Cold Night!

We had a really cold night last night - I had a low of 14.4F and Diane told me there was a lot of ice around the rim of the pond this morning. We had sunshine all day, and the temperature got into the low 30s, so it wasn't all bad. I think tomorrow is going to be warmer, but I doubt that it will be warm enough to melt much of the snow in the mountains. Last report I heard, Mt. Mansfield had 38" at the stake on the summit; Jay Peak reports they have had a total of 66" of snow fall just in the past week - that doesn't mean that there is that much on the ground - it packs down and melts, but the total snowfall this season at Jay has been 93 inches so far this season. That's a lot - but as I said - that is over time. I haven't been measuring and reporting snowfall depths since I injured my knee, but I hope to pick that up again, perhaps after this weekend's rain (or snow) to sort of get a fresh start. At Mt. Washington, the report is 60.4" total snowfall for this month. Killington opened on Nov. 12; Jay Peak will open this Saturday - a week earlier than normal. Stowe is opening this Friday, Nov. 21, and Burke Mt. is scheduled for a December 6 opening.

Deer hunting is going on as usual, and hunters are probably rejoicing at snow, at least if they are hunting in the higher elevations. Lots of places not far from us have no snow on the ground. We won't know the total number of deer taken until probably February or March, but the numbers expected by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department published really surprised me - over 17,200 deer expected to be "harvested." With 73,000 registered hunters in Vermont, plus visitors from other states, I guess it isn't surprising. I don't expect all 73,000 will be out in the woods hunting deer, but a lot will be. I'm always happy when the season ends. I haven't seen many deer around my house this year, but neither have I seen as many turkeys, partridges, or other wildlife that usually show up at some time. I thought it might be because my pond was so low - I know it is a good watering hole in normal summers, but there were no tracks that I could see. 

As of Monday, I'm cast-free and able to proceed without a walker or cane around the house. I'm signed up for weekly PT for a while - hopefully I'll progress quickly and won't have to do the full eight weeks. I am constantly learning what works and what doesn't, and so far I'm doing pretty well - no pain in my knee as long as I don't push it too far. I was totally surprised at the doctor's decision to let me go cast-free. He had talked about a different cast that would only allow my knee to bend a certain amount and could be adjusted as I progressed; then when I saw him Monday, I was suddenly pronounced "good to go" without the support, as long as I am careful. Whoopee!

Here is a photograph I received from my friend, Mary Whitcomb, last week. She didn't know where it was, only that it was a farm in Cabot. It was sent to her by a friend in California who had connections here in Vermont. I quickly found out it is the Bothfeld farm on West Hill, but I waited to post the picture until I could credit the source. I can't wait any longer. I want to share it - I think it is spectacular. The sky - the setting - just amazing. It was taken a couple of weeks ago, before we got snow. I expect the sky has been just as threatening a few times in the past days - we've had some pretty nasty weather with rain, sleet, lots of wind, and blowing snow. 

Tomorrow I'm off to get my hair cut - it's been well over two months since I've had a professional cut. There were some dicey stairs involved to get to my hairdresser, and I didn't want to take chances, but coincidentally, new stairs have been installed recently, so it should be ok. I have managed - when my hair got too long and began to irritate me, I just cut it off. I know hairdressers hate when I do that, but sometimes I just can't wait. And this was an unusual situation. Stephen has always been very understanding and never complained at having to fix my botched "haircuts". I'm looking forward to my appointment - and afterwards, middle son, Bob and I are going out for lunch at Papa Tirozzi's Bakery. He has great sandwiches, fish plates, and wonderful Italian desserts. Everything is good there, we are never disappointed. Bob was happy to come and get me to get to my hair appointment - especially when I mentioned lunch was on me! We're both hoping for fried clams!