait!

Today has been a lovely, warm, spring day - unlike yesterday which was cold, windy, and gloomy and we awaok to ice-covered trees and a few slick roads, depending on where you were. Not much obvious melting went on yesterday, but things warmed up overnight and this morning the snow pack was noticeably less. Today the remaining snow has taken a beating. Yesterday my friend, Mary Whitcomb sent me some interesting screenshots from a site called "Lake Monster" which is dedicated to information for fishermen. I'm not sure how they come up with those figures, but I suppose there's some science behind it - it looks logical. And she sent the long-range forecast. Thanks, Mary - fun to look at!

 

 

 

 I thought Joe's Ponders who may not get the Responsible Wakes publication might be interested in seeing the results of recent information gathered from last month's letter campaign to legislators regarding the wake boat law changes. I think it's interesting to note that apparently more people who were opposed to further restrictions mailed duplicate letters than those who were in favor of tougher restrictions; but when the duplicates were discounted, the numbers for restriction were even higher than those opposing it, percentage-wise. Click on the link above to read the article. I guess sometimes "stuffing the ballot box" just doesn't work.

I was at Marty's 1st Stop recently and their addition is coming along really well. It looks like their store will be almost doubled in size. I'm sure it will be really nice. I snapped a quick picture - by the time our Joe's Ponders get back in a few weeks, it will be much further along, I'm sure, but I didn't want you to be completely shocked when you get here in a few weeks! I'm not sure when they plan to have everything done and operating, but certainly pretty soon, by the looks. They are really busy almost every time I go there, no matter what time of day.

The deadline to have Ice-Out tickets in is well past (it was midnight, April 1st), and the ice-out committee has been busy collecting tickets from all the outlets and getting them to Theresa, who is putting the information on a spreadsheet. When the block finally sinks and stops the clock, she will be able to quickly sort through the thousands of tickets and find the winning one (or more). There are always heaps of tickets coming in at the last minute, so it will take time for her to get them all listed. It's a process - when the clock stops, the ticket with the closest (or sometimes right-on) date and time has to be found. Next, the ticket holder must be located and the information on the ticket verified. Only then will the winner(s) be announced. If there are two or more winners, the winners' share is divided equally.

Diane sent me a photo this morning and the block hasn't budged - nothing about it had changed. After today's warm sunshine and slight wind, things may have moved a bit, but we don't think the block is going to sink right away - no Easter Sunday Ice-Out excitement this year, I guess.  

When the clock stops, it's always a scramble to let newspapers, radio and TV stations know right away, and the committee also lets all the outlets know the time and date - but they don't name the winner. That has to wait until verification is made, which sometimes takes a while. I remember one year when the winner was repairing his mother's house in Florida and had no idea he had won - he was from St. Johnsbury and we finally found out where he was by actually going to his home and checking with his neighbors. It delayed announcement for a couple of weeks while we searched for him.

We will keep you informed of the ice conditions - and the weather. It won't be long now!

Only a Few Hours Left!

 This is the Ice-Out block this morning - we had rain last night and temperature in the high 30's! Temperature now at my house: 36F, with a light wind out of the west. You have until midnight tonight to get your Ice-Out tickets in!

Last Call!

We are so near the deadline to have tickets in! You have only until midnight tomorrow - Wednesday, April 1st, to either purchase tickets online, or mail in paper tickets. If you mail them, they must be postmarked before midnight, April 1.

To get tickets last minute -- go to the Joe's Pond Association website. From there you can fill out batches of ten tickets and pay online, or print batches of five tickets on your home printer and fill out as many or as few as you wish and mail them before midnight tomorrow. Instructions are on the website.

We have been literally in a fog all day! The fog was minimal this morning, but during the day it increased and by late afternoon, I couldn't see down to the road from my house. It is gloomy, but the temperature remained in the 40s and low 50s all day, which means there was slow melting going on. It didn't get below freezing overnight, and we had some rain (I measured .35 in. this morning). More rain is expected this week, and that will make a big difference in snow and ice melting.

