Those old cozy ski areas

— Photo by Stevage

Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

It’s sad to see the gradual disappearance of small, family-owned New England ski areas as they are taken over by such national chains as Vail Resorts or simply closed down for being money losers because of high energy and insurance costs and the aging of the population.  The warmer winters don’t help either. I remember when it seemed that every member of an area’s owning family was working there – as ski instructors, lift operators, snack-bar officials and so on.

I have the fondest memories of March skiing, with the sun (relatively) warm and the corn snow easy to handle as you smelled the wood smoke from the base lodge wafting up the slopes in the moist air. And you could see spring in the bare earth around the base of trees by the slopes as they absorbed the sun’s rays.

— Photo by Grimmcar

We set up three bird feeders a few weeks ago, and no birds appeared for two weeks. Then a mob of the avians appeared all at once. Insider trading?]=

Of course the squirrels grow fat on bird food: They’re good Americans! But if your feeder is at the top of a pole, you can pour a little vegetable oil on it and watch these often obese and ingenious rodents struggle to climb up.