I guess the biggest news I have tonight is that both the small ponds were frozen over completely with a clear skimming of ice, as near as we could tell as we went by in the middle of the morning. By the time we got home late this afternoon, a little open water was showing in the middle pond, but the water is cooling down rapidly.  The big pond has ice only in the quiet coves. Tonight we are going to get a warming trend with more wet snow to deal with - but with more cold weather on the way later in the week, it won't be long before it's solid for the duration!
      We were in Littleton today and it was pretty amazing to see the difference in the amount of snow as we traveled east. So, when I got home, I went on line to find out the difference in elevations. Turns out, Littleton is only 820 ft. above sea level. We had lunch at Polly's Pancake Parlor on Sugar Hill and that's 1,325ft. elevation; West Danville is 1,588 ft. and where we live is 1,726ft. So, now I can better understand why it so often is warmer in Littleton, and sure there's less snow at this time of the year - they are below the snow belt. Of course there's plenty of snow on Cannon - it's over 4,000 ft. 
     It was a very pretty day - lots of sunshine. When we got to Polly's, there was a neat little helicopter parked across the road from the restaurant. It was just warming up, and we waited until it took off. Only the pilot on board, so we wondered if there was someone important there for lunch. However, it turned out to be a man from Sunapee, N.H. who just likes to come there for lunch, so he hops in his helicopter and visits periodically, according to our waiter. Pretty cool. I can understand his enthusiasm for the place. We enjoy lunch there, too. Fred usually has pancakes, but opted for a more traditional sandwich today. He said as we were leaving he felt a little slighted that he didn't have anything with maple syrup on it. Next time. I had soup and a sandwich - both very good. I enjoy their soups. There is always a surprise ingredient I wouldn't have expected. Today it was zucchini in the vegetable soup. One of the waitresses told me a long time ago when I had I think a chicken soup or perhaps it was turkey - "The chef here puts everything but the kitchen sink in." Somehow, it works. Today I had a croque sandwich - their version is the traditional ham and cheese on oatmeal bread but they dip it in egg rather than serving it with bechamel (Croque Monsieur) or a fried egg (Croque Madame). It was really good, perfect with the soup.
     Back in St. Johnsbury, we picked up a few things to have on hand for Thanksgiving, just in case we don't go into town again before then. I hate shopping of any kind, so we try to shop only every two weeks; however, with doctor appointments for one or the other of us, it seems we have gotten off that schedule. But especially during the winter when driving isn't great, I hope we'll be able to stick to the old schedule now there aren't as many appointments to require us to head off our hill. 
     We're thinking of our service men and women today. It would be wonderful if there could be an end to wars that take them overseas and do so much harm that many come back damaged in many ways. Perhaps one day. We thank those who have served and those who are serving today. Their sacrifices are appreciated every day, not just this one day.