We have a bright new world here this morning. Beautiful sunshine, and three inches of new snow! It's back to winter, big time. Woody, our cat, looked out and wisely decided it was another day better used for looking outside than being outside, and stayed curled up on his bench where he can see the birds and watch the traffic, but stays nice and warm.

Early this morning we had a brisk wind that was whipping the snow off the roof making it look like the first of March instead of the end. Temps last night were in the low 20's, so it was really no surprise, but not really very welcome since lots of us had put away the snow shovels and boots like we really believed we'd seen the last of much of the white stuff.

Fred checked the pallet and clock at 7 a.m., but he walked in from Route 2 - our car is not all-wheel drive, and this snow is really slippery, especially risky when it's on top of soft muddy roads. I made a slide show of the way things looked this morning at the Ice-Out site - and then Fred went down Route 2 and took more pictures of the pond and the road. Except for the open water in the two smaller ponds, it looks like the middle of winter again.

Needless to say, this cold snap has slowed things down considerably and now we're thinking the ice will hold until after April 1st - just like Homer, Don Walker, Billy Rossi, and a few others have predicted. However, some of us weren't so sure, and that's what makes this game so much fun. There are so many components to look at - the temperature, runoff, wind, rain and snow all have an impact on what will happen, and everyone knows the weather here at Joe's Pond is nothing if not unpredictable.

Diane and I are breathing a little easier, though, feeling pretty sure we won't have to call an end to the contest before April 1st. So you have a couple more days to get your tickets in or in the mail. After April 1st, no more will be sold, and if mailed after March 31st, tickets will not be accepted.