I took this picture at noon today. The thermometer seems frozen at about 26 degrees, and we've been getting snow showers with howling wind off and on all morning. The sun has tried to stay out, but there are massive storm clouds filled with moisture, so we're getting enough snow to keep the ground pretty much white. Not exactly a pretty picture, and it seemed way colder than the thermometer was showing when I was out just before lunch to climb up Jamie & Marie's drive. I didn't need the creepers on my boots, but I haven't put them away, either. At least this appears to be pretty typical weather for March - or early April - and that's sort of comforting.

Don Sherwood sent this picture again of a bunch of Joe's Ponders when they met at Punta Gorda for lunch a while back. He's been watching the blog and the weather here, so I guess he's just sore he missed all the great spring skiing! It's a good looking group, so I decided to humor him and display it again. And yes, with all the mud and snow flying around, their sunshine looks pretty good, even to this old dyed-in-the-wool Vermonter.

We have about a half inch of new snow this morning and it went to about 25 degrees last night. Fred has been down to check the flag and clock and took some pictures. I've made a slide show for you.

The sun is trying to break through the clouds, so the snow will melt - as for the ice, your guess is as good as mine. We have a pretty strong wind blowing out of the west, and that could start the ice moving now that there's some space along the shoreline. Isn't this fun?

Tickets are still available, but going very fast. Remember that you can print tickets on line (click here).

The road hasn't improved, but Fred went the usual way, not the long way around, and said it wasn't any worse than last night.

We'll keep you posted on any changes.

I went with Fred tonight to check the clock at 7:00 p.m. The road between our house and Route 2 is not good. There are several bad mud holes - one that's not too bad just below our house, then a worse one between Pupino's and Jeff Down's, and a really bad one in front of the Dudley/Flannagan cottage and Gardner's. There's plenty of mud the rest of the way, even some on Blackadar Hill on the Danville end just before you reach Route 2. These spots are always bad, some years the roads get worse than others, and this year is apparently going to be a doosie. One of our neighbors told me tonight she went around by way of Route 15, took 215 towards Cabot Village and then Cabot Plains Road to get home Saturday. That's going about eight miles to reach a point two miles away. I don't know what would happen in an emergency - but we're all planning to keep safe and healthy until mud season is over.

The pallet doesn't appear to be in danger of moving or sinking right away, although the ice doesn't look very substantial. We are expecting tomorrow will be cooler and quite windy, and that could begin moving the ice around. Then it's anybody's guess what will happen. Sometimes the ice moves enough to disconnect the clock and it takes another day or so for the pallet to actually go down. Other times the ice will get mushy enough so the pallet will fall through. We'll continue to check twice each day, at least - and more often if things begin to get serious. So we still don't have a clue as to whether the ice will last until April 1st or if we'll have a new early record in March.

Before we left, we got a picture of the clock - pretty much just sitting there doing its thing, same as always.

The temperature hasn't varied much today. It's still about 41 degrees, and may have been as high as 45, but the summery days of the past week are behind us and we look forward to some freezing nights and windy and cold days this week. Quite a few people are getting new Ice-Out tickets so they can adjust their guesses, trying to compensate because of our whacky weather. All I can say is, I wish everyone lots of luck.

OPEN HOUSE AND DEDICATION CEREMONY

FOR THE CLIENT LIFT DONATED IN MEMORY OF DONNA HOLMBERG PRIMMER

Saturday, May 5^th from 4-6pm Rhythm of the Rein invites everyone to our program’s Open House to celebrate the life and memory of Donna Holmberg Primmer through the dedication ceremony of the Sure Hands Mechanical lift that has been donated in her memory. This gift, donated by her husband John Primmer, the law firm of Primmer, Piper, Eggleston & Cramer, and dozens of generous friends of Donna, will expand the program's capacity. to serve more special needs riders in the central Vermont and Northeast Kingdom region.

