We took pictures today, mostly for the benefit of everyone who is not fortunate enough to be here at Joe's Pond, enjoying the brisk breezes and daily frostings of fresh snow.  Translation: winds that make the 20 degrees above zero temperature "feel like" it's 20 below and snow squalls that  dump 2-3 inches of snow on us every day.  It's piling up out there, folks, and the ice is thickening!

The first picture is of West Shore Road, heading south towards Route 2 (there's a very thick layer of ice on all back roads - ice that can flip a car into an unexpected spin without warning and that will no doubt add greatly to the sea of mud we anticipate once it warms up and things begin to melt; the bridge at West Danville that leads to the windiest town in all of Vermont, I kid you not; and the view from the drive-through at Passumpsic Bank in Danville - what can I say?  It's winter in Vermont.

I'm no longer going to report on our weather - it looks like we have at least another week of this bitterly cold weather ahead; but that isn't to say there won't be any snow.  The forecast has "snow showers" in it for nearly every day.  Not much sunshine at all. 

This makes our preparations for the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest seem premature, but those of us here at the pond know April 1st is not far off and the weather can turn on us very quickly.  It does seem unlikely all that ice is going to melt any time soon, especially when temperatures will range near or below zero nearly every night.  The contest is under way and no matter what, tickets must be in by April 1st to be considered.

Diane and I were pleased that Yankee Magazine published a very nice article on our Ice Out Contest in the March-April issue.  We have both read it and the only flaw I found was that Julia (Julia Shipley, the author) said Joe's is no "Golden Pond" because one is more likely to hear the quacking of geese rather than the calls of loons.  I guess she wasn't here much after the ice went out last year, so she had no way of knowing we do, indeed, have loons calling. True, we don't have a "Purgatory Cove,"  Kate Hepburn or Hank Fonda, but we have our own "characters" and the dreaded "Smith's Point" and "Sunken Island" that have been known to snag a few propellers or centerboards over the years.  She got everything else spot on, as far as I could tell, and I very much liked the article.  Her writing style was perfect for our light-hearted, fun-in-the-doldrums-of-winter contest, and she even captured the spirit of the Fourth of July Fireworks display the contest supports.  It's a good read.  The magazine (March-April edition) should be on the newsstands - we heard from Pam Hebert in Arizona that a friend in northern Maine let them know about it, so even though Diane didn't find a copy when she looked a couple days ago, it should be available soon. It's also available on line, if you are a subscriber. 

Yankee Magazine is filled with interesting articles, but I want to call your attention to another article in this same issue that we found very interesting.  It's "The Throwbacks," and is about young neighbors of ours, Jimmy and Sara Ackermann, who have a farm on Route 215N - just up the road from the turn for Cabot Plains Road.  The Ackermann family has farmed there for a long time, and now this young couple is working the farm together. The article was written by Ben Hewitt, who is also lives in Cabot.   

We've been wondering if anyone had tapped their sugar woods and might have made some syrup during those warm days recently, and apparently some producers had.  However, it may be a while before they get another run.  The one I heard about was a sugar maker in Fletcher.   We're undeniably in the "season" for it, but we'd be a week or two later here in Washington, Orleans and Caledonia counties, I expect.  We're generally about 10 degrees colder than the Franklin/Addison area.  Last night we had minus five degrees, and tonight it may be nearly as cold.  Today was chilly all day, and that wind was cruel.  A couple of times I looked up into the woods behind our house and there were clouds of snow coming off the big spruces.  And of course we had a couple inches of new snow yesterday and will have about the same by tomorrow morning, I expect - it snowed sporadically most of the day.  

There are signs of spring, however.  Town Meeting is next Tuesday, and a week later, on March 9th, we go back to daylight saving time.  Can you believe it?  I really like the change ahead, even though we sort of lose an hour.  In the fall (it will be on November 2nd when we go back) it's downright depressing - and dark.

I had a note from Andy Rudin a while back, and one of the things that reminds him of spring is the arrival of seed catalogs.  That made me smile, and within a day or so of his message, would you believe it?  One arrived in our mailbox.  I now have two to browse through.  I haven't ordered anything for years - I have more plants and shrubs now than I can handily take care of - but I do enjoy looking at the varieties and dreaming a little.  I even had thoughts of relocating some stuff - perhaps creating some paths in the woods again, with surplus garden flowers along them.  I'll have to get out there before the black flies arrive . . . 

