Here we are in the middle of an old fashioned January Thaw! After all that really cold weather and all the snow, we knew things would have to turn around and warm up. It has been in the 40's today - hard to keep the fire going without overheating the house. I had to open windows, but it's good to get the fresh air inside. Feels like spring outside.

Woody, our cat, is pretty sure it's spring. He has been in and out most of the day. We're happy he doesn't bring critters inside for us this time of the year. You see, to catch a squirrel or a mole he'd need to get into the snow, and he isn't foolish. So he goes outside and sits in the driveway, watching the trickles of water running between bare patches on the hardtop (he's very interested in running water) or he'll stare intently at some imagined movement off in the distance. Sometimes he'll sit on the deck, tail lashing, whiskers twitching, where he can see the squirrels running back and forth to the crabapple tree and lilac. That makes him very nervous so he doesn't stick to it long. He comes and raps at the back door for either Fred me to let him in. Sometimes he stays only a few minutes before he's ready to go outside again, so we spend quite a bit of time opening doors for him. I should explain that we taught him to rap at the door when he first came to live with us. I tied a sap spout to a piece of string and hung it on the door knob. He bats the spout and it knocks on the door. If nobody responds right away, he keeps batting the spout or tugs at the string if he's balancing on the railing - either way, it makes quite a racket. We're happy that this time of the year he doesn't bring little creatures in for us to see, though.

I had an e-mail from Jennifer Cowles, a summertime Joe's Ponder. Here's what she wrote:

Jane,
How wonderful it was to see those pictures of Joe’s Pond. We have no snow here in Denver and this past weekend it was 60 degrees! The coldest has been 5 degrees, and coming from Vermont I have the right clothes to stay warm and still take the dog for a walk.

I have attached a couple of photos for you, as you can see I live on a small pond out here as well! Stay warm and keep the news coming!
Jenn Cowles

It's nice to hear from you, Jenn. And thanks for the pictures. Is that you behind the scarf and sunglasses?? I really thought there would be a lot more snow out there after the big storms we had reports about, but I understand the ski resorts are looking for more snow. Sure is pretty country, though. Those mountains sure are a lot bigger than our Green Mountains, but they don't seem nearly as friendly as Camel's Hump or Mt. Mansfield. I'm sure you find Colorado an interesting place in which to live, but we look forward to seeing you back at Joe's Pond this summer, Jenn. We hope everything is going well in your new home.