We're in for some weather today - first some rain and then it turns to snow and the forecast is for two to three inches. Just what we need to drive everyone over the edge.
    Because he knows how much snow we have here, Andy Rudin

sent this picture of his daffodils - it cheered me up this morning, and I hope it does you, too!
    We are in the last two days of the Ice-Out Contest. Only today and tomorrow, Monday, to get your tickets! I wish I could tell everyone something that would help them make a more informed guess, but what can I say? There's still lots of snow on the ice, but fishermen were warned earlier to get their shanties off the ice in other parts of the state because the ice is no longer safe - but here at Joe's Pond I don't think there's much to worry about. However, today is the last day they have to get them off everywhere - the law says they have until the last Sunday in March or when the ice becomes unsafe, whichever comes first. So they should all be cleaned up and off the ice by tonight. However, there will still be a few fishermen for a while.
     Once this rain/snow stuff moves through, the weather is going to be a little cooler, so melting will be slow. There's no telling when the tables will turn and we'll have a blast of very warm weather to rush all this snow water into the pond, but I'm confident it will happen. I don't see how the ice could be out of the pond before the last of April, and maybe this will even be a year when we beat the latest record of May 5 in 1992. Two or three times it's gone out on Easter Sunday - and Easter is quite late this year. Just saying. It will go when it's good and ready!
     I talked a little with Jenny Larrabee Rafuse about her plans for the store now she's the owner, and I think you'll like the changes she has in the works. She will have a creemee machine this summer and is installing a sandwich bar where you can get your sandwich made to order; and she will be making meals-to-go. Their hours will change this summer so they will be open later than 6 p.m., but she said they will go back to shorter hours during the winter. 
     People have been wondering is Garey will still be getting up early in the morning muttering, "Time to make the doughnuts . . . " and Jenny said that isn't going to change. Garey will be making doughnuts and more, every morning,  bright-eyed and bushey-tailed, as always. 
     With all the great places to get food in West Danville, there will be something for everyone's taste and no need for anyone to bother making meals all summer!
     I like the sounds of a creemee machine, but nothing can compare to the way Jane packs ice cream into a cone! One of her "small" cones has more ice cream in it than most double cones. 
      That reminds me - whatever happened to "double cones"?  I mean the ones that had scoops piled up side by side? I haven't seen those in a while. Probably a good thing - for our waistlines and hearts! 
     So get your ice shanty off the pond if you haven't already done so, and go get your ice-out tickets. You have only until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, so do it now! You could be a few thousand dollars richer for your trouble, and at $1 a chance, it's not going to break the bank. If you can't get to an outlet, do it on line. Just be sure if you print tickets to send in they are postmarked April 1 - no later.  Here's a link to tickets on line: LINK