Going, Going...

…Gone. Yes, as I write this, the ice is leaving the brook behind my house. I’ve never really kept track of when this usually happens – I’ve never had a blog about outdoor ice before this year – but I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is pretty early. Oh well, we got to skate on it a couple of times, which is a couple of times more than we usually do (for reasons why, see Frozen Bodies (…of Water): Part I).

No surprise, but the local newspaper reported that this was the mildest winter on record across Canada, and of course, here in our region. “Normally” around here, the average winter season temperature is minus 9; this winter it was 5 degrees warmer. Apparently, the snowfall amount this winter was close to normal (but we saw twice as much snow as usual in the two previous winters).

Speaking of snow, all of the snow in and around my yard is gone…even the drifts in the shade. As in, absolutely no snow is left in my yard. So, for another fascinating comparison, here is a picture taken on April 6 2008 showing my son splashing around on the rink:Look at the snow! This amazing comparison kinda reminds me of another classic Backyard Ice post…