skim ice, Loser's Pond

The mercury in the maximum-minimum Taylor thermometer touched 19 degrees F. at daybreak, and when I went out for a morning walk, I made a point of looking for the first skim ice of the season. But while there were plenty of icicles on sticks that overhung the millpond waterfall, the edges of the pond remained ice-free. I think it must have been too windy overnight. The situation would be different, I suspected, at the vernal pool complex near the house. It was out of the wind, and the water there was barely six-inches deep—something this shallow would lose heat and freeze fast. That hunch proved correct, and when I reached the first vernal, the one I call the Loser's Pond, interesting patterns of skim ice glistened in the sunlight filtering through the woods. There was warmth in the longer-range forecast, so the ice wouldn't last. But it was a definite reminder of what will come eventually... a reminder that I have lots of things to do to get ready for winter.