This is a very quiet Sunday. There has been almost no traffic on our road all day. The thermometer hasn't been above zero, even though there was plenty of bright sunshine earlier in the day. Now the sun is sinking behind the hill in back of our house, and the temperature is sinking with it. I have a reading of minus seven now, and with a gusty wind, the wind-chill reading is hitting minus twenty on a fairly regular basis. That's probably why people aren't moving about much. It will be awfully cold for people who are out and about for the First Night celebrations.
     We had a sifting of snow yesterday or overnight, but not enough to bother anyone except according to the weather people, it was just enough to make the roads unusually slippery. It was too cold all day yesterday for the salt mixtures the road crews use to work, and people were driving too fast, not realizing the roads that looked bare actually had black ice.
     We will be staying in tonight. We got a couple lobster tails when we shopped this week, and will put those together with some shrimp and rice for a sort of special New Year's Eve supper. Fred will have some gingerale and I'll have a glass of wine - IF we are awake to toast the New Year. I'm remembering a few years ago when I had the amazing idea to hoist a ball of white Christmas lights to the top of our flagpole and lower it at midnight while Fred captured the moment with the camera. It didn't go well, and in the video, Fred was heard grumbling as I giggled and fumbled getting the lighted ball down. That was actually January 1, 2014--I just found the account in the blog archives; however, I didn't post the video. Probably just as well! No such stunts this year.
     I was outside just long enough to get snow measurements this morning, and the rest of the day I've been mostly at my computer. Fred is watching the football game.

This sad news came from Mary Whitcomb today:
 Just to let you know, I found Clem outside this morning, dead on my front steps. I’m not exactly sure of the cause of his death, but earlier I did hear a bang on a window and I’m left wondering if he flew into it. It’s been sunny here & even though my drapes were 2/3 pulled close, there is still a reflection on the glass. I suppose we’ll never know for sure, but his passing has left a hole in my heart and I can’t stop crying for him. He was such a trooper and fought long and hard to stay alive. Even though I’ve only “known” him for 19 days, I am so sad right now. Some would say it was just a bird, but that is just not true. He won me over the first time I saw him and it was a joy to feed him, take pictures of him, and to share him with other bird lovers. It is with great sadness, that I had to write you this news. On a brighter note, Zac Cota, who came here 3 times to see him and take many photos, works full time at the North Branch Nature Center and will be taking “Clem” to a taxidermist. He will be shown at the nature center and his story will live on for many years. Mary

We are all very sad that Clem came to such an abrupt demise after his long struggle to live in this hostile climate. I share Mary's sadness, but it's very nice that Clem will be remembered and others will be able to observe the beautiful, strong little bird and know is story. 

Closeups of Clem enjoying grape jelly. Poor little guy has cold feet! No surprise there, as the thermometer sinks below zero again.

Good Morning from Mary Whitcomb and Clem! Mary wrote that he was back this morning at 7:15 for grape jelly in the feeder.  It was thirteen degrees below zero! Tough little bird, but thanks to Mary, he's getting the nourishment he needs to make it through, we hope! He's well puffed out with insulating feathers in this photo, his only way of keeping his body temperature regulated.

Mary had reached out to Bryan Pfeiffer about Clem and later, my question about whether Clem might have added feathers due to the cold. Bryan in turn contacted his friend, Hugh McGuinness in Washington, D. C.

Here is their discussion, via e-mails:

 

On 27/12/2017 20:34, Hugh McGuinness wrote:

After looking at the photos I am not convinced that the Baltimore Oriole has grown an abnormal number of feathers. I wonder whether any bird can increase its feather count at all during the course of the annual cycle, and I leave that question for Dr. Prum to answer.

 Hugh McGinnis
Washington, D.C.

Dr. Richard Prum wrote in response to Hugh's inquiry:Bryan, Mary, and Hugh,

Fascinating question! Is there adaptive phenotypic plasticity in plumage in response to extreme temperature challenges? the quick answer is, I think, no!

There are a few ways this could happen in birds. One- birds could develop new feather follicles and add to the total number of feathers.  or Two- birds could grow new kinds of feathers-like down- from the existing feather follicles, or three- birds could grow better quality feathers- denser, or with more downy portions- from existing feather follicles.

I am off line in Colombia, so I can't check on the details of Oriole molt schedules! But most 9-primaried oscines have a molt in the fall prior to migrating which would be the source of the basic or "winter", non-breeding plumage.

I think the possibility of all three alternatives is very small. Birds usually develop all the follilcles they will ever have in the embryo. A few are added a bit later, but these are filoplumes- little tiny feathers with mostly sensory function. So, the bird couldn't up the number of total follicles or feathers.

The molt that precedes the winter would also happen BEFORE any data about extreme temperatures was available. So even if it could do 2 or 3, it wouldn't have the necessary data when it grew this plumage during the fall before the onset of extreme weather.