Another sure sign of spring is the Ice Out Contest, of course.  Diane and I learned that there is an article on our contest in Yankee Magazine this month.  Our friend, Julia Shipley, interviewed us and took pictures last year.  Neither of us has seen it yet, but we'll be picking it up soon, and we've been asked by the publicity director to comment on the article so she can quote us in promos, etc.  This could boost our ticket sales considerably.  I'm remembering what happened when an Associated Press reporter did a piece that went nation wide back in 2007 or so.  Now, with on-line tickets available, it will be interesting to see what happens.

The St. Johnsbury Kiwanis Auction is coming up soon, and they have their supply of Joe's Pond Ice-Out tickets - they give them to bidders who match or exceed the listed value of an item.  It's fun, and sure takes the doldrums out of this prolonged, painful winter.

Sometimes it's just uncanny how things take unexpected turns.  When I posted the letter yesterday from the person in California with all the questions regarding the Ice Out setup in 2003, I had no idea this mystery person actually had ties to Joe's Pond - even though he mentioned a friend, "shall we call him 'Steve' in northern Vermont . . ."  Turns out "Steve" is the real deal, none other than Steve Allen (Meadow Lane).  Steve said this person has been a friend for well over 50 years, and added, "I just wanted to tell you that he always writes (and speaks) just like the contents of the letter!"

Of course, now I'm wondering if he then, or has since entered the contest?  I'm pretty sure we were completely flummoxed by the letter at the time, and not having any of the information he requested at hand, likely never responded.  In hindsight, we should have let him know the contest directors then (and still) take a firm stand against making such data readily available and thereby rendering the contest prone to such scientific analysis.  Our aim over the years has always been simplicity - with the winning picks depending on the whims of Mother Nature, and plain Dumb Luck.

This is a lovely day - really like spring, with bright sunshine and temperature already in the 40's. I took this picture at around 9 this morning.  Now there is a lurking dark cloud bank heading our way from the west, and more clouds closing in from the south, so the sun is getting blotted out periodically and the wind is increasing, probably indicating a swift temperature or weather change is on the way.  We had about half an inch of measurable snow overnight, and I was surprised that we lost only a couple inches of our snow cover to the pretty intense rain yesterday.  There's a crusty undercoat on some surfaces (like our deck and the driveway) but the trees seemed to have escaped being coated with heavy ice.  

Yesterday was a tough day for Woody.  He seemed to sense it was warmer outside, but couldn't seem to figure out it was raining and not a day for cats to be outside.  He gets fidgety at times like this and goes from door to door, hoping one of them will open to pleasant weather.  Sometimes, like yesterday, his humans disregard his pleas . . . so he stages a "sit-in."  It isn't hard to figure out what he wants; Fred says he's a "great communicator."  We both know he has us well trained, but sometimes we have to persevere.  Fortunately, his protests only last a few minutes and then he usually has a snack and goes back to sleep.  He manages to sleep through most of the bad weather . . .  

It's 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon and I'm sitting at my computer watching it rain.  We've had sprinkles and showers off and on all day, but now it's really coming down in good shape.    The temperature is still about 35 degrees, which is were it's been most of the day, so it isn't freezing on - yet.  As it winds down later tonight, the temperature is going to drop, according to the forecast.  I measured three inches of new snow this morning, but even then there was light rain falling, so our snow pack was diminishing, but the stake in our yard showed 26 inches. It's down to about 24 now, but this rain will probably take it down more; however, the weather folks are saying the snow will absorb a lot of the rain and that may save us from too severe flooding.  The good news is that it's going to get colder again, so that will slow the melting.

Road crews are busy trying to keep culverts open and preparing for icy conditions when the temperature drops later tonight.  I heard someone on a town crew who was apparently on a back road say, "Anybody who thinks we get paid too much ought to try driving one of these things!"  He went on to say the road was mostly slush.  Another reported there is a buildup of water on one of the state roads - I don't know where, and there was another report there is water flowing over a bridge on Route 302, near Route 25. And there's no sign the rain is letting up just yet.

I had a short e-mail from Homer Fitts this afternoon, and he said they are expecting rain there, too.  I'm sure that won't dampen his and Margaret's high spirits, though.

