This is what things look like this morning - as Diane says, there isn't much change. The temperature is ranging in the 50s again today, with a little sun from time to time, but it surely isn't blazing down on us to cause unusual melting.
     Diane did say the ice is beginning to pull away from the shoreline a little, but the whole pond is still very white - and we know that has to change before we can expect the block to drop. The ice needs to become dark gray-blue and then we know things are about to happen.
     The cement blocks are resting on a small wooden pallet, so that should keep them from falling through the ice prematurely - that is to say, before the rest of the pond has begun to open up. Sometimes the whole setup rides around on an ice floe, perhaps up or down the pond, depending on the amount of open water and the wind direction. Usually, it goes down about in place, but we never know. It all depends on the weather and how the melting is taking place.
     I'm learning a lot about the cedar oil business back in the late 1800s through about 1950. A few blog readers contacted me and gave me good leads. I've followed up with a couple of people and am gradually putting information together about this apparently lucrative business. As often happens when I begin researching a question, the whole process takes on a life of its own and becomes way more than I'd ever supposed. But it's all very interesting, and I'm so happy and thankful my readers came up with such good ideas. I've always thought two or more heads are way better than one!