Molt sequence itself is very hard wired, requiring all sorts of responses of hormones and day length, and it occurs under very rigid timing. The one important piece of plasticity is whether to forgo the molt of certain feathers entirely, but this mostly occurs in younger birds, and is basically an incomplete molt.

Birds do not have the path available to mammals- which have a cohort of follicles that stays empty for weeks or months between molts. So, mammals can have more hair in the winter than the summer by having a greater % of all follicles with hair. Those "lush" eye lash prescriptions work by reducing the lag between eye lash replacement after molt so that a greater % of all eye lash follicles are holding hairs. Birds don't have this option.

SO, I don't think this bird has more feathers. It could, and obviously is, fluffing its plumage with its feather erector muscles which creates a greater volume of trapped air near the skin, and acts exactly like a down jacket. This is key to survival for birds.

This oriole's body temperature is probably close to 104˚F (41 or 42 ˚C). So it can lose  a lot of heat! The most important thing is having enough calories during the day to make it through the night. Lots of wintering birds survive each night on the food eaten that day! So, ice storms, which covers all the food, are actually worse than extreme cold. That said, there is a real limit to what an oriole can do! I would doubt it can survive many days with temps below 10˚F, and night temps below 0˚F.

Good luck buddy!
All the best, RIck




I'm pretty sure Dr. Prum will be interested that Clem is still very much alive and surviving not only nights below zero, but days as well. This may be the toughest little bird ever. I'm betting if he does survive until spring, next fall he'll be leading the flock south!

Diane Rossi reported it was 24 degrees below zero at her house this morning. Our low was 13 below. However, at 9:45 a.m., it's overcast and still 4 below. So fare, there's no wind. That wind was really brutal yesterday. We don't have to go anywhere for the next several days, so, with plenty of food in the pantry and a willing lap-cat to help keep us warm, we're going to hibernate for the duration!

Mary just sent more photos and this message:

 Good morning Jane,  Clem is getting quite the reputation for being remarkable and amazing on this 20th day of survival.  Bryan Pfeiffer is posting him on his blog again either today or on Saturday.  I brought the feeder in last evening to wash it because the jelly was making quite a sticky mess on it and in the sunflower seeds.  : )  He actually wolfed down alot more jelly from this container.  He’s either more hungry or he prefers eating out of it.   Mary

Here's an update on Clem--he's back and ok! Mary sent a message this morning and this photo around 10 o'clock saying Clem was back, eating grape jelly at her feeder.  She sent more photos this afternoon and this message:

Jane, this is the first time I’ve seen another bird sharing the feeder with him.  Clem was eating his grape jelly and this cute chickadee joined him to eat the sunflower seeds.   Mary

 

 I am so pleased Clem is ok. I would hate to think a hawk got him after all he's been through in order to survive this long in the cold weather. Seems as if he deserves to be around to welcome his fellow orioles when they return from the south this spring!
     Middle son, Jamie, told me today he saw a bobcat sitting in the road as he was coming home from Brickett's Crossing way. The bobcat was just past our mailbox on the flat. Jamie said the cat didn't move until Jamie was almost to him, and even then it went down over the bank towards the pond and stood watching him. Jamie stopped and rolled down the window to get a good look, and the bobcat then went into the woods. We know there have been some around in our woods before, and I believe Ray and Evelyn Richer used to see at least one regularly down at their place, now Scott and Gerry Pelock's. I'm glad our cat, Woody, is no longer going out at night. I expect bobcats are pretty hungry this time of year. I looked them up on the internet and this is what I found:

Bobcats eat a variety of animal species, including mice, rats, squirrels, chickens, small fawns, wild birds, feral cats, cottontail and rabbits. It's very unlikely, but possible, that free-roaming cats or small dogs left outside unattended might be taken as well.

We saw two cars off the road today. One was in that very deep ditch opposite Morgan's cottage on West Shore Road, just below our house. It had been there for a couple of days, at least, according to Jamie. We only saw it this morning, but Jamie said when he came home around 3 p.m. it was gone. We have no idea what happened - it was off on the left side, heading up the hill, so a skid is unlikely--and there seemed to be tire marks as if the driver either fell asleep or otherwise lost visibility and got too far to the left. That ditch is big and the car was all the way in, on its side.

The second one was off on the south side of Route 2, just past Woodward Drive, by what used to be Injun Joe's Cottages, now Thomas and Karen Lauzon's, now called Pond View Development. The roads seemed good to us, but there may have been black ice, at least on Route 2, that caused the car to go off. The wind was blowing a gale, so it may have been blowing snow across the road and the driver lost visibility. That's a notoriously bad spot. Used to be water would often flow over the road from the upper side towards the pond, but a few years ago I believe a new culvert was put in there to correct that.  

