The clock has stopped!  The pallet went down, but the clock didn't stop right away.  Just like last year, the rope was caught up in the ice enough to prevent an instant plunge into the depths, but as the sun warmed and melted the remaining ice, it let go at 10:06 a.m.  Fred and I were away all morning, but we weren't surprised when we checked with Diane on our way home.  We have two winners.  Kelsey Phillips, who lives in Iowa, is Dot and Chris Wilson's granddaughter, and Grandpa Chris made out the ticket for her without letting anyone know.  Now that was a nice surprise!!

The other winner, Bill Brochu, lives in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is Garey and Jane Larrabee's nephew.  Bill said he bought on-line tickets at the very last minute before we shut down on April 1st.  

It's very nice that both winners have Joe's Pond connections.  We're happy for them.  There were over 13,000 tickets sold this year, and 776 of them were for today; but only two had the time right.
 
This is Woody yesterday watching the video of a partridge drumming.  He was fascinated by it - I'm sure he'd heard and perhaps even witnessed them in real life, but he watched intently and finally peeked around the back of the computer screen looking for that noisy darned bird.

We went to Littleton today and were surprised that they are working on the bridge that crosses the Connecticut River.  On the way back we had to detour onto Route 18 because the north bound lane of the bridge is where they are working. So when we got nearly to St. Johnsbury, we debated whether to get back on the interstate or go through town.  When we had been in St. J. earlier, there was construction on the interstate going towards Lyndonville and also on Route 5 in St. J. Center.  It seemed more direct to go through town, but that turned out to be a big mistake.  We had forgotten that Western Avenue is torn up; we were held up there about 20 minutes - no way really to get around it and out of town any other way, although we might have been able to take some of the side streets from Main Street to get onto Cliff Street to avoid the Western Avenue snag - but some of those back streets are being worked on, too.  St. Johnsbury is going to have a rough summer, I'm afraid.  Next trip into town, we'll plot our course very carefully - and allow extra time.  Shades of Danville Past!

We got a prompt response on our bird identity question.  Steve Allen wrote: 

Jane,Your "blog bird" is definitely a ruffed grouse, or partridge.  the crest is the dead giveaway - no chicken-like bird, or especially a hawk, has a crest like that.  A bob white would be half that size, and the uncommon spruce grouse lacks the crest.  Also way too sturdy to be a hawk.

The coloring sure looks the same - I was just stumped by the puffed-up size of the bird.  I'm happy to have Steve's take on it, and expect we'll hear some drumming in the woods presently.  Interesting birds.


The ice is completely gone from the first two ponds except for some protected coves; the big pond is getting very dark.  When we came by at about 11:30, the flag was still upright, but I just looked at the web came and it has tipped over - looks like the clock could stop any time.

To see the web cam pictures, log onto our website, www.joespondvermont.com using Internet Explorer as your browser.  You'll find instructions on home page on how to get to the web cam.  
 

This has been one of those "wait a minute" Vermont weather days - no matter what weather you didn't like, if you waited a minute there'd be another type of weather not to like.  We have had snow showers, sunshine, fog, wind and rain from showers to downpours.  No thunder and lightning, although Fred did say he thought he heard a rumble that sounded like thunder this afternoon, and no hail as far as I know.  Every time the sun comes out, the ground begins to steam (see above) and before things get dried out, there's more rain.  The temperature has remained barely in the 40s, and the north wind has kept it feeling very raw and unpleasant.

We saw this bird high up in a tree this morning, all hunched up against the weather, I guess.  At first we thought it was a partridge, but when we saw the pictures, decided it was more "quail like," and after checking our bird book, decided it might be a bob white.  Fred and Marie saw it as they were going in opposite directions - Marie going up their hill after her walk and Fred coming down their hill during his run, and at first they thought it was some sort of hawk.  It was in the tree for quite some time, long enough for Fred to get the camera and take a picture from our kitchen window.  I thought  it isn't sleek enough for a hawk, too round for a partridge that isn't fluffed out and drumming on a log, and as far as I know we don't have any quail here.  Perhaps someone who sees the pictures can tell us for sure what it is.  Click on the image to make it larger.

The Ice-Out flag is still upright and the clock is ticking.  Today's rain must have done some damage to the ice, but we don't think the contest is going to be over for at least a few days - but that's only a guess.  It's really hard to tell, even as we enter the final days of it.  We are keeping closer watch now, but there's no real excitement yet.  We're going to have at least a couple of nice days on Monday and Tuesday, so that could make a difference.  We'll keep you posted.  Fred posts a report every day on home page, and I'll post any developments here, as well.  FYI - the ice has gone out three times on May 1st, in 1996, 1996 and 2007.

I just went to the osprey web cam and caught the female just as she was laying her egg.  She is now protecting it from the weather after carefully relocating it in the nest.  The male came by for a little while, but he was being sort of klutsy on the edge of the nest and I think she told him to go get some take-out for supper!

Here is some interesting news from Groton Pond!

Hello folks.

Some exciting news, the ice went out today, the 25th on Groton Pond.  Both pairs of nesting loons are back and on the pond. 

