Another pretty but cold day.  And a cold night in store for a lot of people. We had another 6.5 inches of snow when I measured this morning, and we got a few more inches during the day today. I'm thinking this is enough. At least we're looking at a warmup after this latest cold snap gets out of here. 
     On my CoCoRaHS site people were asked yesterday what the coldest temperature was that they could remember. People from all across the country responded and there were some really interesting responses. I read through a few of them and began thinking about some of the cold spells we've been through here. I remember the long stretches of below-zero weather more than just the low numbers. It seems to me we've had a lot of times that has happened. I also remember so many times that cars wouldn't start on cold mornings. You don't seem to hear about that as much any more. When I first started driving, there were headbolt heaters that we plugged in and that kept the engine block warm. Worked like a charm. I remember there were covers that fit over the grill on the front of cars to help keep the cold off the engine, otherwise, your heater simply blew cold air. They had some kind of buttons down  the front - might have been magnets - that you could undo to let more air in when the weather warmed up, I suppose - engines overheating were a problem, too. If you didn't have one of those, cardboard inside the grill next to the radiator helped, too. There was antifreeze, but that didn't always work. As I recall, it had to be mixed with the water in the radiator and if the proportion wasn't quite right, the system would freeze.
    Another cold-weather thing we always did was let the car "warm up" by idling for a few minutes before taking off. Now mechanics tell you that is not only unnecessary, it's bad for the car - as well as the environment! That's only on newer cars, I guess, but it's still nicer to get into a car that's been running for a few minutes with the heater going full blast! And I really  like heated seats and steering wheels. And the heaters in today's cars really work! I remember when it was hard to find a car that had a really good heater in it. Some models were notorious for having heaters that were really ineffective - not even as good as the heated stones the really old cars had! But you could buy some kind of auxiliary heater that would fit in some cars.  Only they sometimes started fires, as I recall. Now you can buy auxiliary heaters that plug into the cigarette lighter.
     We've come a long way, but I imagine this weather being way below zero is still going to boggle some cars. The best we can do is try to keep ourselves and our cars as warm as possible until this vortex thing is out of here and spring weather moves in. It's going to happen - I'm betting this will be the last deep "cold snap" we have to endure this winter. I don't have any money riding on it - I'm not that dopey! - I'm just saying.

Today was a really pretty day with lots of sunshine that really made everything look beautiful - but it never warmed up to the sun's hype. We had four inches of fluffy new snow that we really don't need, and although the air temperature got into the low 20s, there was a gusty wind that went right through you.
     I had a meeting with the book committee at noon - and the roads were really good. It was just warm enough so the salt could work and mostly they were dry by the time I went out. West Shore Road has been well plowed and sanded, but I could see the shine of glare ice in the wheel tracks in spots. I suspect if anyone had to make an emergency stop, you might find yourself in a snowbank. At lease we have pretty good sized snowbanks to catch us if we slide off the road! The town has been through pushing the banks back very well and that should help to make room for the next batch of snow we are getting tomorrow night - six to ten inches, according to the forecast.
     I expect there will be some much warmer weather soon and with all the snow we have, there will be flooding in places, for sure. On the WCAX weather today they said this winter has made it into the ten most snowy winters on record. This is seventh right now, but after tomorrow's storm, we could move up to third or maybe even second.
     I found that hard to believe, but then I remembered that we lost a lot of the snow last week when we had some very hard rain going on. The snow pack went way down so we don't have an unusual amount on the ground; but if we count each snow storm, the inches do add up. In fact, I added up what I have recorded just this month and got a little over 57 inches.
     Anyway, February is just around the corner and with the sun higher in the sky and daylight lasting longer, the earth will begin to warm up - in spite of the cold temperatures we'll no doubt still be experiencing. I think this has been one of the colder winters on record - but we'll have to wait and see how that turns out. We've had some freaky warm spells, too, so it may average out to be just that - average!
     The book is progressing. Both Dot and Patty have travel plans during the next few weeks, so their time is limited to spend on writing. We have no plans to go further than St. Johnsbury or Barre, at least not until mud season, and then we might take off for a few days. We had dear friends, Paul and Paulette Hartrick, who always planned to be gone during mud season. Spring is always a nice time to head off someplace. No matter what direction you go from Joe's Pond during that time of the year, within just a few miles the weather is warmer, trees are budding, flowers are blossoming, birds are singing and the grass is truly greener. If you stay away a few days, when you get back you can enjoy spring all over again! Double the pleasure.
                                                                                                           