The weather is quiet right now, and the temperature that has remained well below zero all day, is still at minus four degrees. It will be another cold night. Keep the animals inside, and don't go outside if you don't have to. 

The following came from Mary Whitcomb this morning: 

Good morning,  Clem returned at 7:20 for day 19 to eat 3 beakfuls of grape jelly before flying off.  He returned about 8, but left before I could take a decent picture of him.  
I had a pair of cardinals, about 8 mourning doves, 1 house finch, 2 gold finches, probably a dozen juncos, and a few chickadees eating from 7:15 on.  I finally gave in and went to take my shower.  Just as I was coming out of the bathroom, I heard a loud bang on either the window where my feeders hang or the window of the door to my deck where birdseed is spread.  I ran over to look out, but couldn’t see anything.  I fear it may have been a hawk.   : (   It took a good 15 minutes before any birds came back to eat. I couldn’t even find them in the bushes and trees, except for 2 juncos, one of them stayed in my snowball bush and the other in my hydrangea tree.  I dearly hope it wasn’t the oriole that got taken.  I can’t see any feathers or other evidence on the ground, but will keep you posted.  Also, I’ve asked Rick Prum for permission to share his lengthy reply with you and others.  I’ll keep you posted.  Mary 

We need to remember that these are wild creatures and it's a matter of survival for the hawk, if it was a hawk, as well as the smaller birds. We'll be anxious to hear from Mary perhaps later today.

It was cold yesterday and today. The temperature here got to -15 with a wind chill of -35 at some point. It is still -12.5, so not a day to be outside without proper protection. I went out to measure snow and sweep off the deck. We only got a sifting of snow, and that may have been more from the wind blowing it off trees, etc., than actual new snowfall. We have well over a foot on the ground, and that's a good start for winter!

Be careful if you're out and about here in the north country--dress for the arctic and think of the tropics! Enjoy the beauty of it all. The sky is a beautiful clear blue and the snow-covered trees against it is just beautiful. Best enjoyed from inside a warm cabin. 

Here are some people lots of you know--Click Here.
Nice story. Nice picture.

More on Clem Oriole -
 Mary Whitcomb wrote this to me this afternoon:
 

Hi Jane,  My older son, Dale wondered if offering Clem a bird house would help and here is Bryan Pfeiffer’s response about how the oriole would not use it.   Mary

Hi, Mary

Well, this is, of course, an idea with all the right intentions, but I suspect it wouldn't work.  Orioles aren't really interested in getting "indoors." Natural tree cavities aren't in their biology, so they're unlikely to seek out a bird house. Basically, there's not much you can do in this situation. I'll point out that birds normally don't stick around like this because we're feeding them. Other factors--day length, ambient temperature, food scarcity, their internal clocks--tend to trigger migration. Sometimes young birds like this just "don't get the memo." I suspect that the bird's wires are crossed--and your feeder is a found refuge rather than the proximate cause of the failure to go south.

So, as a result, this oriole may not how up one day--for any number of reasons, including that it came to its senses and migrated. Or it may perish here in Vermont. Most of the time, of course, we never know. But so many birds live and di all the time (out of our sights and minds). Half or more of the songbirds that hatch in any given [season] never make it to their first birthday. It's basically nature (and natural selection's) taking its course. Sometimes we get to see a bit more of the drama--including in Duxbury! :-)

By the way, David Budbill had a similar experience with a Rusty Blackbird many years ago. He turned it into a novella called "Broken Wing," published after David died. [Story of "Broken Wing.]

Keep me posted on your wayward oriole! Thanks!

All the best, --Bryan

www.bryanpfeiffer.com

   We have bright sunshine, but the temperature is still only two degrees above zero.  It was at least five below here overnight--likely colder in many spots around the pond, and we picked up just under another two inches of new snow.
    I had a message yesterday (Tuesday) from Mary Whitcomb about "Clem," the miss-placed Baltimore oriole. He is still hanging out at her house and a neighbor's. Here's what she wrote:
 The Baltimore Oriole was here again today which makes day 17.  So amazing!  My family got to see him on Christmas day, too.  You can see him dozing in pics 4 & 5, taken at 3:45 this afternoon.  The poor bird is going to have a tough time ahead with the bitter cold temps.  If he can survive this freezing week, he might make it.  He eats a little clementines, but alot of red raspberry jelly at my feeder and eats suet at my neighbor’s home.  I hope it’s enough.  Take care and keep warm.  Mary Whitcomb

    The poor little guy. I love that he has a buddy in the second photo. Those last two shots--I don't know--when humans get hypothermia and fall asleep, they don't wake up. On the other hand, he can't stay awake 24/7. Someone asked me the other day if it would be possible to give him some shelter, like a birdhouse, perhaps. It would at least get him out of the elements, and if there was enough nesting material in there, it might help a little. I'm sure Mary has thought of that and perhaps had some advice about it. It seems to me he's got a pretty ample coat of fluffy feathers--perhaps more than normal due to the cold weather, perhaps?  If so, I hope that will help. I know lots of people are watching and hoping he makes it! He is such a lovely little bird. At least he's apparently smart enough to stay where he's getting the food he needs. Mary, I think he's definitely bonded with you. He poses beautifully for the camera!
     Viewers, click on one of the photos to see them larger.

