Just how warm it has been this winter was driven home this morning when my neighbors called.  They asked if I thought we should cancel the kid’s ice fishing event we have planned for this coming Saturday. There is only eight inches of ice on Seven Tree Pond and the weather forecast is for warm rain towards the end of the week. That scant ice cover indicates how warm it has been this winter. We usually have a couple of feet of ice for this event and have had even more some winters.

Yes I know that it will be cold again and it will snow some more for sure; still this evening as I walked on the dirt roads you could feel the ground softening and the air lacked winters sharpness. Daylight now lasts until supper time and the overnight lows are certainly not bone chilling.

Woke up way too early this morning, the nearly full moon reflecting brightly off of what little snow we have on the ground. After getting the fire going in the woodstove and enjoying a couple of cups of coffee I headed out to cover our usual morning walk.