Clock Still Ticking

 As far as I know, the ice is still holding onto that rope and not letting the block fall to trip the connection on the clock - so the clock is still running and no winner yet! I will let you know as soon as Diane gives me the word.

A reader has asked about our clock - it is securely attached to a deck railing at Diane's home, and is completely weatherproof. It does not get immersed in water - the most water on it is from rain and snow. The greatest threat is wind, but Diane has taken extra precautions this year because of our unusually strong winds earlier in the spring when the clock was first set up and it was in danger of getting damaged. After years of managing this setup, the committee has things very much under control and has contingency plans for just about anything that might come up.

We had a slight glitch last week after the block and flag went down and somehow WCAX got erroneous information that the contest was over. Not so, and the committee immediately informed them that the contest isn't over until the clock stops. They corrected the premature statement. 

It is pretty common (and logical) for anyone who sees the gaping hole in the ice where the block and flag were to assume the clock has stopped. It is also common for the rope to get frozen on the surface of the ice. That's one of the reasons that Larry started supporting the rope with wooden stakes a few years ago. Raising the rope also helps to keep snowmobilers from accidentally crossing and perhaps severing it (that has happened!). But when the weather warms, usually the ice melts enough around the stakes so they topple over long before it has melted enough to let the block fall through. With weather changing rapidly from warm to well below freezing, the rope gets frozen on top of the ice, then may get covered with a layer of water that freezes, further trapping it in a layer of ice. That is all part of what makes this guessing game such a challenge - there are many variables, and no "formula" or "plan" that will help someone win. 

Today has been mostly a "make ice while the sun shines" sort of day. The temperature has been just about at the freezing mark most of the day here at my house, and I expect about the same on the pond. We had a sifting of snow on the ground early this morning, but that didn't stay long. The sun has poked through the clouds a few times, but not enough to warm the air - in fact, several times the sun was shining and snow was falling. There has also been gusty and cold wind bursts from time to time. It is beginning to snow again as I write this - coming down steadily, but not sticking to anything. I am showing 33 degrees on my indoor-outdoor thermometer. I haven't ventured outside today - I found lots of things to do outside yesterday when the weather was quite warm, but today I'm content to hibernate where it's warm.

Stay tuned - it will happen soon!