We're starting off with another gloomy day, but there's a promise of sunshine later on this afternoon. That would be nice. We've had another sifting of snow overnight - not significant except that it covers up some of the mud and makes dodging potholes a little more difficult. Cabot plowed yesterday, and that helped - sort of. It took away all the slush, but uncovered the potholes and washboard that will probably get worse before improving. Danville put some material on their end of West Shore Road, but within hours, many of the potholes were back. So far that end hasn't had much of the deep mud we sometimes have to navigate there. Danville has been good about keeping up with that so far.
     I don't have email addresses for all our Joe's Pond Association members, but I recently sent out a message to all those I do have that they can pay their dues on-line now. We like to wait until the Ice-Out Contest closes before we activate the pay-on-line for dues. It keeps the accounting from getting too wild. So, if you are a Joe's Pond Association member and didn't get an e-mail from me this week, it's because I don't have your address. I want as many as possible to know they can pay on line now so if you are a JPA member and would like to receive notifications such as this, get in touch with me at janebrown@joespondvermont.com. Dues notices are always in the spring newsletter, but many people prefer not to wait for that. Dues must be in by July 1.
     Just a reminder that to become a member of the Association, you must have property on the pond or deeded access to the pond. The thrust of the JPA is protecting the pond - preserving its natural resources and keeping it clear of invasive plants. Every now and then we have a request from someone who loves the pond and would like to support the Association, but does not have property here; however, the bylaws are clear on this.
     Diane sent this picture of the clock and thermometer this morning. As you can see, we were not far from the freezing mark at that time of day. Now the reading is more like 37 degrees. We noticed that both narrows are very open now. That is a good sign! She said the radio announcer this morning said he picked July 4th. That's a stretch, but it is surely going to last a while longer. Whether it holds until May is a good question. With warmer weather coming this weekend, the chances are serious melting will get going. Stay tuned!