Have you been following the news out of Atlanta, Georgia?  What a traffic snarl they had there after getting a couple inches of snow.  Sounds like nobody took the storm warnings seriously.  I guess we all need to be aware that just because a storm hasn't been "that bad" in recent memory doesn't mean it isn't going to be now.  Lesson learned, I think.

We've had emails today from Fred's brother, Tom, out in Colorado where they're getting a foot or more of snow dumped on them in the Beaver Creek/Denver area.  The ski resorts are happy.  Ellie sent a picture from their ground level condo.  She says it's beautiful, and since both she and Tom are native Vermonters, they're taking it in stride.  I think Colorado has been unusually dry recently, so having this snow in the mountains will be a big help, come spring.  Too bad it isn't positioned to help the drought in the states west of them. 

If you haven't been checking the web cams lately, now is a good time to do it.  Today there was lots of fishing activity, and some about in front of the Rossi home where the cameras are located.  Remember you need to access the Joe's Pond website using Internet Explorer as your browser.  You'll see cars, snowmobiles, fishermen, shanties, and maybe an occasional walker or x-country skier.  And the weather is going to continue to be spring-like, so it should be a great weekend at the pond.

Rep. Kitty Toll on Shoreland Bill

I received this today from Rep. Kitty Toll regarding the Shoreland Bill, H.526.

Shore land Protection Update:

 
For information on the web click on the link below [at the bottom of the page] to connect to the Senate Natural Resources Committee website. In the search bar write the word shoreland. You will find the side by side of the Senate and House version of the bill and a bill summary.

I have spoken with Senator Rodgers from Glover who had previously opposed the bill but supported the bill last Friday when it was voted out of his committee. He worked very hard to change some of the provisions in the bill. The bill is now in Senate Finance. Sen. Rodgers is not a member if Senate Finance but is working on an additional change in language before the bill comes to the Senate floor.

Sen. Rodgers related to me that the bill, as it stands, will truly impact new development, but areas already developed will be grandfathered. New development will have to meet a 100' standard.

Some of the major pieces:
20, 20, 40 rule:

20% slope rule to prohibit new construction on a steep slope without a permit
 New development can only cover 20% of a lot with impervious surfaces (buildings, drives, patios etc)
 40% combined rule (impervious and cleared)

I believe the change Sen Rodgers is trying to make in Senate Finance is related to the 100 square feet of adjustment provision. He is proposing language that would allow the adjustment to occur anywhere on the lot or structure as long as the adjustment does not move closer to the water. His concern is that in the bill now the adjustment has to be to the rear, which would create a hardship for many.

Senator Rodgers is quite familiar with our NEK lakes and ponds. Also, he is a member of the Senate committee that has taken the testimony. He offered to answer any questions or concerns anyone may have, as will I. He can be contacted at: jrodgers@leg.state.vt.us.

I understand the need to have consistent regulations though-out the state. My property on Joes Pond has two very different sets of rules. The island is located in Cabot and the lot to access this property is located in Danville. I just hope to see a bill that is responsible and fair to all waters in Vermont.

Kitty

kittytoll@live.com
 

http://www2.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/committeeinfo.cfm?CommitteeID=211

Another cold day yesterday - one more day closer to a warm-up trend.  Again, the sun was bright and that alone lifts our spirits; but tonight will be in the zero or below zone again and then a gradual warming spell to, dare I say it?  RAIN perhaps by the middle of next week.  This has to be the most cockeyed weather ever recorded.

Today is beautiful - 8 above here at 9 a.m., and that makes it almost like a spring morning.  We're finally in that "warming trend" the forecasters have been promising.  Good news, and in addition, we had just a skimming of snow overnight to keep things fresh and clean.

On to other aspects of living in the north country.  A few days ago we had an inquiry as to whether JPA is following the Shoreland Bill currently in our Vermont Legislature.  We contacted Rep. Kitty Toll, and he sent a quick response - I'll have more from her perhaps later today (Thursday).  In the meantime, she sent a link so you can follow, as she said, the side-by-side progress of the bill.  After clicking on the link, type in shoreland in the search box.

http://www2.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/committeeinfo.cfm?CommitteeID=211

Sen. Rodgers mentioned in an article in yesterday's Caledonian Record that there have been significant revisions in the bill while in committee, and that voting "in favor of the revised bill was better than just voting against it and not getting compromises to help Northeast Kingdom cottagers."  He said the Senate version of the bill is much better than the House version; however, the reaction to the changes by the House is "unknown."  If you have further questions, you can contact Sen. Rodgers at: jrodgers@leg.state.vt.us.

