Sad news this morning. Tom Dente let me know that Madeleine LaPrade, mother of JPA past-president, Andre LaPrade, passed away on yesterday, Feb. 18, in Florida. You will find more information at Times Argus. We extend our deepest sympathy to Andre and his family.

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As predicted, we got a few inches of snow overnight. Fred said there may have been about six inches, but because it is fairly warm, it compacted and there is about four. We are in the 30 degree range today, and there is a fine snow falling, but we don't believe it will amount to much. Apparently the weather is going to remain about the same for the next several days.

We went to St. Johnsbury yesterday. Fred needed some cable for the TV and we did other errands. He took a picture as we went into Danville Village, and then one in St. Johnsbury. The snow was dirty in both places - a welcome sign of spring even though it isn't very pretty! You can see there isn't as much snow in St. J. as up here, though. I took more pictures this morning - it is very pretty with all the trees white, but then I turned around and saw the expression on "Woody's" furry face as he lounged in my (really it's HIS) chair, and decided that said it all: "I'm tired of winter and I'm going to pout until spring!" I guess we're all feeling a bit of that right now.

I have to tell you, though, the Ice-Out Contest tickets are beginning to be in demand. I'm sending over 300 to PBM Nutritionals, a business in Georga, Vermont. That's a real boost to the contest, and in addition, some of our members are selling a lot, too - Francis Berwick, Richard Gagne, Anne Sanguinetti, Suzanne Swanson, Ernie Thurston - and that's just a few. I'm really proud of everyone for pitching in so well this year. I have seen lots coming back from all over the U.S., so I know word is getting out there. Don Walker is beginning to "talk it up" in his area of Montpelier, and that will generate some added activity, too. It makes it even more fun when folks not directly connected to Joe's Pond contact me through the web site for tickets or go on-line and print them. I've been getting quite a lot of what we call "paper tickets" that folks have printed, filled out and sent to us. I don't have a total count, but I'll ask Karl Couillard, who has taken over the job of logging in tickets from Chico Carcoba.

The two photos on the right were taken this morning from my living room window. It doesn't look like spring out there, but it's beginning to feel a lot more like it than a week ago. The earth will begin warming up and there will be some melting going on from underneath the snow, in spite of whatever frigid temperatures happen from here on until the ice is gone.

I received my first newsletter from Bob Labrie who heads up an ice-out contest in Goshen, MA. He already has his flag out on the ice. That's ok, but if we put our rig out on the ice now, it would probably either be buried in snow at some point or the flag would be shredded by the wind before the pond even begins to melt. With ice fishermen coming and going with their snow machines, it's better to wait and put out the block and flag closer to the closing date of April 1.

Melting will soon be happening here in the north country, for sure.