We are getting taste of real spring weather - on Thursday we had sunshine and yesterday we got a little rain.  It was milder than it has been, and the snow pack is down a couple of inches.  We're in for a wintery mix again, starting tonight, and we may get another four inches or so here over the weekend.  So far the roads have been ok - wet and a little slushy, but no mud yet.  We took a nice walk down our road and made the loop to Meadow Lane and up Sandy Beach Road, getting pictures as we went.  It's still pretty wintery with lots of snow everywhere, but there are signs of spring, by golly - a little running water and puddles along the road, all encouraging signs we may be thawing out here at Joe's Pond.  Once again, I put the photos into a short slide show.  I hope you enjoy the walk with us.

Homer sent an e-mail this morning saying they'd had some rain in Florida, too.  He and Margaret are just happy they aren't here in all the snow with us.

I also had a nice note from Walter Ruf.  His sister, Mimi, has been diagnosed with cancer, as many of you already know.  We are all concerned for her and hope and pray she will be able to return home soon and that we can enjoy her company here at Joe's Pond this summer.  Here's what Walter wrote:

 Hello to all of our friends at Joe'sPond. First I like to thank the many friends (I did not know that we or my sister had so many friends) that sent her cards and/or called, it is very heartwarming also to me that the Joe's Ponders are such a wonderful group of people!! My sister is now in a rehab place in Venice, FL. and after that she will have chemo for maybe 5-6 months. We all hope and pray that it brings her back up to Joe's Pond. Greetings to you all and we hope to see you ALL UP THERE.  Walter

If you would like to send a note or card to Mimi, her home address is:  Mimi Pilo, 407 Signorelli Dr., Nokomis FL 34275.

Mimi is a very strong and basically healthy lady.  Every summer she walks almost every day from the cottage on Meadow Lane all the way to the Cabot Plains Cemetery and back.  It must be at least a 5-6 mile jaunt, and she does it at marching speed, always with hat and sunglasses, sometimes stopping briefly to chat with neighbors along the way.  I look forward to seeing her on that familiar route again very soon.