Many of us here at Joe's Pond will remember Sen. John Rodgers from his work along waterfronts with his father several years ago, long before he became senator.  The senator owns lake shore property at Shadow Lake in Glover, so no doubt has a property-owner's perspective on the issue in addition to understanding the realities of waterfront construction and maintenance.  

Gee, I wish I could announce that we've had a real break in the cold weather, but that just isn't the case.  I don't think we got out of the single numbers above zero today - although the sun was out and it looked beautiful outside.  I was out there, but briefly, and it was cold, especially where the wind hit (right out of Canada!)  We had a couple inches of new snow yesterday and last night, so now the stake out back shows 9 inches.  I'm not certain, but the wind may have piled it up a bit at the stake.  I didn't trudge out there to check, I just used my binoculars to read the figures printed on the stick and reported what I saw.

As I was going down our driveway just before lunch, the sun was warm on  my back, and I was thinking that the earth is tipping back and our little spot on earth will be getting more minutes of sunshine each day which will begin to warm us, in spite of the cold air.  It happens.  In the meantime, we all dress with layers and wear clunky boots and massive mittens, and rush from warm vehicles to warm buildings if we're lucky enough not to have a job that requires being outside.

Woody hopefully tests the weather each day, and returns inside within a minute or so, fur puffed up against the cold and, I swear, a disgruntled look on his fuzzy face.  Spring just isn't coming fast enough for him.  I feel a little of that, too, but right now I'm pretty busy at my computer, so I'm not overly anxious to have nice weather that's going to tug at me to be outside instead of tending to business.
 
Here's a nice break for you - a chance to have a great dinner and see your friends - or have it at home, if you like.  Take a look.  Click on the image to make it larger to read.  The weather will no doubt change by February 22, and you'll be excited to get out and enjoy a meal and see folks.  There are great cooks out at North Danville Church!

Which reminds me - Butters Restaurant that relocated to the back of the hardware store in Cabot has changed hands.  Stan Linkovitch, who ran Butters, has taken a full time job at Goodfella's in Danville, and the little lunch room at the hardware store will be operated by Sarah Mangan and known as Sarah's Country Kitchen.  Sarah previously worked in the deli at Cabot Village Store, so expect the good food to continue.  Stan had a great menu at Butters, so I have no doubt he'll be a great addition to Goodfella's.  Stop by and welcome him, and drop in at the Cabot Hardware Store and meet Sarah.  I believe Sarah's is open now - Stan will be at Goodfellas around Feb. 1.

I've been going through the interviews we did for the Cabot oral history book, and in one of them, either Wendell Goodrich or his son, Walter was telling the interviewer about going to West Danville from their farm in East Cabot.  The Goodrich farm is across Molly's Pond from where Route 2 is; but back in the 1800's, the road wasn't where it is today.  Instead, it ran close to Molly's Pond during the summer, and on the pond in the winter.  The road connected with one that came from Peacham direction, that was at least in the general vicinity of the Bayley-Hazen Road.  In the winter, travelers going to West Danville would cross Molly's or Joe's Pond on the ice to avoid climbing the hills.  The road to West Danville was not next to the pond at that time, but followed the hillside above, and came down into the village from the ridge. However, according to what we were told, roads in the winter followed the easiest route - one that was as level as possible, and as sheltered as possible.  And, of course, they were either traveled on foot or with horses, and later were rolled for sleds and sleighs to travel.  There was at least one instance when people drowned from going through the ice on Molly's Pond in the spring of 1864.  Henry T. Durgan, 24, and O. W. Gorham, 9, were drowned on April 27, 1864.  I don't know who the young Gorham boy was, but the Durgans lived about where the Cabot Statuary business was, by the brook that comes from Cabot Plain.  I may have a newspaper clipping about that accident, but it would be in one of the books at the Cabot Historical Society building and I can't get in until spring.  I knew the story, however - Velma Smith and I came across it when we were working on Cabot Cemetery information way back when.  Both Durgan and Gorham are buried in the Durgan lot at the East Cabot Cemetery.

