Gazing west to the Adirondacks I could be convinced this is the heart of winter. The mountaintops have been white since December. But there's no telling how deep the snow is. The Vermont mountains to the east of us have no cover, thin cover, or half-way decent cover at the highest elevations. Ski areas have been suffering, as has the Vermont economy that depends upon ski tourism. Most of us have been skeptical of ski reports, not expecting much, given this strange cycle of cold followed by warmth, without a single serious snowstorm. We see the words "frozen granular" and figure it's time for spring skiing. ("Granular" being ski slope-speak for half-melted soggy and/or icy stuff, permissible in late March or April.)
In the valley winter has been looking more like this:
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| Enough snow to last maybe a day or so, then back to bare ground.
Fifteen or so miles away things can be very different. Monday, the 30th of January was one of those days when things were unexpectedly and spectacularly different. It was cold here in the valley although just under freezing and the ground was completely bare. There was a mild wind. The night before we had our usual 1-2 inch dusting of snow. It was time to give Sugarbush a try. As we drove there we began to notice snow cover beginning above the town of Bristol, altitude 570 feet. (Vergennes is at 194.) By the time we crested Appalachian Gap at 2375 feet ("App Gap" in local lingo) on Route 17 the snow was a respectable 2 feet or so, a fierce wind building drifts. On the other side of the Gap the Mad River Valley ski area was operating and the slopes looked good. When we got to Sugarbush we could hardly believe our luck. There was powder skiing on a packed powder base, a wintry wind swirling with fresh snow, and few other skiers. Better yet, all the snow boarders were in school!
Other results of this not-quite-winter weather have included a lot of ice, like the ice shapes on our pond: 
And sometimes the ice has covered the driveway, like this (claw marks in the foreground are the result of braking with studded snow tires):
Meanwhile, here by the fire
...are Rufus and Harry. Rufus just had his vision restored (double cataracts removed) and will be recuperating for the next two weeks wearing a collar to protect his newly repaired eyes. He's not pleased with the collar, bumping into things, getting stuck, but his world has brightened and a playful and contented personality is blossoming.
 
Going where their noses lead, as Rufus will again once his eyes have healed.
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