We have been overwhelmed with requests for Ice-Out tickets as a result of the nation-wide circulation of the Associated Press article by John Curran. I'm trying to help as many as possible get their tickets, but the time has pretty much run out for everyone except locals. This morning I went to Harry's Hardware (see photo) in Cabot to replenish their supply of tickets; I haven't heard from any of our other "Ice Outlets" so I'm confident they have enough to fill the demand. This should be a record-breaking year for our contest by all indications. We'll keep you posted. The winner(s) could come into a nice bit of money!

I took some pictures early this morning on my way to Cabot. The mountains, Camel's Hump and Mt. Mansfield were shining in the morning sun, all along the road the maples were tapped and I took a picture of what is probably one of the oldest (and largest) maples trees around. It was at Keith Burtt's place, and I don't know how many buckets were on the tree, I could see two from the road, but there may have been more. Just below the old tree a large herd of cattle was heading across the field to feed.

Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them. Happy Springtime!

ICE-OUT ARTICLE IN NEWSPAPERS FAR AND WIDE. Click here to read the article Associated Press reporter out of Montpelier, John Curran, did this week on our (and others) Ice-Out Contest. It will probably be in numerous papers all across the country since he mentions contests as far away as Alaska. I was alerted this morning by Steve and Bev Allen that they had seen it in this morning's Manchester Union Leader.

Boston Globe

Thursday, March 29 - we're in "count-down mode" here at the pond. Diane and I were out picking up and distributing Ice-Out tickets this morning and they are beginning to come in faster now. Anyone planning on waiting until the last minute of April 1 to have a better chance at guessing when the ice will go out will still not have much of an edge on those who mailed in their guesses in July. The weather has been cold and windy - we may be making more ice than there is melting going on. Nights are still cold, and the whole pond has a beautiful clear, glass-like coating of ice where all that snow was (I suspect much of the snow is under this icy crust). Looks pretty solid, still. I took a picture this morning - pretty new red JPA flag is straight out in the wind.

I also took a picture of the Alonso cottage. You can see they are making pretty good progress now. Within a few days there should be a big change. We'll post pictures as progress continues.

I had to stop at Marty's 1st Stop in Danville to put up a silly poster to squelch a silly rumor that the ice had gone out of Joe's Pond. It all started when someone heard a newscast about the snowmobile that went through the ice in the narrows between the big pond an the middle pond. Appaarently in the same newscast there was a mention of the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest, and we think that's the way the whole thing got started. The clerks at Marty's said ticket sales dropped considerably after that, so we did up a poster, had Linda Mullallay announce on WSTJ that there's still at least two feet of ice where the pallet is, and we think things will get back to normal now.

While at Marty's, I took a picture - notice the big sign with the animals on it, just to the right of the "porch"? That's announcing they now sell Blue Seal feed for all sorts of animals. Marty is taking up the slack now that Howard's Home and Garden in St. Johnsbury is closed - we don't know for how long.

Bev and Steve Allen were here yesterday to inspect their cottage. They found the drive down to their place still has a foot or two of snow, but they got in ok with snowshoes. When they got home to Ryegate, they sent back a picture of the view from their house - much "springy-er" than Joe's Pond, and notice the "herd" of deer in the distance. They have a little water showing at the edge of their pond, too. Ryegate is south of us, so perhaps that makes a bit of difference, but the elevation is lower, too, which usually makes a difference in snow cover. Thanks to Steve and Bev for a glimpse of spring!

There is a nice article about our Ice-Out Contest in this morning's Times Argus. Click here for a direct link.

Times Argus

THE FLAG IS OUT, THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

I just received word that Ray Richer put the block out and set up the clock today. We are officially in "count-down" mode at Joe's Pond Ice-Out. Evelyn sent pictures of Ray and a reporter from the Times-Argus in Barre. (His article will be in tomorrow's issue, he told me.) Thanks to Evelyn for her update and photos. Her description: Well, it’s out there! The Times Argus showed up… the guy from AP also called and we told him when it was going out but he chose to come tomorrow . . . the truck wouldn’t start so we walked home - it’s been a long day. As you can see we have a new flag - (just call me Betsy Ross)!

I don't know, but it looks to me as if it was a good thing everyone left the ice when they did or they could have become lost in the fog. I wonder if Ray and Evelyn walked home on the ice or went on the road ?

