Tired of winter?  Here's one man's recipe for "How to Love the Cold," and perhaps the key to why we have a dozen or so shanties and a small village of people on Joe's Pond this time of the year.  This was sent to me by Andy Rudin (Old Homestead Rd. in summer, "Philly" in winter, Vermont in his heart year around.) 

There's Ice Fishing, and then there's the Ice-Out Contest . . . !
You decide how you're going to beat the winter blahs.  But here's the thing: buying an Ice-Out ticket costs only $1, you can do it from the comfort of your home on your computer, or you can go to one of the many businesses in our area that have tickets (they are all well supplied and the folks are happy to chat about weather and ice conditions), and if you win, you'll have enough $$$ to take a nice little vacation, with or without fishing gear.  If you don't win, you can still enjoy the Fourth of July Fireworks Party (on July 3rd) at Joe's Pond!  (Rain date July 5th!  We have to have a rain date, especially this year when our weather so far has been so unpredictable.)
 

Can you believe this is the first of March?  As promised, our Joe's Pond Ice-Out pay-on-line tickets are available starting today.  Fred worked industriously this past week, getting everything set up so your transactions are secure and we get your ticket picks instantaneously, saving lots of time and making it easy for folks who aren't close by and able to stop in at one of the outlets for regular tickets to get in the game.  Printable on-line tickets have been available for several years, but last year we were able to let you pay using PayPal or a major credit card, and lots of folks really like the efficiency of doing that. 

Now all we need is some warm weather to start the melting process.  The chart at the right shows the dates the ice went out in past years, and there does seem to be a warming trend; but this year could be different.  Someone said recently it might be July before the ice goes out, but we all know the weather can turn on us quickly, and a few days of above freezing temperatures and a little rain would be all we'd need to get  spring actually happening.  Once the weather warms up a bit, Larry Rossi will get the flag and pallet out on the ice.    We'll let you know when.  There is still lots of traffic on the ice - snow machines, cars and trucks, and we want to wait for that traffic to cease before we put the pallet out.  The State of Vermont says shanties must be off the ice before the ice becomes too soft to be safe - or by the last Sunday in March, which this year is March 30th.  Sometimes winter has held its grip well beyond the end of March, but we've also had at least two real nail-biters when it looked like the ice might go out before the contest officially ends on April 1st.  With the intense cold we've had this year, it looks like there shouldn't be any surprises; but you never know.

So go to the Pay On-Line Ice-Out Contest page  and send in your ten best guesses; or use the printable tickets if you want fewer than ten chances.  Complete instructions are on the page, but if you have questions, contact us.  We will have regular updates of ice conditions a little later - right now about all we can tell you is that we're still very much in "winter mode" with at least two feet of ice, and about the same amount of snow on the ground.  It's encouraging to know that the meteorological "spring" started today; and hopefully, by March 20, when the astronomical "spring" arrives, we'll actually be able to feel it.  Or it may take a little longer here at Joe's Pond . . .

We took pictures today, mostly for the benefit of everyone who is not fortunate enough to be here at Joe's Pond, enjoying the brisk breezes and daily frostings of fresh snow.  Translation: winds that make the 20 degrees above zero temperature "feel like" it's 20 below and snow squalls that  dump 2-3 inches of snow on us every day.  It's piling up out there, folks, and the ice is thickening!

The first picture is of West Shore Road, heading south towards Route 2 (there's a very thick layer of ice on all back roads - ice that can flip a car into an unexpected spin without warning and that will no doubt add greatly to the sea of mud we anticipate once it warms up and things begin to melt; the bridge at West Danville that leads to the windiest town in all of Vermont, I kid you not; and the view from the drive-through at Passumpsic Bank in Danville - what can I say?  It's winter in Vermont.

I'm no longer going to report on our weather - it looks like we have at least another week of this bitterly cold weather ahead; but that isn't to say there won't be any snow.  The forecast has "snow showers" in it for nearly every day.  Not much sunshine at all. 

This makes our preparations for the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest seem premature, but those of us here at the pond know April 1st is not far off and the weather can turn on us very quickly.  It does seem unlikely all that ice is going to melt any time soon, especially when temperatures will range near or below zero nearly every night.  The contest is under way and no matter what, tickets must be in by April 1st to be considered.