This has been a cold day. The thermometers here haven't been out of the low teens all day and presently I'm seeing 8.5 degrees above zero. It will almost certainly go below zero tonight. To make us even colder, there's been a pretty steady wind most of the day. It seems to have quieted down now, but during the daylight hours it was very blustery. We got another 3.5 inches of new snow last night and that was being blown about all day. I think we've had another inch or two since I measured at nine this morning.
     Just before noon, when the wind was howling at top velocity, Fred was out doing his walk up Jamie and Marie's driveway. He used to run up ten times, now he walks it ten times. It's still a very good workout, but having lost so much weight, and with the effect the chemo has had on him, it wasn't too difficult to convince him to take it a little easier. He came in covered with snow and I took this picture. He was very cold, and it took a while to get warmed up.
     The whole week is going to be near zero during the daytime and below zero at night, and unfortunately, New Year's Eve isn't going to be any warmer. It will be a cold night to be dashing between venues at various First Night Celebrations. 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!
     We hope everyone is having a lovely day today--that Santa came on schedule last night and everyone is enjoying being with family and friends this holiday season.
     We had our traditional family gathering at the home of middle son Bob and his wife, Theresa ("T" for short!). We were greeted by "Sheree," decked out in antlers for the occasion. She is a sweet dog and put up with all the fuss without complaint. We all contributed something for the table and gifts for the children, had a lovely meal and enjoyed the whole evening. The weather was good for traveling, although none of us had to go far--just to St. Johnsbury--Bill, Monika and our two granddaughters came from Waterford, just east of St. Johnsbury, and Jamie, Marie, Fred and myself from Cabot. The roads were good and there was very little traffic, either heading to St. J. in the late afternoon, or returning in the evening. The snow didn't start until after we got home.
     I measured four inches a little after 9 a.m. today, and it is still snowing very, very lightly, so we may have added another inch, or maybe less. The temperature is 22 degrees, and that's warmer than it was last night, but I don't believe we're going to have a big warmup this week, so we'll probably keep what snow we have and maybe add a little from time to time.
    We took a few pictures of our Christmas Eve with the family. It was very nice to spend some time with Jo-Ann, back from her first semester at Dean College in Franklyn, Massachusetts. She's enjoying her studies, but is also enjoying being home and back at her job here--she worked last summer for Poulos Insurance, in St. Johnsbury, and they invited her to come in to work whenever she has a break at school. She likes her work there, and said she also likes the paycheck. She's a busy girl. That's her above, with Grandpa Fred and her mom in the background.
     Tangeni got a keyboard for Christmas, and although the music she made leaves a little to be desired, I think she'll get the hang of it. Her Uncle Bob helped her a little and she picked up what he was showing her right away so they did a duet together. Who knows, perhaps there will be another musician in the family one day.
     Tangeni also got a wristwatch that took some concentration to get on and set, but she got it, with a little help from Uncle Jamie.
     Fred and I wish everyone Happy Holidays, with good health, love, peace and prosperity in your future.

     I'm sitting in my office looking out at the snow-laden trees, listening to Christmas music, and thinking how beautiful it all is.
     I've shoveled off the deck so I could get to my measuring tube, and it was actually pretty nice out there. The temperature is warming up from single numbers yesterday to in the twentys now. When I was outside the snow was just beginning to turn into rain. It was fine and misty then, but definitely has changed to mostly rain in the past hour--right on schedule, according to the forecast.
     I measured seven inches of new snow from overnight. I can't say how much we have on the ground now, but it must be in the vicinity of a foot. Should be a good start for the snowmobile season, and certainly great for skiing and boarding. Unless, of course, we get enough rain to ruin everything. It doesn't appear that will happen. Although the rain may make driving hazardous for a while today, it may not be enough to take away much of the snow cover we've built up.
     I took some pictures from our living room windows last night while the snow was coming down heavily, and again this morning. It snowed hard most of the day yesterday. We went to St. Johnsbury in the morning and the driving was just ok. Cars were moving along steadily, but the roads were obviously slippery in spots. The evening news had reports of tractor trailers jackknifing on the interstates and a few fender-benders, but we didn't hear of anything serious in our area. 
     These pictures are from our window, the top one taken last night and then two taken  this morning. 
     These were taken yesterday as we were coming home from St. J.--coming up Dole Hill in Danville. That is the first pond, looking from Route 2W towards Route 15. The pond is solidly frozen now, and all is well covered with snow. I think we won't see open water again until spring. The last picture is on Route 2W, just before the turn onto West Shore Road.
     The plows have been busy and kept our road very clear all day yesterday. I didn't hear it during the night, but traffic was moving early this morning and I think roads are pretty much back to normal for the time being. With the rain, that will probably change, but road crews are out and dealing with all of it.