I had occasion to go through some of our Ice-Out records today, and was reminded this will be JPA's 27th year doing the contest. 
Diane Rossi and I got somewhat involved around 2007, and she and I became co-chairs for the 2008-9 season.  The contest remains very popular, defying economic swings, changing technology and unpredictable weather, and we have managed to keep the game uncomplicated while still allowing everyone a chance to be part of the fun, whether they are techies or not.  Like we say, it isn't rocket science, and everyone has an equal chance to win.

As I went through some of the memorabilia Homer gave us and that I've collected over the years, I came upon a letter received in 2003.  I'll never know if this person was serious or not, but those of us who were working the contest at that time got a real laugh out of it.  Take a look (click to make it larger).  I have no recollection of how we handled it, or if we did anything at all.  There wasn't a lot of time, since we probably didn't get the letter until March 28th or so.  We come upon some funny circumstances, and we also "meet" some very nice people as we navigate through the Ice-Out.  People seem to really enjoy being part of it all, and that makes our job a whole lot of fun, even though it gets pretty hectic near the end.

A while back, someone suggested the Rossi's place a thermometer where it can be seen on their web cam.  Diane thought that was a super idea, and now there is one.  I just had a look, and it shows up very well.  The temperature at present is slightly misleading as she just got it up a few minutes ago and it hadn't had a chance to adapt from the inside temperature to what's outdoors right now.  It's getting there, and we hope to keep it available after the clock is put in place - which won't happen until the flag for the Ice-Out Contest is in place.  Thanks to Diane for doing this.  She and Bill donated not only the thermometer, but also the web cams.  Please remember that you must use Internet Explorer as your browser in order to see the web cam images.  Using IE, log in to joespondvermont.com as you normally would and you'll find directions there.

We've really had a taste of spring today!  This morning the sun was brightly shining and temperatures got up into the low 40s, but by noon, the sun was fading, and tonight the thermometer is hovering right around 32 degrees, so if we get the rain that was predicted, it will probably coat everything with ice - again.   This picture was taken at about 9:30 this morning.  Not a cloud to be seen!

Woody enjoyed the change in the weather this morning, too.  He was outside for quite a while, but finally got tired of just sitting on the deck with nothing much moving anywhere, so came back in and stretched out on the windowsill in the sun.

We went to Cabot and Walden this afternoon to distribute Ice-Out tickets.  Lots of folks were out and about - the roads were slushy, but perfectly passable.  The road crew here in Cabot was out with the grader pushing the snowbanks back to help open the ditches a bit in case we get rain.  The cattle at the Burtt farm were enjoying the weather, even though by this afternoon when we went by, the sun had clouded over.  There was no sign the Burtts have been in the woods to tap trees yet, but their sugar house was well plowed, so they are probably getting ready.  It's a rule of thumb that farmers should be tapping by town meeting day.

I had this message from Camilla Dente today:  

Hi Jane,
What a gift I received on Valentines Day - A new knee!  I had a complete knee done on Friday Feb 14.  What a gift from Tom! But seriously, we have been in the preparation for this surgery from the end of 2013 to St. Valentines day. It was a long training and preparation path but so worth the result. All is going according to the Doctor's and Hospital's Plan. I hope to be back walking as soon as possible, if this darn weather gets better.
The weather here certainly makes it easy staying inside and recuperating.   Camilla

We are so glad the operation is over with and she is doing well.  Isn't it wonderful what modern medical procedures can do for us these days?

We also received a message from Homer - he just loves to rub our noses in the snow and cold weather while he basks in the Florida sunshine, but I don't think I would have traded our weather today, even for this:

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY HERE.       80 ABOVE AND NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY.     MARGARET AND SUZANNE WENT TO THE BEACH THIS MORNING AND ARE NOW AT THE POOL.    SUE AND I WENT TO THE POOL THIS MORNING AND ARE HERE NOW ON THE PATIO IN THE SUN.     SITTING HERE WITH A BREEZE OFF THE LAKE.

    SUE KEEPS MENTIONING HOW NICE THIS PLACE IS AND ALSO THE GREAT WEATHER.      LATER THIS AFTERNOON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL WILL BE HERE FROM FOUR TO SIX AND MAYBE SIX-THIRTY.