Diane and I were pleased that Yankee Magazine published a very nice article on our Ice Out Contest in the March-April issue.  We have both read it and the only flaw I found was that Julia (Julia Shipley, the author) said Joe's is no "Golden Pond" because one is more likely to hear the quacking of geese rather than the calls of loons.  I guess she wasn't here much after the ice went out last year, so she had no way of knowing we do, indeed, have loons calling. True, we don't have a "Purgatory Cove,"  Kate Hepburn or Hank Fonda, but we have our own "characters" and the dreaded "Smith's Point" and "Sunken Island" that have been known to snag a few propellers or centerboards over the years.  She got everything else spot on, as far as I could tell, and I very much liked the article.  Her writing style was perfect for our light-hearted, fun-in-the-doldrums-of-winter contest, and she even captured the spirit of the Fourth of July Fireworks display the contest supports.  It's a good read.  The magazine (March-April edition) should be on the newsstands - we heard from Pam Hebert in Arizona that a friend in northern Maine let them know about it, so even though Diane didn't find a copy when she looked a couple days ago, it should be available soon. It's also available on line, if you are a subscriber. 

Yankee Magazine is filled with interesting articles, but I want to call your attention to another article in this same issue that we found very interesting.  It's "The Throwbacks," and is about young neighbors of ours, Jimmy and Sara Ackermann, who have a farm on Route 215N - just up the road from the turn for Cabot Plains Road.  The Ackermann family has farmed there for a long time, and now this young couple is working the farm together. The article was written by Ben Hewitt, who is also lives in Cabot.   

We've been wondering if anyone had tapped their sugar woods and might have made some syrup during those warm days recently, and apparently some producers had.  However, it may be a while before they get another run.  The one I heard about was a sugar maker in Fletcher.   We're undeniably in the "season" for it, but we'd be a week or two later here in Washington, Orleans and Caledonia counties, I expect.  We're generally about 10 degrees colder than the Franklin/Addison area.  Last night we had minus five degrees, and tonight it may be nearly as cold.  Today was chilly all day, and that wind was cruel.  A couple of times I looked up into the woods behind our house and there were clouds of snow coming off the big spruces.  And of course we had a couple inches of new snow yesterday and will have about the same by tomorrow morning, I expect - it snowed sporadically most of the day.  

There are signs of spring, however.  Town Meeting is next Tuesday, and a week later, on March 9th, we go back to daylight saving time.  Can you believe it?  I really like the change ahead, even though we sort of lose an hour.  In the fall (it will be on November 2nd when we go back) it's downright depressing - and dark.

I had a note from Andy Rudin a while back, and one of the things that reminds him of spring is the arrival of seed catalogs.  That made me smile, and within a day or so of his message, would you believe it?  One arrived in our mailbox.  I now have two to browse through.  I haven't ordered anything for years - I have more plants and shrubs now than I can handily take care of - but I do enjoy looking at the varieties and dreaming a little.  I even had thoughts of relocating some stuff - perhaps creating some paths in the woods again, with surplus garden flowers along them.  I'll have to get out there before the black flies arrive . . . 

Another sure sign of spring is the Ice Out Contest, of course.  Diane and I learned that there is an article on our contest in Yankee Magazine this month.  Our friend, Julia Shipley, interviewed us and took pictures last year.  Neither of us has seen it yet, but we'll be picking it up soon, and we've been asked by the publicity director to comment on the article so she can quote us in promos, etc.  This could boost our ticket sales considerably.  I'm remembering what happened when an Associated Press reporter did a piece that went nation wide back in 2007 or so.  Now, with on-line tickets available, it will be interesting to see what happens.

The St. Johnsbury Kiwanis Auction is coming up soon, and they have their supply of Joe's Pond Ice-Out tickets - they give them to bidders who match or exceed the listed value of an item.  It's fun, and sure takes the doldrums out of this prolonged, painful winter.

Sometimes it's just uncanny how things take unexpected turns.  When I posted the letter yesterday from the person in California with all the questions regarding the Ice Out setup in 2003, I had no idea this mystery person actually had ties to Joe's Pond - even though he mentioned a friend, "shall we call him 'Steve' in northern Vermont . . ."  Turns out "Steve" is the real deal, none other than Steve Allen (Meadow Lane).  Steve said this person has been a friend for well over 50 years, and added, "I just wanted to tell you that he always writes (and speaks) just like the contents of the letter!"