Winter Reunion

This just came from Butch Bouchard - looks like the Bouchard/Dente annual winter reunion was a big success - no point in hibernating in the cold weather!  Here's what Butch wrote: 

Jane, just as we did last January, Susan and I met up with JPA president and first lady for a lunch at an inn in Sturbridge Massachusetts to swap stories about the Polar Vortex. All are doing well despite the cold and we are all looking forward to a warm and busy season back in Vermont. Butch

Everyone is looking fine.  For those of you who may not know these Joe's Pond folks, from left to right, Butch and Sue Bouchard (Sandy Beach Road) and JPA First Lady Camilla Dente, and our Association President, Tom Dente (Clubhouse Circle).

Thanks, Butch, for sharing the photo.  I now you are all enduring pretty much the same kind of weather we are back here at the Pond.  It does make one think about heading south - except I'm afraid the cold would just follow us, the way things are looking right now.  Best to stay at home and tend the fires, I guess.  We'll try to get things warmed up by the time you all get here this spring.

The weather has modified a bit overnight and we have a reading of 16 degrees (that's ABOVE zero!) and there's light snow falling, but without the sun, it still seems cold and definitely dreary.  I haven't heard anyone proclaim recently, "We don't have winters like we used to."  I don't recall there being such up and down crazy swings in the weather, and my memory goes back a few years.  And of course there have been past winters with lots more snow.  However, I think most of us are content to have only ice and cold to deal with without tons of snow to move.  That said, there's more snow in the forecast, which will make the skiers, boarders and snowmobilers happy, and we all know  winter is far from over.  We still have at least 8-10 weeks more ahead of us, and I predict more surprises. 

We have some interesting stuff to report this morning.  First, many of you probably already know the outcome of last night's bb game between Danville and Winooski - and that Kyle  Johnson (Edgewood Ave.) made 1000, with ease.  Here's the writeup as it appears in this morning's Burlington Free Press:
• Danville 59, Winooski 57: Kyle Johnson scored 18 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career and two other Danville players recorded double-doubles to fuel the Indians’ narrow win over visiting Winooski.
Brett Elliott put up 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Jason Sweet finished with 10 points and 17 boards for Danville (11-1). Eric Remick also had nine points to go along with seven assists.
Ali Omar finished with 22 to pace the Spartans (9-3)

Kyle's many fans are very happy for him.  Our congratulations to Kyle and the team.

I had a very nice e-mail from Evelyn Richer this morning.  Evelyn and Ray are between guests at their residential care home right now.  Evelyn wrote:  

. . . And so, once again, I urge anyone that may have an elder in their life that would like to come to Loon Cove to live, please contact us...
(rloonnest@fairpoint.net) If we can help in any way, we would love to do so.

All this means that Ray and I are in 'limbo' here... waiting for our next possible client...  We spend the days going out distributing brochures letting social workers know we have a vacancy now, (and enjoying our time together out of the house)

As many of you already know, both Ray and Evelyn are accomplished artists - Ray is well known for his wildlife photography.  One of his wildlife photos is on ebay - Evelyn said it is of course a "Joe's Pond loon," and is printed on canvas.  Ray also does beautiful woodwork, including building furniture, and has fairly recently begun building acoustic guitars.  (He plays them, too!)

Evelyn works in various mediums creating lovely sketches and illustrations.  She has been experimenting with wood burning, and sent this photo of a gorgeous example of her work.  I know from experience that wood burning is not easy - but Evelyn says for her it's addictive.  All I can say is, both Ray and Evelyn are very talented artists.   I'm happy they are enjoying their time "in limbo."  Click on the picture to make it larger. 



I just got an inquiry about the controversial bill, H.526 that deals with shoreline property and would likely effect Joe's Pond.  JPA has been following this bill and we have a representative, Larry Rossi, on the committee in the Town of Danville that is rewriting the town's land use rules to exempt Danville from the new state regulations. There is a similar committee in Cabot and the two towns are working together.  Tom has asked Larry for an update, and as soon as I have something further on this, I will post it here.