Today was a mixed bag of weather. We had a little snow - it came in waves, squalls or showers, sometimes floating gracefully over the landscape, other times raging in swirling clouds off trees and rooftops or whipping horizontally down West Shore Road. During the late forenoon the sun came out. I was having a mild attack of cabin fever and when I saw the sun, I knew I had to get outside. It was very pleasant. A little chilly 26 degrees compared to our rainy 50 degrees yesterday, but snow had fallen onto the ice that was exposed during the rain and when it froze it made a thick, rough, crusty surface that wasn't at all slippery. It was good not to have to be as on-guard as most winter walks this year. 
     I made it up Jamie and Marie's driveway with only one brief stop to fish a tissue out of my pocket to fix a nose drip. When I got back to the house, we had homemade vegetable soup and a sandwich for lunch - and then I went back to work. Cabin fever gone.
     I measured another three inches of new snow this morning. We lost some during the rain the last couple of days, but still have a substantial amount on the ground. I was glad that the snowbanks made from my shoveling off the deck had reseeded and pulled away from the lattice enough so this morning I was able to shove the snow under the railing and over the edge instead of having to hoist it up and over the railing. I sort of scoop it off - lots easier on my back, and it doesn't fly around to skew my measurements.
     We had a very nice young man come from SunCommon solar a few days ago. This is about the third time we have considered doing a solar installation, but every time has ended the same - we don't really use enough electricity to make it a worthwhile investment, at least from a purely financial aspect. On the other hand, we would be contributing to helping the environment. But we have pretty much already done that by installing a super-efficient boiler and tightening up the house. Solar was tempting though, and if we were 20 years younger, I'm sure we'd do it. When we first thought of solar it was pretty new and not very efficient at the time - and very expensive. And even then, before we'd done as much to make the house energy efficient, we were using less than normal electricity. Now, solar is more efficient and costs a bit less, but we have also reduced the amount of energy we use, so it still isn't viable for us. And we still conserve, turning off lights when not needed, and lowering the insulated window shades when the temperature drops.
     Which reminds me about our car. When we first got it, the first time I came to a stop light on a hill and sat there with my foot on the brake pedal, the motor died. I remember I was in traffic and my first thought was, what the heck will I do if it won't start?  Then I realized it was supposed to do that. The motor goes into "sleep" mode to conserve energy when idling in traffic. There is a bit of an annoying jerk when it powers up again, but I've gotten used to that now. I'm still not altogether used to having the motor cut out like it does, though. But it always starts up again. I just don't feel I have as much control over it as I would like.  I'd be a nervous wreck in a self-driving car.
     January is nearly gone - I'm wondering what February has in store for us!
      Just as I was about to turn this off for the night, I found this photo and email from Nancy Buttura. Thanks, Nancy - finally a glimpse of what som of our Joe's Ponders are up to in Florida! Here's what Nancy said: 

A group of Joes Ponders getting together in Jupiter, Florida.  In the picture are Larry Rossi and Michelle Parker, Billy and Bo Keach, Robin and Mark Nicholson, Ernie and Barb Thurston, Fella and Nancy (taking the picture)Buttura and Patty Coburn.  As you can imagine it was a fun night.

I just bet it was a fun night!! Great to see you all. It won't be long now before you're back at the pond, basking in the luke-warm sunshine. Just look at all those beautiful tans!

Margaret Richey Memorial

Margaret Elizabeth (Milne) Richey BERLIN — A memorial service for Margaret Richey will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, at 11 a.m. in the First Universalist Church in Barre. She passed away peacefully Jan. 5, 2019, surrounded by her family, after a brief illness. She was 90 years old. The Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy St., Barre, is in charge of the arrangements.

I just received this more recent update on Alex from my friend, Mary Whitcomb: (Turn on your speakers!) 
 https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Young-firefighter-fights-Leukemia--503681301.html

 Alex is obviously a very strong young lady. We wish her the very best and look forward to perhaps meeting her this summer at Joe's Pond!

