Another snowy, wintery day here at Joe's Pond. We know that the weather is always quite different even a few miles from here in any direction, but I was surprised today when we scooted up to Hardwick to pick up some essentials curbside (a couple bottles of wine, to be exact) when the weather began to improve as we headed north. We left here in a little snow squall, roads a little muddy but also deep snow slush on the shoulders where there had been no traffic; the ground was white with snow until we left Walden Heights headed north. Suddenly the snow cover lessened, the sky brightened, the road was only slightly wet and by the time we got to Hardwick, the sun was out and there was very little snow to be seen. I thought we were probably just getting a jump on the good weather that was heading our way, but on the return trip a few minutes later (this curbside shopping saves scads of time!) we experienced the whole phenomenon in reverse and by the time we got to Brickett's Crossing Road, we were back in a gloomy snow storm adding to the already bleak white world that is our neighborhood right now. It's ok, though. We wouldn't trade bragging rights with anyone. I measured another 1.3 inches of new snow this morning - not much, but we've had snow showers all day, and it's sticking to trees and on the ground except for not so much on the road.

I found this on the Hardwick Front Porch Forum tonight and thought it might offer some humor to the present situation we are all sharing and hopefully coping with.

Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I'm cracking a safe.
I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
Still haven't decided where to go for Easter ----- The Living Room or The Bedroom.
Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
I don't think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we'd go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone.
This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog..... we laughed a lot.
So, after this quarantine.....will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I find them?
Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.
My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
Day 5 of Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.
I'm so excited --- it's time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I'm getting tired of Los Livingroom.
Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.
Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said "I hope I don't have the same teacher next year".... I'm offended.
Better 6 feet apart than 6 feet under.

Thank you, Jerry Hall, whoever you are, for posting that. I can relate.

There are a couple of things that will interest local folks. First, a fairly large black bear has been seen in the area of Cobb Road in Danville. That's kind of the east hill section of West Danville. He's roaming about, extremely hungry, looking for food. People should be very careful not to leave garbage or any kind of food outside. Bears have an extremely keen sense of smell and will travel miles following the scent to find it. When they are first out of their dens in the spring, they are really hungry, and there is not much for them to eat yet. This is early for them - nothing has begun to grow yet, so they are foraging for apples left from last fall - or an easy meal thanks to some unsuspecting homeowner. They can do a lot of damage, so please be careful. Take in your bird feeders - those are easy for a bear to smell and destroy and return time and again seeking more of the same.

The "shelter in place" life style has us rethinking almost every move these days. We switched from taking our recycling with us on shopping days to having Kelly Gamble pick it up. We switched our subscription to the Caledonian Record from print to digital - now most days we don't get any mail at all! Curbside shopping is no problem - most stores are offering that service and personally, I really like it! We get to talk to friends and family either on the phone or by email, and that's ok, but the thought occurred to us that with no way to get haircuts, we may not recognize our own family members once we get to see them again!That should be interesting!

Another effect of the pandemic is that our mail service may have to change. As postal employees fall ill, and restrictions persist, post offices may need to close. People don't use the mail service like they used to and this has already changed the service greatly. Our mail may be delivered only once a week or something, and perhaps a time will come when the post office is a cubbyhole like an ATM where everything is automated - no personal contact. The Post Office Department is predicting they will run out of money by early fall and will need a large sum from the government to keep going. In the meantime, more people are ordering goods on line and those are being delivered very efficiently by independent carriers - another way our lives have changed and will continue to do so.

We are concerned for many of our friends who have been wintering away from Joe's Pond, wondering if they will be able to get here for the summer or will they be marooned for the duration, however long that is. We know some are here now and others have plans to head home to Joe's Pond soon, but there are others who may not be able to make the trip. Traveling these days is scary and unpredictable.

We hope everyone has a safe, healthy Easter - celebrated in whatever way you can in unusual circumstances.