The Joys of Spring

Sometimes, as the expression goes, Spring comes roaring in like a lion. Sometimes it comes in like a lamb. Apparently this year it's neither. This year, Spring is coming in like an early-season New England beach-goer, dipping one toe in the water at a time, pulling it out, then trying it again, hoping the water will somehow get warmer.

I took the photo on the left at about 7:15AM on Tuesday, March 3rd. I took the photo on the right at about the same time on Thursday, March 5th. Yes, the photos are of the same thermometer and yes, it was located in the same spot when I took both photos. Since the time of the second photo, the weather has continued its roller-coaster though it has remained generally warmer. Naturally, we received about seven inches of snow during the day yesterday, it was sunny and in the mid-30's Fahrenheit today, it's going to rain a bit tomorrow, and we're expecting a big freeze-up tomorrow night. Are you following this?

Thankfully, as has been widely reported, Okemo has already surpassed last year's snow accumulation total so the skiing and riding continues to be outstanding - bearing in mind that last year we had a banner season by any measure. March is always the snowiest month of the year here in Vermont, so we should enjoy great conditions for some time to come. The questions to ask, therefore, are at what point Mother Nature will decide to go beyond merely dipping a toe in the warmer weather and how fast will we become immersed fully in the joys of Spring?