The Waiting Game

Now we wait. Monday was the last day to purchase Ice-Out tickets, and the block and flag are still sitting pert and secure (apparently) with no sign of dropping through the ice and stopping the clock. Diane Rossi sent this photo taken early this morning. 

We are also waiting for the snow to come. We are being warned there could be a foot or more, depending on elevation. I don't expect we'll get it all at once as this storm is going to come at us tonight and last into Saturday, but I expect that we will likely have enough to plow and shovel each day, and it will be like winter all over again. 

Shelly Walker, a member of the Ice-Out Committee, sent this update yesterday:

 I drove into Montpelier today to pick up tickets.  I noticed that Marshfield Dam (I believe aka Molly's Falls Pond) is still frozen and quite bright white.  I did notice a very small area of open water where old Route 2 veers off to the right.  Molly's Pond is also still very much frozen.  People where I picked up tickets assumed that Joe's Pond would be getting quite dark with the ice preparing to drop the block, but no.  The past 3 or 4 days there have been paragliders out on the ice.  No sign on the big pond that the ice is getting rotten.  The weather that is expected over the next few days may make the ice last a bit longer.  I remember you sharing that ice on Marshfield Dam usually goes out about a week before Joe's. 

From the experience my friend, Bob Mackay had going through the ice last week, I would say that the ice is considerably compromised, but it is impossible to know how this storm will impact the ice on the big pond. Yesterday I went to St. Johnsbury and it was real spring-like there, with lawns showing a touch of green, spring bulbs ready to burst forth in gardens --  weeks ahead of us here at Joe's Pond. In West Danville there was a wide channel of open water the whole length of the first pond by the beach, and the middle pond was showing a lot of open water, especially along the Route 2 shore. However, there have been para-gliders almost every day skimming over the surface of the big pond, enjoying the strong prevailing winds and apparently unconcerned about the condition of the ice. Today there is almost no wind and the sun has been obscured by storm clouds. It is literally the calm before the storm, and along with this new batch of wet snow, we are being warned of high winds. That will mean power outages and poor driving conditions --  not the time to be out and about unless it's necessary.

On a personal note - I treated myself to a massage last Saturday. It had been literally years since I'd done that, so when my doctor suggested it might work for loosening up the tension in my neck and shoulders (that often causes vertigo!) I decided to give it a try. I contacted Sandy Pond (great name, isn't it?) at Back Roads Farm on Danville Hill in Cabot. I had never met Sandy, but knew about her, and I'm very happy to say I had a really great experience there. She was thoughtful and took note of my overall health and complaints. I felt pampered and relaxed when I left - and the tension in my neck and shoulders was gone. The arthritis in my back is a different story, but I'm hoping that over time, with Sandy's help, I will get more relief. 

It was particularly interesting for me to be at her Back Roads Farm, because that is where my long-time friend, the late Velma Smith lived. Velma built a house on the farm her parents, Bernard and Arecca Urban owned for many years. The Urban's house (now owned by Susan Socks and her family) is on the east side of Urban Road, and their barn and the house Velma built is on the west side of the road. She also built a two-bay garage with an apartment on the second floor, and that apartment is where one of her aunts lived for several year, and it is now Sandy's massage space, tucked into a maple grove on that quiet rural road. Sandy has a greenhouse and pottery studio - and a camp ground. I think Bernard and Arecca would be happy to know their land is being cultivated and cherished, even though it has been divided and is now owned by "outsiders." 

So today will be a waiting day - waiting for the storm to settle in tonight. Our spring will be delayed by a few days, but it will come. I'm hearing about arrival dates from Joe's Ponders anxious to get back to Vermont from a variety of warm climates. We'll be in "summer mode" soon, with lots of activity, green grass, blue water, and warm breezes pushing sailboats on the water. All in good time.