The flag is down!!

The 2018 Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest is OVER! The clock stopped at 11:27 a.m. this morning. We believe at this point there is one winner, but of course this must be verified before it will be announced. The Ice-Out Committee will let us know as soon as they have contacted the winner.
     This year was very close to setting a new record for late endings of the contest. If it had held until Sunday, we might have had a new record for latest date. As it is, this is only the sixth time it has been a May date, so it has been an unusual year. The big pond is still fairly well ice covered, but it's the blue, mushy, slushy kind of ice that will be gone in a day or so. Both the smaller ponds are completely clear of ice. We are expecting rain and lots of wind later today and tonight, according to the forecast, so that will probably finish off the rest of the ice in no time at all.
     We came home from Boston yesterday. It was 93 in the city when we left around 1:30, and after we got on the throughway headed north, I noticed our car thermometer was reading 95 degrees. We began to get showers and the temperature began to drop, but in with sometimes hard rain, there was a lot of ground fog, probably caused by the cool rain hitting the hot pavement. Visibility was difficult, but we still made good time and with a brief stop in Tilton, were home a little after 5. Fred is doing well, and we are both very happy to be back home. 
     We had to put up with Woody complaining all night long because he couldn't get into the bedroom to be with us. This has happened before when we've been gone. We're hoping he is calmer tonight. Today he has gone back to his routine of being outside a bit in the morning and then sleeping most of the afternoon. Not a bad life, I guess. 
     It's been a really nice summery day. Fred and I walked up Jamie and Marie's hill after lunch, and then I did some outside work and fixed a couple of things that needed tinkering. It was just too nice to go inside. There is a coolness to the wind, but for all of that, the temperature in the shade now is still almost 72 degrees. 
     We noticed on our way home yesterday there were more bugs than usual for this time of year. Our windshield got fairly well splattered. I am glad to see this - I think for a couple of years there was concern that there were not as many insects, and while it was nice not to have to clean our windshields as often, it was bad for the environment. No bugs means less for birds to eat, and not as much pollination going on - that sort of thing. However, this has apparently been a good year for the bad bugs, too - ticks are going to be rampant, according to warnings from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) - who knew there was such an organization? I guess there's good and bad in just about everything.