I invite anyone to check out my web site atgrotonpond.com.  Come visit and see more pond viewing,  nature at its best, wildlife and our water world, over in Caledonia county.

Enjoy your web site and Happy spring from all of us at Groton Pond .

 

Darlene Sprague

 Vt Loon Recovery Program

Groton Pond Volunteer

Another beautiful warm day, just right for working outside.  We got quite a bit done and although it would be nice to have another day or two to finish up cleaning away the debris of winter from the flower beds, my back is happy we're going to have a rainy day tomorrow which means time off from outside yard work.  Woody enjoyed being outside today, too.  He spent an hour or so "hunting" up near the woods.


We were down at Bill and Diane Rossi's this afternoon for a few minutes and Fred got some pictures of the ice.  There was a chilly wind blowing down the pond, but it wasn't as strong or as cold as it had been yesterday, and we enjoyed a few minutes on the Rossi's boathouse deck - a welcome break in our yard work. There is a crack that reaches all the way across the pond - pretty amazing the way it zig-zags.  The photo above shows the crack that starts in front of Rossi's, and you can also see the mark in the ice where the rope to the pallet was originally.  Diane said the very strong winds yesterday moved it down the ice.  However there was no indication the pallet is in any danger of going through the ice yet.  The next picture with lots of zoom shows the continuation of the crack towards the eastern shore.


 It is hard to tell the thickness of the ice by looking at the crack or from the appearance either side of it.  Down the pond seems solid as ever, and up the pond there is no sign of breaking up. This view is looking towards Toll's Island.

As you can see, there isn't any green grass showing up yet, and although some perennials are poking through the ground, even the earliest spring flowers haven't bloomed yet.  And that's probably a good thing - we may have some snow showers tomorrow in between the rain drops.  I know it's normal for this time of year, but it does seem as if spring has been a long time coming and is particularly finicky this year. 

Here's a closeup of the pallet and flag - riding on the ice high and steady.   We had a call from son, Bill Dimick, late this afternoon as he was heading home from work.  He said Stiles Pond was nearly free of ice as he went by on Route 18, and estimated all the ice would be gone tomorrow with the rain.  Bill always lets us know when Stiles is out because generally Joe's Pond goes out about two weeks after that.  We'll see if that's the case this year.  Molly's Pond usually goes out a week before Joe's and that is still solid with ice.  Hmmm.

It doesn't matter how many predictions there are, it will happen in good time.  I'm still thinking it could be May before it goes out this year; however, I would be surprised if it sets a new record for being the latest date ever, which stands at May 6, 1992.

The wind is blowing right out of the north here today - and moving the ice at least somewhat onto the shores near Barre Avenue and into the channel.  We got pictures of the ponds and I've made a short Slide Show of them.  There's lots of open water in the first two ponds, but not much in the big third pond.  The flag is still flying, and the clock is still ticking.  

We started the slide show with a picture of our road as we were leaving this morning - we wanted to show you that West shore Road is remarkably good so far - just a little muddy spot by Ken and Nancy Mason's and another on the Danville end right before Route 2.  It's all very passable, though.

We took the rest of the pictures on our way home, around noon, and drove down to the fishing area just to compare ice conditions where the Ice-Out setup used to be with where it is now.  It all looked about the same - pretty solid.  At the fishing area there is an ice-fishing shanty waiting to be picked up.  We were surprised to see it has been neatly foamed inside - that should make it pretty nice and warm with just a little heat, even on cold, windy days.

It isn't very cold today, but the wind is whipping.  It is apparently windy on the Maine coast, too.  Fred just sent me a link to an Osprey Web Cam site - I've been sitting here watching the two osprey's balancing against the wind on their perch, but finally first one and then the other left, so I did, too.  They are interesting to watch, especially if you use the "full screen" button (little arrows that show up when you pass your curser just above the "Live" icon in the lower right corner) - and be sure to have your speakers on to hear the wind and the call of the osprey on occasion.   It's like you are sitting in a tree-top right next to them. Pretty neat. 

Now we have sad news.  We were sorry to learn of the death of Russ Reed, a long-time friend in St. Johnsbury who had a cottage here a few years ago.  Russ was Beth Wechsler's (Barre Avenue) father.  Russ was in the insurance business in St. Johnsbury for years with his brother, Ron; I knew them both and appreciated their counsel and kindness over the years.  Russ knew many people in the area and was a kind and gentle friend to everyone.  He will be dearly missed.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Beth, her mom and the others in their family.  Condolences may be sent to Bob and Beth Wechsler at 157 Gilcrist Rd., Stowe Vt 05672; and to her mom, Virginia Reed, 91 Brightlook Dr., Apt. 6, St. Johnsbury VT 05819.

No sign the ice is going out any day soon - today has not been a "melting day," but neither was it an "ice making day."  We have had temperatures mostly in the 40s all day with a really chill north wind.  The wind tends to move the ice around if there is sufficient open water around the edges of the pond, but there really doesn't seem to be much wiggle room yet on the big pond.  The two smaller sections do have some open water.  We'll be checking tomorrow to see how much.

