We're in the home stretch now!  Only one day left to get your tickets in - or buy and pay on line until midnight tomorrow, April 1st.   I can say that pretty confidently because tonight's pictures sent by Diane Rossi don't look that much different than this morning's - or last night's, for that matter.  I'm guessing we won't have to call the contest early after all.  With the weekend turning to sudden winter, it may take a few extra days for the block to sink and stop the clock. We'll see what happens.
  

 We have had a warmish day, but not a lot of sunshine.  There was a strong south wind that made it seem a lot colder than the 50 degrees that showed up on the thermometer.  We had a little rain, too, but that didn't amount to much.  Warmer tomorrow with a few showers and possibly a thunder storm.  Typical April Fool's weather, I guess - but the real April Fool's will be on Saturday when we return to winter.

No change in evidence this morning at the site of the block & flag.

 


















There is no sunshine yet, as you can see, and the lowest the temperature went last night at our house was 38 degrees.  It sure looks as if everything is holding in place, but we don't know what is or has been going on underneath the ice.  Given that we never had more than 20 inches of ice on the pond this year (by all accounts), there hasn't been a lot of ice to melt.  That said, we have alternately melted and then frozen the top surface, often adding a new surface of rain water that froze - so many times it seems as if it has happened weekly.  So all of this has added more confusion to judging the quality and depth of the ice this year.  

The fact remains there is only today and tomorrow before the close of the contest, so if you haven't made your best guess yet, better think seriously about getting it in.  Get your tickets in the mail so they will be postmarked on or before April 1, or purchase 10 on line - that option is open until midnight, April 1st. 

We'll keep pictures posted regularly - Diane has been super diligent about getting those to us.  Once the deadline of midnight on April 1 is past and if the clock hasn't stopped, we will have the cameras on again so you can watch until the block sinks and disconnects the clock.  The cameras were turned off because we feared the block might sink, stopping the contest before the April 1st deadline for tickets to be in, and we want to keep the contest fair.  We are reminded of all the years before we had the webcams when we were checking the clock twice daily by truckin' over to Homer's deck.  There were dozens of people who watched it closely back in those days because it was set up just off the fishing access.  Now it isn't quite as public, being off the West Shore, and it's nice to have the cameras so more people can watch.  We thank Bill and Diane Rossi for making the webcams available to us.

As nail biter Ice-Out years go, this one is up there near the top, for sure.  Tickets are a hot item at Hastings Store in West Danville, and I have replenished the St. Johnsbury outlets, Caplan's Army Store, St. Jay Hardware, Natural Provisions, and Thurston-Dimick Auto, so they have not only sold lots of tickets, but they should have enough to carry them through today and tomorrow until close of business.  The stores in Cabot and Walden have plenty of tickets, and Diane has kept the Barre outlets well stocked; Don Walker took a ton of tickets and as far as we know his outlets in Montpelier are well supplied.  We have kept Terry Powers at, Natural Provisions in Williston, supplied since weeks before Christmas.  And our individual members have sold literally hundreds of tickets.  We can't tell yet whether this year will be bigger than last year's record number of 15,086 tickets sold, and it will take some time for us to collect all of them and for Henretta to get them all logged in, but we're all working at top speed now and will keep you posted on ice conditions and ticket sales as time goes on.  This is the really fun part of the Ice-Out Contest, and the most interesting for all of us.

No real change in the block this morning:

 



















We have sunshine, but it's gone from bright to hazy, the temperature was in the 20's last night and now, about 11 o'clock, it's 37 degrees.  We're expecting warmer weather, some rain and wind tomorrow, but nobody can tell if that will have a big or very little effect on the ice.  The night temperature will not be below freezing tonight and Friday, but this weekend temperatures are going to plummet, possibly into the single numbers above zero.  Hard to imagine?  You bet, but that's what the weathermen are predicting.  We aren't putting away our earmuffs and mittens just yet here at Joe's Pond.

Here's what the set up looked like tonight:

 

















We've had a good deal of sun today, but the temperature has remained just a little above freezing.  There was a really cold north wind that cleared the ice from the middle pond during the day, according to Larry Rossi.  You can see that here in the big pond nothing has changed.  That's a good sign for the ice to hold until the end of the contest on April 1st, but tomorrow and especially Thursday, we're heading into another warming trend with some rain again; then into a real deep freeze over the weekend.  Larry says we'll be "making ice" this weekend.  What a fickle winter this has been!  

According to the news tonight, towns in Vermont have spent far less money on snow removal, salt and sand this year than normal.  Even schools have had only one or two "snow days" which were actually "ice days" when the roads were too dangerous with ice for buses to travel safely to pickup the children.  The schools will close earlier than usual this spring because they won't have to make up as many snow days. 

The sugaring season has been unusually good, which is a little surprising; and not only that, someone recently told me the quality of the syrup is excellent.  We're still being lucky with mud season on West Shore Road, but that's not the case on all roads in Cabot or other towns.  I strongly suspect we still have a doozie of a mud season awaiting us - especially if the temperature on Thursday hits near 70 degrees as is forecast.  We will likely be "saved" when it freezes up over the weekend, but that will be short lived, no doubt, and only prolong the misery.