  

Just so everyone knows - it's still darned cold up here in Vermont!  We had a low again, according to my thermometers, of -15 last night, and a few minutes ago - at about 11 a.m., I checked and we were just barely at zero and the sun is shining brightly.  We're supposed to warm up tomorrow . . .  In the meantime, Diane Rossi sent this beautiful picture of the sun early this morning.  Now that is a sun dog if I ever saw one!  I Googled to find out more about them, so click here if you're interested.  Sun Dogs

If you have a more technical interest, I found this site: Parhelions or Sun Dogs

This is a really beautiful shot and I thank Diane for sending it.  Here's what she wrote:  

You see the sunrise is off to the right....This thing has been persistent since about 7:30, and it's now almost 9.
 
I also had this message from Homer Fitts this morning, and thank Homer for sending. 

 DOUG HAMILTON JUST CALLED TO LET US KNOW THAT NSNSPORTS.NET WILL HAVE THE DANVILLE GAME ON TONIGHT AT 7:30.     HIS GRANDSON KYLE [JOHNSON] ONLY NEEDS  3 POINTS TO GET 1,000.  

 

Life goes on in a very normal fashion, even with sub-zero temperatures.  When I go out around noon to walk up Jamie and Marie's driveway, there's that nose-pinching moment as I first hit the cold air, and when I get to our mailbox and head north, the wind hits and it's bone chilling, cheek pinching misery until I get to the relative protection of the trees along the driveway.  Then there are sunny spots, with luck, and a respite until I reach the top where on some days, there's a bitter west wind swooping down over the hill and I'm happy to turn my back on it and march back down the way I came.  I don't stay out long - perhaps 15 minutes - but it's enough to get my heart pumping and expand my lungs with fresh cold air and  invigorate my soul.  Yesterday I wore my new L.L.Bean long-johns under my jeans, and that was much more  comfortable.  Usually my legs get stinging cold on these cold day walks, but now I  have an added layer of protection.  Even so, those few minutes outside in extreme cold are enough, and I'm so happy to get it over with each day!

 

Woody isn't crazy about the cold, either, and yearns to be outside, but on cold days like this, he is content on the windowsill in the sun where he can watch the birds and any other little critters outside while he enjoys the privileged indoor  comforts we, his staff, provide.  

                                                                    

As I was doing my CoCoRaHS report this morning - no snow, overnight low of -15 degrees - I stumbled on this Weather Channel  website with a string of short videos I thought you might enjoy.  Start the first one and the rest will play, one after the other.  We think we have extreme weather sometimes, but take a look and be glad we don't have these extremes - and most of us don't try these stunts!

We have bright sunshine this morning, but there's no real heat in it.  There is a wind again today, and even though it's only 4-5 mph, it will bring the "feel like" temperature down at least another 10-15 degrees, making the current -10 darned uncomfortable unless you are dressed for it. 

I received a message from Homer and Margaret Fitts this evening letting us know that Homer's brother, Wendell, passed away in Florida yesterday.  Here's what Homer wrote:
 JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW MY BROTHER WENDELL PASSED ON YESTERDAY HERE IN FLORIDA.   IT IS A BLESSING AS HE HAS BEEN IN AN ASSISTED LIVING HOME RECENTLY BECAUSE OF ALZHEIMERS.

WE WENT TO A " CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE " TODAY IN SUN CITY CENTER.     ALL HIS SIX CHILDREN WERE THERE AND MOST OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN.   HE HAD SPENT LOTS OF TIME IN PAST YEARS AT JOE'S POND WITH CHATOTS, LA GUES, ANDERSONS AND LA PRADES.

    THE LA PRADES AND ANDERSONS WERE THERE, ALONG WITH BOB AND RACHEL BANCROFT.

    A RECEPTION DINNER WAS HELD AFTER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB.

    HAVE TO TELL YOU IT IS IN THE 70s AND A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY.

                        LOVE AND BLESSINGS,

                                            HOMER AND MARGARET

Homer and Margaret are in Venice, Florida, their address is: 789 Baveno Drive, Venice FL 34285. I'm sure many of the Joe's Pond people knew Wendell and remember the good times when he was here at Joe's Pond.  Our thoughts are with Homer and the family.  

