There's been a change of plans  - we won't be on KIX and WSTJ tomorrow.  I'll let you know if there are future plans to do so.

What a beautiful day today!  Bright sunshine and temperature is close to 30, but last night was below zero again.  My thermometer showed a low of -7.2.  While the sun is nice, there's still a cold wind, and very little melting going on.  I spotted some wet spots on our paved driveway, and notice some spots in the road are melting, but overall, it's still winter.  The sugar makers are concerned that this will be a record year - for the fewest runs of sap, that is.  

Joe's Pond folks who winter in Florida or Arizona check in with us from time to time to let us know they are relishing the warmth of the weather and enjoying friends from up here in the frozen north who are visiting.  It's tempting right about now for lots of us, but this close to mud season, it's hard to tear ourselves away.  We wouldn't want to miss it.  

This picture is from 2001 - it's the flat just beyond our turn, going towards Cabot.  Somebody stuck a log in a giant deep hole where the road had washed out around a culvert.  Lots of folks are saying they think mud season will be epic this year because of the frost being so deep. That will likely turn back roads into ribbons of soup.  There's a philosophy at work in their thinking, though:  Expecting the worst possible scenario helps make whatever happens easier to handle.  Then there's the rest of us who subscribe to Murphy's Law:  Whatever can happen will happen.  That's just the way it is.  

One thing I'm pretty sure about is that there will be lots of folks waiting until the very last minute to enter their picks for the Ice-Out Contest, and some who already sent in their guesses may decide to buy a few extra tickets now winter is lasting well into the area of spring, just so they can hedge their bets a bit.