Weather, Ice, and News

 We have winter, more or less, at least here at Joe's Pond. Much of the surrounding areas such as St. Johnsbury, Plainfield, Barre, etc., are pretty much snowless tonight, but West Danville, Cabot, and Walden have at least a little snow on the ground so we are white, not brown. Still, it's not a "normal" winter.

The best news is that the Cabot road crew was able to hone West Shore Road on Friday. It is really much improved, and everyone who has had to travel this stretch for the past few weeks, is exceptionally grateful. The mud holes and slimy ruts turned into dangerous frozen gullies and ridges that threatened to knock the underpinning from beneath your car or dump you into a ditch. Once in those frozen ruts, it was all but impossible to steer out of them, so turning out for an oncoming vehicle turned out to be like playing "chicken." It did slow traffic down, but we'll take the smoother road and let the speeders land in a snowbank.

We are expecting some snow tonight and tomorrow - probably not a great deal and since the temperature is already in the teens and will probably bottom out in the single digits again tonight,  what snow we get will be the light, feathery kind rather than that wet, heavy stuff we all dread having to plow or shovel.

In spite of the changeable weather and recent open water in some areas on the pond, the ice fishermen are enjoying winter as usual. There were a few out last week, and we worried whether the ice was thick enough to be safe. Louis Cassani reported six or seven inches a couple days ago, and that wouldn't be enough for me to feel safe on, but we have had two very cold nights, so no doubt that has increased the thickness. Diane sent me this photo and said she counted at least nine fishing shacks or collapsible shelters set up out on the ice today. I came by the access area around 3:30 this afternoon and there were lots of cars there. There hasn't been a lot of wind, and the temperature got into the low 20s today, but no sunshine so it still seems November-gloomy. We did have a little sun yesterday, the first we've had for weeks; but even with the sun, the thermometer didn't get very high. The southern part of the state may get a fair amount of snow this weekend, but not so much up here.

Apparently the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has completely ignored the urging of so many Vermonters and is ready to present their recommendations for wakeboats unchanged, leaving it at 500 ft. Here is the Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes (RWVL)  newsletter regarding that: (RWVL). This will come as no surprise for many of us who have experienced ANRs decision-making over the years. While they probably have good intentions, common-sense reasoning seems to be an unknown tool in their arsenal.With all the scientific and public input this latest issue has had supporting stronger regulations of wake boats to keep them from damaging our small lakes and ponds, one would think the folks at ANR would have gained some understanding. I would like to know the reasoning behind their decision. It is hard for me to understand how tearing up the bottom of our small lakes is a good thing ecologically. I try not to take sides on issues presented here, but when I hear about people being impacted when swimming, boating or kayaking, and know first hand the damage those big wakes do to our waterfronts, docks, and moored boats, it's a no-brainer, and I cannot imagine what possible defense ANR could have for their decision.

Stepping down from my soapbox, I'm now going to pour a glass of wine and put together something for supper, then sit in my recliner and enjoy a Hallmark movie. There are lots of things that I don't agree with, lots of things that need to be straightened out or fixed these days, and I often have solutions; however, nobody asks for my opinion!

Be warm and safe.