NOTICE:  Jaquith Library sponsored Contra Dance in Marshfield VT has been canceled due to storm:

The Friday, February 8, 7 p.m. Contra Dance at the Fritz's  Barn in Marshfield with has been canceled. We will reschedule so watch for our announcement.  

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Indeed, we're expecting a foot or so of snow tonight and into tomorrow.  At 9 a.m.,  I measured three inches that had fallen in the past 24 hours.  There isn't a lot falling, but it's been very steady all morning. And it's still pretty cold.  The highest I've seen on the thermometer at the back of our house is 15 degrees, so the snow is very light and when the winds pick up later on, there will be lots of snow in the air to cause white-outs.  We are being warned of blizzard conditions as the storm picks up momentum. 

Yesterday there was a newsletter from Burr Morse in my e-mail.  I didn't get to read it until this morning, and was surprised when he mentioned that they are already about 1/3 tapped in their sugar woods.  Seems early, but like Burr says, they'll be ready for the next warm spell.  I expect the Morse Farm's orchard is at least a week or maybe two ahead of most of the orchards in Cabot and Walden area, so they may have a run well before anyone around here does.  Used to be most folks around here planned to be tapped by town meeting day.  Like everything else, global warming has probably had an effect on the sugaring season.  Here's an article written on the subject last year:  Vermont Maple Season.

It doesn't look or feel much like sugarin' weather today, for sure.  But we are well into February, and as someone pointed out to me the other day, we're "on the other side of winter."  Maybe.  However, I had to counter his statement with a reminder that March can still deliver some significant winter-like weather on occasion.  We'll have to wait to see.