Going, going, but not gone

About a month ago I had a post showing a few of the impressive snow piles around Rensselaer. This was the one in the parking lot of CVS.

A week ago it was much shrunken.

Today it was smaller still. It is nice to see that the snow is melting even if we get little dusting like we got this morning. Some of that snow is visible as the clean snow on the pile.

There is a sign on the courthouse lawn that you cannot read in the picture above. It is an announcement of the Jasper County Fair Association Pork/Chicken Dinner on March 13, from 11 until 2:00. Ticket prices are $7.00

The big pile at Brookside Park is much smaller, but still tall enough to hide the car that was parked on the other side.

I have been checking Lake Banet every few days, and today it was totally ice free. The last time I was there, which was probably sometime last week, it was still completely covered with several inches of ice. I was quite surprised that there was no ice at all along the shore that I could find. When I lived in Minnesota I spent a couple winters very near a lake, and watching the break-up of the ice is fascinating. It happens very quickly--in a matter of hours.

In other news, Jamie's Cafe and Banquets has changed hours. They are now open in the late afternoon on Fridays and Saturdays. They have also changed their menu. The customers wanted French Fries and now they can get them. ("It is not from the benevolence of the butcher ...." I hope you know the rest.) Jamie's Cafe and Banquets has a Facebook page, but hardly any fans.

Back to the spring news, Friends of the Sands has a volunteer workday on March 19 at 9:00. They will be replanting seedlings at the greenhouse. They also have pictures of their new building that you can find on their Facebook page.