We awoke to a very blustery day this morning. I measured only 2.7 in. of new snow, but it has been snowing lightly but steadily and there seems to be about another inch. Fred is out snow blowing now, although he hadn't intended to go out until later, when a little more had built up. Our oil company called to tell us the oil truck that was supposed to come on Thursday was "spinning in our driveway." By the time we got the call and looked out, the truck had gone, but Fred decided to clear the driveway anyway, just in case the guy came back. He did wheel tracks on ours and then went to do the neighbors' - Jamie and Marie's and Henretta's.

I had a nice e-mail from Matt Randall, the son of Liz and John who have the place across the road from us. Matt is doing degree work at UVM, and although we don't see him much, he keeps in touch. He said his great aunt and uncle who live in Tennessee sent this poem to him:

WINTER POEM
It's winter in New England

And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At five below.
Oh, how I love New England
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave New England
Cuz I'm frozen to the ground!

We got a chuckle out of it. You have to have a sense of humor about the weather if you're living in Vermont - especially sometimes here at Joe's Pond.

However, as the feller said, "Things are bad all over."

Friends from Cabot who spend the winter in Colorado got to thinking a few weeks back that maybe they'd like to be some place a little less snowy now that he's getting older and isn't as interested in skiing. About a week ago they took a trip to New Mexico to see if they might like it there, and got caught in nasty weather, had to spend extra time there and finally made it back to Colorado over treacherous roads. I think they'll be happy to be back in Cabot this spring, and may consider some other options for next winter.

I had a note from Pam Hebert saying they've had temperatures in the teens in Tucson, with power outages, schools closed, frozen water pipes . . . but she did say they were fortunate, so apparently all of that didn't impact them that much. Being from New England, they perhaps took it all in stride better than some.

In case some of you would like to e-mail get-well wishes to Jane Larrabee, her address is: larrabee.vt@gmail.com We understand that she is monitoring e-mail and will be happy to receive messages.

The road crews are busy, reporting blowing snow and some white-outs. The wind is gusty here, and it's still snowing lightly. The temperature has dropped to 22 degrees from around 30 earlier this morning. I think the forecast is for very cold temps tonight. And to think we still have March to get through . . . !

Here's something that will warm you and cheer you all at the same time. Click on the image to see what it's all about. Take your favorite Valentine and have a great evening.