Still Making Ice

 Diane Rossi and I were talking this morning, wondering how thick the ice is now, after all the rain last week. I think we both rather expected quite a lot of melting had taken place. So I got in touch with my fisherman friend, Bob McKay, and he told me it is about 33 inches. Before the "big thaw" it was 30 inches thick. So here's the thing: even though we had significant warming one day, and a deluge of rain, nights remained cold - in fact, most nights have been in the vicinity of zero, or even below, with the possible exception of one night when the rain changed over to freezing rain, and finally snow. We haven't had a lot of snow at all this year to insulate the ice, so these cold nights it only gets thicker. 

The fishermen are out in force this weekend, with lots of shanties in the bay off of Barre Avenue. That is the deepest water - close to 100 feet depth there - and that seems to be where the best fishing is. To each his own. I would never be a fan of ice fishing. I can't think of anything less appealing as a winter sport. And I'm not that fond of fresh-water fish to eat, either. I used to enjoy fishing on local brooks years ago, and I have enjoyed eating brook trout. I remember Dot Dimick making delicious chowder with Joe's Pond perch back in the day, and she loved to fish every summer when she and Bill were at camp. Fishing was a favorite pastime for campers here at the pond, and fish chowder was often on the menu at Joe's Pond gatherings in the early 1900s. The supply of fish seemed endless. The campers took pains to retain the exceptional fishing by stocking the pond on a regular basis; now the State of Vermont takes care of that so there will be good recreational fishing, year around. Some very large fish have been caught here, but if big ones are caught these days, we don't often hear about it. Snagging a big fish used to be newsworthy and local newspapers were happy to record all the details; but fishermen today pretty much keep pertinent information to themselves. Why give away where the best fishing spot is?

Which reminds me of the youngster who was flying a kite in the park one day and an adult came along and asked, "So you're flying a kite?"

"Nope," the kid responded, "I'm fishing for birds."

I saw something I thought was amusing the other day. I think it was titled something like: "How to Drive Teenagers Nuts -- put them in a room with a dial phone, radio, and typewriter, and give them instructions written in cursive."

So it's obviously time for me to stop writing. It's been a long, very quiet day, and contrary to what you are probably thinking, I haven't had too much wine - but it IS about that time, so I'm going to assure you, spring is just around the corner, and to prove it, Bob McKay told me today that he's seen a couple of robins - in West Danville! Already!! I didn't think they showed up until there's bare ground . . . but I'll be on the lookout now, for sure. 

Be safe and happy.