We are so sorry to have to pass on more sad news, but Marguerite Impey, a long-time St. Johnsbury resident and most recently living here at Joe's Pond with Evelyn and Ray Richer, passed away on Saturday.  Mrs. Impey was a lovely lady - her family and her many friends in the area will miss her.

I went to St. Johnsbury today for a dentist appointment.  The thermometer on the car was showing minus 5 degrees when I left at about 10:30.  In town it warmed up a bit - but only to zero, so I was thankful for my seat warmer (!) and heated steering wheel.  Such luxury.  I've pooh-pooed these kinds of add-ons over the years, but now that they are more or less standard on most automobiles, and I've had a chance to enjoy them, I'd really not want to be without them, especially on a day like today.

On my way home, I paused briefly to get this picture of the fishing shanties near the fishing access.  No, I didn't get out of the car - I took a chance, and aimed the camera out the passenger window.  Not too bad for a one-handed, no-time-to-focus snap shot, right?  I wanted to get the "community" of fishing huts clustered there, but I really didn't want to take the time to get out of the car.  This year there are other shanties further up the pond and even one near the islands.  The one behind the islands I posted the picture of here a few days ago seems not to be there now.  It maybe was moved and is the one further down, just south of the islands.  Hard to tell.  I didn't see any activity on the ice, and I'm sure it would have been in the vicinity of -25 degrees with the wind whipping down the pond.  One would really, really have to love ice fishing to be out there when it's that cold.  It's -10 degrees now and going to be way colder tomorrow, we're warned.  However, we aren't supposed to get the snow people south of us will be getting.  Philadelphia, New York City and Boston are all expecting to get something like 12 inches.  Not a good winter for lots of folks this year.

Temperatures here have gone downhill steadily from about 22 degrees this morning to now 5 below, and still falling, I expect.  There is a bit of wind out there, too, so it feels like somewhere between -10 and -20 degrees.  We had nearly 5 inches of new snow that fell during the day and night yesterday; today we've gained another 3 inches or so.  Too bad it's so darned cold - but there were skiers and boarders out on the slopes today, taking advantage of the holiday.  Reports were that there weren't any crowds to contend with, though.  Most people probably thought it was too darned cold to be out there unless you absolutely had to be.  

Our friend came back today from visiting her son in Anchorage, Alaska.  I just checked and the weather is a balmy 32 degrees there, and daytime temperatures are expected to be in the 40s - ABOVE zero!  While we're enjoying more like 40 below, if the predictions are correct.  Trouble is, they don't get much daylight this time of year, and that could be depressing, I guess.  Besides that, I imagine there will be plenty of cold and snow coming at them before the winter is over, too.

We've had lots of requests for Ice Out tickets from far off places recently - California, Texas and today Missouri.  I've sent tickets to lots of folks in Vermont, too, so folks are beginning to think about the contest; or maybe they're thinking about spring, wishing the ice would go out and we'd be shed of this see-saw weather pattern we have been experiencing.  I agree it would be nice to have it a tad more moderate - and predictable - but I often think of what my mother used to tell me when I was young and complained that I wished time would move faster for some reason, and she'd say, "Don't wish your life away."   I didn't fully understand then, but time takes on more importance when one gets older, so now, after decades of busy a life, I look back at how quickly time has passed and wonder where it all went.  So, although I would so enjoy nicer weather, I would not be willing to skip over the next couple of months to get it.

Be warm and safe, and don't forget to keep animals inside and warm, too.  Whenever Woody goes outside, even if it's only into the garage these cold nights, we set our kitchen timer for five or ten  minutes - just in case he forgets how to knock, we don't want him to get left out there too long.

Fred took this picture of the moon one morning a couple days ago.  It was around 6 a.m. and it was just disappearing behind the trees west of our house.  I guess it would be called a moonset . . . or maybe not.  Anyway, it was very pretty, and within a few minutes, was out of sight behind the trees.

