Reporting In

 It's been a while since I posted here, and that is because I've been really busy coughing and complaining. I figured that because I had all of my shots and I haven't even had a cold for years, if I did get Covid, it would be a light case with few symptoms. Not so. It hit me really hard. Manageable, yes, but it was not fun. I'm so glad to be over it and testing negative. I still have a dry cough and no energy, but that's no big deal. I am drinking gallons of water - I tried the energy drinks, but I've decided just plain water is more my speed. I'll leave those flavored drinks for the more athletic folks.

Now we are in the middle of one more big March snowstorm. I measured close to five inches at 9 a.m. and we've had almost that much again since then - heading for anywhere from a foot to 18 or 24 inches, according to the forecast. It's snowing steadily, but this isn't the really wet, heavy variety; the temperature has been low for several nights, from 6 to 16 above, and right now I'm seeing 26 degrees, so the snow is pretty dry, but dense and coming down steadily.

So what is this going to mean for the Joe's Pond Ice Out Contest? That is anybody's guess. There are large strips of open water in the first two ponds, and Gretchen Farnsworth reported last week that the channel by their house at the north end of the pond is opening up nicely. However, the body of the big pond, where the contraption for the contest is set up, is solid with ice - as near as we can tell. I haven't had a report from my fisherman friend, but may hear from him this weekend. If I were to guess, I'd say we aren't looking at an early ice-out, i.e. before April 1st, but there's still time for the weather to turn summery and fool everyone. This photo was taken on March 15th, and with all the new snow we're going to get today, those stakes may disappear. But it won't be for long - next week we're back into unusually warm weather. We just won't know how fast the ice will melt!

Gretchen Farnsworth sent this picture a few days ago of some visiting geese. She said they didn't hang out for long as there wasn't much open water. However, she spotted a young eagle hanging out in the area. I guess we'll have to put up with eagles preying on our loon families again this year.

I found this photo on the internet. I'm constantly battling with a red squirrel that manages to climb up the side of my house and get to the bird feeder I have on my living room window. He is very bold, and when I open the side window within inches of him, he simply sits there, unafraid. I don't dare reach out to shoo him off the feeder for fear he'll grab onto my arm and end up in the house. Now I'm armed with a spray bottle with water in it and I'm waiting for him. I've tried scaring him off with a rolled-up magazine, but even that is closer than I want to be to the little beast. I'm sure they can be vicious if cornered. However, this little guy in the photo is pretty cute.

My thanks to those of you who have checked in with me wondering if I'm ok. I do appreciate hearing from you and it is nice to know my blogging is missed and that you are concerned about my well-being. I'm getting back to normal and hope to remain healthy. It will certainly help to have real spring weather so I will be able to get outside comfortably and maybe even do a little gardening.

Susan Socks came earlier this week to prune my fruit trees and some other bushes - I think she came on Wednesday - about the best day weather-wise. She did a great job, but was unable to get at my rhododendron because of the amount of snow around it. It is very overgrown, and really not very pretty even when it flowers, which seems to be only when the stars are aligned exactly right. The blossoms are a pale peachy white, not the vivid purple that I see most often. It's been in place for years in front of my deck, and as the years go by, it increases in size with great greenery, so it does serve a purpose in that spot. I'm anxious to find out what a good pruning will do for it. In the meantime, my hydrangea looks better than it has in years, and the mock orange has a new chance to flourish. It's amazing how much better everything looks with a good trimming.

If you must drive today - please be careful. Roads will be slippery and visibility could be limited. Best to stay home and watch March Madness or a Hallmark movie, if you can.