I just got an e-mail from Bob LaBrie who runs the Ice-Out Contest

in Goshen, MA that was patterned after ours.  Bob said the clock stopped at their Hammond Pond on March 11, at 12:58 A.M. - more than a week earlier than the previous earliest date of March 19, 2012.  Theirs is still a small contest, having sold a total of 849 tickets, which is down from last year's sales and the lowest amount they've sold since their beginning in 2005.  I guess it's that kind of year when the weather was just too crazy for some people to hazard a guess.  In short, chalk it up to El Nino.   The top picture was taken on March 9; the bottom picture was taken on March 12, the day after the clock stopped.  I guess the water isn't very deep at that spot.  We were glad to hear from Bob again this year.  We've kept in touch ever since they got their contest set up.

 
We don't know yet if our ticket sales will be significantly down.  We always have a rush for tickets in the last few days before the close of the contest on April 1st, and that will probably be the same this year.  We should be taking bets on whether the ice will hold up until the April 1st midnight deadline . . . !  Maybe next year, along with an "Ice-In Contest" in the fall.  We still haven't figured out how to do that, but maybe someone will come up with a good idea.

Here are comparison pictures of the Ice-Out setup:


These were taken yesterday at about 6 p.m.



 




These were taken this morning at about 7:30. 






Click to make them larger.



Winter has returned for a day or so, and that will likely prolong the ice melting process and save our contest (we hope) to carry it through until midnight, April 1st.   However, the forecast has more 60 degree weather on Thursday with rain and wind, as well.  That could do significant damage to the ice, but I'm beginning to think we could still make it to the April 1st deadline.  Get your tickets in to any of our outlets or put them in the mail - just in case!

We're singing that old ditty, "Rain, rain go away, come again some other day," and keeping our fingers crossed that it turns cold and keeps the block and flag up for another four days.  These photos were taken this morning by Diane Rossi a little before 9 a.m., and when I went by at about 1 o'clock, it looked exactly the same.  The rain has been pretty steady most of the day, but it's barely above freezing, so any melting is happening very slowly.  The first two ponds still have plenty of ice in them, and there is really not much open water in the big pond except for around the edges next to the shoreline.  We'll keep you posted.

Our son, Bill, who lives in Waterford, goes by Stiles Pond just east of St. Johnsbury every day and he called today to say that pond is open as of this afternoon.  It wasn't open early this morning, but the rain apparently did in the ice. In the past, it has been about a week after Stiles Pond is free of ice before our block sinks.  However, as I've said numerous times before, this is no ordinary year and anything can happen - and probably will.  Right now (a little before 6 o'clock) it seems to have stopped raining.  The temperature is supposed to drop, I believe and we may get some snow overnight into tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

This pretty fellow was hunting critters in our back yard early this morning. 

I can only guess what Easter breakfast was!  I'm glad Woody was still safely sleeping inside.  That is frost on the grass - well below freezing last night, and there's lots of low lying clouds so far this morning.  There may have been a visible Easter sunrise in places, but not spectacular over Joe's Pond.

BULLETIN

The weather this year has been very unusual and there is a possibility the block will sink and stop the clock before the April 1st close of the contest.  We want to keep the contest fair for everyone, therefore the web cams will be turned off as of Sunday, March 27.  If the block is still up after the official close of the contest at midnight on April 1st, the web cams will be turned back on so you can watch to the finish.  This has been an extraordinary year and the Ice-Out Contest committee is making every effort to keep the contest running smoothly to give as many people as possible a chance to be part of the game.  However, if the block sinks and the clock stops before midnight, April 1st., the contest will end at that moment - no more tickets will be sold or accepted.

Although we have no idea how the next few days of warm weather will affect the ice melting process, we urge everyone to get their tickets in to either one of the official ticket outlets listed or get them in the mail as soon as possible in order to be part of the contest.  We hope the ice holds until midnight, April 1st, but it may not, for the first time ever, so don't wait too long to get your pick to us.  If you have questions, e-mail me, janebrown@fairpoint.net, or Diane Rossi at dmbrossi@aol.com.

 We got an inch of snow last night so it looked very wintery here today.  The temperature didn't get much above freezing, and it's about 25 degrees tonight.  The block looks pretty solid so far, but that could change this weekend.  We'll be watching it closely.  We took this picture late yesterday afternoon.  Click on the picture to make it larger.


Today our 4-year old granddaughter, Tangeni, spent the afternoon with us.  We tried to make Easter eggs out of jello - I had a mold that came with something I bought years ago and had never used; never threw it away, either - these odd items almost always come in handy eventually.  However, even after waiting all afternoon to test it, the jello didn't seem to be setting well, so I stuck the mold in the freezer and then sent it home with her with instructions to put it in the freezer for a day or so.  She liked mixing the jello and pouring it into the little holes to fill the mold, and then sipped the still-warm leftover cherry jello solution.  I think that was a first for her.  I love liquid jello, and so did she.  Well, to be honest, I like jello in any form and almost any flavor.  I don't have it often, but I get kidded a lot about having molded gelatin fruit salads nearly every time the family gathers for a meal at our house. It's colorful and good for your fingernails, so I say enjoy it, sugar and all.