* * *

I had a note from Ron "Butch" Bouchard with a new slant on picking your winning date for the ice to go out. Here it is: We give tickets out to co-workers and family every Christmas and always award a runner up prize to the one who guesses closest from our group, which number around 35.

This year will be the first time our grandson Cade will be involved. He will be one year old April 27. So you might think that his parents would put his birth date and time on the ticket. No chance. They cut and labeled small pieces of paper with the dates of the month. Then they spread them on the floor and he crawled to them and picked his date. They repeated the process for the times and well, his pick (April 10 - 3:35pm) is his pick. If it works, I'm going to do that myself from now on. Butch

Cade may have something there!

* * *

In case you wonder what other activities go on here at the pond besides the Ice-Out Contest, we caught sight of someone either walking or fishing on the ice in back of the islands yesterday. And over the weekend someone made this giant snowman near Craig's cottage. It could have been Bill Rossi - Diane was in Boston at the flower show; or maybe Tom and John? We may never find out, but whoever it was did a great job!

* * *

Dave Parker and Don Walker were on WSTJ this morning. They did a great job. If you'd like to hear that 30 min. interview, you'll find it on the web site home page. Click on the green bar and be sure you have your speakers on.

Good Morning!
Diane Rossi sent me a couple of photos - she was out early and got a shot of the sun coming up over the narrows. Our day has gone downhill from there, but the temprerature is rising even without sunshine.

If you remember, Alba Rossi got a computer not too long ago and she has become very conpetent with it. Alba still loves to visit Joe's Pond to spend time with her son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Diane Rossi, who have a lovely new home at the same spot that Alba and her late husband, Ted, enjoyed so many summers. Being in touch with her friends and the rest of the world via her computer keeps Alba right on top of things and helps make the
long winter pass more quickly. Here's Alba at her computer. Go Alba!

Thanks for the pictures, Diane!

Beautiful morning, March 25, 2007
We awoke to a world of white, soon
gone, but very pretty while it lasted.

Photos are of trees and wood in our
back yard, and West Shore Road, by the end of our driveway.

March Weather Persists and Befuddles

This morning we awoke to another beautiful, sunny, warm day. Last night everything froze, as we expected, but there wasn't as much melting going on today as I'd expected. By late afternoon, the sun was gone and we were getting snow showers - the "sugar snow" sort of huge fluffy flakes that float down on us like feathers. We could get 2-3 inches by morning . . . typical March weather! Here's a picture of the hillside above Rt. 15, taken this afternoon before the snow flurries.

Tomorrow is the day all the fishing shacks have to be off the pond. There were only three or four when I counted on Thursday. The ice seems to be solid right to the shore, but with lots of water coming into the pond, there's sure to be melting going on underneath.

Late breaking news - Diane Rossi is enjoying the flower show in Boston, St. Johnsbury's Kiwanis Auction is over for another year and there were lots of Ice-Out tickets sold there, and Marty's 1st Stop in Danville is now featuring a full line of pet food.

Another spring-like day!

We are getting some really nice weather and the snow is melting away rapidly where the afternoon sun hits. From our house, as we look across the pond to the fields along Rt. 15, there are many patches of bare ground, and Davidson Road is a black ribbon, often glinting with wetness (that's spelled M-U-D) in the afternoon sun. On the west side of the lake, we still have 18-20 inches of snow in most places. In the woods, it's deeper than that, and not much melting is taking place. There is water on the ice, but nowhere near breaking up yet. The channel is open in some places, and that means there will be open water in Loon Cove fairly soon. This nice weather is going to be in place for the next few days, with freezing nights, so maple sap should be running nicely. (The photo is West Shore Road, and it's pretty typical of all back roads right now. So far it's been better than some years, but it will probably be worse in another week or two.)

I've had an inquiry by John Curran, an Associated Press reporter out of Montpelier who recently did an article about the possible effects of global warming here in the Northeast Kingdom. John will be doing an article on our Ice-Out contest and would like to contact people from distant places who are entered in the contest. He's interested in how these people heard about it - that sort of thing. If any of you would like to be included, let me know and I'll have him contact you. I'll keep you posted about when the article comes out.