     I talked with Shelly Walker last night. She is home from the hospital and feeling much better, but because of the bad roads yesterday, her friend who was going to come to stay with her for a day or so couldn't get here. Shelly said that was ok as she's feeling much better and just intended to rest and enjoy her three kitty friends. She referred to them as her "velcro kitties" because they were so glad to see her they were sticking very close.
    I want to mention what a neat experience it is to be working with our new editor, Linda Bishop, on the West Danville History book. Linda is very professional and exceptionally good at what she does, and we are very fortunate to have found her. I am truly excited about our book.  It is shaping up quickly under Linda's guidance, and we are all feeling inspired. We hope that by this time next year, we'll be  celebrating its publication.

    In case some of you don't know, Michelle Walker was taken to the hospital a few days ago. She returned home briefly, but had to go back in and after a short stay, should be getting home this afternoon. Kate Chatot, a neighbor here at Joe's Pond, is looking out for Michelle's feline friends, but I'm sure they'll be very happy to have her back home.
     We hope all is well now and things will get back to normal for Shelly. She has been very much on-the-go looking after her mom and dad recently, so now it's maybe time for her to take care of herself and get a break. Her phone is 802-563-2357. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you and a call would make her Christmas merry!

Another cold day here. We went to St. J. this morning and it was a tad colder there than it was here, by about a degree or so. We had 10 above, but it didn't get very warm all day. Now, at 5:15 p.m., I see 6.7F on my weather station. It's cold and calm.
    People were still going about their business in spite of the cold. There weren't a lot of people at the mall when I was there this morning, but it was only 9 a.m., so I expect lots of folks waited for the weather to warm up a little. The sun was out and that was very nice for a change.
     Today was the shortest day of the year, but it didn't seem so because the sun was so bright. Most days have been cloudy, so darkness has come earlier. The good news is that from now on our days will be getting a little longer!
     We felt sorry for the guys working on Talbot's garage this morning. They looked really cold. I bet the guys working on the construction out by Goodrich's Sugar Farm will be glad that project is wrapping up for the season. Here's the last report:
 

Final 2017 Construction Update
Cabot Danville US 2 Reconstruction
FEGC F 028-3(26) C/2

                                                                    

Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019.

  Final 2017 Construction Update

December 21, 2017

  Crews will be wrapping up work on the project for the winter and covering the construction signs as early as tomorrow or shortly after Christmas.  Work will resume next March or April, depending on the weather conditions, and continue throughout the year.

Prior to work commencing in the spring, information will be provided with an overall scope of work and schedule for the 2018 construction season.  Weekly construction updates will also be issued throughout the construction season.

This is the final 2017 construction update for the project.

Contact Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regards to the project at 802-479-6994.  Construction updates are posted at www.roadworkupdates.com

Fred sent me a link to an interesting article written in 2015 about a Baltimore oriole very much like Clem.

Our temperature remains at 34 degrees, but the snow showers have turned to rain showers. That could make driving a bit hazardous as the road surfaces may be icing over. I have the scanner on, but haven't heard of any problems.

This came from Mary Whitcomb yesterday (Monday):
 Hello Jane, This is day 9 and my beautiful Baltimore Oriole is still coming every day to eat sunflower seeds, raspberry jelly, and clementines.  I’ve had a couple nights that were minus 8 degrees, but he somehow manages to survive the cold.  Yay!!  Sharon Myers wrote and asked me how he was doing.  She mentioned talking about him on the Channel 3 News tonight and showing a photo of him.  If he is still here on December 26th, he will get counted when my area does their bird watchers Christmas count.  That would make a special entry for their records!  😊   Mary  

I saw Sharon Myers weather segment on WCAX last night.  She had a picture of Mary's oriole and spoke about how unusual it is for one to be here in December. Mary sent another message to me last night--

I almost forgot to mention to you, but my family came up with some names like you did for the oriole.  My sister, Carlene Squires, suggested Clem and we all agreed it was the best choice for him.  😊   Mary 

So now we have a name for him! 

I'm sure Clem is enjoying the warmup today. Our thermometer is showing 34 degrees with a low of -4 degrees. The would have been sometime in the early hours of Monday, I expect. Diane Rossi told me her low on Sunday was -10. We didn't get that cold here, but once it gets below zero, for me, it's just plain darned cold.

