Life's a Party

Today looks like this:

The sun is shining; the lake is relatively calm.  Water is still running down the hills from all of the rain that we had on Wednesday and Thursday.  The Morton Salt girl must have been in the neighborhood, because it truly did pour on us.  Such a welcome sight, given how dry we had gotten to be in this part of Minnesota.  At the end of it, the rain gauge was nearly brimming.

The weather threw one heck of a party on Thursday night.  The wind was 10-20 mph out of the west, and the waves went dancing.  I was laying in bed, listening to the waves beating against the shore, the boats, and the docks.  On Friday, the "furniture" was all rearranged.

It felt a little like the morning after, as we worked to right the scene.  Paul and I got into the water, while Greg manned the skidsteer.  Within a half-hour, the boats and ramps were higher on the beach, safe from whatever the lake was planning to dish out that day.  The wind did continue, making it a little difficult to be on the water.  Instead, it was a "By land..." day, as I like to call it, and we had several people stop in to the store.  When the wind kicks up like that, it's a good opportunity to take a drive and see what is down all the little roads in the neighborhood. 

It seems the bears felt that it was a good night to party, too.  At one moment, I thought that the pounding of water-on-boats had increased. This was near to midnight on Thursday.  I commented to Greg about it, and then we heard a crash.  "What was that?!" he asked.  It took just a second for me to put it all together in my sleep-laden head.  "Bears," was the answer.  Sure enough, a family had come to make their own party on our porch.  Greg went down and snapped on the porch light, to find Mama Bear had been busy.  First, she knocked over the garbage can where I normally store sunflower seeds for the winter birds.  The chickadees had finished the last of the seeds in April, and I had put the feeders into the can. Evidently, the scent still lingered, and that is what mama went for.

She must have been disappointed, but found some hope in a bag of grass seed that I had left nearby.  With the snap of the light, Greg caught her off guard.  She had the white sack in her mouth, as if she had just gone shopping and was carrying her grocery bag out.  Her jaw dropped in surprise, and the bag fell, scattering seed on the deck.  She took off down the steps.  Her three cubs, also in attendance, took leaps over the side of the porch, while Greg hollered at them.  Off they went, into the dark and stormy night.  They never returned to the lodge, but I did notice that Mama left her calling card outside of White Pine cabin.  I guess that it is officially summer, now that we have had a visit from these neighbors!

So it is wonderful to see a day with sunshine, and the lake in a quieter state.  The weather report predicts more rain for tonight and tomorrow, but we will make sure that the boats are on higher ground.  Greg says that the lake level seems to have come up another eight inches.  I heard that Bridal Falls is really roaring over its rocky edge.  Tonight we'll throw our own party, as I am firing up the bread oven and making pizza for everyone to enjoy.  Let the fun times begin--summer is here!