Time is running out for the Ice-Out Contest. If you still haven't filled in your ticket, or if you need tickets to buy or sell, there's still time if you do it right away. I can still get tickets to most of you so you can turn your guesses in before the deadline of April 1, so let me know if you need tickets. We've sent out dozens this past week, and next week will be even busier, I'm sure. If you are within listening distance of radio station WSTJ in St. Johnsbury, don't forget to listen in on Tuesday morning between 8:30 and 9 when chairman Dave Parker and Don Walker will be on the air being interviewed by Linda Mullallay. And for those who are out of range of WSTJ, I'll let you know how "The Dave and Don Show" goes!

Beautiful day today - finally a little spring in the air again. We worked on the wood pile, but took a break late this afternoon and took some pictures of the White Mountains from the top of Dole Hill in Danville. Some of you will know it as "Diamond Hill," and I'm sure lots of you have stopped at the parking area and admired the view. I know I said I was tired of snow pictures, but I couldn't resist . . . I never tire of this view.

Snowmobilers OK after Icy Dip in Joe's Pond -
The whole story is in today's paper. Here's a link:
Caledonian Record

SPRING IS HERE!
I'm tired of posting snow pictures every day. I'm using a photo like this for my desktop background to cheer me up when outside the real world is still swirling white and cold.

This may be the last gasp of winter - we can only hope, but we awoke to clear, bright sky this morning and a temperature just under 30 degrees, but now, at 9:30, we are experiencing snow "flurries" swirling in the wind, and the thermometer has dropped about four degrees in the past hour. We are expecting record-breaking temperatures tonight of perhaps minus 10 degrees. (-10!!), more snow and wind. But the good news is that we'll be in the 50's by the end of the week . . .
Gotta see it to believe it!

Weather and Ice Report

As I sit here at my computer, snow is just beginning to fall outside. I took this picture of the snow coming down the ravine from Walden - just like you see rain storms approaching in the summer. We're going to get a few inches, but there will be lots of wind and temperatures below zero. Not nice, Mother Nature! By the end of the week, though, we can expect another warm-up into the 50's!!! More flooding, probably. So far the water level at the pond has been ok.

So, if you are wondering about the ice on Joe's Pond, it's anybody's guess, but I'm thinking we may be making ice instead of melting it for the next few days. This morning at the store, Garey told me the last he heard the ice depth is 32 inches. Not much change from around the first of March when I reported 36 inches.

That measurement is what ice fishermen have reported, and they have the good sense to stay away from the narrows between the three ponds. Some snowmobiler didn't last night, and he got a dunking. We haven't heard who it was, but Garey said he was ok; there was a lot of excitement in W. Danville though, with various rescue teams coming to the scene. Garey said it was on WCAX this morning, so I expect it will be in the 6 o'clock news tonight. Nothing about it in today's papers, though. I'll report to you as soon as I know more.

Keep sending in those Ice-Out tickets - remember the deadline to have them in is April 1, and that's just around the corner. A man sent an e-mail today asking if the pond was free of ice - he said he lives on the Mississippi (didn't say where) and that it was breaking up, so that made him wonder about Joe's Pond. I've also communicated with someone in Kenya who heard about the contest from a friend in Texas who heard from someone in Vermont. There have been lots of second requests for tickets coming in from folks whose guessed dates have either gone by or they want to put in more now they know that global warming doesn't seem to be working here. Jenny Larrabee told me the other day about a guy who had just turned in a ticket and, after talking with some locals, apparently decided he'd better change to a later date so asked Jenny for his ticket back. Jenny told him he'd need to buy another, and good natured guy that he was, he did just that.

As you know, the block isn't out yet, but Homer is back from Florida to watch the clock when they get things set up. Ray Richer said he isn't in any hurry to put the block out onto the ice; he will wait until things warm up a good deal more. A few ice shantys were taken off over the weekend, but there are still half a dozen or so out there, probably well frozen into the ice. They have until the last Sunday in March, or until the ice becomes unsafe - whichever comes first.

It's snowing harder now. Another wintery night, and more snow to blow out of the driveway tomorrow. Diane Rossi and Fred Brown compare notes and both are totally sick of getting out there every morning with the snow blower. Each of them does not only their own, but a couple of neighbor's driveways, too. Good neighbors to have!

