Another Cold Day Before the Warmup!

 We have high hopes that the promised warmup this weekend will actually happen. It was close to zero last night again, and right now only 14 above with a pretty steady breeze AND snow flurries.

I finished clearing my deck yesterday, measuring eight inches of pretty well-packed snow, but it was still fairly light. The snow this morning measured only an inch and was feathery light so when I tried to toss the snow over the railing, much of it blew back onto the porch. It was cold at 9 a.m. and I finally just scooped all of the snow into a pile and waited for lulls in the gusts of wind to toss it. There wasn't enough precipitation in that one inch to show up on my measuring gauge, so I reported a trace. Really dry stuff.

Last week I had one roof on the back side of my house shoveled. The snow sometimes collects in a valley made by the ell and can build up so I worry about it covering the vent pipe or putting too much stress on that roof. The last time it had to be done was in 2021. Gene Danis from Danville did it for me then and again this year. This year he also did a roof at camp and one for Jamie and Marie. He is really fast and efficient - does a great job. If you are looking for someone, I certainly don't hesitate to recommend Gene. Nice guy and very reliable. His number is 802-748-2951.

Yesterday afternoon a young man appeared at my door asking if I wanted him to remove the snow from my roof.I didn't ask his name, but left me a brochure for "Elite Vision Landscaping." He told me he and his brother work out of Sheffield, Vermont. I don't know anything about this company, but their contact info is 304-801-6838 or 802-595-1715, email: elitevision2024@gmail.com. 

A lot of people are looking for someone to shovel their roofs right now. We are expecting a warmup trend and if that should bring rain on top of all this snow, lots of roofs could be endangered. A barn collapsed in Williamstown, killing six cows due to a combination of heavy snow load and wind. We've had a lot of both here at Joe's Pond this winter, and winter isn't over by any means. Although the snow we've had has been very light, when it is packed by high winds, it increases considerably in weight and that's what we have going on this year. Monday and Tuesday next week are predicted to be in the 30s with "light rain" possible, and that could spell trouble for roofs already stressed under the weight of close to three feet of snow. If you aren't here, think about having someone check your Joe's Pond home to see if the roofs need shoveling. Porch roofs are particularly vulnerable, especially if they don't have a good pitch, or any that get drifting or have only a gentle pitch.

I saw in the Caledonian Record that Everett Drew passed away recently. Everett was well-known at Joe's Pond during the winter when he was out just about every day ice fishing. He kept lots of locals supplied with fresh perchr. I believe it was Everett that I often saw fishing in back of the Toll's Island. No shack or tent for shelter, just a couple of buckets to transport tackle that also served as a place to sit. Over the years the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Committee often depended on him to report ice depths, and sometimes we worried he was out there too soon in the fall and too late in the spring to be safe, but he knew the ice and the pond well. I'm sure many in our Joe's Pond community will have memories involving Everett - a true Vermonter at heart.

Stay warm and safe.