Colder today and we had nearly 3 inches of snow come last night.  Things are getting back to January-type weather, and most everyone is happy to see some snow.  Trouble is, it's going to be a lot colder for the next few days.  Still, there is a lot of activity on the pond - ice skaters this weekend, walkers, fishermen and snow machines.  Diane Rossi spoke with a fisherman on Saturday who told her there are 15 inches of ice.  He said that is about 5-6 inches less than usual for this time of the year, but he was confident the next few days and nights of really cold weather will "grow" more, so we'll be in good shape with plenty of ice under those fishing shantys and the vehicles that accompany them.  Fred took this picture this morning from the hillside in back of our house.

I had another troubling report tonight from a vigilant home owner on the pond:

Hi Jane,

There is more suspicious activity on Edgewood. Yesterday as I was walking I noticed footprints from way out on the pond up to Mason's house going right to their door. I called Tim Clouare and the Masons. They went out today and reported that no one broke in, but it did look like they had been "cased". 

 

We appreciate that people are paying attention to what goes on around them, especially since so many of our cottages are closed this time of year.  Fortunately, there are more year around people on the pond than in past years, too, so unusual activity does not go unnoticed.

 

This is how the pond looked early Saturday morning.  There was a layer of fog, as you can see.  It turned out to be a very nice, spring-like day.  I guess that may have been the extent of our January thaw.  We're headed back to normal winter weather for a while.

 

 

It's always such a pleasure to report good news here - and this is particularly nice because so many of us had our doubts that the black Lab, Lilly, who ran off several weeks ago, could possibly survive the severe cold, the rain, the snow, and hunger she would need to endure.  But, survive she did - and she's now back home.  Here's what her owner, Melissa Yu, wrote for Front Porch Forum: 

I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of those who have continued to keep thier eyes out for my missing black lab, a special thanks to those on Joe's Pond, those in Cabot, those in Marshfield, and the riders of the Route 2 Commuter. After three weeks of searching she was recovered on the Johnson Road in Marshfield. A special thank you to the lady with the golden retrievers, especially the one named Lilly, who was willing to feed a shy stray dog and let others know, you were a savior to a very scared and lost young lady.

Lilly is home tonight, laying on her favorite couch after having some soft dog food and a good drink of water. Thank you again, it really was a miracle that she was recovered, as she had lost her tags somewhere along the way!!

We are very happy for Lilly and for Melissa.  There were lots of people worrying about her that will be very relieved she's ok.

Not nearly as miraculous, but worth mentioning, our missing newspaper showed up the next day.  Coincidentally, there have been others in our area who have had missing and/or mixed up mail - packages, letters, etc., and it seems there have been some major changes in some of the local post offices and substitute carriers, so that could be the reason.  I'm sure things will get ironed out eventually - people do the best they can in these situations.  We're very used to having mail delivered without a hitch most of the time, so when something does go wrong, it stands out.  

We've had a little snow today - enough to brighten up the view so we are looking at pretty white hills instead of muddy brown spots and muddy roads.  The snow has made roads a bit tricky, and it covered up the icy spots on the back roads so we need to be a bit cautions, but with that in mind and in some cases, special expertise, navigation is possible.  This picture shows how you can sometimes - not always, but sometimes, recover from sliding off the road by just "gunning it."  This picture was taken when Jamie and Marie's hill was particularly glare, and shows the tactic Jamie used to get out of an otherwise tough spot.

The next pictures is of a "snow wheel" that "grew" on Jamie's plow.  I can't explain it - Fred noticed it and got the picture the same day he got the one above.  These ice storms can be exciting and interesting - along with being dangerous.  It's all part of the fun of living in the north country.  I bet some of our friends basking in the sunshine and warmth down south wish they could be here to joing in the fun . . . ! 

We learned this morning that Reberta Davis, mother of Judy Anderson (Route 2W) passed away at Central Vermont Medical Center.  Mrs. Davis was 90 years old.  If you wish to send condolences to Judy, her address in Florida is:  Mrs. George Anderson, 2209 North Creek Ct., Sun City Center FL 33573.
Our thoughts are with the family.