We were at Dartmouth Hitchcock yesterday for Fred to have a simple procedure done to prevent blood clots from entering his lungs during the operation in January at Tufts. Everything went very well, the little umbrella-like screen is in place, and he's feeling good. No more chemo for the present, at least, and hopefully he'll gain  back some of the weight he's lost. His appetite is coming back, and yesterday we picked up sandwiches at the Hanover Co-op before we left, around 3 o'clock, then as we go near the truck stop in Wells River, he decided he needed a piece of chocolate pie. By then the roads were deteriorating and it was already pretty dark, so when we left the truck stop, it was slow going. We had seen one car off the road in the Fairlee area, so knew there were tricky spots on the highway. We had no problem, and arrived home around 5:30. I'm sure Fred could have driven ok--he was navigating very well at the Co-op--but since the instructions when he left the hospital were that he shouldn't drive, we stuck to that. Seems like I'm getting a lot of driving time in these days! We were both tired when we got home, and not very hungry--no, I DID NOT have chocolate pie or anything else at the truck stop! Fred's the one that needs to put on some pounds; I need to shed a few.

All is well this morning, Fred is feeling good, and I slept until 9. I got up in time to make my report to CoCoRaHS--we got 2.3 inches of new snow yesterday--and now I need to catch up on e-mails.

Well, it's official--ice fishing season is here at Joe's Pond! Diane Rossi reported this morning there is a shanty in the cove near the fishing access, and soon after her report, I heard from Henretta Splain that there are fishermen out on the ice in the cove between Clubhouse Circle and Channel Drive. We wish them good fishing and safety. 
     While the ice in those coves may be thick enough to support fishing, I expect that isn't the case for the whole pond. There were spots towards the middle and along the east shore that didn't freeze over as quickly as other areas, so I expect the ice there is thinner. It would be a bad idea to go out there with a snowmobile, I think, but if these cold nights prevail, it won't be long before there's plenty of ice.
     Here's an interesting bit of news I found in this week's Hardwick Gazette. There us a stockpile of old bridges the state had removed because they were aging and no longer safe for heavy road traffic. One of these truss bridges has been stored in a storage facility in Montpelier for 20 years, but now may be "recycled" and used in Stannard to connect the St. Johnsbury to West Danville section of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) with the Hardwick section. 
     The report said there will be partnership between LVRT and the UVM engineering school to do assessments of the abutments and landings before the bridge can be installed. The truss was moved to the site on December 8th, but the actual installation, if everything works out, will not be until 2021. There are no funds for this project, which will require both construction and engineering analyses and extensive project design by UVM. 
     Two parts of the trail are complete--the St. Johnsbury to West Danville section, and a section beginning at the intersection of Vermont 15A and 15 in Morristown north to Cambridge.  The Greensboro section that runs through Walden, Stannard, East Hardwick and Greensboro to Hardwick where it crosses the Lamoille and continues to Morristown. This 30.4 mile section is expected to be completed in 2020-21.
     Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has about a dozen bridge like this one that can be available for the rail trail, but the funding is not yet available to utilize them. This seems like a perfect pairing--those bridges that are no longer safe for motorized vehicles on Vermont highways will be perfectly safe for the hiking and biking trails and snomobiles in the winter. Great way to use them. I would think partnering with the university would be a mutually beneficial arrangement and the university might donate the site analysis and design by engineering students. Surely this would be an exceptional hands-on opportunity for the students to experience in field work. I'm sure they will work it out and there will be more cooperation throughout the region to get the trail finished. Once done, it will be new England's longest trail, 93 miles. 
     The trail follows the route of the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad, constructed in the 1870s, with the first train operating from St. Johnsbury to Swanton on July 2, 1877. For many years, trains were the life blood of the communities it touched along this route. Gradually, maintenance and operating costs outweighed the benefits of continuing use. The line was damaged severely by flooding in 1995 and again in 1997, and closed after that. Track was removed in 2002, and construction of the recreational trail was begun.

    Our cold winter weather continues. It's 12 above tonight--relatively warm compared to last night's -2 degrees.  It was much colder than that in some areas. I think even St. Johnsbury had some colder readings. The sun was beautiful this morning, but by mid-afternoon we were seeing clouds, and that probably accounts for the slight warming trend. (Pictures taken on West Shore Road as we came home this afternoon.)
     Needless to say, the pond is well frozen over now. You can see how solid it looks beyond Ray and Cyndi Rouleau's in this photo. I think this is about the same as it went last year. I looked back on last year's blog and Henretta Splain (Clubhouse Circle) alerted me on December 17, 2016 that fishermen were out on the ice in the cove between her house and Channel Drive. I wouldn't be surprised to get a message from her any day that they are out there again. Those guys are fearless.
     At right, good progress on the new garage at the former Furloni camp, now Talbot's.
     West Shore Road is well plowed and sanded, but it is kind of rough. It isn't due to potholes, but feels like running over the tracks left by a crawler tractor. Fred thinks it may be from the town trucks with chains on during one of the rain/icey periods a week or so ago. The ice was probably soft enough so the trucks, heavily loaded with sand and salt, cut into the hard-packed snow and ice that had built up and then when it got colder, it froze in ridges.
     It looks a lot like winter on West Shore Road, and feels that way, too. This is our house--the snowbanks are beginning to build up!