Diane Rossi reported tonight that Molly's Pond is still frozen over, and that generally goes out about a week before Joe's Pond opens up.  We have a while to go - it may be a May date after all.

Some of the people who have property on Joe's Pond (and other Vermont ponds and lakes) are concerned about the Shoreland Protection Bill H.526.  Kate Chatot sent me a "Frequently Asked Questions" release written by Vermont Agency of Natural Resources on March 14, 1914.  I found an almost identical piece on line, and this link will take you to it.  My thanks to Kate for bringing this information to us.  

There isn't much going on here right now - we're all waiting for warmer weather, but we may get snow showers tonight; we'd like to be able to announce an Ice-Out Contest winner, but the clock is still ticking; we could complain about muddy roads, but mud season hasn't been as bad (so far) as we'd feared; so we can count our blessings.  My biggest complaint today is that Woody (our cat) was being a royal pest about going outside, trying first one door and then the other, and returning each time within minutes.  I believe he thinks he somehow misplaced warm weather and expected to keep us opening doors for him until he found it again.  It didn't work; after about the sixth try, we grounded him.  There are three doors and two of us, and he managed to get each of us to make the rounds for him, but now his options have stopped.  We'd like to think we're smarter than he is, but sometimes we realize he knows us better than we know ourselves.  This is him, for the moment resigned to looking outdoors from the window instead of being there.  It's a tough life, Woody.

 

Today was a whole different scene with warmish temperatures and light rain.  After such nice summer-like weather for the past couple of days, today was almost depressing except we know the rain is needed to get things greening up and buds bursting.  It also helps take the frost out of the ground - especially the roads.  The temperature began to drop late this afternoon, and I got this photo of the upper end of the pond.  The fog was pretty dense along the meadows and over the pond itself.  In this second picture, what looks like the ice on the pond is actually fog.  Most of our snow is gone except a few patches in the woods.  We may have some snow showers tomorrow - the forecast is for "blustery" weather.  Then it's going to be somewhat cooler for the rest of the week, and would even be good sugaring weather if anyone still has their taps out.  I expect most have given up for this year after temperatures at or near 70 degrees.

We are expecting a few people to begin returning to the pond from their winter getaways in the next week or so.  The native Vermonters become restless and anxious to get back "up north" once spring arrives.  It's always good to see our friends coming back, a sure sign winter's on the way out.  The ice is beginning to show signs of breaking up, and once there's sparkling blue water, we all begin to feel the summer season is finally here. 

My daffodils are up nicely and should be blooming in another week or so.  I transplanted my rhubarb last year and went looking for it yesterday, but didn't find any evidence it's alive.  I sure hope I haven't lost it - rhubarb is one of my favorite early spring treats.  The ground is still pretty cold and wet, in spite of the warm days we had, so perhaps it's a tad too early to expect it to be coming along. One thing is for sure, gardening season will get here eventually and we'll have plenty to do.  Right now is just a teaser for what's to come.

Another absolutely gorgeous spring day.  We had a high of 73 degrees; it's nice to be reporting "highs" instead of "lows," finally.

The ice on the big pond is getting darker.  The first two ponds are ice free, as near as we can tell.  I can see sparkling blue water in the middle pond from the hill in back of our house where Fred and I were working today.   It will still be a few days before the big pond is ready to let go, but for the next few days we do have rain showers in the forecast (and a possibility of dreaded "snow showers in the mountains" - which sometimes means Joe's Pond), so unless it gets a great deal colder the ice is going to continue to melt.

I have a couple of interesting news items sent by blog readers today.  The first is from VTdigger, the on-line news magazine.  The headline for the story is:  Seymour Lake Association to Sue State of Vermont.  The story was also on WCAX news tonight.  It will be interesting to see if they get any satisfaction from this and how it may impact other lakes that have had differences with ANR about water levels.

Another reader sent me a heads-up about an article in the Burlington Free Press today.  The article is mainly about Crystal Zevon, an activist who lives in Barre.  My friend sent the article because of the mention of West Danville in the next to last paragraph.

We are keeping fingers crossed that the roads don't get much worse than they are now.  There are a couple of not-so-good spots between us and Route 2, but nothing like some years - so far.  We walked yesterday and have to say, at least the upper end of the road in this picture isn't living up to the road's name.  We didn't venture down the road - there's a stretch of it that gets almost no sun, so that might not have dried out yet. 

Back home, we spotted this partridge in our driveway from the kitchen window.  By the time Fred got the camera, she was headed into the woods - probably looking for a place to nest.  She's well camouflaged, so you may need to click on the picture to enlarge it to really see her.  She may have been getting some of the crab apples still on the tree.  We often have partridges in both the ornamental apple trees and the crab.  Most of the little apples are gone - it was a tough winter for lots of critters, and the trees were picked pretty clean.

After a few snow showers on Saturday, Easter Sunday was a lovely day - warm and actually felt like spring.  We still have a few patches of snow in the woods, but it's mostly gone, and with rain showers expected this week, that should be the end of snow for this year.  I took in my measuring stick today - I'll be very happy not to have to check that every morning when I report precipitation. 