Of course, now I'm wondering if he then, or has since entered the contest?  I'm pretty sure we were completely flummoxed by the letter at the time, and not having any of the information he requested at hand, likely never responded.  In hindsight, we should have let him know the contest directors then (and still) take a firm stand against making such data readily available and thereby rendering the contest prone to such scientific analysis.  Our aim over the years has always been simplicity - with the winning picks depending on the whims of Mother Nature, and plain Dumb Luck.

This is a lovely day - really like spring, with bright sunshine and temperature already in the 40's. I took this picture at around 9 this morning.  Now there is a lurking dark cloud bank heading our way from the west, and more clouds closing in from the south, so the sun is getting blotted out periodically and the wind is increasing, probably indicating a swift temperature or weather change is on the way.  We had about half an inch of measurable snow overnight, and I was surprised that we lost only a couple inches of our snow cover to the pretty intense rain yesterday.  There's a crusty undercoat on some surfaces (like our deck and the driveway) but the trees seemed to have escaped being coated with heavy ice.  

Yesterday was a tough day for Woody.  He seemed to sense it was warmer outside, but couldn't seem to figure out it was raining and not a day for cats to be outside.  He gets fidgety at times like this and goes from door to door, hoping one of them will open to pleasant weather.  Sometimes, like yesterday, his humans disregard his pleas . . . so he stages a "sit-in."  It isn't hard to figure out what he wants; Fred says he's a "great communicator."  We both know he has us well trained, but sometimes we have to persevere.  Fortunately, his protests only last a few minutes and then he usually has a snack and goes back to sleep.  He manages to sleep through most of the bad weather . . .  

It's 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon and I'm sitting at my computer watching it rain.  We've had sprinkles and showers off and on all day, but now it's really coming down in good shape.    The temperature is still about 35 degrees, which is were it's been most of the day, so it isn't freezing on - yet.  As it winds down later tonight, the temperature is going to drop, according to the forecast.  I measured three inches of new snow this morning, but even then there was light rain falling, so our snow pack was diminishing, but the stake in our yard showed 26 inches. It's down to about 24 now, but this rain will probably take it down more; however, the weather folks are saying the snow will absorb a lot of the rain and that may save us from too severe flooding.  The good news is that it's going to get colder again, so that will slow the melting.

Road crews are busy trying to keep culverts open and preparing for icy conditions when the temperature drops later tonight.  I heard someone on a town crew who was apparently on a back road say, "Anybody who thinks we get paid too much ought to try driving one of these things!"  He went on to say the road was mostly slush.  Another reported there is a buildup of water on one of the state roads - I don't know where, and there was another report there is water flowing over a bridge on Route 302, near Route 25. And there's no sign the rain is letting up just yet.

I had a short e-mail from Homer Fitts this afternoon, and he said they are expecting rain there, too.  I'm sure that won't dampen his and Margaret's high spirits, though.

I had occasion to go through some of our Ice-Out records today, and was reminded this will be JPA's 27th year doing the contest. 
Diane Rossi and I got somewhat involved around 2007, and she and I became co-chairs for the 2008-9 season.  The contest remains very popular, defying economic swings, changing technology and unpredictable weather, and we have managed to keep the game uncomplicated while still allowing everyone a chance to be part of the fun, whether they are techies or not.  Like we say, it isn't rocket science, and everyone has an equal chance to win.

As I went through some of the memorabilia Homer gave us and that I've collected over the years, I came upon a letter received in 2003.  I'll never know if this person was serious or not, but those of us who were working the contest at that time got a real laugh out of it.  Take a look (click to make it larger).  I have no recollection of how we handled it, or if we did anything at all.  There wasn't a lot of time, since we probably didn't get the letter until March 28th or so.  We come upon some funny circumstances, and we also "meet" some very nice people as we navigate through the Ice-Out.  People seem to really enjoy being part of it all, and that makes our job a whole lot of fun, even though it gets pretty hectic near the end.

A while back, someone suggested the Rossi's place a thermometer where it can be seen on their web cam.  Diane thought that was a super idea, and now there is one.  I just had a look, and it shows up very well.  The temperature at present is slightly misleading as she just got it up a few minutes ago and it hadn't had a chance to adapt from the inside temperature to what's outdoors right now.  It's getting there, and we hope to keep it available after the clock is put in place - which won't happen until the flag for the Ice-Out Contest is in place.  Thanks to Diane for doing this.  She and Bill donated not only the thermometer, but also the web cams.  Please remember that you must use Internet Explorer as your browser in order to see the web cam images.  Using IE, log in to joespondvermont.com as you normally would and you'll find directions there.