Happy Tuesday,

We woke up yesterday to a somewhat unexpected dumping of snow. While this Nor’easter was predicted, the snowfall amounts we saw and continue dealing with were much greater than the forecast called for. After a rainy weekend and lots of snow melt, my first-floor windows facing into the wind are covered by the drifting snow.

One of the most spectacular and destructive phenomena in Vermont and other cold climates is the flooding resulting from ice dams. The Mad River had frozen quite solidly over the course of the winter, and all that rain broke up the much of the ice. These foot-thick slabs of ice can become lodged in narrow parts of the river and create massive flooding. Just across the field, I can see the snowmobile trail and Meadow Road underwater. Surely, the field and road will be left littered with monstrous sheets of ice until Spring truly arrives.

We closed our South Burlington, VT store yesterday, as the roads weren’t plowed, and many of us simply had to wait to get plowed out. Waitsfield operated with a skeleton crew, and while UPS and FedEx let us down, our mailman Jason came right on schedule with the US Mail.

As always, thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

Matt
matt@smalldog.com