We walked this morning and found this little guy living in the stone wall along the road by our neighbor's.  He's a little out of range for Woody, but he'd better watch out because as the weather improves, Woody's hunting area expands and he loves to play with chippies.

We've seen lots of birds and other wildlife in the past few days.  I thing all living things are feeling the effects of warm weather.

We hope you are all having a lovely Easter

Thinking back on Easter Sundays, I remember getting all three boys decked out in suits or new sports coats, always with white shirt and tie, to go to church on Easter Sunday - and that was back in a time when a hat was mandatory for  women in church, and Easter was when we broke out the spectacular pastel beauties with flowers and delicate ribbons; and our accessories - gloves, shoes and handbags - had to match.  It was Spring, for goodness sake, and we were happy to leave the heavy coats and clunky winter boots at home even if it meant being uncomfortably cold.  It wasn't all for the sake of fashion.

I was for many years on the flower committee at South Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury.  We would fill the outdoor flower boxes with spring flowers, if the weather wasn't too cold, but very often Easter Sunday in Vermont was no time for flowers even temporarily exhibited outside, let alone frilly hats and light weight spring suits or dresses. I remember local florist and friend, Harry Chandler, cautioning us to keep the flowers indoors most Easters.

Later, when Fred and I were first living at Joe's Pond, if it was nice weather, we likely had lots of mud, so we didn't plan to go anywhere. Easter Sunday for us was a quiet day spent watching a few unsuspecting souls, having decided to "take a ride up to check camp" from Barre, Montpelier or St. Johnsbury, trying to navigate the mud bog that was West Shore Road.  Most often they'd return within a few minutes, heading back to the main road without accomplishing their goal.  We learned not to invite guests for Easter dinner or accept invitations because more often than not the road would be next to impassable. 

In later years, the road was much better and at least twice we had guests on Easter Sunday and the ice went out - in 2006 at 3:20 p.m. and again in 2012 at 5:32 p.m.  That created a bit of excitement.  Of course there is the mandatory trip to check the clock right away and the phone call to locate the ticket, then the ticket holder, and finally the media.  "Frenzied" best describes those Easters.

There's no danger that will happen this year.  The pond is solidly

frozen, but the water level seems to be back to normal.  Fred and I checked it at Walter Ruf's waterfront this afternoon.  There are cracks in the ice, but it still has some life in it.  The forecast has no very warm weather in it, so it looks as if the ice will hold for at least another week or two.  There is a channel open in both the first and middle ponds, but the big pond is holding firm.  We could go into May on this one, I think.

Not much melting going on today, but the temperature did get up to about 45, so things have slowed down and flooding should recede somewhat.   This is the channel this morning - frozen over where there had been pools of water.  It was quite cold last night - in the teens again - but by noon, there were open spots again.  The big pond still seems to be very solidly frozen, however. 

 On one weather report today we heard the weather will be too cold for the next few days for sap to run and lots of sugar makers are giving up saying it's been a barely "average" crop and because it's getting late in the season they feel the weather will turn warm too quickly and that will taint the syrup.  That's in the Lake Champlain area, I expect; I think in our area it will may be another week or two before it's warm enough for the buds to start and thus taint the syrup.

We had a service call on our boiler this morning - this was the service man's assistant waiting in the truck.  His name is "Deet."  He's a weimaraner.  We didn't actually meet him, but he looks like a really nice dog.  Woody was very interested, and was the focus of Deet's attention when this picture was taken.  

We learned yesterday that Don Sherwood's brother, Bob, passed away on April 3.  He was 72.  Don and Diane's address is:  26 Kings Ln., Southhampton NY 11968.   I'm sure Don will appreciate hearing from friends at this sad time.

We aren't into real spring mode quite yet, it seems.  Today was warmer than yesterday, but tonight is going to be cold again.  The good news is that may give sugar makers a few more sap runs.

We had a young deer visit us this morning - she looked healthy but quite thin. It's nice to know the animals are beginning to move around.  Does will be dropping their young as soon as it gets a little warmer and then we'll perhaps see some of the little ones frolicking about.  I expect with the deep snow and bitter cold, the deer have had a tough winter.

Sue LaGue (Sandy Beach Road) was telling me yesterday about the wildlife that has visited them recently - a raccoon and a red fox were the most recent.  We have seen tracks in the recent snow, but I didn't go out to try to identify them.  I'm sure something is out there exploring our lawn just about every night; it was pure accident Fred happened to notice the deer this morning.
 
Helen Morrison has asked me to remind everyone about the big fund raising event planned  for May 4th at North Church in St. Johnsbury.  Click on this poster to make it large enough to read easily.  All proceeds benefit the Kingdom Animal Shelter.