After the jello was in the fridge to set, we decided to make an Easter bunny mask; and that turned into two masks because Tangeni wanted to make one for her dad.  He's a good sport and she was delighted when he put it on.  She had actually done a really good job cutting out the pattern herself and had pasted the cotton ball fur on the first one, but lost interest in the second mask, so Grandma finished it up.  We wanted to be sure Daddy had his.

We happened to be outside cutting pussy willows - also a new experience for her - when her dad came to pick her up, and she was wearing her bunny mask the whole time.  We got her stuff all packed up and they left, both wearing their bunny masks.  I'm sure Bill took his off before he got very far down the road. He called shortly after leaving to tell us Tangeni was fast asleep in her car seat.  She (and we) had a big day - and of course so did Woody.
Tangeni still loves him dearly, and I think he knows it and loves her in return, but he does get tuckered - and even though there were things left on his bed that had no business being there, he managed to catch a few winks after his friend had left.  After I took the picture, I cleared the stuff off so he could stretch out and enjoy the quiet.  I sort of wished I could do the same, but we were hungry and food always takes precedence in my mind.  Eat first, sleep later.  We'll have fun for several days quoting Tangeni - she comes up with some really interesting questions - and answers.  A big topic today was whistling.  She produces a good strong one-note whistle that totally confused Woody.  When he's outside, Fred often whistles for him and when he comes he gets a treat.  He responded to Tangeni's whistling, but then there was no treat.  

We just had a call from Walter Ruf in Nokomis, Florida, to let us know his neighbor and good friend, Pat Karnady, passed away last night.  Pat had been seriously ill for some time.  She and her husband, George, were active members of Joe's Pond Association for many years when they owned a cottage on West Shore Road.  They sold their cottage and moved to Florida in about 2003, leaving many friends here at Joe's Pond, but have always kept in touch.  

To send condolences to George and family, the address is:
647 Signorelli Dr., Nokomis FL 34275; or phone, 941-918-1503.  

Our thoughts are with George and the family, and their many friends who will miss Pat very much.  

Another pretty "normal" late March day - kinda sunny, kinda windy, and kinda too cool to melt much.  We think we've detected a bit of a list to the block as it sits on the ice, but perhaps not.  Hard to tell.  We've had a few snowflakes in the air off and on during the day, and tonight we are likely to get more - perhaps enough to measure.  We'll see.  In the meantime, the wind is making it seem colder than the 35 degrees I'm seeing on my thermometer; not a good idea to put away the winter jackets quite yet. 

Henretta and her new companion, "Oreo," came to pick up Ice-Out tickets this afternoon.  We hadn't met Oreo, but we'd heard a lot about her.  She is a cutie, for sure.  She was surprised to be met at the door by Woody, our cat.  Henretta said she suspects Oreo had never seen a cat before.  Woody was about the same size, or maybe a little larger than Oreo, but that didn't dampen the little dog's enthusiasm.  Oreo very much wanted to play and did a jumping-jack yipping routine, but Woody, being very much the elderly gentleman at this stage, sat back and contemplated the bouncing dog with interest, but wasn't about to engage.  Woody is used to much bigger dogs and seemed a little confused about the animal that smelled like a dog, but that probably looked more like a cat to him.  However, he apparently knew it wasn't a cat, for he was comfortable having Oreo in the house, and he definitely would not have accepted a cat coming into his house.

We were interested that Oreo liked chasing the little red dot that we got as a toy to entertain Woody.  But for her it only lasted a few moments befpre she had figured out what she was chasing was really in Fred's hand.  

Woody hasn't figured that out yet - and probably won't.  However, after being unable to catch or feel the red dot he's been chasing for a while, he's smart enough apparently to realize it's a lost cause, so he simply lies down and ignores it.  It still captures his attention for short periods of time, but I think he has a short memory span, and also attention deficit.  It isn't like chasing a mouse or squirrel, for sure, and it's hard to teach an old cat new tricks.

Here's a video you'll be interested in seeing - a drone flight over Joe's Pond taken a couple days ago, according to Jack LaGue.  As Jack mentioned - it's too bad it doesn't show any of the big pond, as well.  Even so, it's pretty neat.  Thank you Jack for this link: VIDEO.

You may have seen on national news that a pair of bald eagles have chosen to nest in Washington, D. C. again this spring.  They have been named "Mr. President" and "The First Lady," and are busy overseeing the hatching of two eggs.  Web cams are set up 24/7, and you can read and watch by clicking above.

Seeing them reminded me of the osprey nest on the Maine coast that has a web cam; but it is too early for that pair, "Rachel" and "Steve," to return.  The information at that site has not been updated this spring, but the camera is turned on if you'd like to watch for them to return sometime in April. 