I just had some disturbing news this morning. Another of our Joe's Ponders is in trouble healthwise. This came from Joanne Stewart about Alex Blair, daughter of Craig and Heather Blair (78 Cove Rd.): 

I picked this up from her GoFundMe page:

Alex is an 18 year-old high school senior from a family of volunteer firefighters. She has been a member of the Cambridge (VT) Fire Department since she was old enough to be a cadet. Both her father, brother, and several other family members are also firefighters. 
In September 2018, Alex wasn't feeling well and went to the doctors for what they thought was a cold. After regular meds didn't work, she began experiencing pain in her neck and face. Blood tests revealed she had leukemia and she began chemo immediately that day. We are unsure of what the future holds at this point, but we are certain their family could use help with care. Whether it's medical bills, or supporting her parents who must take constant time off from work to be with her in the hospital, we want to do everything we can. Please take the time to donate even $1 to help this young lady. She is still looking forward to beating this and getting back to the fire department, her varsity softball team, and prom!

 Here is the contact information if you can help:

 

CaringBridge website:  https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alexscaringbridge 

Go Fund Me:  https://www.gofundme.com/alex039s-fight-against-leukemia

The Blair's home address is: 

 34 Kays Way, Cambridge VT 05444

 

We are so sorry to hear about this. We wish Alex a full and speedy recovery. It won't be easy, but she sounds like a very strong, purposeful young lady. I'm sure she and her parents would like to hear from Joe's Pond friends to know they are in our thoughts and prayers.

It's been cold today. Our thermometer hasn't been out of the sub-zero range all day, hovering around six or eight below. At one point about mid-day I looked at the thermometer and wind chill was registering -25 degrees. I knew it was bitterly cold from going outside to measure the new snowfall this morning. When I came in, Fred mentioned I'd cleared the deck and got all my measurements in record time. In case you are wondering, I don't let anybody shovel the snow off the deck because that's where I take measurements. Fred is inclined to throw the snow over the railings and often snow will sift back over the deck, depending on wind conditions, and that could skew my measurements. Anyway, it's not a big thing, but I like doing it myself - besides, I need the exercise. Some days that's about all the real exercise I get, being at my computer so much. 
    This morning was nose-pinching cold and the wind was bitterly cold, right out of the north. Later Fred took a turn around the three driveways he looks out for with the snowblower, but he didn't linger long, either. We had only about 1.5 inches of new snow after I measured yesterday afternoon. The total for this storm was about 18 inches here. Not overwhelming, but combined with the cold and the wind, it is a miserable storm, and not quite over with as the wind is still howling and snow is  blowing around, drifting and making visibility difficult.
     Stay warm and safe, warmer weather (and rain and probably ice!) are coming soon.

Tim Hebert took this picture today of a poor snowman drowning in snow on Joe's Pond!

Lots of snow on the pond and tonight at 11 o'clock we are at nine below and still falling. According to my weather station, the gusty wind puts the temperature at seventeen below. Brrrrrrrr!

