Thursday, 11:50 am: Here it is about a third of the way through the month of April and our snow is really melting. My long johns have been put away for a few weeks, and I am not cold. Being a firm believer in long underwear, I still had to fold them up and store them until next winter. The temperatures have been high enough that it's causing the snow to melt fairly fast, and cause some flooding on our local rivers and streams. The Saint John River has an ice jam just a mile from our house. Thinking it would be more spectacular with biblical proportions of ice and water, I am disappointed! Luckily I haven't been turned into a pillar of salt. Not yet anyway.
The Saint John River very near our house
With all the recent rain our car is covered in mud and general road grime. Until it dries up (everywhere) our car will be a sorry sight for the foreseeable future. Even the returning Canada Geese are standing around in water puddles in local farm fields, and along the sides or our roads. I think they are discussing whether, or not, they returned too early. Perhaps they should check in at a motel for the next few weeks. Although being geese, they might have a cash flow problem.
While surfing the Internet, I discovered an interesting web site our neighbors have, www.winterboundstudio.com. They live off the grid; no electricity and a hand pump for water. They really have a pioneering spirit, yet they create art, using only hand tools, in their trapper cabin back in the woods. It's pretty interesting. My pioneering spirit, such as it is, stops when the electricity goes off, but they persevere with their imaginations and their creativity. I tip my hat to them.
Let's see, I have run out of syllables, consonants, vowels and assorted punctuation. This must mean I have come to a pivotal point in blogging. This is "The End" [The Doors, 1967] at least for today. Cheerio lads!
Current conditions from our wireless Davis Vantage-Pro weather station:
Temperature: 37.9 [F.]
Barometer: 29.645 & rising slowly
Humidity: 57%
Wind: SW at 1 mph very light & variable
Visibility: > 3 miles
Skies: 100% overcast
Since midnight:
Low temperature: 32.9 at 12:43 am
High wind: 22 mph at 10:41 am
Charles Ames is a former educator and world traveler. He and his wife [Ruth] moved to Grand Isle Maine from Arizona in 1998. They reside in a log home on 60 acres of wooded land. They share their home with five dogs, two parrots, two parakeets and a goldfish.
Besides amateur weather observing, his other hobbies include; ham radio, astronomy, bird-watching, travel and fine dining, when and where he can find it. He is also volunteer Weather Spotter for the NWS in Caribou, and is an active member of the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association. He supplies information using a wireless Davis Vantage-Pro.