We aren't getting into spring mode very quickly here. The snow is still pretty deep and there wasn't much sign of melting going on today even though the sun was out. I had an appointment at my dentist's - regular checkup. Thanks to modern dental practices, and very clever dentists who do nice work, I still have all my own teeth with the exception of one wisdom tooth I had to have pulled years ago. Granted, I have a fillings and crowns, but still --
     Anyway, Fred went with me and we picked up Ice-Out tickets at the St. Johnsbury outlets. It's a little like saying "Good-bye" to a friend when the contest is over, even though I'm not involved any longer, except for errands like today. However, Fred is very involved with the on-line tickets, and it's a little hard for him getting out of the habit of checking to be sure nobody is having a problem and for me to not be asking, "How many sales today?" 

      The weather in St. Johnsbury was much springier than here - as expected, but I thought people were rushing the season a little - I saw a number of folks out and about with no jackets on. I wore my winter coat and took my big winter scarf with me - the dentist's office is always cooler than I like, so I always plan take that into account. Today the young technicians were excited about how nice it was to have "fresh air" and "spring weather." I kept thinking how windy and cold West Danville would be when we stopped there for the mail, and whether we'd get our freshly washed car all muddy on the way home. We've wanted to get the car washed for weeks now but every time we were in town it was so cold we were afraid the doors would freeze shut and we'd either be trapped inside for days or the next time we wanted to use the car we wouldn't be able to open the doors to get in. We worry about stuff like that.

     On the way home, we got some pond pictures. I don't think this boat on West Shore Road is going to go anywhere for a while. The owners probably have no idea how much snow has been packed on it this winter. 
     And the snow is down a bit so we can actually see most of the flag and block for the Ice-Out. The light blue is where there was some water a couple days ago and it froze over again so it's ice.
     Mud season hasn't started here, really. Just a few spots that kind of toss the car around a bit when we drive through, but no deep ruts yet. We were discussing what makes for a really bad mud season. I say it's a combination of prolonged severe cold that sends the frost really deep and lots of water, either from rain or from layers of ice that have formed over the winter. This year I think it could be a perfect formula for a doozie, especially if we get a lot of rain. However, if the weather continues like it is now, with only very gentle warming during the day and freezing up at night, we just might make it through with only a few of those perilous pits to ride the ridges through. We'll see. We've had it pretty good for several years, and this year could be pay-back time. 
     However, today we made it home without messing up the wash job too much. Hallelujah!