I have a request from Sabina Walsh for someone to help her with jewelery or bead crafts this summer.  Sabina will be at the family cottage on Clubhouse Circle with her father.  If you have experience in crafting in beads or jewelery, or know someone in the area who does, please  get in touch with Sabina: sabinawalsh@hotmail.com

We were back in winter most of today.  There was a little warmth to the sun this afternoon, and a few bare spots showed up, but the wind was bitterly cold and tonight the temperature is going to be in the teens.  That will slow down the melting/flooding, but it may also do some damage if it freezes around docks or boat houses.  We can't do much about it - just hope the water recedes gradually so things don't get torn apart.

I have to say, it was a little discouraging to find everything white this morning.  We were warned we'd get snow - we're "the higher elevations" for sure; but we've had enough winter, and that short taste of spring was such a teaser, it takes a strong constitution not to run screaming down the muddy roads protesting the insult of more snow.  This was the scene from my office window this morning.  Sharon on WCAX weather tonight said we've had a complete seasonal changeover in the past four days - from winter to spring to summer and today back to fall.  From the high 70s to overnight lows in the low 20s is quite a spread.  Add to that the wind, and the weather qualifies as "wicked cold."

The pond is up about a foot, I'm guessing - perhaps a bit more.  There will be more flooding as the 2-3 inches of snow we got last night begins to melt in earnest.  There's quite a bit of open water in both the smaller ponds, but that will likely freeze over at least temporarily again tonight.  

Water is gushing over the dam full tilt, but the opening just isn't wide enough to keep up with all the water that's coming into the pond from the hillsides.  Fred and I were at the dam this morning and Fred got pictures which I've put into a slide show.  The north wind was so cold we didn't linger long in West Danville.  That's not news to the folks who live there or come to the store and post office.  People who stopped ran clutching their coats and holding their hats to get to the store as quickly as possible.  Leaving required bending into the wind to keep one's balance and squinting against the stinging snow blowing off roofs and down the highway.  I think the wind chill was close to zero.  Not a lovely spring day by any stretch of the imagination.

 Just like it was forecast, our weather got nasty today.  We've had a lot of rain, wind, and tonight it's spitting snow.  Measurable snow predicted - something like three inches possible here.  

Early this morning it was still mild outside and I awoke to birds chirping.  It wasn't raining here then, and apparently this little bird was very happy to be back from wherever.

The warm weather yesterday took most of the snow off the hillsides, and water was running in sheets under the patches of snow left on the hill in back of our house, all pouring into the pond. I took these pictures early this morning, and you can see that there was a lot of water in the channel coming into the pond even then, before the rain began.  There was also water on the ice. 

Jack LaGue (Sandy Beach Road) sent this comment about the ice this weekend:

I walked out on the ice just south of the small island last Saturday afternoon and chatted with someone who was ice fishing. They indicated that the ice was still about 2' thick. 

I don't think it would be safe to walk on the ice now. This afternoon the temperature began to drop and there was heavy rain.  There are reports of threatening high water on roads in the area and lakes and ponds are expected to rise above flood level in the next couple of days.  I just looked out and our deck has about a quarter inch of snow on it, and the temperature is just below freezing, still headed downward.  That should slow down the runoff and perhaps prevent serious flooding - but there will still be high water.  

 

I'm listening to the scanner tonight and just heard an emergency call; a vehicle is stalled in high water on Pudding Hill and the occupants are trapped in the vehicle and asking for help from the Lyndonville Fire Department.  Help is on the way.  Road crews will no doubt be busy tonight - many are on flood watch along flood-prone highways.

Tomorrow I'll probably have some snow pictures for you!  No surprise there, I guess.  This has been a year for quick-change weather and surprises.  Just because it's supposed to be spring doesn't mean we'll have anything close to normal spring weather - just more giant swings.  Which may be the new normal.

Such a gorgeous day!  We got up to 70 degrees this afternoon, but not for long.  Even the wind was warm, except on the pond when it was blowing across the ice.  Diane, Fred and I met with WCAX right after lunch to do an interview about Ice-Out, and it was chilly on Rossi's deck.  They also talked with Jane Larrabee at the store, and it will be on tonight's news, Nick Borelli said, unless there is some unexpected disaster or something that takes precedent. Fred will post it on home page later tonight, too.  Fred took pictures - from left to right is me, Nick Borelli (weatherman), Shelley Holt Allen operating the camera, and Diane. 

There has been a lot of melting today - we could fairly hear the snow melting away, and could certainly hear the water running off the hillsides.  The pond is high, and with rain expected tonight, will only get higher.  On Thursday when we stopped by Diane's to pick up some mail, their lawn was deep with snow and we were wondering how best to get to the front of their house when the television crew came; but today we had bare ground on both sides of the house, and no problem with snow at all.  The pond still looks pretty solid, but I imagine today's hot sun will have a huge impact on it.

We'll keep you posted on the melting progress - with heavy rain expected tomorrow, there will be more changes, I'm sure.

I just learned that the little dog, Jenny, has a new home.  Helen Morrison says:  Jenny now has a new home, a home that understands her wonderful challenges and her loving personality and loyalty.  It is very good news.

If you remember, Jenny is an older dog and her owner is moving across the country and couldn't take her beloved dog with her.  It is great that Jenny can be content in a good home.  It's a big relief for everyone concerned.