    We just got back from a day in Burlington. It was almost as cold there as it is here. The temperature was 2 above zero when we left at about 8 o'clock this morning, and the highest I saw on our car thermometer was 16 above at about high noon in Burlington. Everyone was complaining about the "sudden cold" and saying they hadn't had a chance to ease into winter. True enough--this much cold is a shock after the mild weather a few weeks ago, and with the wind and blowing snow, more like January than December.
    This was my regular appointment for an injection in my eye due to AMD (age-related macular degeneration). I now go every month and the injections are alternated. My vision was slightly better today, but Dr. Kim assures me the injections are necessary in order to maintain my current vision. On that basis, I have no complaints, as I still see quite well, thankfully. Lines aren't always straight, and don't ask me to read fine print.
     I always hope for a cloudy day when I go for the appointments, but today was just full of sunshine. With both eyes dilated and my right one feeling the effects of the shot, it was a little uncomfortable for an hour or so, but we had some lunch and then made a quick stop at Walmart and by the time we were heading down the highway towards home, I was pretty much back to normal.
     I made a quick stop at Hastings Store to pick up Ice-Out tickets, and Garey told me he has sold a number of the pretty Joe's Pond monogramed towels and the Joe's Pond throws. If you are hoping to get one of these items for a Christmas gift, better get in touch soon.
     Garey was also able to supply a lady in Sweden with a Joe's Pond baseball type cap to replace one her father-in-law had lost. She had contacted me through the Joe's Pond website and Garey took it from there. That will make one gentleman in Sweden very happy--he had bought a cap when he visited here a few years ago, and it was apparently his favorite. It's nice his daughter-in-law, Emilie, took time to investigate the possibilities for getting a replacement, and great that Garey was able to supply just what she was looking for.
     I had another note today from Mary Whitcomb about the Baltimore oriole that's still hanging out at her bird feeder:
  
   Hi Jane,  You will be happy to learn that this is day 5 and the bird survived the temps last night.  It was zero here, not counting the wind chill factor.  I shared my photos with Sharon Myers on WCAX and she forwarded them to Bryan Pfeiffer, who wrote me about the Christmas bird count and also connected me with a few other bird watchers.  One of them, a very nice young man who is a paraeducator at Lamoille Union High School, came to my house about 8 this morning and was thrilled to see this bird.  He took lots and lots of pictures.  He also copied 4 videos I’d taken of the bird eating clementines.  Bryan Pfeiffer has pretty much confirmed this oriole is an immature male.   Mary

Click on one of the photos to make it larger. 

     I'm very glad this little bird has survived.  I hope the extended cold doesn't do him in.  Looks like that bluejay may be giving him some advice--or maybe saying, "This is what happens when you don't listen to your elders!"

     Thanks for sharing, Mary. Keep us posted. Have you named him? "Frosty" might be fitting . . . !

     

     It's snowing and blowing here this morning.  Very blustery and wintery with a temperature of 12 degrees.  The temperature has actually gone down since I first looked at around 7:30 this morning.  It was 16 degrees then. I just finished clearing 10 inches of snow off the deck to get to my rain gauge. Fortunately, it was not the heavy, wet kind, but it was still a pretty good workout. We are going to get another few inches of snow today, according to the forecast.
     I haven't had the scanner on, so I don't know general road conditions. I just turned it on, but all is quiet, so I guess the roads are not too bad.  Plows will be busy and roads will get cleared and sanded as needed, I'm sure. Our road crew went by to plow several times yesterday, and they were out early this morning, so West Shore Road should be good.

Today brought us plenty of snow--a couple of inches overnight and we've had snow squalls all day. Plenty of wind, too. I will be measuring today's snowfall in the morning, but I'm guessing 4-6 inches has fallen today. The temperature has been in the 20s all day, but with the windchill, it felt a whole lot colder.  I didn't walk. I intended to, but time got away from me. My plan was to wait until the mail came and take my walk when I went to pick up the mail. However, Fred went out to walk up Jamie and Marie's drive a few times and the mail came while he was out, so he picked it up. By then I was deeply involved in making cookies, and after that, I just plain didn't think to go out.
     I had a nice chat with Shelly Walker this afternoon. She told me her mom, Audrey, is now living at Woodridge Health and Rehab in Berlin. Audrey's health has deteriorated in the past few years, and at 90, Don has had a few problems of his own, so caring for her has been more than he could cope with. Now he knows she is safe so he doesn't worry as much, and can look out for himself better. He has a routine of going to the Wayside Restaurant for breakfast and then goes up to be with Audrey. Shelly said she's sure he'd like to hear from Joe's Pond friends, as he still has a soft spot for Joe's Pond and all of us out here, and I'm sure without his companion for some 70 years, he's a little lonely sometimes. Perhaps you could add Don and Audrey to your Christmas card list - Don's address is:
     245 Town Hill Rd.
     Montpelier VT 05602
     