The ice here is holding together so far - we don't expect much very warm weather for the next several days, so we may have a normal end to the contest after all.  It's still hard to tell - one good rain storm pummeling the ice and brooks pouring warm water into the pond would make a big difference.  For now, today's temperature has been in the low to mid 30's, and last night was below freezing.  There's still a really cold wind out of the NE, and that keeps the air cold enough to prevent much melting.  Nights are going to be below freezing for the remainder of the week into the weekend, and days won't get above the low 40s, according to the forecast.  We may even get a little snow later this week.


We are in "spring mode" according to the calendar, but it really doesn't feel much like spring here at Joe's Pond.  Aside from the fact there is no snow, it's cold and raw, even with the sun shining; no soft breezes and I haven't heard a single frog peeping yet.  There have been geese, and probably a few ducks - Evelyn Richer usually reports these things to us, but she and Ray are really busy these days, so she hasn't had much time for e-mails.  I miss her ice and wildlife reports.  Being at the far end of the pond where the main channel flows in gives them a different perspective of how spring is progressing.  Perhaps Fred and I will walk down there tomorrow if it's not too blustery, and then I'll have an updated report for you.

 Locally, tickets are selling well.  We have lots of them still to come in - we think people are holding onto them as long as they dare in order to make a better guess, but we're still urging people not to wait too long because we want every ticket to count.  As of now, April 1st at midnight is the absolute deadline, but if the weather suddenly shifts and the clock stops before then, no more tickets will be sold or accepted as of when the clock stops.  As they say at the auctions, "Fair warning!"

The first day of spring, 2016, has been pretty nice here at Joe's Pond.  There is no snow, but plenty of ice on the pond, very little mud (but that could still change!), we had lots of sun but chilly temperatures.  Considering that it's still March, we can't complain.  I finally have daffodils poking through the leaves I mulched them with last fall.  Some were up five or six inches, but others haven't shown up at all yet.  I was going to take in my snow measuring pole from the back yard, but Fred warned me we might still have snow to measure, so I left it.  The deepest the snow got all winter at the measuring pole was eight inches and that was on Jan. 18.  I remember one year I'd only marked off the inches up to four feet and I think we may have topped that.  I now have the pole marked to five feet - like we'll ever see that much snow again with global warming!

We didn't walk up Jamie and Marie's hill today; instead, we walked on the road.  I think in some ways that's more of a workout than climbing the hill.  Even though we only went to Deeper Ruts Road, I was still glad to get back home.  We were actually looking for pussywillows, but didn't find any that were easy to reach on the roadside.  We have some by our mailbox and I'll cut some of them in a day or so.  I like to have a few each year.  They are such a nice sign of spring.

Another sign of spring was our neighbor working on his driveway, smoothing out the ruts and ridges left from winter driving and plowing.  His horses were intent on watching him and paid no attention to us at all.

 
The little brook that crosses under West Shore Road a little before Deeper Ruts Road was running much lower than usual for this time of year.  There is still some ice, but I was surprised there was so little water.  With no snow to melt, we may actually find water levels down everywhere this summer unless we get some soaking rain.  The storm that is headed for some of the coastal areas of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine is going to miss us, according to the forecast we saw tonight.  I don't think we'll throw away our snow shovels just yet, but if this kind of weather repeats itself next winter, we might have to say goodbye to lots of winter sports.

The ice is holding up pretty well.  We're thinking it will hold until after April 1st after all, but that's still just a guess.  There are still some folks who are skeptical.  The only thing we know for sure is that there's nothing "normal" about this year so we have to be prepared for anything.  Happy Spring!

Earth Hour tonight

This interesting notice came from Helen Morrison today:

Join the Earth Hour Movement

 Turn out your lights for Earth Hour on

Saturday, March 19

at 8:30 p.m.

and

show your commitment to a better future.

Helen said she has guests coming for dinner tonight and she is planning "desert by candlelight."  What a nice idea.  Take a look at the website for the Earth Hour Movement. 

 

We had about a half inch of snow on the ground this morning - but it didn't stay.  The day was beautiful and sunny, but the temperature stayed in the 30s or maybe low 40s and there was a really mean north wind that swept down the pond in a blast right out of Canada and the Arctic. In spite of that, the snow melted away, but during the afternoon we had flurries and tonight we will likely have more. The thermometer at 11 o'clock p.m. is reading 20 degrees.  That's ice-making temperature.

I talked with Ted Chase on North Shore Road this afternoon and he said the roads out his way are holding up very well.  He credits Danville road crew for improving them over recent years.  Mud season seems to kind of come and go this year.  Freezing back up helps to dry it out and lets the deep frost come out more gradually, so the mud doesn't get so bad.  I don't think West Shore Road has thawed much yet.  

Ted also said a fisherman he talked with about two weeks ago reported 20 inches of ice.  That was about the same time we'd had a report of 16 inches.  I'm sure it varies depending on the currents underneath. 