The winter storm came as expected, on time and with the fury that was predicted. I just looked out and it is still snowing lightly and the wind is picking up, swirling it off the roof in big clouds.
     I measured 11.5 inches first thing this morning. It took me a while to even get to the measuring tube - I always shovel off the deck in order to keep it clear for measuring. I went out just about 9 a.m. and was back at my computer to make the report by a little after 9:30. The storm seemed to be letting up around 3 o'clock, so I went out to measure again, just so I'd have a closer count on the total snowfall of this storm. Once the wind begins to move things around, it's hard to get a good measurement. At 3:30 I measured another 4 inches.
     This has been a pretty dry snow so far, and with the temperature dropping - we're at zero right now - it will remain light and fluffy.
Visibility will be bad with the wind blowing it around, but the roads are clear and except for some possible drifting overnight, we don't expect any real difficulties.
     It's been a good day to stay inside and get some things done - like putting away a couple of Christmas centerpieces and doing some small mending projects. Also, I worked on the West Danville history book. I am finishing up a chapter about the loons. I hadn't realized until I did some research that there were no loons on Joe's Pond for many years - at least, none were noted. When the wildlife folks began to realize in the 1960s and 70s that some species were disappearing, the loon was put on Vermont's endangered list. The Vermont Loon Recovery Project was born and gradually the loons have made a comeback with conservation practices in place and the help of humans.
     It's going to be a very cold night. Please be careful if you must go outside, and always let someone else know where you are going and when you expect to be back. I read in the newspaper about the woman in Kirby who was found nearly frozen to death in her own driveway by her husband. She normally let him know when she was heading home from work, but that night she forgot, got home and slipped on the ice, knocking herself out. He wasn't aware until he decided to check on their animals because it was such a cold night and fortunately found her. She is going to be ok, but authorities say another 15 minutes and she wouldn't have been alive. Her hands were badly frozen, but she hopes to recover most of the use of them. She was one lucky lady her husband suddenly felt compelled to go out and check the animals when he did. 
     An accident like that can happen to anyone, any time. It is especially worrisome for people who are living alone or traveling alone, so it's always a good idea to check in with someone, even a neighbor, who can sound the alarm if you don't show up when you are supposed to. It's a good idea to keep your cell phone with you - but sometimes, like the lady who fell on the ice and was unconscious, more is needed. It is a good idea to always keep a blanket or two in the car, especially this time of year, just in case you get stranded. Your car may not be able to run or could run out of gas and you would be left with no heat. So keep snacks, water and blankets in the car - just in case.
     In the few minutes it has taken me (about 15) to write this, the thermometer has gone to minus 2 degrees and the wind is starting to blow. It's gonna be a cold night at Joe's Pond tonight!

Winter Storm Expected!

Our Cabot road commissioner, Karen Deasy put out this advisory this afternoon:

Winter Storm Advisory

This weekend's storm is expected to bring a period of extended heavy snow fall and bitterly cold weather to our area. We are reminding folks to take the following safety precautions.

-If you can avoid traveling on Sunday, please do so

-If you do need to travel please go prepared with an emergency kit in your vehicle and plan for extra time to get to your destination

-The winter parking ban is in effect. Please be considerate of the plow drivers and keep vehicles and equipment out of the Town roadways and right of ways

- The snow is expected to drift and blow. Check your vents to make sure they are clear from snow and ice

-Check on neighbors - especially the elderly

- Dress for the weather and avoid prolonged exposure

- Protect your pets by keeping them indoors where possible

Pretty cold today, all day. I don't think it got out of the single digits above here even though there was beautiful sunshine most of the day. Tonight I believe it's going to warm up a bit and maybe we'll get a little snow, then over the weekend we are expecting to have a lot of snow dumped on us. Could be a foot and a half or two feet, if the forecast is right.

We had to go to Berlin today - I had an eye appointment. I had been getting a shot in each eye on alternate visits, but back in November I had both eyes done at once and then was able to skip December. My vision has been great all these weeks and when tested, both eyes were as good as they'd been in the fall, so I was hoping I wouldn't need a shot at all, but then when he said he was going to do both eyes, I wasn't really surprised. It's a "maintenance" sort of thing, and goodness knows, I'd rather have the double shots than lose my eyesight. I have had "double shots" that were a heck of a lot more fun than today's, for sure.  It really isn't all that bad - I'm getting used to the whole thing after four or five years, but it messed up a lot of my day. I don't have to go back until March, so it's a small price to pay. I'm fairly back to normal now and actually got in some work on the book late this afternoon. 

One of the things we always notice when we have to take Route 2 west is how awful the road is. It is pretty good as far as Marshfield now that the new stretchs by Goodrich's Sugar House and past the dam are finished, but boy, it's rough from there on. I hope some of that can be worked on soon. It's not only full of potholes, some of the curves between Marshfield and Plainfield are really treacherous. I've always thought it is too bad we don't have a much better east-west highway. That route gets a tremendous amount of travel every day.

I know it's a little premature to be thinking about maple sugar season, but really, it won't be many weeks now. Once we get into February, the weather SHOULD begin to warm up and things will thaw out. Even though it's early to be thinking about spring, it's still really nice to daydream a little, especially when we're battening down getting ready for another blizzard and blast of cold, right?