Today has been another lovely spring day - not too warm, and with a little overnight rain.  There was a lot of wind, and the water is running off the hills into the pond at a good clip.  We took a walk along Sandy Beach Road today and there are definite signs that there is melting going on, even though the pond still looks pretty solid.  This is a picture of the brook that runs into the pond between Parizo's and Ricker's - the upper side, and then below the road.  It is not at flood stage, but there is a lot of water there.

There's still quite a bit of snow in the fields and although the pond is beginning to get a little darker, there isn't much water showing along the shoreline yet.  The channel is open much further down than it has been, and there seems to be some flooding up there.  We are expecting tomorrow to be a very warm day and I think there may be more rain before we get another cold spell that will slow things down again. 


I haven't heard how the sugar makers have been doing, but it 

seems as if they should have had a few days with good runs.  The tree buds certainly haven't started in our area, although my daffodils at the south end of the house are up three or four inches and looking good.  It's really nice to see some bare ground.  This robin was happy to find a little strip of grass along the side of the road a few days ago; today we saw lots of them on new bare spots in the field by Morgan's and along Sandy Beach Road.  The crows are having loud meetings as they search for proper nesting spots, too.  There's a lot more going on in the past few days - we just hope the weather doesn't turn bitterly cold and stay that way too long.

Important Notice

I've just had a call from Rep. Kitty Toll to let us know there will be a meeting regarding the Shoreline Bill H.526 this Monday at 7 p.m. at the Danville Town Hall.  Sen. Rogers, who has been working on this bill in committee, will be on hand to answer questions.  The meeting is open to the public and anyone interested in finding out more about how this bill may or may not impact property on Joe's Pond, should attend.

Today has not been "spring like" at all.  We had snow flurries this morning, along with a few glimpses of sunshine.  By noon the snow clouds had mostly cleared but the wind was ferocious, right out of the Canadian north, and even though the temperature was in the 40's, it seemed a lot colder than that.  Because it wasn't as warm as yesterday, the melting slowed and that gave the ground a chance to settle and absorb better and may help prevent flooding (and mud!)

Here is an interesting fund-raising event for Kingdom Animal Shelter in St. Johnsbury.  Click on the poster to enlarge it.

Also, do you remember Jenny, the cute little dog that needs a new home because her present owner is moving and can't take her along?  Well, she hasn't been adopted yet, and we're hoping there is someone, somewhere who would love to have a quiet, mature best friend to keep them company.  Jenny doesn't bark, has manners, and will need someone to love her after her present mistress leaves.  She was rescued several years ago and has been a loyal friend but now faces being left behind and perhaps having to go to a kennel at least temporarily if a home isn't found for her.  That would be sad.  She's a sweet little lady, and we hope someone will recognize her potential as their new BFF and get in touch with Becky - 802-684-1092.

As for the Ice-Out Contest, we think all the tickets coming by regular mail are probably here.  Henretta still has plenty left to log in, so we won't have an actual count for a few more days, at least, but it looks as if the split will be well over $5,000 this year.  We suspect lots of folks who made early guesses came back for more tickets once they realized the weather was being stubborn about letting spring arrive.  The ice still looks very solid, but there may be some soft or thin spots that make it unsafe.  That said, there were some fishermen out there on Monday . . . I trust they know what they are doing.

 

 

We're getting the rain we were promised.  That's both good and not so good.  Good that we're actually seeing melting going on and the snow pack is getting less deep, but not so good for snow sports and sugar makers.  This will hurry the melting process on the pond, so we may not have ice into June after all; and it will be good to see some bare ground.  I was able to get a picture of the channel as it is opening up - each day the scene will change, but open water on the pond is still some time away.

Until now our roads have been very good, going towards Route 2, but today a sink hole (not really very big) opened up at the end of our driveway where the mail carrier swings in for the three mail boxes.  We've notified the Town of Cabot, and I'm sure it will get fixed soon, but with this rain, they will have other roads and problems to attend to, so it may be a few days. 

It's 44 degrees, but very little sunshine today.  Just rain.  In the Burlington area they reported thunder and lightning last night.  We surely didn't get anything like that, although the wind was blowing quite strongly during the night.

There's no doubt that spring is here! 

We've had a very nice spring day with temperatures nicely in the high 40's for a while.  Actually, it hasn't cooled down all that much tonight, so far, and that isn't going to be good for the sugar makers.  We're getting a little rain tonight - old timers are saying that will help bring out the frost from the road so it won't be so muddy.  I don't know - it may depend on how much rain we get whether it's good or not so good for the back roads.  Today West Shore Road was very good.  A few puddles along the way, but no muddy ruts except on the Danville end, right before the apron onto Route 2.

I saw the first real indicator that the pond is finally giving in to spring - the channel is opening.  I can see there are open spots closer to the tressel bridge, but nothing open on the lower end near the pond yet. I tried to get a picture late this afternoon, but the light wasn't good enough, so I'll see if I can get one tomorrow.  I think we'll have some rain tomorrow, and then maybe a little snow on Wednesday, so that will slow things down, perhaps especially if it gets much colder.  