I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day yesterday.  I forgot what day it was.  How could that happen?  I totally missed out on  corned beef and cabbage washed down with green beer.  I'll have to make up for it some other time.  Right now I have to concentrate on Easter - ham and green eggs, of course.  In case you don't know how to create green eggs - all you need is a little blue food coloring.  Scramble the eggs with the food coloring - blue and yellow make green - looks like slime, tastes way better.  Kids love it.  

I like parsnips at Easter - it was tradition when I was growing up.  My dad used to dig them from the garden where they had over-wintered.  Usually there was enough snow so the ground wasn't solidly frozen - not sure it would work that way now, having had so little snow.  There was something about having them fresh from the garden that made them taste especially good.  I planted some and tried it once, but we had a lot of snow that year and I gave up digging and bought some in the store.  When I did dig them up a few weeks later after the snow had melted, they were just as good as I remembered.  And pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.  There, my Easter menu is all set.  

It's official.  I've become the old geezer that repeats herself over and over.  Fred just pointed out that I'd used the same photos from Tuesday in two consecutive posts.  So tonight I'll post some new pictures and will try not to repeat them.

We had a thunder storm and some rain that turned to hail this afternoon.  I got pictures of the marble-size hail stones.  Somewhere in the middle of the storm there was a very nice rainbow.  It was early in the afternoon, so the colors appeared low over the Walden hills above Route 15.  It was hard to see among the trees, and I almost gave up looking for one, but sure enough, it was there.  The hailstorm only lasted a few minutes, but the ground was white.  Most of the stones melted right away, but we may get some snow during the night.  The forecast is for our weather  to change so we'll get some "measurable snow" - too little, too late, but we are ok with the weather turning colder in order to keep the pond ice intact a few days longer, perhaps.  We'd really like to have a normal ending rather than one sneaking up on us before April 1st.  Diane was saying today that the block and flag look perfectly stable, like there has been no melting going on around it at all, but we know things are happening, even though we can't see any evidence of melting.

I was remembering that the clock has stopped twice on Easter Sunday - in April 16, 2006 and April 8, 2012.  Easter is earlier this year, March 27, so I don't think it will happen this year.  With colder weather, we're going to make it until April, I'm pretty sure.

We got a new toy for Woodie - one he can't chew and destroy.  Perhaps it's a little bit for us, too.  We were at Jamie and Marie's last weekend and Jamie showed us how both Otto (dog) and Rico (cat) react to a pin-point laser light.  Otto chased it with as much enthusiasm as Rico, and was a whole lot noisier about it.  He has a masterful bark!  Rico, on the other hand, was far quicker and more agile than Otto, and didn't hesitate to go under or over his big black friend to chase the dot.  We have been thinking Woody should get more exercise during the dull winter months, so when we were in St. Johnsbury earlier this week, we picked up a lazer pointer light.  Woody is far more dignified about chasing it than Rico, but does go after it, although he prefers to lie in wait for long periods in between bursts of chasing.  It could be a difference in hunting techniques - or just that he's older, heavier, and of far different temperament than feisty little Rico.  But it works to get him moving and keeps him (and us) entertained.  

Now he's stretched out on his rug beside my desk, keeping me company as I work on the computer.  It's an every-night ritual after he's satisfied it's too cold for him to be comfortable even in the garage, and gives up pestering to go out and knocking to come back in moments later.  That routine gets old really fast since I'm closest to the door and the one that answers his knock.  I've tried ignoring his pleas to be let out, but that doesn't work.  He persists until I shut him out of my office, and then he gets Fred to let him out, and because Fred is in the far end of the house, he usually doesn't hear the knock, so I'm still the door tender.  We think a nightly workout chasing the lazer beam may tucker him out and he'll forget about going in and out all the time.

Suzanne Masland sent this photo taken of the area near the east shore that was late freezing over.  She believes that area is going to open up sooner than the rest of the pond.  Makes sense - I'd think that ice would likely not be as thick as the rest that froze in sooner.

Some of you will remember Suzanne sent us a photo she took on January 2, 2016 of that same area; the pond didn't completely freeze over until January 5. These shots were not taken from exactly the same position on Edgewood, but you can see the open water in January in the bottom picture, and the difference in color of the ice in the top one taken today.  It will be interesting to watch as the ice melts.  I should mention that the Ice-Out Contest block and flag are on the opposite, or west shore, across the pond from where the open water was in January.  The west side had been frozen over for several days before the east side froze.  


Thanks to Suzanne for sending the photos.

 

It's spring in Philly

Andy Rudin sent this picture of his daffies in Philadelphia.  It won't be long before they are up around here, too, but it's always nice to see them wherever they are!  Thank you, Andy.

We've had a very nice day here, in the 50s most of the day - may have even reach higher during the afternoon when the sun was out.  It's clouding over now and the temperature will be dropping, I suppose, but no bitterly cold or snowy weather in the near future for us.  The two inches of snow we got earlier this week was pretty much gone the next day, and except for some upsets on highways, didn't cause any concern - in fact, it was really nice to look out at a completely white world - but then it was gone and we're brown again.