If you are reading this somewhere in our north country, do be careful in the next few days - stay warm and safe. If you are in some "non-frozen" region - I'm sorry you are missing all the fun here! Just now I checked the weather in Anchorage, Alaska, where our friends are and it's 24 degrees and mostly sunny right now. My thermometer is reading 5 degrees. I guess that is unusual weather for this time of the year for them, while ours is really about normal. Seems like there's usually a cold snap during January. Then again sometimes in March.

    It has been a few days since I last posted anything here. My only excuse is that I've been tending to the business of writing. We had thought we might meet on Monday - the book committee that's writing the history of West Danville, that is - but we all agreed our time might be better spent writing since none of us has a completed chapter to discuss right now. Our meetings are always productive, even when we aren't sharing what we've written. Patty has usually discovered something new while researching, and Dot has found the answer to some question about the stone sheds. As for me, I'm admittedly up to my eyebrows in the notes and pictures and sub-chapters that make up the puzzle. Sometimes I'm so engrossed in the chapter about Joe's Pond I forget to eat. That's extraordinary for me; usually nothing gets between me and food. Fortunately I have a very patient and competent husband who understands when I get "lost" in a project and never pushes. If he gets hungry, he knows his way around the kitchen pretty well so he can get things started and I can then come in for the big finish!
    Yes, I'm still on the Joe's Pond chapter. When I say "Joe's Pond chapter," what I'm talking about is really substantially more than one chapter. It's a dozen or so sub-chapters, designed to in some way capture how the pond and the community around it has evolved over the years. Of course, the Joe's Pond Association is a big part of the later years, but the years previous to 1921 were huge for the pond in many,  many ways. And of course without the pond, it's likely West Danville would never have been settled. These past super-cold days have provided me a legitimate reason to stay at my computer and write, and it's been productive. 
    Today was near 30 degrees and I couldn't resist heading out a little before noon when the sun came out for just a few minutes. It was lovely to stretch my legs and get some fresh air without the sting of sub-zero winds. Tomorrow will be a different story because the temperature is going to drop dramatically again - but I have important work to do and will stick to it - inside. 
     A few days ago we learned that Ray Rouleau had a close call in Florida recently when the car he was riding in was in an accident. Ray was wisely wearing his seat belt and was ok - one or two of the others in the car were not wearing belts and were injured (not Cyndi - she wasn't in the car).
    I looked up Florida's seat belt laws and found drivers and passengers in the front seat must wear their seat belt; children under the age of 18 must wear a seat belt and young children need to be in a properly installed child's seat. Apparently, passengers over the age of 18 riding in the back seat do not need to be belted. Ray was in the back seat, but very wisely, had belted up. Good thinking, Ray! We are so glad you weren't seriously hurt, and hope everyone else is recovering well.
    We haven't heard much from any of our friends who are away from the pond, scattered across the nation this winter. I usually have a picture or two arrive just as we're "enjoying" miserable weather - always smiling, tanned faces enjoying food and drinks at some lovely beach-side restaurant (sure, I'm a little envious!). I did have occasion to talk with Jack LaGue this week - he was golfing that afternoon, so we had to keep our conversation reasonably short. It was just tying up some loose ends concerning last year's dues records, so it didn't take long. He said he and Sue are having a good winter golfing, enjoying the warmth, although he said it was chilly there, only in the 50s (!) Both are well and admittedly glad they aren't being subjected to our cold weather. 
     We've had a little snow off and on today and the temperature is beginning to head down (27F) - just like the forecast predicted, snow squalls that haven't amounted to much more than perhaps an inch or so. I haven't heard how thick the ice is, but there are plenty of fishing shacks and fishermen on the ice and I'm betting it's in the vicinity of two feet or more. Those cold nights we've just had must have built it up considerably. Perhaps someone will let me know what the depth is, and I will post it here.
     Our cousin in Rhode Island sent me this picture - her caption was "Brrrrr!" 
     Notice the little puffs of steam from each tweet!