* * * * *

We have rainy weather back this morning.  The temperature is in the mid to high 30's, but there could still be some freezing rain in certain areas, so there's a need to be cautious when driving or even walking.  The Cabot road crew was out earlier this morning with the salt/sand truck, but even though so far it hasn't been raining very hard, there's still some places in the road that will be washed clear of sand or salt and could be very slippery.  On the main highways, crews are keeping track of conditions and so far I haven't heard on the scanner of any trouble spots - either icing or flooding.  This will be turning to snow tonight, according to the weather folks.  I took these photos just minutes ago - the top one is the hillside in back of our house that faces northeast, the view I see from my office.  The rocks, stumps and hummocks are all showing through, and in most places there is at most 3-4 inches of snow left on the ground.  My measuring stick showed 3 inches this morning, but that is in the open and on level ground.  The bottom photo is a familiar view, the northwest slope along the east side of the pond where Route 15 is, as seen from our living room window.  That area gets the sun longer than our side of the pond this time of year, so there is usually less snow cover, thus more bare ground in a warm spell like this.  I haven't seen any fishing activity on the pond here today - it would be mighty wet, even if it isn't awfully cold.

I checked the Rossi's web cam this morning, and there's absolutely no activity going on down at their section of the pond, either.  If you want to view the web cam, remember you need to access our website using Internet Explorer as your  browser.  Once you get on joespondvermont.com, you'll find a link for the webcams.  

Right now, the ice is covered with water, which means if there are shanties on the ice, they will freeze in solidly, and of course it will be very difficult to get them free in the spring without leaving a good portion of their underpinning behind.  Some years we've seen an dismaying array of wood scraps, tarps and other debris in/on the ice where the shanties have been chopped, sawed or split loose when it was time to get them off the ice.  None of this can be easily  avoided when we have alternating melting and freezing going on throughout the winter, like this year.  The fishermen try, but short of hauling them off the ice whenever we have a warm spell, there isn't much they can do to prevent freeze-ins.  The best solution would be to use only portable, temporary shelters like folding tents, that would be erected and then taken down each time they fish.  That is more work, of course, but might be worth it come time to get the heck off the ice at the end of fishing season.  Some fishermen don't use shanties - they just haul their gear on a sled, so they don't have the problem; they also don't have the shelter on nasty days.  It must be those guys really, really love the sport of ice fishing - it isn't easy, and lots of time it isn't comfortable - but one way or another, it must be rewarding.  For them, at least.  It wouldn't be for me.

Whenever I think about ice fishing, I think of Blanche Lamore, our oldest Cabot citizen, who will be 104 in May, if my calculations are correct.   Blanche loves to ice fish, and I believe some kind neighbors took her as recently as a year or two ago.  She's a trooper, lives on her own and until a couple years ago, had a good size garden, picked berries whenever she could arrange for someone to take her to a favorite picking spot, and was always on hand in the church kitchen helping put on suppers, etc.  I haven't been in touch with her for a while, but last time I talked with her, she was still very sharp about most things.  She's always been an outdoor person, she'll tell you.  When she was a young girl, she and her father had trap lines, and she regularly snowshoed miles tending to the traps. Then, she's skin the beavers or foxes and sell the pelts.  She loves to tell about using skunk oil to cure or prevent all sorts of ailments.  And how she kept jars of dead fish in the sunshine so she'd have bait for her traps.  She told me not many of her girl friends at school ever wanted to go with her to tend the traps; I suspect not many of the boys did, either.  The picture above was Blanche on her 80th birthday, holding a brand new fishing pole.

 

 We haven't quite reached "winter mode" again after all the rain, but today was a step in the right direction.  Fortunately, the rain stopped, last night temperatures went below freezing and stopped the runoff, and today the sun came out for a little while.  We are still lacking snow but have plenty of ice.  I took these pictures when I walked today.  The top one is from the road, looking into the woods where there isn't much snow, but what there is is not crusty like the snow in the open.  The bottom picture is the bank next to the road where the water was coming off the hillsides into the ditch.  There's lots of ice still on the back roads, under the sand, and it can be a bit dicey if you get too far to the side as there are spots where it's glare ice into the ditch - so that's where you'll wind up, in the ditch.  There are no snowbanks to catch you and keep your car from sliding off the road.

We were a bit surprised Saturday to see a truck on the ice by the fishing shanty in back of the islands.  I haven't heard how thick the ice is, but apparently all that below-zero weather we had manufactured plenty of it.  