We have snow, and MORE snow, and even MORE SNOW! Everyone is beginning to be a little tired of all this white stuff - except for the skiers and snowmobilers. With things shifting continuously from bitter cold with snow and wind, to rain, melting snow, mud and flood, we really don't know what to expect next. A couple of days ago I saw my daffies at the end of the house up about three inches. Now there's a foot of snow, or more, covering them. Good thing, too, as we have more near-zero temperatures coming right up.

Sugarmakers are complaining - but perhaps the year won't be a complete bust. Just maybe that brief preview of spring last week isn't indicating winter's over. If they can hold their horses, just maybe we'll still have some sugaring, at least here in the hill country.

What I really wanted to tell you, especially those of you who have property or other interests in the Town of Cabot, Bill Walters is publishing an on-line newsletter that he sends off with all the latest town news. The last one I received has the minutes of our 7 1/2 hr. long town meeting. He has included the minutes of the regular town meeting, the school meeting, and the Select Board's meeting the following day. If you wish to receive the newsletters, contact Bill at admin@cabotvt.us.

ANOTHER WINTERY BLAST ABOUT TO HIT JOE'S POND.

That's what the forecasters are telling us today. The temperatures dropped last night into the low teens. The good news is that the muddy roads are all solid again - I didn't say they are smooth, just solid - no mud holes! There was a bit of flooding this week in some communities in the valleys near brooks and rivers, but we've been ok here at the pond.

The not-so-good news is that we're due about a foot of wet snow, beginning late this afternoon or tonight. Unless it warms up quite a lot, we may not have such wet stuff, and that might prevent power outages from snow-laden limbs downing electric lines, but a foot of anything right now is going to add to the misery of just about everyone except the skiers. At least the road ruts will be temporarily filled!

Oh, yes, the photos. That gigantic log pile Fred has been working at is now mostly all blocked ready for splitting. Today he began splitting - and the way I see it, the pile only seems to get bigger! He's satisfied that progress has been made, though, and he's looking forward to having lots of good hard wood on hand to heat our house with next winter. Is it all worth the work? You'll have to ask him after the job is done.

We had a nice front-page article in the Caledonian Record today about the Ice-Out Contest. There should be articles in the other newspapers any day, too. Diane says ticket sales are really picking up and we expect the next couple of weeks to be kind of hectic. Remember that the deadline to have your ticket(s) in is April 1.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day, and watch out for those little green leprechauns!!

P.S. - I nearly forgot to mention that Evelyn Richer has found out the "lost" cat in their garage belongs to Jeff Downs, the new owner of the log cabin at the head of Sandy Beach Road (where the Bodach-Turners lived). I guess having moved to the north country may have befuddled the poor cat; but hopefully she will be reunited with her owner now.

We went grocery shopping today - it was raining when we left around 9 a.m., and drizzled most of the morning. There's a bit of mud on W. Shore Road these days. Seems as if mud season is a bit early, but everything is a little "off" here weatherwise lately. On our way out, we saw how Alonzo's cottage on Barre Avenue is progressing, and Fred took a picture that shows three walls were up this morning. Then, as we drove along Rt. 2, we could see through the trees that there is a really tall structure that seems to be the cottage Kari Lizer owns. I'm not certain of that, but on our way home we took a picture from Rt. 2. - what an interesting project! The sunsets should be spectacular from the tower. We'll keep you posted on the progress of both cottages.

On our way home, we got a little snow. Now it's cooler, but seems to have cleared a bit, but more snow predicted for Friday. And colder.

&&&&&

I had a note today (Thursday, 3/15) from Homer Fitts. Here it is - (Glad you're back safely, Homer - all tan and fit, no pun intended . . . :)

I came home and arrived here today. My sister came home last week and does not expect to be around too long. No more chemo etc.

Stopped in Northfield to see her. She was sleeping. Could have stayed in Bradenton until the end of April but decided to be here instead. I drove home by myself. Called Bryce but no answer on the phone so I did not stop there. Now to clean up this place etc.

Homer

*****

Jeff and Kelli Merrell (Kelli is Henretta Splain's daughter and an "Aquatic Ecologist" with the State of Vermont) recently took a trip into the hinterlands of Maine via dog sleds. As I understand it, they went with a group of people and were able to ride on the sled sometimes, but mostly had to snowshoe to their destination. They stayed overnight in tents and endured some really, really cold temperatures. The top photo is their dog teams, that's Kelli on the sled in the early morning haze of frost, the tent, and Jeff.