ANYWHERE FROM 25 - 35 PEOPLE EXPECTED.     OUR NEIGHBORS ARE SO FRIENDLY !

                                    LOVE AND BLESSINGS TO ALL,

                                                                HOMER AND MARGARET

My weather report tonight is just like last night.  Today was just like yesterday except not quite as cold.  We got another 2.5 in. of snow yesterday and I expect about the same today.  The two feet of snow, plus or minus, we have on the ground around Joe's Pond is pretty average for February, according to the weather folks.  The wind was out of the south again, and warmer temperatures are creeping into the region so that by Friday we'll have some sleet and maybe rain or freezing rain - again.  The weather pattern repeats.

So what else is new?  Well, there's movement on the Rail Trail going by our pond.  The requests for bids appeared this week.  One for trail construction within the towns of St. Johnsbury and Danville, or Phase 1A; then another request for trail construction within the towns of Morrisville, Hyde Park, Johnson and Cambridge which is Phase 1B.  Bids have to be in by Feb. 28th.  If all goes as planned, construction will begin as early as possible in the spring.  It's good to know they are finally able to move ahead.  However, there's a sizable gap from the Danville line to the Morrisville town line, which has some missing bridges and serious erosion problems so may take a long time and lots of money before the two ends of the trail are able to be joined.

Speaking of rails reminds me - I watched "You Can Quote Me" on WCAX last Sunday.  Senator Dick Mazza, who represents the Chittenden and Grand Isle area of northwestern Vermont was being interviewed, and mentioned he would like to see a rail corridor for passenger and freight service along the western side of Vermont from Montreal to NYC.  

I've always been a big fan of trains.  I used to love watching them, loved hearing them whistle at the crossings along the St. J. & L.C. R.R. route not that long ago, and especially liked traveling by train.  When I first went to work in St. Johnsbury, it was still something of a rail hub - trains going in all directions. You could buy a ticket to go to Montreal, Portland, Maine or Boston - with connections to any place in the country.  Besides that, freight came in by train - automobiles, farm machinery, oil - logs went and lumber came back - even occasionally livestock or a whole circus would arrive in town.  That can't happen now, of course.  If you want to go to Boston, you drive.  Likewise, if skiers or vacationers want to come to Vermont, they have to drive.  No fun ski-trains pulling in at the Lyndonville station heading for a ski weekend at Burke Mountain.  But wouldn't it be nice to have that option?  Think what it would mean to this area to have a rail corridor on the eastern side of Vermont. 

Back in the real world - Liz Sargent sent me this photo of Pearl Island that she took this past weekend.  They are hoping to get some repairs made to the island before spring comes.  The island was hit hard by high water last year.  Looks like they have a good hard-surfaced road right to their door!

We had a nice break in weather yesterday - bright sunshine, but there was a biting wind that kept most of us rosy cheeked and rushing for shelter.  I had a meeting at the Danville Historical Society in the afternoon, and as I drove through West Danville, the "Open" flag at Hastings Store was flying straight-out horizontal.  Later, when I saw Jane Larrabee at the meeting, I mentioned that to her and she said, "Well, that's West Danville.  If the wind isn't blowing, we think something is wrong."

This picture is of Lyford Pond's West Shore Road - often confusing for drivers like UPS who aren't familiar with the area.  This is the intersection with Brickett's Crossing Road which continues from Joe's Pond's West Shore Road to Route 215.  Lots of snow beginning to pile up along roadsides now.
I figure we got pretty close to 24 inches of snow total from this last storm.  Then, after a half-hearted attempt at sunshine this morning, the weather turned to snow again and dumped another four inches or so on us. There was a not at all warm south wind, too.  We are expecting a gradual warming trend after tonight.  Last night we were in the single numbers below zero, but tonight won't be quite that cold, and then later this week we can expect temps in the 40's and possible rain.  Wouldn't you know?!


Diane Rossi and I are getting Ice-Out tickets to our outlets now.  By the end of next week they should all have good supplies of tickets and the pay on-line option will be available on March 1st.  The 2014 Ice-Out season is now upon us in a big way.  I checked our records and found out Larry Rossi put the flag out last year on March 6th.  Diane and I were recalling that after the flag was out we had some rain and the rope froze solidly into the ice - which was in a way a good thing because we also had some snowmobile traffic that might have cut the rope had it not been under ice.  Unpredictable weather is all part of the fun of the game.