Please join us in thanking all those who have helped make this addition to our program a reality, and learn more about our program and what therapeutic riding and horsemanship has to offer. There will be demonstrations, refreshments, and meet and greet with our great program instructors, volunteers and equines.

WHEN: SATURDAY MAY 5^TH , 4-6 PM

WHERE: WATER TOWER FARM 386 US RT. 2, MARSHFIELD, VT. 05658

CONTACT: 802 426-3781 OR RHYTHMOFTHEREIN@AOL.COM

Here's a note of hope for those of you who have April Ice-Out dates - from someone who has witnessed just about every Ice-Out season at Joe's Pond, Homer Fitts:

GOOD TO SEE FRED'S GREAT NEW PICTURES ON THE BLOG TODAY . . . LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT WILL BE APRIL BEFORE THE ICE GOES OUT. SURPRISED NOT TO SEE WATER ALONG THE SHORE IN FRONT OF OUR CAMPS. MARTIN'S AND FITTS'.

ENJOY OUR RETURN TO MORE NORMAL WEATHER.

HOMER AND MARGARET

Here's the latest report on the ice conditions. These pictures were taken when Fred checked the clock and flag at 7 a.m., and there's no visible change. The rain really hadn't started at that point, but right now we have light showers going on and it's 42 degrees. It didn't get to the freezing point last night, according to my thermometer - only 35 degrees - but that was enough to slow the melting a bit to let the mud in the roads settle. The rain will help the muddy roads. I know, that doesn't sound logical, but it actually does help bring the frost out more gradually - think thawing something out of your home freezer under cold water.

This middle picture is looking past Fitts's deck towards the boat launching ramp. Just beyond the ramp there's a small brook that runs into the pond, and that is beginning to show open water. The ice looks pretty solid this morning, but you couldn't pay me enough to go out onto it. The rain will have some impact, but it's hard to guess the actual condition of the ice. The bottom picture shows little change from yesterday.

The rain will wash away some of the winter dirt and maybe start greening up the grass in places. This has been a bad year for voles or moles on our lawn. Some years it isn't too bad, perhaps when we have enough snow to insulate the ground. But this year they dug deeply into our lawn and made a real mess. We hadn't been out to rake yet, but maybe the rain will begin to wash the dirt back into the holes those little critters dug out. They'd better hide because our cat, Woody, is starting his warm-weather routine of night hunting, and they are easy prey for him.

I heard Larry Rossi just had a birthday - Happy Birthday, Larry!

These pictures were taken at about 7 a.m. this morning. There has been very little change in the ice conditions, at least that we can see, overnight. Around the flag the ice looks a little whiter because it was quite cold last night and melting may have subsided. In the lower picture, the pond over all is quite dark, but that is partly because there is no sun today.

About all I can report is that everything is holding together for the time being. We will keep you posted.

We cooled down quite a bit last night - the low was 34 degrees, according to my gauge. It's nearly 40 degrees now, but I don't believe it will go much higher today. There's no sun, and we could get some rain - or snow flurries - by tonight, with temperatures dropping over the next few days, possibly into the single numbers. Then I guess we'll likely be making ice, not melting it. What else Mother Nature has in store, we'll have to wait to see.

In the meantime, we're dealing with the mud. Fred got this picture this morning after going to check the clock and flag. This was in by Encarnacion's, Pupino's and Downs's. Lawns can get chewed up, but sometimes that's the only way traffic can get through. The town owns 13 ft. from the center of the road on either side, so theoretically you aren't on someone's lawn - their lawn is in the road. However, it's not exactly a good-neighbor policy to have to do that. There isn't a lot that can be done except to haul some gravel or course stones to dump in the spot, and eventually the town will do that.

Our neighbor, John Hammer was here yesterday and said he'd been over in the Craftsbury area and roads were far worse there than here. He lives on the old Bayley Hazen Road which is maintained almost entirely by the residents there, and he said it isn't bad so far.