I heard some geese on Saturday, and again today, so they are looking for open water.  I think they will just keep going; we have nothing to offer them here.  I believe I also saw a robin on West Shore Road when I was heading out around noon.  It was near Barre Avenue and I didn't get a good look, but I was pretty certain  by the way it flew up from the side of the road it was a robin.  There is just a little bare ground showing, and probably at least a few worms are coming up to the surface.

I noticed in the newspaper there is a Spring Snow Goose Harvest hunting permit available in Vermont now - since 2009, actually.  Hunters can get a free permit to shoot up to 15 snow geese per day.   The pesky geese we've endured here at Joe's Pond are Canada Geese, and fall is the only time hunting them is allowed.  Perhaps eventually there will be a spring harvest season on them, too, as their numbers increase and they become more bothersome.  For now, we can only hope our late spring will mean most nesting geese will have moved on to find open water and we may not have too many visitors this year.

I'm guessing lots of folks are happy to see that the flag is out and the clock is running!  Thanks to yesterday's group, Larry, his helper Michelle and Fred (pictured) and Diane with all her cameras, gadgets and computer know-how, we feel the pressure is off and all we can do now is wait for open water. 

Don't forget that you need to use Internet Explorer as your browser when you want to access the webcams.  Just go to our website as you normally wood (using IE) and click on Ice Out Webcams.

Here's a note from Homer:
 

HI JANE AND ALL,

    THANKS FOR KEEPING US POSTED AS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE ICE-OUT.          WE WILL HOPE THE WINNER IS RIGHT ON THE DAY AND THE MINUTE.  AND MAYBE SOMEONE CLOSE TO JOE'S POND ASSN.

    WE MISS YOU ALL.

                                    HOMER AND MARGARET

 
We are in melting mode again today, with sunny breaks and gusty winds that help with the melting. It seems it will be a slow and fairly gentle process that may not release torrents of water into the lakes and rivers to cause flooding.  Also, the wind may help keep the back roads from getting too soupy - it tends to dry things out better than if we just have really warm sunshine causing a quick melt.  In a perfect world, this is the way spring will continue - slow and easy; but I'm thinking this is a March-April rather than an April-April, so we could have some surprises still in store.  Like another snowstorm . . .or two . . .

As for the Ice-Out, we still have lots of behind-the-scenes work to do while we wait for the clock to stop.  Henretta is slaving to get literally stacks of tickets into her spreadsheet while Diane and I are figuring out the financial end of things - gathering all our expense records and tallying the deposits so we'll have confirmed dollar results by the time we need them.  At least this year there appears to be no need to panic like in 2012.  We have at least a two week grace period left, maybe more, before the clock will stop.  I know lots of folks chose May dates and times, and even more chose very late April.  As usual, there have been a few who chose March, but probably they either made their choice very early or didn't follow the weather pattern here this year.  For us, every guess is a good one as each one boosts the contest to what we hope will be a record year for tickets sold.

This was a day of mixed weather - a little misty rain, some snow showers - pretty typical April weather, I suppose.  We were able to get the pallet out onto the ice with no trouble at all.  It went very smoothly today.  The clock is running and now all we need is for the ice to begin to melt.  I took some pictures of the setting-up  process and made a slide show so you can see some of what goes on.  I didn't get Larry hauling the pallet through the snow onto the ice, nor Diane slogging through the snow to the garage to find No. 10 fishline, but I did get Larry hitching things together and Fred and Diane getting the clock set properly.  Click here for the slide show.

We were surprised that there was hardly any snow on the ice at all.   That's hard to imagine when there's been up to three feet of snow at my stake until very recently, and there's still plenty on the ground - just not on the ice.  I'm thinking the wind must keep the pond swept free of snow.  Fred took snowshoes because we thought it would be easier going on the ice, but he didn't need them at all.  Once they crossed the lawn and got on the ice, it was good and solid - still about 24 inches, according to last report.  We're confident the ice will finally be diminishing rather than increasing now we're getting more seasonal weather.

It was very pretty early this morning.  Everything had a thin coating of ice and there was a little mist or fog in the air.  When I went out to collect the rain gauge, there was about a quarter inch of slush on the deck - that was all that was left of whatever snow we'd had overnight.  I noticed the overnight low was in the range of 26 degrees, and it was above freezing most of the day, but still snowing off and on, so everything was dripping slush.

After the warm day yesterday, we lost another couple inches of snow pack.  This is my stake in the back yard this morning - reading 20 inches left on the ground.  Those 20 inches are honey-combed and gradually turning into water as long as there are above freezing temps - slowly seeping into the ground, we hope, to replenish the water table.

My anemometer was solidly frozen in place until mid morning.  I got this picture at around 9 a.m. when I was measuring precipitation in the rain gauge.  Last night there was a lot of wind, but I couldn't get a reading.  Tonight it's much calmer and 30 degrees; the anemometer is showing a WNW wind of about 6 mph.  And that's the news and weather from here!