We're still urging people to get their ice-out tickets in as soon as possible.  While we believe the ice will hold until after April 1st, if we should get some very warm days, that could change, and any tickets that aren't in are invalid after the clock stops - whatever the date and time - the contest will be officially over as of then.  We're getting lots of tickets in every day, so we know people are paying attention to our messages.  You can always pick up another ticket or two later on if things hold together - just be sure to get them in by midnight April 1st, when the contest is definitely over.

The folks at Harvey's Lake didn't get their block out on the ice in time before it was too dangerous to be on the ice, so they have had to modify their contest.  This year they will have "spotters" around the lake who will report when there is open water and they will be 
declaring an official date and time according to those spotter's reports.  We had to get our block and flag out much earlier than usual, but it's there, sitting pretty, and our contest will proceed pretty much as any other year.  This picture was taken yesterday (Tuesday) from Rossi's boathouse deck while Fred and I were there for the interview with LSC's Tyler Cadorette, Channel 7 News.  Not all the snow had melted yesterday morning, so it looked pretty wintery; but today there is some water on the ice, but the block and flag are still secure.  We all know this contest is a real guessing game - there is no formula and no substantial scientific reasoning that can predict when the block will sink and the clock will stop.  It's purely a game of chance and completely up to the turns of the weather that can change without notice, altering the odds every day.  So good luck - your guess is as good as anyone else's!! 

We are in winter mode again.  A couple inches of snow on the ground - it's nice to see it white outside!!  This brief cold spell may slow down the melting process a little, although the earth is turning more towards the sun daily, so the warming process is going to be in place regardless of the weather, and there's still slow melting as the thermometer climbs into the 40s today.  

So far, the pond looks pretty normal for this time of year.  There is open water in the channel coming into the pond, but I haven't had a report as to how far beyond the head of the pond area there's open water, if there is any at all.  It still looks pretty solid behind the islands.  Stiles Pond in Waterford and Molly's Pond a mile south of Joe's Pond are both still frozen over, although there's a good bit of water around the edges, just like here.  We are expecting more warm days, but if I had to guess right now, I'd say it will be at least two weeks before things get really interesting.  I'm actually beginning to believe Larry Rossi was right in his prediction that the block won't go down before April 1st.

I was in Cabot last week, delivering Ice-Out tickets, and stopped in at Grandma's Country Thrift Store, next door to the hardware store.  Peggy Duke is great fun to talk with, and she has a great selection of really interesting items - antiques, collectibles and gently used clothing and household items.  I took some photos and made a slide show for you.  I didn't begin to find every interesting item in the three rooms full, but you will get an idea.  Fun place to spend some time.  Peggy said she has lots of kids' toys she hasn't put out yet. 

Fred and I just came back from meeting with Tyler Cadorette, a senior in the   Lyndon State College communications program, who did an interview with us about the Ice-Out Contest.  That will be on tonight, I think - here is the link (click here) so you can watch at 5:30 tonight, and Fred will put a link on the website so you can watch later, as well.  As you can see, the pond looks very solidly frozen over this morning.  We have a couple inches of snow on top of the ice, and there is a sharp southeast wind blowing off the ice toward Rossi's that made us really chilly doing that interview. 


Here is what the block and flag look like this morning - and below, a guardian 'gator watches over the process.

Tickets are moving fast now that we are in the last few days of the contest.  We are urging everyone to get their tickets in soon; even though right now it looks like winter and nothing is happening, we have 45 degrees on the thermometer, so things are still melting, and once the sun comes out, the snow will be gone in no time and there will be water on top of the ice and lots of warmish water flowing off the hillsides to melt the ice from underneath.  We wish everyone good luck - the fun thing about this contest is that it's so unpredictable.

We just want you to know there's something going on with GoDaddy, the host for paying for Ice-Out tickets on line, and whatever their problem is, it's preventing some people from being able to purchase tickets.  Fred has contacted GoDaddy and they say they know about and are working to solve the problem.  If you have a problem, try using a different browser.  Sometimes that seems to work.  Please be patient - these things usually get resolved pretty quickly.

In the meantime, we're going to see another beautiful spring day here, not quite as warm as yesterday, but it's now nearly 40 degrees, and that means the sap should run.  We're seeing open water in the channel coming into the pond, but there are still ice shelves in some areas where the flow isn't as strong.  There is no open water in back of the islands yet, and that usually shows up before the rest of the big pond opens up.  There is water around the edges of the islands and along the mainland shoreline, but there's still fairly solid ice in the big pond.  The two smaller ponds are showing quite a bit of open water.  

We'll keep you posted on ice conditions as well as the status of the on-line tickets. 

I hope you remembered to set your clocks ahead last night - we forgot, and I was surprised when I came to my computer and it showed 9 o'clock - I thought I was getting started on my day nice and early at 8 o'clock.  Oh, well, at least I wasn't late for an appointment or anything important.

I've just received this photo from Nancy Buttura (Old Homestead Rd.) of her son-in-law fishing on the ice this morning.  She reports he measured 16 inches of ice.  This is good news - we're hoping it will hold until April 1st, the official close of the Ice-Out Contest.