This from Jason Randall on W. Shore Road -

Didn't know if ya'll were in tune with the temperatures today, thought I'd share..... Just got home from class [Lyndon State] this afternoon, 2pm, took a look at the thermometer and couldn't believe it is March! WOW 64F!!!! Was thinking about cutting a hole to take a dip but I'll wait a few more weeks till there is open water here on the north end, then I'll go in for my annual pre-iceout swim......... -Jason

Stray Cat on Sandy Beach Road This came from Evelyn Richer this morning:

We have noticed a yellow tabby cat (medium sized)hanging out in our garage lately... we can't seem to get a good look at it because it seems to hide away pretty well. We hesitate to feed it but it's been here since last Friday and soon it will need food, unless it catches some of the red squirrels, we hope!!...  I'm sure someone is missing her (or him?)  They can call us... 563-3083.

*****

The skiing is getting better all the time, and finally, after a dismal try around Christmas, Diane and Don Sherwood are here and taking advantage of the fine contitions. Diane Rossi took this picture yesterday while skiing with them at Burke Mountain. Thanks, Diane for a great picture!

*****

The following programs are being offered at the Cabot Public Library, Main Street in Cabot Village. The library is in the Willey Building opposite Harry's Hardware Store. We hope you'll take the family and join the fun. Both programs are free.

Noontime Visitors

I was just finishing my tea this noon, sitting in my chair by the big livingroom windows, when I noticed some movement just beyond the pile of logs at the end of our driveway. Beautiful big turkeys, five in all, came up the steep bank to our driveway and then walked along the snobbanks to investigate our apple trees. They had come from across the road near Randall's. Fred was able to get several nice shots of them as they meandered along, so close to the house we thought they'd surely spot us even though we moved carefully so we wouldn't frighten them. I'm sure they were finally aware of us, and although at one point one seemed ready to fly up to one of the lower branches of one of the apple trees, I guess he decided there wasn't enough to eat there to make the effort worthwhile. The last we saw of them, all were headed towards the lower woods in back of our house.

We were happy to see these fellows looking so big and healthy. I'm sure they will nest nearby and raise their young here this summer. A few years ago, while walking in our woodlot below the house, we came upon a nest. We didn't want to disturb it, but I quickly counted 16 eggs before I backed away. Later in the summer there were lots of young turkeys around, so I'm sure a good number of those eggs hatched.

It's probably been a long winter for these guys, too, and they are as happy to feel spring in the air as we are. Click to enlarge the photos.

Danger on Joe's Pond

I missed this story when it was published in The Caledonian Record, but ran onto it accidentally this morning on the internet. Here's the link:
Caledonian Record

We're known nation-wide!

Tucky Sancibrion sent this message:

Jane, Check out this if you have not already seen it - I received the note from Michigan about the Vermont article that starts out with Jane Larabee & Danville!! http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/03/04/changing.winter.ap/index.html Tucky


This is a picture taken today of Phil Rogers' truck across from his home on West Shore Road. The snow has packed down a bit from what it was, and in the next few days we are expecting some warmer temperatures to perhaps even melt it a little. It would be good to have a respite before the next March storm hits (not yet predicted, but I'll bet there will be at least one more.)

We took more pictures and I'll post some tomorrow.

Second request for corrections to the cookbook…

The cookbook committee is preparing to place an order for new cookbooks for the spring. There will be some corrections made to the cookbook and they will be as follows:

Corrections to Joe’s Pond Cookbook #72289A-06

Page 29: Corn Chowder

Please add to ingredients list: One 26 oz. can of chicken broth

Please change directions to read:

Add potatoes and celery to the chicken broth and simmer. In another pan, cook the bacon and save 1 T of fat to sauté onions~ then add onions to the broth with Worchester sauce- add the corn; simmer- when heated add cream/milk –simmer for 45 minutes- do not let boil--hold bacon and the parsley for just before serving.

