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.