Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday again. Nice day today, nice in so far that the wind wasn’t howling and it wasn’t pouring. No sun but it was warm, low 50s, I’ll take it. Still, even though the branches I picked up today were wet, it is very dry in the woods. 

There is usually an intermittent stream that runs between Mud Pond and Green Pond. Not this year. Dry as a bone, it makes it very quiet. Normally as soon as the ice is out and it warms a little you hear the wood frogs quacking like they do and shortly thereafter the peepers join in. So far this year I have heard nothing. I guess time will tell if they will just be a little later.

I saw this guy under the feeder the other night munching out on the seed on the ground.

 I haven’t seen the opossum again since the one time this spring. I have no real issue with either one. Checking the beach in the mornings to see if there are snapping turtle tracks from their movement into Green pond. I saw two last year.

Quilt Show

Carol here ~ 

We spent a couple of days last week at AQS New England in Hartford, CT viewing the 700 quilts.  Contestants came from 44 states and 13 countries.

Ice Out

Carol here ~

This weather is just gross.  At least the ice is out but warmer temps would be appreciated.  Oh well, it gives us something to complain about I guess.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday again. The weather is still miserable and cold and is destined to stay that way a while longer. I think the ice is trying to melt but the progress is slow. 

Spring?

Carol here ~

Happy last day of March!  Yesterday was beautiful but I think that's all we're getting for warm temps for a while.  Sheesh, it seems like it's taking forever to get consistent spring temps.

The birds were enjoying yesterday's warmer temps as I was surrounded by birdsong when I went for my walk on the ridge.  I stopped to listen to them and could see them flitting about in the trees.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. Not a really bad day. The sun shone some, it didn’t some, it was windy some, it was calm some, it was warm some, it was cooler some. I don’t remember that it rained or snowed, but otherwise was a normal spring day in Maine. We can’t really go for a walk this time of year anyway because the road is such a mess. As soon as it warms up again, (assuming it does) the road will turn from just potholes into stretches of mud. When a car is met it is anyones guess how much water and mud a pedestrian might wear. I am perfectly willing to wait until dryer road conditions and take my chances then. There are times that I miss my many long walks. Most the time, not so much.

We sit in the window and look around the pond and have seen the snow disappear from the side hill two or three times now. The ice cover on the pond has started to get darker again, many times lately I have listened at the window and heard the ice groaning at night. Maybe it is contemplating the biannual phase change, this time back to water from the ice. I’m ready, maybe the pond is as well. Time will tell.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. We have returned to cooler weather with the next several says showing the full spectrum of spring weather. The forecast is for mostly on the cooler and snowy or wet side. Most of the snow is either gone or is disappearing fast. It is almost time to start wasting my time picking up the winter’s debris and beginning the cycle all over again soon. I’ll probably wait until it warms again.

The pond is changing every day. When we get a couple warmer days the water on the surface melts along with the ice along the sun-collecting edges of the pond. Now with the colder temps again, the ice is back to groaning and rumbling with those temperature changes. Many rumbles are accompanied with loud cracking as the ice complains about the changes. Here is the picture I took while making my kitchen sink soup for supper.