Here's a news flash - we've been seeing ads on television that Buck's Furniture in Wolcott is closing their doors, and at first we doubted the message.  Buck's has been there for what seems like forever - but I'm guessing 40-50 years, at least; and along the way, they've had some fairly unusual ads announcing sales for all sorts of reasons, sometimes making one think they might be going out of business as they were "selling everything to the bare walls," or "everything must go," but this is apparently for real.  There are several buildings in Wolcott associated with the business, and once the place is closed, Wolcott will have some really big vacant buildings unless some other business locates there.  Lots of folks will miss Buck's Furniture - it was a real experience to go there and explore the miles of rooms on various levels, with literally tons of furniture of every price range, shape, size and type - and a sales staff not about to let you out the door without making a deal.  We wish staff and owners well.  Wolcott will not be the same without Bucks.

I love when people share photos and fun stories for the blog.  I hear from someone almost every day with something interesting they have been doing or with a question about Vermont or Joe's Pond - you'd be surprised how far afield Joe's Pond appreciation goes.  Or perhaps you wouldn't.  Most of you who have visited or who live here know it's special, but it's always fun for me to learn that someone else thinks so, or that our summer-time residents basking in the sunshine in some warmer place still think about those of us who elect to hang out here at the pond through snow and rain and ice and freezing temperatures.

I heard from Homer and Margaret Fitts this morning - some of you will remember that last summer Homer requested a new "Happiness is Joe's Pond" bumper sticker.  It had been years since they were sold to members as a money-raiser for the Association, but President Tom Dente promptly produced some out of the depths of some storage closet or something - I never found out where - and presented one to Homer at one of our business meetings.  Being the faithful ambassador for Joe's Pond that he is, Homer immediately put it on his car.  Now, here's "the rest of the story."  Homer's message from Florida:

HI JANE,

    JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU, COMING OUT OF CHURCH THIS MORNING A COUPLE WERE LOOKING AT MY  "HAPPINESS IS JOE'S POND"  STICKER ON THE BACK  OF MY CAR.     THEY ARE FROM SPRINGFIELD AND HAVE SNOWMOBILED AT JOE'S POND OFTEN.    SAID THEY ARE HAPPY NOT TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW WITH THE WEATHER.

                                                            HOMER

I had to tell Homer in my response that that couple was missing some really good weather and snowmobile trails are about as good as it gets right now.  However, I'm sure they are enjoying the warm weather in Florida and perhaps they'll get to Joe's Pond before the end of our snow season.  After all, we still have the rest of February, then March and probably a good bit of April that will likely support winter sports.

Speaking of sports - I also had a message and photo from Don and Diane Sherwood, showing us how they are conditioning themselves with food and fun before preparing for the next . . . well, you

decide: 
 

Hi Jane!!!!! Fred too!!!!

We just wanted to reassure everyone back at Joe's Pond enjoying the lovely winter season, that we who have ventured further south to check out the weather are also experiencing the warmth and sunshine of Florida. We all met at the Fishermen's Wharf, had a wonderful meal and snapped this picture to show what we are suffering through. When the snow is gone, the ice is out and the grass is green we will all return to the Pond. Diane and Don Sherwood will however come back in March to ski the slopes at Burke Mountain, getting ready for the next Winter Olympics!!

Miss you all!!!!

Diane and Don

The happy folks in the photo are, from left to right, back row:  Ray and Cynthia Rouleau, Don and Diane Sherwood, Fred and Ellie Bertrand, Sandy and Bill Ricker, and in front, Charlie and Alice Aimi.  Thanks to Don and Diane for sending the picture.

The Cabot Town Report is here.  We got ours on Friday or Saturday.  I haven't had time to read it yet, but I'm pretty sure there will be some interesting stuff presented at Town Meeting in March.  That's a sure sign spring is not far off - when we begin preparing for Town Meeting.  I bet some of you didn't know that Diane Rossi, Sherry LaPrade and I were auditors for the Town of Cabot a few years ago.  It's nice to note they are still using the same format we designed for the report.  

Another sign of approaching spring is that Diane Rossi and I, along with our spouses, Henretta Splain, Larry Rossi and all the others who work on and support the Ice-Out Contest, are getting set for another big year.  With a couple feet of ice out there right now, and the snow and blizzard conditions we've seen lately, Ice-Out seems a long way off, but it is actually a year-around effort that really heats up right around the first of March when Larry will put the flag out.  We've already had a request for an interview, but we've asked to delay at least until early March.  We're still in winter mode here!