The upper channel is finally starting to open up.  Gretchen Farnsworth sent this photo today - you can see the darker spot in upper left - that's the open water, and in the foreground it looks like there's water on top of the ice right now, but that will probably open within a day or so. This is at the north end of the pond where water comes in from Walden in a fairly large stream. The channel runs into the broad part of the largest of the three sections of Joe's Pond. This is where signs of the pond opening up begins each spring. From here, there will be more open water over the next days and weeks and, depending on how much rain and warm weather we get, open water will gradually appear in the broad part of the pond. This is a process, and sometimes we get below-freezing weather and everything freezes over again which slows things down. Everything depends on the weather.

The clock has stopped on Easter Sunday a few times over the years, but I think that's too soon this year. That said, if we got a real warm spell or lots of rain, who knows? It's really hard to predict, even for those of us who live here and watch the ice every day. 

Gretchen said she is seeing and hearing all kinds of spring-like indications. There are robins around, red-winged blackbirds, and geese. Also, she said she spotted an eagle. Unfortunate for the loon families as the loon chicks are easy prey. Gretchen said she has some early flowers just starting to pike through now the snow is off in spots, but it will be a while before anything blooms. It's good to know things are awakening. I have daffodils up about an inch on the southeastern end of my house. It gets lots of sun there and used to be full of daffodils. Now there are only a few, but also a few other flowers later in the year. The snow has only been gone from there for a couple of days. I still have plenty of snow around my house, and my pond is still solidly frozen over, even with a good stream coming in from the springs above. Spring is on the way, for sure, but it will be a while before we need to mow lawns. 

Good luck, and stay safe. 

Signs of Spring!

I had a meeting in Cabot Village yesterday which meant traveling over the Plain and down the back side of the hill - on a road that often has more snow, wind, ice, and mud, than most. We accept that Joe's Pond's location is in a "different micro climate" than even Danville, Cabot, or Marshfield; however, the Plain is yet another level closer to the heavens and thus gets even more "weather" than we do. The wind on the Plain rivals that which constantly blows through West Danville!

I was prepared for a tough trip, planned half an hour travel time (it's only about six miles from my house), and headed out. I was tempted to take Brickett's Crossing Road - it's somewhat shorter to get to pavement going that way, but the temperature had been in the single numbers overnight and the road was solidly frozen, so I stayed on the Plains road. Easy, a little rough, but I arrived with time to spare. There was hardly any snow in the Village. Of course. When I came home around noon, as I left the pavement going up Cabot Plains Road, I could see the Burtt's sugar house belching steam. They are having a bumper crop this year -- Gregg mentioned in the recent Chronicle that he expected to "crest 3500 gallons of syrup" with a run they had last week. With the cool nights and warmish days ahead, the sap is likely still running well, and I haven't seen any evidence of buds on the maples yet to taint the flavor. Seeing the steaming sugar house was a pleasure -- and only in the spring are we treated to such a spectacle!

As I climbed past the sugar house, I noticed the snowbanks along the road were higher and there was a lot more snow showing in the woods and fields. No bare spots at the higher elevation. By the cemetery on the Plain there were bare spots, but those were from being wind-swept, not from melting. Still good snowbanks up there. But the road was still firm even though it was considerably warmer. I made it home without incident. We had a good meeting, too - a dedicated group of historical society members and interested residents in town are working together to ensure that we can save the historic (1845) two-story building that is now owned by the Cabot Historical Society. The foundation has needed attention for years, and finally showed signs it was ready to give up if someone didn't pay attention. This ad hoc committee has formed to make plans for a new foundation and repairs (and possibly some upgrades -- like plumbing?!). The building was stabilized last year, and now we need to find ways to pay for the very expensive repairs through grants, fundraising, and in-kind donations. I admire the young people who have stepped up - I say young - many of them are in their 60s and 70s. They are great to work with, and I have every confidence they will get the job done, and done right.

Another lovely sign of spring came in my email this morning from Mary Whitcomb. She saw her first robin this morning on her lawn. I'm so happy she thought to share the photo with me. What a beautiful bird! No sign of them here yet, but it won't be long, I'm sure. We need a little bare ground for them to hang out here, and right now there isn't much showing.

 

Enjoy spring, wherever you are, get your Joe's Pond Ice-Out tickets in --
and beware of April Fool's pranks!