     Don's phone number is 223-2484, if you'd like to call and chat. I know he'd be very happy to hear from you.
     Shelly is going to try to keep us posted this year about how thick the ice is. She has ice-fishermen almost on her doorstep all winter, and will plan to get first-hand reports which she will relay to me so I can post them here. I know Ice-Out Contest fans love getting frequent reports so they can better judge how long it may take for the ice to melt in the spring. Every little bit of information helps!
     Fred went out to clear the driveway for the first time this year with the snowblower. He added a "cab" to help keep snow and exhaust from coming back at him, and it works well, but he said it's harder to navigate as it cuts visibility. He had chemo yesterday, and that leaves him with lots of energy for a couple of days due to there being steroids in it--but then he crashes and is very fatigued for three or four days. Another effect of the chemo is that eating or drinking anything cold, or breathing cold air, makes him feel as if he can't breathe. So he dug out a face mask to wear today while he was working with the snow blower, and that seemed to work pretty well. I'm glad there aren't any small children in the neighborhood--that is pretty scary!
     Fortunately, Jamie cleared our driveway with "The Peach" last night, so Fred didn't have a lot to do this afternoon. He was glad to get back inside to warm slippers and molasses cookies right out of the oven.
     Cold night tonight, with probably more wind, but winding down tomorrow. It's going to remain cold, though, so looks like winter is here for the duration.
     Did you ever wonder where certain expressions or words originated? Every now and again I do, and it struck me recently that I had no idea why it is said that someone was "fired" when they lose their job. I Googled it and came up with a couple of explanations. The first was that in the 1800's, when the expression first surfaced, it likely came from the rather formal expression of  being "discharged." A gun is discharged, or fired, so it could have been applied as a slang way of saying "discharged."
     Another explanation I found was that in tribal communities where survival depended on everyone working together, if someone did not work with the others or attend to expected duties, their hut would be burned, or "fired" while they were away and they were thereby cast out to fend for themselves.
     Anyone else found other possible origins of common words?
     What started me on this, I think, was at the St. Johnsbury Heritage Center on Saturday, when Peggy Pearl showed us a wooden tool used to tighten the ropes that supported bed matresses back in the 1800s. The tighter the ropes, the firmer and more comfortable one would be while sleeping, and Peggy said that's where the expression "Sleep tight" comes from. 
     Good night, and sleep tight!

 

This came today from Mary Whitcomb:
Hi Jane,  When this bird left late Sunday morning, I thought it had continued on it’s merry way south.  Lo and behold, it was back this morning to eat sunflower seeds and really enjoyed the clementine I quickly set out for him.  Who knows, maybe it’s wise to wait out this storm rather than to fly into it.  That certainly would have been hard to do.  Jane, I laughed at this cute little bird in spite of his predicament, because he looks like the scowling Grinch in pics 2 and 3.  The wind was ruffling his feathers and he doesn’t look too happy about it.

He would eat awhile and then 3 times, he flew to the windowsill and peeked in the window at me, as if to say, “Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”  
Mary

     That is one sour looking little bird!  The hydrangea looks warmer than it probably is, although it might give him a little comfort.  Cold night and lots of snow tomorrow, but the clementine may have given him some added sugar to keep his stamina up.  Thanks for sharing, Mary. Keep us posted on how he does.

 

    My friend, Mary Whitcomb, over Duxbury way sent me some nice photos of a lone Baltimore Oriole in her bird feeder this morning (top picture). The picture below that is from the internet - Mary said she wanted to be certain of what she saw, so she went on-line.

    Information from the internet explains that these birds are generally found in the tropics by November, but occasionally stragglers are found in northern states into December. When this happens, ornithologists believe most of them end up dying because of the severe winter weather.
     I think that is a lucky little bird to have found Mary's feeder. The warm/cold weather swings lately may have some birds confused so they miss the window of opportunity to head south before the food sources are gone.  I wonder if having Mary's feeder will sustain this straggler and Mary will have an all-winter boarder. Apparently they prefer insects or ripe fruit in their diet, so maybe you could find some meal-worms, Mary?  If the bird seems to be settling in for the winter, that is.  Perhaps it was on its way south. Thanks for sharing, Mary. Pretty bird - I hope it fares well this winter!
     We awoke to a completely white world this morning. We had two inches of new snow during the night, so no bare spots remain, and the trees are snow-covered. It's very pretty, 29 degrees, and no wind. There's still a little snow in the air, so we may have another inch or so by the end of the day. Some places in southern Vermont got twice what we did. I just took this picture - it looks gloomier than it really is - but it's starting to snow again.