 
In case you missed the comment posted to Tuesday's blog, here it is:

Temperatures in South Carolina at the coast are just at freezing with rain coming down. So far the damages are to trees with lots of limbs coming down. Lots of ice and power outages inland. We should have same weather until tomorrow and then the temperatures will go up and the sun will return.

Sam and Judy Lewis
Pawleys Island, SC

Thanks for that, Sam and Judy, I hope you are seeing sunshine by now.  

Here's a link to the Weather Channel about this storm, Quintus, as it moves up the east coast. I think they just started naming winter storms last year - see this link.  Several references on the weather reports have likened this storm to the Valentine's Day 2007 storm.  This storm has had serious consequences all along the eastern coast, and in Georgia yesterday, sheriff Scott Berry announced that Valentine's Day was going to be "cancelled."  Good luck with that, Sheriff.  When we were in St. Johnsbury yesterday, there were lots of gentlemen purchasing flowers in White Market, and at Price Chopper, there was a whole new section of flowers on display and lots going on in that department.

It's still snowing lightly here.  I measured just under 15 inches of new snow at 10 a.m. when we got back from Danville.  We've had another 3-4 inches this afternoon.  It is beginning to taper off, but there is still a brisk NW wind blowing and drifts are forming.  The wind has packed the snow at my back yard stake, but it's still showing 25 inches, which is 10 inches more than yesterday.  My weather gauge overflowed with snow before I got to it this morning, so it was difficult to measure the precipitation (I melt the snow for this figure), but I was able to get a good core measurement (1.66 in.) which is a lot of precipitation for one storm.  

The temperature is falling now, (19 degrees) so it will be another cold night.  Fred is out whisking the snow out of the driveways one more time so everyone can get home ok.  Then we'll all settle in for a nice Valentine's Day meal by the fire!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I only have a minute to post these pictures and let you know we had a significant amount of snow overnight.  The first two were about 6 o'clock this morning when Fred first went out; the bottom one I took as he was finishing up our driveway. I needed the yardstick to measure the depth of new snow this morning - 13 inches, and it's still snowing.  Just while I was out clearing the deck and getting the measurements, we had another 1/4 of an inch, I'm guessing.  It's pretty light and there's some blowing and drifting.  Nice wintery weather.  We have to go out in a little while, so Fred is busy clearing the driveway.  I can't tell if our road has been plowed recently or not, and I haven't seen any traffic going by, so I'm not sure we can make our appointment, but we'll see.

 THIS KIND MESSAGE CAME TODAY - I'M SURE HOMER AND MARGARET WON'T MIND MY SHARING IT HERE:

WE WANT TO WISH YOU A.......

" HAPPY   VALENTINE'S   DAY "

                            LOVE AND BLESSINGS,

                                HOMER AND MARGARET

I also received the following from Andy Rudin, in Philadelphia:

Hello Jane,

 

We are now getting all of these weather types in one day.

Basically, this city is SHUT DOWN !!

I feel like I am living in Adamant, Vermont all over again.

I was there from 1967 - 78.

 

There are, however, two things that happen this time of year that give me lots of hope.

One is seed catalogs, even if I don't order any seeds.

The other is the renewal application for our boat license.

 

Andy

 

We are just beginning to get snow - the temperature has been rising steadily from the teens this morning into the mid-20s now.  We are getting most of the snow tonight into tomorrow a.m., but it is very welcome in the mountain ski areas and even here for those who like to snowmobile.  We should have an exceptionally nice Valentine's Day weekend - lots of snow to play in and as long as everyone is careful on the highways, it should be fine.  Fred took the above picture late this afternoon, before it had snowed much.  As you can see, we don't have high banks along West Shore Road; but by tomorrow at this time, they may be a good bit higher.
  

No need to mention probably that it's darned cold here tonight - again.  We seem to be held in the grip of deep winter with no sign of letup.  I just checked the thermometer and it's right on the 0 mark.  There's been a brisk wind all day, whipping the half inch of new snow we got last night into furrows and making it feel like it's well below zero.  I haven't had an ice depth report from the pond fishermen lately, but I bet we've been increasing the ice measurement daily for at least the past week.