Happy cooking ~ Marty Talbot, Joe’s Pond

Page 216: Fresh Blueberry Pudding

Please add to the ingredients list: ½ teaspoon baking soda

Page 285: Frosted Brownies:

Please add to the ingredients list: 4 eggs

Please note~~~ a correction was made to the second printing on page 232 “No Bake Banana Pudding” use 1 box of Nilla Wafers (instead of several) Please correct your copy if you have a copy of the first printing.

If anyone has any other corrections that need to be made to the existing recipes in the cookbook would they please contact me at rloonnest@fairpoint.net this correction order will be submitted to the publisher on March 30^th… Please review your recipes and help to update this new edition.

In the meanwhile, if you have an older version you might like to make these changes to your copy.

Think Spring!!!

Blessings, Evelyn and Ray Richer

The Gallery at Loon Cove ~ on the shore of Joe's Pond in Vermont

www.photosbyrayricher.com or www.thegalleryatlooncove.com

Where the water comes 'clear' to the shore...

The Weather Still Dominates

In spite of today turning into a beautifully sunny one, the temperature is still hovering right around zero and dropping. The wind, as predicted, has finally gone down a bit, but there are still gusts to whip the snow into drifts. I'm not sure if we can endure many more days of sub-zero temps and howling winds - even the "old timers" are beginning to feel the pangs of impatience and want to hustle spring into our frost-bitten, snow-bound, blowing-a-gale existance.

How bad is it? This morning Jane Larrabee reported the wind was blowing so hard there were whitecaps in her toilet.

There were white-outs from here to the foot of Dole Hill by the turn to Goodfella's Restaurant. From there into St. J., there were patches of snow blown across the road, but visibility was good. Coming back from St. J. I had to wait in West Danville for a lull in the wind before I dared set out through the blowing snow to inch my way across the bridge. The snow was sifting off the banks piled up by the plows where the snowmobiles cross Rt. 2. I couldn't have seen a snowmobile and they couldn't have seen me. It wasn't much better as I drove along the pond towards Point Comfort.

We all know this is somewhat normal for March, but what isn't appreciated is that this "cold snap" with a breeze has been happening to us for weeks now, and we're ready for something gentler in the way of weather.

Everyone talks about the weather, so I'm going to shift gears and tell you about other things. First, here's a real bright spot to gladden your hearts. We've linked to Ray and Evelyn Richer's new web site and I know you'll all want to visit. You'll find it in "Community Links" on our web site. Here's the scoop from Evelyn:

Dear friends and clients (and family),

“Here by popular demand”… (Our customers have requested that we “get with it!”…)

Please excuse this “form” letter as a way to introduce you to our new website… but we are so excited that we wanted to get the word to you as soon as we could! We have been working on it now for what seems to be forever (if you include the time spend dreaming about it!) Our web designer is top notch… (Actually it’s Chuck at Notchnet out of Littleton, NH) and we are very happy with their work and their kindness in putting up with our “visions”… We hope the site is informative, fun, and something you will enjoy “exploring”… Check out the Eaglecam and the Looncam… (during season) and the interactive Loon Migration map… Oh, no they are not our loons, which will be the next project I would suppose…

We will be shipping prints out within 48 hours of the orders unless otherwise notified so we will keep things moving…

Please give it a peek and drop your comments off to us to let us know what you think…

www.thegalleryatlooncove.com or www.photosbyrayricher.com

Please keep checking back often as we are only just starting to put inventory on the pages. (There is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much to post on the site for prints…!!) We hope to see everyone at the Gallery this summer here at the pond… Think Spring!!! The loons will be back in a few weeks!!! Wishful thinking!

If you have a website and could add us to your links, let us know and we will do the same…

Blessings, Evelyn and Ray Richer,The Gallery at Loon Cove ~ on the shore of Joe's Pond in Vermont , Where the water comes 'clear' to the shore...

*****

I want to remind everyone that Daylight Savings Time happens this weekend. Sunday at 2 a.m., in fact, so set your clocks ahead one hour when you go to bed Saturday night. This is three weeks earlier than usual, and we won't turn the clocks back to Standard Time until the first Sunday in November. Perhaps this will fool Mother Nature into giving us a little spring-like weather . . .