Our newspaper, the Caledonian Record, wasn't delivered to us today.  It happens sometimes.  No, we don't have an errant paper boy - but occasionally it just simply doesn't arrive in our mail box the way it's supposed to.  We could go on line to read it, but that isn't nearly as satisfying for me as being comfortable in my chair, TV on and Woody in my lap, holding the newspaper in my hands, and trying not to rustle it too much so Woody gets disturbed and leaves.  I clip articles sometimes - obituaries and occasional photos, and always the Sudoko puzzle.  I don't clip the crossword puzzles out very often - I don't always do the crosswords, but if I do, it's usually with the paper folded.  I try not to leave it too riddled with holes, at least until Fred has had a chance to read it.  Because we didn't get the paper, today has seemed like Sunday.  We don't get a Sunday paper.  Fred called the Cabot post office, but they said the papers came as usual and went with the mail carrier for delivery; they didn't have a clue where ours went.  Then Fred called the newspaper office - they will leave one at the desk for us so we can pick it up when we go into town in a few days.  They don't like to mail another one - I suppose it costs them extra postage.  Of course, it could show up in our mail box tomorrow, but that is unlikely.  By the time we get it, we'll have heard the important news on TV, but I'll still enjoy perusing the classified ads and scanning through the advertising.  Then there's Dear Abby, the comics, Sudoku and the crossword . . . I'll have lots to catch up on.  We sometimes get other people's mail, but we always leave it in the box and the mail person delivers it to the right person eventually, I suppose; and I have to believe other people on the mail route sometimes get mail meant for us and do the same.  But that never seems to happen with the paper.  Oh, well.  There could be worse problems.  If mail deliveries are cut to five days a week, then I'll have to adjust to having two "Sundays". . . that will be confusing.

Here we are, in the rain again.  If all the rain we've had in December and January had been snow, we'd be looking at snow banks taller than we are.  Instead, we're seeing bare spots on our hillsides and swollen rivers cascading over their banks.  It will probably turn nasty later today, but road crews will be ready for whatever comes.  No wonder wildlife is confused and wintering in places they never frequented before.  We're ALL a bit befuddled.  So far we haven't lost our electricity, but if the rain continues as the temperature drops, we could be in for another ice storm.  

In October, 2013, the Weather Channel announced they are naming winter storms during the 2013-14 season.  I believe the last big storm was branded "Hercules", so we're moving right along.  I guess it's important, or at least easier, to remember storms by name rather than date.  But like someone said in one of those pieces about naming winter storms - there was a time when a winter storm was just that.  Now it gets to be some sort of celebrity.  I really have to think about that . . . hmmmmm.  Like so many things in life these days, even the weather gets hype.  We've known for years that Mother Nature is a "drama queen," so I guess it's fitting for the "actors" to be named . . . so I guess the next actor will be "Ion"?

Sad news this morning - we learned of the passing of long-time Joe's Ponder, Enso "Bert" Bertolini, at his home in Port Charlotte, Florida on January 1.  Until very recently, Bert and his wife Joan (Beck), spent their summers at their camp on Cove Road, now year around home to their son, Martin Bertolini and his wife, Kate.   We extend sincere sympathy to the family.

* * * * *

I received this interesting notice from Dianne Lashoones, owner of Rhythm of the Rein farm in Marshfield: 

This is a special fundraiser  with a celebrity sure to captivate all ages - Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop (the ORIGINAL, by the way - Mallory says she has a wonderful seamstress that keeps Lamb Chop looking as good as when her mom, Shari Lewis, created her) are doing a benefit performance at Fuller Hall at the St Johnsbury Academy, Feb 5th at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at Catamount Arts. ALL proceeds go to Rhythm of the Rein.  Lamb Chop looked at our website and says she is thrilled to be our "spokesock"!  Thank you, Dianne Lashoones.

WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY 5, 2014, 7:30 PM - FULLER HALL 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AT ST. JOHNSBURY ACADEMY

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SUPPORT 

RHYTHM OF THE REIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAM IN MARSHFIELD, VT.

  Tickets online or at Catamount Arts box Office

$15/adult  -  $5/8th grade & under