I was out at about noon today - didn't feel up to doing the full hike up the hill, but was out long enough to, as my Grandmother Bolton would say, "get the stink blown away."  There was plenty of moving fresh air, especially  right by our mailbox when I headed north on West Shore Road for a few years.  There isn't much between us and Canada right at that point.  A little further up Henretta's driveway, it's more sheltered.  I mostly wanted to get outside after being cooped up with some sort of aggravating "bug"  for the past several days.  No, not Fred!  Geeze some of you folks!  I've had a little touch of something that took the starch right out of me.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  So that's mostly what I've been doing, and now the fog seems to be clearing out of my head, I'm steadier on my feet, and my eyelids don't feel like they're made of lead, so I think I'm on the other side of things.  Still not energy for a full day doing anything, but I'm getting there.  It's been something of an enforced vacation; lots of rest, haven't missed a meal, but also haven't accomplished a darned thing for almost a week.

So everyone up north stay warm tonight - and the rest of you who are basking in sunshine and warmth (Homer told me it was a beautiful warm day in Florida today) enjoy it for all of us and get those wonderful tans good and deep so if you come back early, they won't fade away while you're waiting for some real summer weather back here at Joe's Pond.  There's no promises this year about any kind of weather - just that it's probably going to continue to be weird and unusual.
 

We are saddened to learn of the death of Harold Wendell Fitts, brother of long-time Joe's Pond resident, Homer Fitts.  Wendell was 88, and lived in Sun City, Florida.  Our thoughts are with the Fitts family this morning.  Should you wish to send condolences to Homer and Margaret, their Florida address is:  789 Baveno Drive, Venice FL 34285.

We've added about 8 inches of new snow in the past couple of days.  I'm showing 16 inches at my backyard stake - there was a little more than that, I think, yesterday, but it has compacted somewhat from wind and it's own weight.  It hasn't melted, that's certain.  We had a low of around zero last night, and today it's been in the low 20's and there's a mean gusty wind that makes it feel colder.

I spoke with Diane Rossi this week, and she's working on putting a thermometer in view of the web cam at their house.  Someone wrote to  us with the suggestion - Diane said she wondered why she didn't think of doing that herself.  Even if she finds a suitable thermometer, she will probably wait until the weather warms a bit before going out to set it up.  Right now it's pretty bitter out there.

We've had warnings about the possibility of bears coming out of hibernation during the unusually warm periods we've had in between the deep cold periods.  I don't know - it's a little far fetched in my opinion, but I suppose the experts know what they're talking about.  Anyway, if you see bear tracks, steer clear of the area as they may be pretty ugly having awakened to a cold and stark world without any food available.  The report was that a hunter's dog was killed by a bear in Elmore recently.

Here's a schedule of upcoming events at the Jaquith Library in Marshfield.   (Click Here) 

Here's something of interest to those of you who have shot some really nice pictures in our area.  One of your photos could be on the cover of the 2014 Kingdom Guide.  Click HERE for information. 
I noticed the information states 2013, but it was apparently not updated from last year's request for photos.  The e-mail I received clearly stated 2014, so check your photos and enter the contest.

This came from Homer Fitts last evening -  

HI JANE,

    YOU ARE 100% RIGHT IN YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT

TUCKY.    SURELY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE LEFT WITH THE SAME GREAT FEELINGS OF HER.   I AM ONE JUST LIKE YOU.    NEVER ACTUALLY MET HER BUT HAVE CORRESPONDED FOR YEARS.     IT STARTED WHEN SHE WAS SENDING " RIDDEL "INFORMATIOIN ABOUT ELSIE'S FAMILY.    WE HAVE CONTINUALLY CONTACTED EACH OTHER FOR PROBABLY 20 YEARS. MY CLASS OF 1944.....SPAULDING ALUMNI ..... JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.    SHE WAS SURELY A WHIZ AT FINDING WHATEVER INFORMATION AND GETTING IT TO PEOPLE.

    HAPPY THAT YOU HAD THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CORRESPOND WITH HER.

HOMER

I want to thank MK who alerted us about Tucky's passing.  MK (and we don't know who he/she is) came upon our website and found references to Tucky on the blog, etc., so was kind enough to e-mail us with the link to Tucky's obituary.  We very much appreciate this thoughtfulness.