*****

Evelyn and I are thinking about the Joe's Pond Association newsletter, spring edition. Even though there isn't a hint of melting going on yet, we have to get started well before the ice goes out in order to have it ready when there is an Ice-Out Contest winner to announce. If you have something you'd like included in the upcoming newsletter - something of interest, an ad for your business, a suggestion, even a complaint - get in touch with me. I like to include information of interest to the folks who have homes on the pond or who enjoy visiting. Our newsletters are sent out to members and also are published on the web site, so if you've missed back issues, the most recent ones are there, too.

Another cold day. We have sunshine, but Diane Rossi reported they had a reading of -26 this morning. I think the lowest we had was -16, but perhaps we weren't up as early as Diane. Also, we are a bit higher and I think the cold often settles in the lower spots. When it gets below zero, it really doesn't matter if there's a spread of a few degrees - any place you are is cold enough. We don't have the wind we've had for the past few days, and that's a big relief. Don and Diane Sherwood have arrived to go skiing - they were here in December, but of course there was no snow then. There shouldn't be any problem finding snow, but I'm betting it's going to be pretty cold on the slopes, at least for a few more days. There is a lot of warmth in the sun now, though.

Diane and I went to Cabot's Town Meeting yesterday. That was a big disappointment. Actually, Diane had a better word for it - "agony." It was a study in frustrations as Jessica Miller, our self-appointed town "watch dog," nit-picked and provoked for two hours. At noon, after managing to cover only three of the 36 articles in the Warning, Moderator Ed Smith adjourned the meeting until 1 o'clock. Diane had an appointment and I had a headache, so we came home. I was later told the meeting lasted until nearly 5 o'clock. I don't know if anything was accomplished, but I have to agree with Diane, it was a testiment for adopting the Australian ballot system.

We were both surprised that there was a very big turnout at the meeting in spite of the bitter cold. The wind was howling by the Plains Cemetery, as usual. On our way home it was hard to tell where the road was. Down in Cabot Village the wind wasn't nearly as harsh, but it was COLD. On our way home, there was a herd of cows in the road at the Burtt farm. I offered to get out and drive them up the road into the barnyard until I noticed there were a couple of good sized bulls in the group. One seemed ready to challenge Diane's SUV, and no way was I going to get out of the car at that point. She honked the horn and they all finally got out of the road. I think we interrupted their proposed migration south to get out of the cold. They've been outside all winter, but they do have shelter; only thing is, it's on the opposite side of the road from where they usually roam and are fed. There is no barrier and they cross the road at will. One seemed to have sense enough to wait for us to pass before crossing the road, so they are perhaps somewhat used to traffic.

Last night produced not only deep cold, but a beautiful moon. We watched from our big southeast facing window as it rose over the lower end of the big pond. While we aren't quite finished with winter here at Joe's Pond, setting our clocks ahead this weekend may make it seem a bit more springlike. One can only hope. We're due for some warmer weather by the end of the week, and with any luck, it may continue to be more "normal" weather for March than we've seen so far. Not much maple sugaring going on yet, but I'm sure most of the local producers are tapped and ready. Of course, a few were making syrup in December . . .
That's it from here for now. Have a nice day, wherever you are.

Another day, another six inches of snow to report. It's been in the very low 30's, with a little sunshine, a few snow showers, some wind, and there's just a tinge of spring in the air. We aren't without our difficulties, though - our neighbor, Henretta Splain, didn't quite make it up our driveway this morning, then lost focus while backing down and ended up in the snowbank. Having been in exactly the same spot a few weeks ago, I could sympathize, but I couldn't resist taking the pictures . . . that's Fred and Jamie coming to her rescue.

The Morgan's place is picture-postcard pretty on a day like today. They were plowed out a couple of days ago, but we've had quite a bit of snow since then.

Along West Shore Road, there's plenty of snow, and we're all moving it out of the way as best we can. That's Diane Rossi with her snowblower, and you can see what a nice job she did. Jamie pushed the snow out of Bills parking area at camp, so we're all ready for the next round of "snow flurries" promised Monday and Tuesday.

The snow doesn't bother the ice fishermen. These four were out there all day in front of Homer's camp. Here it is, late afternoon, and as I look out into our back yard, snowflakes are beginning to drift lazily down - big ones, like "sugar snow", and the wind is swirling them about so most of the big spruces on our hillside have disappeared into the gray-white of the winter sky. It's time to put the kettle on and throw a log on the fire. It's going to be another snowy night and there'll be more snow to move tomorrow.