Well, the temperature hasn't been out of the single digits all day today. I think the low last night was something like five below, and today the highest I saw it on our thermometers was eight above, at about noon. Another cold night tonight - and tomorrow more of the same. It is spectacularly pretty, though. We took a ride just to see how pretty everything is with a lovely fresh coat of snow and the sky was that special blue - we took pictures, but photos just don't do it justice.
     Our neighbor on the hill above our house has been clear-cutting their woods between them and us. We have heard the machines working there for a while now, and recently the big box trucks loaded with wood chips have been going past the house regularly. They had logged selectively a few years ago, so we were surprised that anything was big enough to cut. They may have plans for their land that would require clearing and smoothing it to fields. When my family owned the land where our neighbors' house is now, it was all pasture, but had been farm land in the past, and years ago was clear cut. We went over on Davidson Road - it's very pretty up there and we got a good view of the hillside behind our house from there. The top picture is Jamie and Marie's road near our house, the next two were on Davidson Road, and the bottom picture is looking at the hillside behind our house - actually, Cabot Plain, on the west shore of the pond.
   

  

We are saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Margaret Ritchie, a long-time summer resident at Joe's Pond until recently. She and her husband, Alban, enjoyed many summers at their North Shore cottage, now owned by David and Carolyn Porter. Our sincere condolences to her family. 

I have just come in from measuring and shoveling snow. It was a bit of a chore clearing the deck this morning - nine inches of new snow had fallen since yesterday morning and it is still snowing and blowing. Although I measured nine inches, there was a drift of about twice that in front of the door onto the deck. On mornings like this it's really hard to get an accurate measurement of the snow because of the drifting and shifting. Some spots are swept nearly bare and snow is piled up in other spots. When that happens, I take several measurements and then get an average.  That's the best I can do. This morning I had a hard time seeing - the snow was swirling and my inclination was to keep my eyes closed. I should have had goggles on. Oh, well. It's only going to get snowier and colder.

Everyone - enjoy your day the best you can. Don't over-do the shoveling, especially if you aren't used to exercise. And if you must be on the roads, do be careful - there are bound to be white-outs with the wind swirling the snow like it is. Be safe.

We've got snow!
I measured two inches each on Monday and Tuesday, and this morning another four, and it's been snowing all day. We will have at least another six or so by tomorrow morning, I expect. It's pretty with the trees loaded making everything look like a lovely Christmas card. There was lots of gusty wind today, swirling the snow around and making visibility difficult. There's lots more weather predicted over the next few days and by the weekend, deep cold. Perfect January weather - finally!

I wasn't outside much today except to get the snow measurements this morning. Most of my day has been spent here at my computer. I hadn't realized just how much there would be to write about the Joe's Pond Association in particular - and Joe's Pond in general. There are lots of things I should have remembered but didn't until I went back to minutes and newsletters. I'm now into more "recent history" as opposed to what we've gathered previously. Even though I've lived here my whole life - mostly no further from Joe's Pond than St. Johnsbury - I'm discovering things I never knew about. Like horse races and motor boat races on the pond. And then there are things I had forgotten such as that it used to be a toll call from one side of the pond to the other and that we were interviewed about the Ice-Out Contest by Jay Thomas on SiriusXM Radio. (Yes, THAT Jay

Thomas!) It was almost as much fun as those interviews we did with Don Mulally at WSTJ every year. Below the picture of Jay Thomas is a picture of Don on the air about the time we were both working at WTWN - in the 1950s. Ken Green (bottom picture) was working there at that time, too. He later went to WCAX. I worked at all sorts of jobs there - bookkeeping, secretarial, scheduling programs and writing copy. Tom and Shirley Kibbe were there at that time, too - our main objective every day was to get Ken Green to break up on the air. It really wasn't difficult. We had to be careful not to get anyone in trouble. Station owner Dean Finney had a sense of humor but he liked his announcers (and other staff) to be professional on and off the air. That was a lifetime ago, for sure. All three of these radio personalities are gone now.

It's great fun to go back in time searching out bits of Joe's Pond history, but it's proving to be a huge task pulling it all together for this book. I'm optimistic, though - I think I'm beginning to sense there's a light at the end of this tunnel. Stay tuned!
 

