Monday March 16. After a warm end to last week in 40-50’s and loss of a foot of snow on land and most of snow on the ice we had desultory snow and some rain on and off for most of Sunday, an inch plus of snow on land, and amazingly mostly gray ice on Chicky.

Monday morning it was 20 F. with gentle N wind. I tried to drive the snow blower down to the lake in heavy partially frozen snow. I got about 5 feet and it choked on the snow and would not move as the tires just slipped on the wet snow and grass. The snow was very stiff and over the top of the blower. Access to the beach will have to wait.

I drove down to the public beach, a quagmire of mud last week, frozen this AM but softening in sun. Ice covered with snow right up to shore, inviting looking gray ice with patches of snow in distance. I walked about half way across to small areas of shiny slightly orange peely ice and patches of wind packed snow 1-2 inches deep up to 50 Ft across, occasional scabs of frozen old styrofoam snow about the same size and a discouraging amount of 3/8 in. shell ice over 1/2-3/4 in. of air, no water or slush. But for the shell ice you might sail if there was enough air and you could stand coming back to the mud in the parking lot by the time you got through bashing around out there.

We need a warm heavy rain, but we are getting close.

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