We just returned from taking tickets to the Stop-Inn Shop in Walden and to the Cabot general store, where they were running low on tickets, and we came home through Marshfield.  Molly's Falls Dam looks pretty solid, but Molly's Pond is beginning to look a little dark and there's lots of water on top of the ice everywhere.  It sure is an interesting year.

By the way, the north end of Brickett's Crossing Road is pretty bad, according to Howard Hatch, who we saw this morning.  We stayed on the hard surface of Route 15, 215 and came home by way of Route 2.  West Shore Road is still very good considering.

I forgot to mention last night that all the fishing shanties are off the ice now.  Wise fishermen!  It's really not safe out on the ice now - but I expect it was the ice pulling away from the shore that caused them to leave.  The last few days of warm weather left a lot of water on the ice and along the shoreline.  There are a few bits of junk frozen into the ice, as usual, left behind, but that happens every year as the fishermen abandon whatever has frozen into the ice.  This year there were so many freezes and thaws there could be literally layers of litter.  (Say that 10 times without stumbling!)

The temperature got below freezing last night, and that will slow down the melting a bit and also let the ground absorb some of the moisture from the rain we had earlier in the week.  Freezing weather helps the roads firm up a bit, too - it's like freeze drying.  As for the pond ice - we'll be watching Molly's Pond and Stiles Pond in Waterford.  The ice in those two ponds usually goes out a week or ten days before Joe's Pond does.  That said, this whole winter has been anything but usual, so the sequence of  local ponds being free of ice may be screwed up, too.

Have a great weekend - enjoy the REAL spring weather, set your clocks ahead, and be sure to get your Ice-Out tickets in to us soon.  

Today has been a bit colder than earlier in the week, but was still above freezing all day.  Tonight we're at about 25 degrees, and if it warms up tomorrow, there should be a sap run.  Today we had a cutting cold wind out of the north, so probably not much of a sap day.

Last night we were with some Joe's Pond friends, Bill and Diane Rossi, Don and Diane Sherwood and Fella and Nancy Buttura.  We had dinner at the Sherwood's - always a very enjoyable evening, and great food.  We were talking about the big boom lots of us heard last weekend - the Sherwoods weren't here then, but Diane Rossi said she had heard it, observed there was no hole in their house, so they calmly went to bed; Fred and I both jumped up and raced out onto the deck to see if there was any sign of an explosion anywhere on the pond then we called the state police; Nancy said she was pretty sure Fella fell out of his chair.  Fella denied it, but we all admit it was a really loud noise, and of course now we know it was a sonic boom caused by one of our Vermont Air National Guard planes on practice maneuvers.  We enjoyed meeting the very nice young state trooper, a native of Hardwick, who came to investigate.  I've heard older folks sometimes report strange things just so someone will visit them - that wasn't the case with us, we really thought there might have been a plane crash or one of our neighbors had an explosion of some kind.

The big topic of conversation last night as well as nearly everywhere we went this morning in West Danville and Danville, was about the ice and whether it would last until the close of the contest on April 1st.  Honestly, we don't know, but we do know that lots of people are hurrying to get their tickets in because they know that if the clock stops before April 1st, ticket sales will stop and we will not accept any that haven't already been turned in. 

Caplans Army Store in St. Johnsbury was sold out of tickets today and Hastings called this afternoon and had only six left - I can't tell you how many hundreds of tickets they've sold this year, but I do know I've taken several bundles of 100 to them in the past couple of weeks.  Not all have came back to us yet, and that has us a little worried - we don't want anyone to be left out of the game, and that will happen if the block sinks and the clock stops before April 1st and they haven't sent in their tickets or given them to one of our outlets.  So please make your best guess and get your ticket(s) to us, just in case the unthinkable happens and we have to cut the contest short.

Here's a report on ice conditions:  When we were in West Danville this morning, I noticed there is

open water in the narrows between the first two ponds reaching almost to opposite the beach (top picture).  Between the middle and third, or largest pond, the narrows are open well into the middle pond (second picture).

We think mud season has surely arrived - last night we got fairly mired in mud at the  Sherwood's, probably leaving Don with some mega ruts to fill in his parking area today - for which I apologize most sincerely.  With lots of arm waving and shouting directions, Don and Fella guided us out of the mud hole and onto more or less solid ground. Later in the evening we made it the rest of the way along Old Homestead Road without any problems - just lots of mud puddles and a few minor ruts; but along Routes 15 and 2 we were driving in very dense fog. When we turned onto West Shore Road, it was hard to see the mud holes because of the fog, but the road itself is still pretty good.  It gets less sun than on the other side, so is still frozen under two or three inches of mud.  Our turn will come, no doubt. Spring is definitely here.  Time to set the clocks ahead this weekend!

Talk about spring weather - we have it here today.  We had sunshine for a little while, but then it clouded over, but we have a temperature of 60 degrees and what little snow we had on the ground is melting very quickly.  In many places on north facing slopes there are sheets of ice left from the heavy rains we had last week, and that ice is softening and melting, as well.  The frost has gone very deep this year and that makes it difficult for the ground to absorb water, so the top surfaces are super-saturated.  We have rain coming tomorrow, and that will mean problems again for lots of people in low-lying areas, even though most rivers are free of ice.