     Our lovely respite, two days with sunshine, ended late yesterday afternoon when the sky over Walden way looked dark and threatening - a sure sign some kind of storm is brewing. I sat in my swivel chair by our big corner windows and watched the last light of day fading over the channel running into Joe's Pond. I was on a break from "the manuscript." 
     "Looks like it's going to snow," I told Fred. 
     "Not until tomorrow according to the forecast," he replied.
      Turns out we were both right. It did snow - starting just about dark with a few flakes, but by bedtime there wasn't much accumulation. By morning there was almost an inch of new, fluffy pretty dry snow. Sometime mid-morning the wind began to pick up and most of today has been swirling with snow, sometimes like a blizzard, other times, gently drifting aimlessly down on us. As the temperature dropped, the wind picked up. We've added a few more inches to the snow pack that I'm guessing is between 12-18 inches.
     I've been going through old Joe's Pond Association newsletters looking for interesting stuff to include in our history book. It's a real joy to read through the newsletters written over the thirty-two years Ray Johnson was secretary of JPA. He had a wonderful witty way with words. (How's that for alliteration?) I remember when I took the job a couple years after Ray had resigned,  I worried that I could never live up to his legacy. Lauren Chase had been secretary for two years before I took it, and when she signed on she declared Ray a "hard act to follow," and said she would not even try to match his wit. Lauren was a smart cookie and I followed her example.
     Always the cheerleader for Joe's Pond, in the spring of 1976, Ray commented: ". . . even the gray [days] are  a better gray in Vermont than elsewhere."
     Further into the newsletter, Ray reminded people to "check the Bulletin Board at Hastings Miracle Mart in the city for all the information you will need to survive another summer in this magnificent part of the world."
     Indeed. If you don't find it at Hastings Store, you probably don't need it. For years the store has been headquarters for everything the summer folks (and us locals) need, including advice, message relays, a secure repository for an extra set of keys to your camp, and general information center.
     In one of the newsletters, Ray talked about the studdy planned by the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and two professors from St. Michaels College who were to conduct studies of lake eutrophication. He wrote: "Most of you are certainly aware of the weeds advancing in ever-increasing intensity throughout the Pond, and if something is not done to combat this menace we may soon find ourselves camping beside only a sea of grass." 
     I couldn't find any results of that particular study, or if the two professors actually studied Joe's Pond. What I did find was that a couple years later  the Vermont Dept. of Water Resources  did a comprehensive study and reported "the water quality of Joes Pond is uniformly excellent."
     That same report measured depths of the pond: "The average depth in the main pond is 24 ft. with a maximum depth of 95 ft., the middle pond has an average depth of 10.4 ft., and the lower pond has an average depth of 9.9 ft."
     Ray's comment: "If some of you non-swimmers fall in you have a very good chance of making shallow water if you run fast enough."
     That report in 1979 began the era of wetlands regulations that both protects the pond and sometimes annoys and hinders property owners wanting to make changes on their property.  Still, as I quote Ray once again: "Those who have climbed the highest mountains, sailed the seven seas, and hobnobbed with royalty are forever telling us that their Joes Pond years are among their most pleasurable memories - which surprises us not at all." 
     Times change, taxes rise and people grumble, but this is still a pretty darned nice place to live. Good people, good vibes, good living.

     

    It's been a lovely day here today. The sun was bright on fresh snow - like "diamonds in the snow" as my friend and fellow writer, Dot Larrabee said today. It was, indeed. There was hardly any wind, unlike yesterday when it blew like the dickens all day. The snow was so heavy after it rained on it, not much blew around, but when it got colder late in the day and started to snow a bit, there was plenty in the air, swirling every which way. Today it just sparkled.
     We didn't get much new snow - a little over half an inch was all I measured this morning. I haven't been out to see how much there is on the ground and I also have not paid attention to my measuring pole I finally got set up. I had neglected to do it along with other fall work before snow came, and I wasn't about to shovel a foot or more to find it. After one of our recent thaws it seemed like a good time to get it set up. So Fred and I both took shovels and tramped to where I was sure it was, but after clearing a spot at least ten feet in diameter and still not locating the approximately five-inch square flat rock that covers it to keep leaves and dirt out of the hole, I finally did what I should have done in the first place. I used the shovel as a sounding tool and within a very few minutes of poking straight down in the snow, we heard the unmistakable "clink" of metal on rock, and there it was - a couple feet southeast of where we had been digging. So much for remembering the lay of the land precisely. No matter how many times we both had mowed over that rock or  passed by it during the summer, it had eluded us when we went looking for it under six or eight inches of snow.
     Unfortunately the pole wouldn't go all the way into the socket. Maybe it had frozen water in it or maybe it had filled in with dirt and debris during the summer, but the line marking ground level was about three inches above the ground. That's ok just as long as I remember to add three inches to whatever measurement I get on the pole. It's in place, ready for duty.
     Now I'll try to remember to check from time to time. We will be getting a fairly good snowfall in the next few days, if the forecast is correct, so it will be a good time to get in the habit of checking that along with the other measurements I take each morning.

