Change in the Weather

 We've had a big change in the weather over the past couple of days. Yesterday and today were comparatively warm and last night we got nearly a half inch of rain, the temperature today has been around 50 degrees - until noon. At just about lunch time, the wind picked up as a cold front moved in and now, at 4:30, the temperature has dropped to about 25 degrees. 

I'm not sure what all the warm weather, rain and melting has done to the ice, but I bet it took quite a beating and I certainly wouldn't want to go out onto it. It's getting close to the time when ice shanties have to be off the ice - I think something like the third Sunday in March - but it may be they will be off well before that this year. Even though we had over 30 inches depth, this warm weather does take a toll. We will have colder weather for the next few days, but the pattern seems to repeat, with temperatures getting a little warmer, very gradually, as the weeks pass.

I noticed today that traffic seems to slow just below my house where there is often a mean muddy spot in the spring. I haven't been that way recently, although yesterday I went in the other direction, towards Walden, and the roads were excellent, so I don't know what is going on there, but it could be some fairly deep, muddy ruts. Everything will freeze up again tonight and we are getting a little snow. We've gone from one extreme to the other in record time.

I just had a call from my friend, John Greaves, who I've known since high school. John told me he has just finished reading the West Danville History and said he enjoyed reading about so many people he'd known over the years. John still lives in Walden where he grew up. He was interested in the Bayley Hazen Military Road and I was able to explain to him exactly where it went through our farm on Cabot Plain. From the Plain, it swung northward through Walden, and he was very familiar with it in that area. I always enjoy talking with John because he remembers so many of the people I grew up with. Lots of Walden kids went to Cabot to high school, but back when this area was all farm country, all the farmers knew each other in neighboring towns, so we were all considered neighbors.

Today I cleaned out a bird house that I knew the squirrels had used to store seeds from the bird feeders. I watched one busily going in and out of one of my two birdhouses a while back, and wanted it clean in case an early bluebird wanted to nest there. It was a good day to do that because the snow pack is down and manageable. I intended to put up a third house near the pond, but I couldn't find it. I purchased a pair of bluebird houses last year and put only one up (another has been up for years, but no bluebirds!); but so far I'm unable to locate that second one. It's around here someplace - I'm sure I would have put it in some "logical" place where I'd be sure to find it; but it wasn't in any of the "logical" places I looked in today. So now I need to think outside the box. Or perhaps I'll just wait until I stumble onto it accidentally when I'm looking for something else.  I can think of a few places it might be that I haven't looked yet. Next warm day I'll try again.

As I look out my window, the snow is swirling in the north wind, and the temperature has dropped almost another five degrees. It's going to be a cold night. I was surprised yesterday to see that there are cattle in the pasture beyond my place. I hadn't realized they have been there all winter. There is plenty of woods to shelter them, and they do grow thicker coats when they are left outside, but I'm personally uncomfortable with the idea of cattle being outside in below-zero weather. These are not milking (milch) cows, and I know  they will be ok, but now I'm going to think of them on nights like this. 

Stay warm and safe, spring is getting closer every day and we'll be mowing lawns soon enough!