We had not heard from Tucky for some time, but that was not unusual since she was always very busy and there ofter were long stretches when we didn't communicate, but then we'd have a flurry of e-mails back and forth, sharing information and sometimes concerns.  I will certainly miss that.

 

We just learned of the death of Tucky Sancibrian, of Longs, South Carolina and formerly of Barre, Vermont.  I never met Tucky in person, but we have corresponded via e-mail for several years, so I felt I truly knew both Tucky and Frank.  Tucky was very helpful on several occasions when I was looking for information about people who had lived in Cabot years ago, and frequently sent me copies of clippings or bits of information about Cabot people she had found in the archives of some newspaper or genealogy site.  I will miss my friend.  She was kind and generous and full of good humor and grace, and I looked forward to meeting her in person one day when she and Frank ventured north to visit family and friends.  My heart goes out to Frank and his family.

I'm pleased to report we have 3 inches of new snow this morning.  It's right at or a little above freezing, though, and there may be rain later on, which could reverse our goo fortune - although considering our elevation, we may get more snow.  We can only guess.

I had this nice note this morning :  

Hi Jane
Thanks for the recipes you put on your blog.  I just made the black bean dip for later for the game - it's real easy an very tasty.  We will enjoy it later with the game.  Go Broncos!
Camilla

I've been looking over the recipes, and just as I decide on one, I notice another that looks good, so it's a tough choice.  I don't have a favorite team, either, so I'll be one of those paying more attention to the commercials than the actual game.  We saw the interview with Joe Namath this morning, and I was interested when he said the human body wasn't designed for football.  It is a punishing game, but I guess some people, women as well as men, find pushing themselves and their bodies to the limit satisfying on some level.  It makes for great entertainment for the rest of us who don't share  their enthusiasm, though.

There was also a segment on the Beatles, which I enjoyed very much.  Until they came along, my favorite music was pretty much limited to the Big Bands and light classical, Leonard Bernstein and Gershwin.  But once my kids saw the Beatles, the house was filled with a whole different kind of sound, and while that didn't become a "favorite" for me right away, it grew on me.  Of necessity.  I had to accept it or turn myself over to "the men in white coats." Mind you, they were 7 and 5 and not-quite 1, but their dad got them out of bed so they could watch the Ed Sullivan show.  That was Feb. 9, 1964.  The first guitar in our household came soon after that, then a set of drums, and piano lessons for Bob.  Their dad bought the album, I think it was "Meet the Beatles," declaring someday it would be a classic.  He died in 1969, but not before he heard Bob play at his piano recital in the spring of that year, "Let it Be" - over and over and over, until his teacher finally had to stop him.  She said calmly, "I think Bob likes that piece."  Indeed.


 

Right on schedule, the snow is starting to fall.  We started off the day with some sunshine and nice warm temperatures, but gradually the sun faded away, and now there's a fine snow falling.  The temperature is just about 30 degrees, and the forecast is for snow overnight and we may get a few inches.  That's good news for the skiers, boarders and snow machine riders.  For the rest of us it just means more to shovel or plow.  And of course driving could be bad as the storm progresses. 

Sharon Meyers on WCAX mentioned last night that in spite of what seemed like unusually prolonged cold spells, January turned out to be just about normal as far as average temperature for the month is concerned.  The unusual warm spells in between evened things out.  I suppose having the extremes makes the weather a tad more interesting, but it also made it pretty challenging.  The good news is, January is normally our coldest month, so perhaps we can look forward to a nice warming trend from here on.  Today has felt like spring - but after a string of those 15-20 below zero days, so did it when the thermometer reached 5 or 10 above.  It's all relative.

Tomorrow is a big day for football fans, and even if you aren't very interested in the game, the commercials are always entertaining.  Click HERE for a preview of Super Bowl commercials - but I hope you have great speakers on your TV because the sound is an important part of the overall effect.  Then, you can also vote for your favorite . . .  There's more than one way to watch a football game.  And then there's the food - I know people who start cooking way ahead of time so they don't have to interrupt watching the game.  Lots of finger food, and a great time to party with friends.  If you're still looking for ideas, here are some RECIPES!  Enjoy!

P.S. - Sunday is also Groundhog Day!  Will there be six more weeks of winter?