Here we are in another snowstorm. I took pictures yesterday of the ice forming on the pond. Today there was more ice and lots of white showing up because of snow on the new ice. Most of the pond is frozen now, but that will likely change before it's frozen for good. Temperatures remain cold tonight, but was around the freezing mark earlier in the day. I don't think we had much melting going on, though. St. Johnsbury had some rain showers this morning and there was no snow on the ground there even though we were white at Joe's Pond. Their rain turned to snow this afternoon, so it's wintery just about everywhere tonight.

Apparently lots of people are taking no chances this year and are buying their Ice-Out tickets early. We've already sold a few hundred tickets! While it may seem early to select a date the ice will go out of the pond even before the pond is frozen over, I guess some folks believe a guess now is just as good as one in March. The list of previous winners and the dates they picked is on the web site along with a history of the Ice-Out Contest. Tickets will be distributed to the usual outlets soon, and Hastings Store has them now. It's fun to tuck a ticket in a Christmas card to friends or family - if you'd like a few now so you can do that, send your request and a stamped self-addressed envelope to: JPA Ice-Out Contest, PO Box 111, W Danville VT 05873. I've posted some of the pictures taken Wednesday to show you how the ice is shaping up.