Local lakes and ponds are opening up, too.  Kelli Merrill has reported that Willoughby Lake is about half open, Lake Dunmore is completely open, and Monkton Pond about 1/4 open.  

Looking at the web cams (using Internet Explorer as my browser) I can see quite a bit of open water near shore at Rossi's where the Ice-Out flag is.  We will be hooking up the clock very soon as a few more days of this kind of weather could mean the block will be getting ready to fall through.  On the other hand, it'll take some time for 18 inches of ice to melt!

Good news today from Shelly Walker.  She will be moving into her new house on West Shore Road around June 1st, she believes.  In the meantime, her dad, Don Walker, is out and about again after breaking his leg in a fall.  She said her folks still get to the Wayside almost every day for breakfast and/or lunch.  They are expecting great-grandchildren #2 and #3 this summer.  Shelly's sister, Megan and husband John's daughter Suzanne and her husband, Ivan, are expecting a baby girl in June and Melissa and Ted, Megan's step-daughter and John's daughter and her husband, are expecting a baby girl in July. Definitely this will be an exciting summer for the Walker family.

A few minutes ago we heard some geese honking - so I guess they are heading north already.  Early spring all around, perhaps.  Ducks and geese will have plenty of open water anywhere they go, if this weather keeps up.  I haven't seen any open water in the channel coming into Joe's Pond yet, but that will happen soon.

We've had more confirmations that the boom heard a couple nights ago was, indeed, our Vermont National Guard on practice maneuvers.  Kind of makes one feel good to know they are up there and keeping their skills honed.  Thanks to everyone who has chimed in on this - that makes ME feel good because I know people are reading the blog!  

The weather was very spring-like today - well, at least it was in Burlington.  Like April without the showers.  The highest I noticed on our car thermometer was 53 degrees, but I suspect there were times and places in town where it was warmer than that.  It was certainly very pleasant, with sunshine and of course absolutely no snow there.  Along the river there were fields of ice blocks left by the high water last week.  

I had a couple of things I needed to do in Cabot, so we came home that way.  Fred had asked me a couple days ago what sort of mud season I thought we'd have this year.  This is almost like guessing the Ice-Out date - it's pretty hard to figure out what makes mud season worse.  Is it when a.) it rains a lot, b.) there's not much snow cover so the frost goes deeper, c.) there are big temperature swings causing alternating freezing and melting, d.) none of the above, or e.) all of the above.   We had just left paved Route 215 onto Cabot Plains Road when we hit a kitchen table sized spot with slimy deep ruts and glistening mud.  A little further up the hill, where the sun had hit, another, slightly larger spot.  The rest of the road had the  usual firm stretches of road pocked with potentially bottomless mud bogs in the early stages of formation.  We had our answer.  This has all the earmarks of a really nasty (and I mean that literally) mud season lurking in our future. 

A former Cabot road commissioner once commented to me that he couldn't understand why anyone would want to live on a back road.  Indeed, he lived in the village, and had all of his lifetime.  I didn't tell him I felt the same about anyone living in the village.  I admit all the years we've pounded through muddy springs to get to where we needed to be have not been wonderful; but after mud season is over and we return to dusty back roads winding through tunnels of big old maple trees and between stone walls and broken down fences that outline fields and pastures, I'm more than just happy that I live on a back road.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  Above, mud season, 2004, West Shore Road.  Somebody stuck a log in the hole so nobody would drive into it.  The culvert had washed out under the road.

Since the answer to the question above is e.) all of the above, I'm predicting that this year we'll have a mega mud season!  And it's already begun on Cabot Plains Road, so think about laying in a supply of whatever you'll need in case you're caught on the wrong side of the mud holes.  

Folks who live on back roads have various ways of coping with mud season.  Some have a "mud-mobile" and put up their "good car" for the duration.  Some use a "two-car" method:  they leave a car on the good end of the road and have a second parked on the other side of the mud bog.  They then walk through the mud as best they can and continue with the second car.  We had friends in East Hardwick who always took a trip during mud season.  Some folks have been known to prevail upon friends to put them up for a week or so; some others just stay home and hope there's no emergency need for them to have to go any place.  That's mostly what we do - hang out at home.  That and watch the road to see who is brave enough to try to battle through the mud.

Here's something that may interest some of you:
 

Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change:

Local and Global Perspectives on the Climate Crisis with Brian Tokar

Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

The warmest Vermont winter in history has made it clear that unsettling climate changes are upon us. We will discuss what people are doing in Vermont and around the world to address this emerging global crisis.

Brian Tokar is an activist and author, Lecturer in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont, and a board member of 350Vermont and the Institute for Social Ecology. He is the author of The Green Alternative, Earth for Sale, and Toward Climate Justice: Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and Social Change.

At the Jaquith Public Library:  Old Schoolhouse Common,122 School St. RM 2, Marshfield, VT. 802-426-3581

jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com or visit our website; www.jaquithpubliclibrary.org.