Ice Info

We are in the middle of a very nice "spring break" right now. Today is a much cooler than it was yesterday when we hit temperatures in the low 60s (!) but at about 27 degrees, we aren't complaining. It's a whole lot better than being in the single numbers above (or below) zero with the wind blowing a gale!

I heard from my ice-depth resource buddy, Bob Mckay last evening. Bob said he had to go the full length of his auger before he hit water yesterday when he went fishing - he estimates the ice at 40 inches. He said he hit an unusually large pocket of water, I assume between layers of hard ice, that he thought was about six inches in depth. He said there are often smaller pockets, and the depth of the one he hit surprised him. He expressed some concern about that, wondering how it might impact the way the ice goes out. It's impossible to predict since when the clock stops depends on weather - both in the past months for how solidly the ice is frozen and the days going forward when we could still get some very cold and/or very snowy weather - or not. March can be brutal.

This is what makes our Ice-Out so interesting. A friend told me last week that last year he bought most of his tickets before the middle of March, but then the weather changed and he quickly bought more just before the closing date of April 1st. He said he has his this year but is waiting until later to turn them in. I reminded him he can always go on-line, last minute!

 We are expecting exceptionally warm weather (for this time of the year) later this week and during the weekend. Already the snow pack has decreased considerably - down at least two feet on my back lawn, but it's still too deep for me to get out there. I was looking for enough bare ground for me to maybe reach my pond, but everything around my house has at least a foot of snow still - the only bare spot is my driveway. The snow has pulled away around trees, posts, rocks, and foundations, but I still have plenty of  snowbanks and drifts.

I was reminded recently of how my mother dreaded March when I was growing up. She was Scottish and I think everyone in the McAllan family had freckles. She hated them and was particularly annoyed that I inherited her freckle gene. However, having freckles never bothered me and I shunned the "freckle cream" she tried to have me use that was supposed to lighten them. No matter how much of the stuff she used on herself or forced on me did any good. Come March, our freckles seemed to pop. We used to think the March wind had something to do with it, but actually it was probably only because the sun was higher and stronger then, and I was outdoors a lot doing sugaring with my dad, turning water  on our muddy roads, or clearing ice jams on the little brook nearby.

I passed the freckle gene to my sons - mainly to middle son, Bob. He got the reddish, curly hair and ruddy complexion of his Scottish grandmother and great grandfather. Bill and Jamie got a some of those genes, but not like Bob. I don't think freckles bothered any of them - Bill and Jamie's have mostly faded over the years, but Bob and I have managed to keep our "built-in suntans" - and honestly, I like that. A dermatologist once offered a treatment to fade my freckles and "fix" some other features he apparently considered flaws, but I can't imagine looking in the mirror every morning at a face with no freckles or flaws. As I told him - that wouldn't be me. He moved on to California where I expect his expertise was more appreciated.

Get outside and enjoy the sunshine if you have some wherever you are! The sun makes everyone feel better - whether it makes your freckles pop or just warms your heart!