Lucky Winners!

We had two lucky winners in the Ice-Out Contest this year: Timothy Hutchinson of Springfield, Vermont, guessed 6:20 A.M., and J. R. Howard, North Hero, Vermont guessed 6:22 A.M. The clock stopped at 6:21 A.M. on April 16th.

The total amount of their winnings has not been disclosed, but the total of tickets sold, less expenses, will be split 50% to Joe's Pond Association, and 50% to the winners.  Even splitting the winners' 50% will mean they get a nice cut. We may have more information about the winners later.

Diane says the marker for the block is a white vinegar bottle and there is 100 ft. of rope attached, so if anyone is out in their boat early - some folks just can't wait and like to be first out after the ice is gone - be aware and stay away from it so your prop doesn't get tangled in the rope. She said it looks like it's further from shore than usual - but it is really hard to tell. Everything looks different once the ice is gone and there's only blue water. The ice was gone as of yesterday - pretty much on cue, two or three days after the block went down.  

Today we are getting rain and it is only about 40 degrees, so nobody will be surprised to see snowflakes among the raindrops. We might get an inch or two of snow according to the forecast. Pretty normal April weather, but we are all happy to have most of the snow gone and tinges of green on lawns, and we know this new snow will melt quickly - if it builds up at all. The trees are budding and flowers sprouting here and there. I noticed those little yellow flowers along the roadside yesterday - they look like miniature dandelions, and are always the first to arrive. They seem to thrive in roadside gravel.

The road to Cabot wasn't bad when I went yesterday morning. There are a few spots where it's wise to go slow and pick your way carefully to ride the ridges, but most was fine. One of the worst spots was by the brook past Wright's going towards the intersection of Brickett's Crossing Road on W. Shore Road. There is a muddy spot right by the culvert, and  one fairly deep hole to avoid on the right going west. Most of the previously bad spots are fairly well dried out, but there were a couple of still slimy sections where the sun hasn't hit and there's still frost in the ground. Burtt's sugarhouse was steaming yesterday, so they must have some sap still in their holding tanks to run through.

It's a good day to stay indoors. I was just out on my deck to measure rainfall (.23 in.) and that wind is fierce. Yesterday there was a report of a tornado touching down in Williamstown  this past week. The first ever recorded in Vermont in April. There have been others, but always in July. We have had high winds here this spring, and Thursday night some thunder. The weather has changed considerably over the years. I was surprised that weather has only been officially recorded for about 75 years. I would have thought someone would have been keeping track long before that - the weather is just about the most important factor in many farmers' lives, and everyone has something to say about it - it's almost always the main subject when people meet.

Stay warm and dry.