Not much new to talk about today - more springlike weather, but not as warm as you might expect.  I think the high was in the vicinity of 42 degrees, and mostly at our house stayed in mid 30's.  We had a little rain - I reported .21 in. this morning - but by noon the sun was breaking through.  The next few days are going to be mostly rain/snow showers with fairly cold night temperatures, but nothing in the way of really good sugaring weather.  I guess the maple season is about over.  Some producers have had good runs, though, and seem to be happy enough.

I can't tell you much about the ice condition except that there's water on top of it and open water in the channel leading into the pond.  There's some melting going on, but it doesn't seem to be in a hurry to give up.  There have been muddy roads, but Cabot was out again yesterday with the big grader, honing W. Shore Road and we saw trucks of crushed rock going by all day yesterday, headed beyond our place towards Cabot Plain and perhaps Bricketts Crossing Road.  I don't remember the road crew being out with the grader this early before.  They usually show up with the rake that does very little to help the deep ruts and of course doesn't grade the road so it gets a chance to dry out.  We'd always hear that it doesn't do any good to try to use the grader until the frost is all out.  Well, something has changed, and we haven't had the deep, nearly impassable roads we've had in past years - at least, not so far.  Neighbors have noticed and everyone appreciates, you can bet.

Bill Rossi called to let me know today he had a call from a Barre Times reporter about the Ice-Out contest.  We expect there will be something in tomorrow's paper.  Bill and Diane will be getting some of those calls now the pallet and the clock are set up at their house.  We'll watch for the piece and post it here if we find it.

The following is from information that was on Cabot Front Porch Forum a couple days ago.  Jackie Scribner and her daughter, Aedan Scribner who lives in Cabot, have opened a cafe and bakery in Plainfield in the corner block where the hardware store used to be.  They have fresh-baked muffins, cookies and other "goodies" daily, savory items and gluten free options.  I believe it's called Hestia Espresso Bar.  She didn't say what their hours are, but if you're going through Plainfield, you might want to stop and see what they are all about.


We've added some business cards to our website under "Other" on the main menu and then click  Local Services.  Fred has been updating and revising the website, so some of the pages may look slightly different, and during the process, we picked up some new notices.  Keep that page in mind if you're looking for someone local to do some work for you.  There's a bit of just about everything on there, and if you don't find what you're looking for, let us know and we'll try to find someone who will fit your needs.