     In the meantime, I got out the snowshoes the other day so I have no excuse for not going out from time to time, no matter how much snow we get, to measure and get core samples to measure the amount of water content. I'm sure there's a pretty tough crust now, and that is sometimes hard to break through to get a fairly accurate measurement. Like I have said before - this snow measuring stuff  isn't rocket science. I do what I can. I'm a volunteer - they can't fire me or dock my pay if I fail to take those measurements regularly.

   Fred took this picture the other day. When I first saw it, I wondered where that painting was. At first glance it looked like a photo of a picture in a frame. Then I noticed there's all my sewing junk on the shelf below and I realized it is one of the new windows where my sewing machine is. Pretty cool!
     Sometimes I need to take a break from writing and do something entirely different. A few days before Christmas I had one of those days so I used up some scrap bits of ribbon, old beads, pipe cleaners and yarn to make these angel ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree. They were great fun, quick and easy. I save stuff all the time for just that sort of thing. I was going to use pine cones to make something, but my stash of cones is so dried out they were opened up too much. I'll use them, but another time. I think granddaughter Tangeni will like my caroling angels.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    Fred and I wish everyone a wonderful 2019.  
Sometimes it's difficult to look on the bright side when there are so many troublesome events and negative attitudes in the world, but we can still find plenty of goodness, kindness and happiness, especially in our own home territory. We see wonderful things happening every day and so appreciate our family and friends that look out for us and others without thinking twice. We are very fortunate to live where we do.
     We celebrated the New Year at an impromptu party at Diane Rossi's last night, and that was very special. We met Kent and Cherese Mason after having interacted with them many times over the years by phone or email, but never actually face-to-face. There were other neighbors there - some had not met, some we don't see very often, like Dotty and Bob Noyes and Shelly Walker. Jamie and Marie were there, adding to the fun. Sometimes last-minute get-togethers work out the best. 
     The weather was just turning sour as we left, I'm guessing around nine o'clock. (I know, what partypoops to leave a New Year's party that early!) There was a little rain/snow mix in the air, and by morning we had about two inches of very soggy snow - again. The temperature stayed in the mid to high 30s most of the night, I think, and now it is beginning to slide down pretty rapidly, at 29F now. The wind has been ferocious and we're amazed the power is still on. There have been some snow squalls that will no doubt make traveling difficult in some areas, but we don't plan on going anywhere. Old fogies like us are content to stay in where it's cozy and warm and watch a football game or a movie.
     We are old enough (and I might say wise enough!) to not over indulge in either food or drink, so no hangovers or headaches to herald in the New Year! Actually, I'm looking forward to a pretty solid day of writing after lunch today. As usual, there are some days when I really have to push myself to settle down and work on the book; but it's fun going through the minutes of Joe's Pond Association meetings and reading old newsletters - the hard part is picking out what may be interesting to someone else and getting it written in some logical manner. It's a giant jigsaw puzzle with bits and pieces to be merged. I have already done sections on the islands, Flint's Point, George Cook, Breezy Point, Point Comfort, Farrington's Point, JPA, McKillop's Lake View Farm, Asa Mack, Dr. Watt and  many people all around the pond plus events, good and bad, spanning the years, and I'm up to about 2001 in the JPA section. All I can say is that I'm so grateful for Linda, our editor. She brings out the best in all of us who are working on this book.
     So, from my desk this morning, looking out at the snow-covered hillside and watching the big spruces swaying with the wind, I feel  hopeful for the world at large in the coming year. It's a good time to wipe some slates clean, set some new goals and make a fresh start.
     Happy New Year, may you have Good Health, Happiness and know Kindness and Consideration, both giving and getting.