It was some kind of cold here this morning. We awoke to -9 degrees, but it was colder is some spots, warmer in others. In West Danville, Garey Larrabee said it was -3 earlier in the morning, but with the wind whipping through town, it must have felt like about 50 below - it felt close to that when we were there around 9:30. In this picture, it doesn't look that cold, but believe me, nobody was staying outside if they didn't have to be this morning. There weren't even any ice fishermen out when we went down by.

We were happy to find our road has been plowed nice and wide. I guess the truck and plow got fixed. Or maybe it was Sam Lewis questioning Larry Gochey. Whatever the reason, we are very happy to have passing room again when we meet another vehicle.

We were glad to find Jane Larrabee working at the store today, looking very healthy. She said she's feeling almost back to normal and is very grateful. We also found Bill Rossi at the post office. That's Bill receiving mail from Garey, and I'm reaching for a note someone left with Garey asking a question about Cabot history. I'll call the man tomorrow and find out exactly what he's looking for, and hope I can help him find some answers.

In St. Johnsbury, we stopped at son Bob's office at Wells Fargo to give him Ice-Out tickets for the St. Johnsbury Kiwanis Auction that will be coming up around the 23rd of March. I think this will be their 60th year. St. Johnsbury seemed a lot warmer than West Danville, and there was no wind! Fred took this picture looking down Eastern Avenue. Nothing had begun to melt at that hour, but later in the day I expect it warmed up enough to start some melting. Not so at Joe's Pond, I'm afraid. It's been cold here all day, and is going to be another bitterly cold night. It's showing four below now.

We went to the St. J. Food Coop on Portland Street, to get falafel. They carry it in bulk and it's really good. The Coop is a small store, but very friendly and always smells of exotic spices and essential oils as you pass from one section to another. It has a 1970's feel about it.

St. Johnsbury's other natural food store, Natural Provisions has a much more modern feel, big and roomy, with rooms for displays of cooking utensils, natural foods, gifts, etc. It is located at the corner of Maple and Railroad streets. We like to visit there, too, and we always find something unique plus they have the largest array of vitamins imaginable.

It's nice to know that spring has sprung in some places. Last week I had a note from Tucky Sancibrion telling me her daffodils were up and surviving some unusual cold in S. Carolina. Today Andy Rudin sent pictures of spring flowers at his house in Philadelphia.








We'll have to wait a few weeks for anything green to show up here, I'm afraid, but it sounds as if by this weekend we may get the snow pack lessened a bit. If the forecast for rain hold true for our area, there could be flooding in the valleys. It probably won't last long, and who knows, perhaps here at Joe's Pond we'll get snow instead of rain . . .

Just in case you are looking for Ice-Out tickets and you don't get to West Danville often, there are tickets at Natural Provisions, Thurston Auto, Center Towers, St. Jay Hardware and Caplan's - all in St. Johnsbury. In Danville, go to Marty's 1st Stop or Diamond Hill Store; in Cabot, Harry's Hardware; in Marshfield, the Marshfield General Store; in Plainfield, Tim's Convenience Center. We also have outlets in Barre at Dente's Market, Barre Optical, Barre Subway and Hope Cemetery office. In Montpelier, call Don Walker, 223-2484. Don is known around Montpelier as Mr. Iceologist.

I received a big packet of tickets from Homer Fitts who is vacationing in Florida. Homer doesn't take time off when he's down there. Anyone would think he'd just be sopping up the sun, but he's actually working the crowds, selling Ice-Out tickets. Does it every year, and sells hundreds of tickets for us. I think he and Don Walker have a private competition going on, so Diane and I just step back and give them all the tickets they want.

Diane and I are going to be at the Maple Festival in Cabot on March 19th, selling Ice Out tickets. We won't be hard to find - we're planning to work the crowd, just like Homer and Don do. They are pros from way back, and we admit we're relatively new at this, but we'll do our best. It's all part of being co-chairs of the contest. We'll have some pictures and history of the contest on display, so plan to find us there and say hello.

By the way, those of you interested in Joe's Pond history may want to look at the latest issue of North Star Monthly.