April Fool's Day is over with - I hope not too many of you were fooled by some practical joker.  I always wondered about the reasoning behind the term "practical joke."  Since everything is explained on the internet, I Googled my question, and sure enough, got a very practical explanation:  To accomplish jokes successfully takes "practice" - thus, "practical joke."  So, with all that joking stuff behind us, I'll continue with more serious blogging.  (By the way, I got a few responses to my April 1st post about updating W. Shore Road, one was, "Happy April Fool's Day to you, too!)  

Along with it being April Fool's Day, April 1st was also the last day Ice-Out tickets could be sold.  It was hectic here with phone calls and e-mails wanting last-minute instructions and even one or two  pleas for extensions; however, we remain steadfast that rules are rules and we stick to 'em.  

Yesterday Diane went west to retrieve tickets; I went east - more or less.  I do Cabot, Walden and St. J., Diane does Danville, W. Danville, Barre and connects with Don Walker who takes care of Montpelier.  We have a system, by golly!  Mostly everything is in, but there's still some counting to do, but by the end of the week everything that's coming in the mail (mailed on or before April 1st) should be here, and Diane and I can take a breather.  Henretta, however, will be entering the information on her spreadsheet for another week or two at least, I'm guessing.  It is a really boring job, and we urge her to take frequent breaks, especially during these recent warm days.  Her latest report was that she'd input 5,000.  However, I picked up over 1,000 yesterday, and Diane will have lots from the Barre/Montpelier area. The internet tickets are in a pre-set  format designed by Fred so it will fit Henretta's spreadsheet without her needing to type all of those. This year internet sales seem to be up, and perhaps regular tickets may not be quite as many, but it's still much too early to know for certain.  

We're really proud of the help we've had from lots of members and friends of Joe's Pond, and of course the "vendors" - businesses who agree to sell tickets for us.  Without all of them, our fireworks would be a few sparklers and a couple strings of firecrackers.

Yesterday we got an e-mail from Homer:
 

HI -                                                                    APRIL 2, 2014

    YES, I DID HAVE A SMALL HEART ATTACK MONDAY MORNING ABOUT 4:00 A.M.      WOKE UP MY BED PARTNER AND CALLED 911.      THEY TOOK ME TO SARASOTA AS VENICE HOSPITAL HAD NO EMPTY BEDS.     BILL AND CAROL CHASE TOOK MARGARET UP.     THEN STAN AND JUNETTA CAME UP AND DROVE HER HOME.    SURE GREAT TO HAVE GOOD FRIENDS IN THE AREA.     TOOK BLOOD, MANY TESTS, AND A CAUTERIZATION (??)     CUTE NURSES AND DOCTOR ALSO.     WITH ALL THE TUBES, ETC., ON MY BODY AND ARMS I DID NOT GET MUCH  SLEEP.                        

    MARGARET DROVE BACK UP THIS MORNING AND BROUGHT ME HOME ABOUT 4:45 THIS AFTERNOON.

HAD A COUPLE MORE TESTS TODAY AND ALSO AN E K G ON MY NECK TO CHECK CAROTID ARTERIES.    ALL THESE RECORDS WILL BE SENT HOME TO DR. YORRA.      ALL IS WELL AND I WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE WITHIN A WEEK.    WATCH MY DIET.     WALK A LITTLE MORE.     MY  KNEE WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT.    ALSO HAVE A COUPLE NEW MEDS.     CAN STILL SIT IN THE SUN AND THERE IS A LOT OF IT.

    THANKS FOR THE CALLS AND NOTES FROM THOSE WHO HEARD ABOUT THIS SO SOON.

                LOVE AND BLESSINGS,

                                        HOMER AND MARGARET

 We are glad this was apparently not too serious - but it's a warning, still, and scary.  I'm betting Margaret will be watching closely what's on Homer's plate from now on, and we'll hear that they're taking "walks in the sun" instead of "sitting in the sun."  Seems to me Homer used to walk from his home at Joe's Pond to West Danville and back nearly every morning a few years back.  Anyway, take care, Homer - glad you're ok.

If you would like to send a message to Homer, his Florida address is:  789 Baveno Dr., Venice FL 34285.  I'm sure he'd enjoy hearing from friends.

Our weather here is continuing to mimic spring in that it's warmish (34 degrees) and there are some sunny moments today, but not like yesterday when it got into the 40's and the sun was dazzling.  Brooks feeding into the pond are just beginning to show signs of opening up.  If the prediction is correct, our weather will be a messy mix of rain and snow likely by Saturday.  I looked at the extended forecast (and I mean REALLY extended!) and it seems like the kind of weather we should have been getting in March.  However, we'll take it and be happy to have a fairly gradual warming up process so there won't be severe flooding.  In spite of the sunshine yesterday, the snow pack at my stake was down only about an inch, now at 23 inches.
I haven't tested to see if there's still that nice crust we could walk anywhere on.  I hope this long stretch of somewhat milder weather will help the sugar makers, too.  

Nobody's thinking "early spring," that's for sure.  We've seen lots of Ice-Out tickets with May dates this year.  There have been only seven times the ice has held into May, the last was 2007, and before that, 2001, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1992, and 1989. There is a trend.