Ice and Snow

About all of that ice in front of Diamond Willow cabin yesterday? Gone. The wind switched and took it all somewhere. Either that or it melted. When I went over this morning, only the thicker shelf of ice nearer to shore remained. This is really quite a process. I was thinking about how the water tends to almost look thicker as the ice-up draws near. Even though the viscosity doesn't change, it almost looks like it does. Yesterday it was displaying that. Today it is as wild and free and full of waves as ever.

As we walked past the beach to go eat lunch yesterday, the ice there was quite interesting. It was rather like folds. Greg stepped out on to it to explore it. For several days, we had seen the ice forming, but it did not have the rippled and folded texture to it. Since he was on his way to the boathouse to check on something stored there, he decided to continue along the shore on the new ice.

See that darker grey part towards the middle right of the photo? That ice is not as strong. Ask Greg how he found that out. He knew that it might be a little soft, and he could feel it as his boot went through. He also knew that the water was only about one foot deep in that spot. Now we know that the little bit of ice is still on the thin side, but we likely could have guessed that one.

It is snowing today, and so far we have collected about three inches or so. I'd say that we are getting close to the point when we will be able to start grooming the trails for skiing. Early snow makes a perfect base for skiing all winter long. Time to pull out the skis, boots and poles and hit the trails.

Adding and Subtracting

Who knew that I could be a styrofoam artist? Certainly not me, but that is what I was thinking this afternoon as I was helping Greg. He had asked me to assist in some weather-proofing measures that involved styrofoam insulation and spray foam. When I asked for instructions, he just said to cut it to fit, and then stuff it in. Okay, I thought, how hard can that be?

Turns out, that can be a lot harder than one thinks. First of all, my chosen medium is generally fiber of some sort, be it yarn for knitting, or fabric for sewing. Even wool for spinning, but all three cases have the same thing in common. I am an artisan of addition, not one of subtraction. I recall a couple of years ago when I had a conversation with an artist about to sculpt a block of snow. I was saying that it is difficult for me to picture the parts to take away, rather than what to add. When I knit, I am adding yarn, row by row, to achieve the finished product. When I was cutting styrofoam today, I had to take away the parts that weren't needed. And those parts were very confusing for me.

The beauty of this type of work is not in the process or the product...it's all in the foam. Once I got the knack of cutting out chunks, without worrying too much about fit, I would do my best to stuff the pieces into place. Often it meant removing said piece and trimming some more. But rather than worry about tightly fitted chunks, Greg reminded me that the foam would take care of the mistakes that I had made. Lo and behold, it worked. I've used spray foam a couple of times before, and I am not adept with it. So I let him have that job today. Once my pieces were jammed in, he came along with the magic yellow foam, and filled in all the gaps. As he did so, we could literally feel the cold drafts being choked out. Amazing! Just think how warm those pioneers would have been if they had been able to seal the cracks between the logs with foam, rather than moss or whatever else they used? It was satisfying to feel modern technology at work.

Just in time did we accomplish this task, for it is supposed to be below zero again tonight. Last night never actually made it there, with single digits above zero seen first thing in the morning. The lake was fairly calm, and as we worked, I checked its condition. The water near shore was showing more signs of icing up. The main body remains open. Tomorrow, snow is predicted, and winds from the south. If the night is cold and calm enough, maybe it will freeze over, but then we will be dealing with a layer of insulative snow on top of fresh ice. That doesn't make for the thick ice cover we need. It can also lead to early slush. But what does it matter, what I think? Mother Nature is in charge, and I'm just watching what she is up to.

Do Short Days Go By Faster?

The days are getting steadily shorter. The sunrise this morning was 7:36, and it set at 4:09. I actually only caught a brief glimpse of it anyway. I was at the dump, attempting to stuff old insulation into an already-overfilled canister. For a moment, the sun tried to shine through the clouds, giving me a quick look at its silhouette. That was all. Greg had suggested that I wait until after lunch (late already at 2:00) to go, but I didn't want to be there in the waning shadows. It's getting harder to see all the time. The little shreds of daylight can make a huge difference.

The old insulation and other assorted construction garbage are the result of a much-needed facelift to the bathroom at Diamond Willow. This marks the third year of a fall project in that cabin. Last year it was a new bedroom floor, and two years ago, I refinished the living room and kitchen floors. It's a good thing the cabin patiently waits for us throughout the year--as do all of you wonderful guests. Once again, we are trekking down to the wire on getting it done, but it's moving along nicely.

Something else that is moving along is the cooling off of the lake. Today we had lots of steam rising from the surface, and I saw a chunk or two of ice floating by. When I look at these photos, I can't help but feel cold, cold, cold. Until the lake freezes, the wind has an extra bite to it, filled with the dampness that will soon be trapped until spring. I suppose that I should be grateful for the little bit of moisture in the air. Winter around here is a pretty drying season. I go through several bottles of lotion. What a difference from summer, when the humidity is always too high for some people! At any rate, it is supposed to be well-below zero tonight, so if the wind calms down enough, perhaps we will see that white coat from shore to shore. I do hear it blowing still at this moment.....

As for the days going by faster, well, yes, I believe they do. It seems that when it is dark while we are having morning coffee, and dark long before dinner, the time for getting work accomplished is reduced greatly. Funny, though, there still are the same twenty-four hours in the day. I guess that I must be a daytime person, that's all. Good thing I don't live in Alaska!

A Little Holiday Cheer

Lest anyone think that our palette right now is all about white and black and blue, I thought that it was time for a bit of the other colors thrown in. These are not from the landscape, but they are colorful just the same.

Each year, our Northwood Fiber Guild hosts a holiday sale on the first Saturday of December. It is always a wonderful display of the works of our many artists and artisans. We hold it at the Art Colony in Grand Marais, where we have been for the past twenty or so years. The show has garnered quite a following, for which we are most grateful. People line up, sometimes right out the door, in anticipation of finding just the perfect treasure for a gift or for themselves. It's a lovely way to usher in the season.

Some years I have made things to sell, some not. This year has been about remodeling projects here at home, so I did not bring anything. Addie has sold some of her clothing designs in the recent past. But college has kept her too busy to have produced anything. There's always next year!

Something that really tickled my fancy, though, was the combination of socks and handwoven rug. I was cashiering, and the customer kindly agreed to let me take a photo of her two purchases. I was imagining how it might look to go home and put those socks on, stand on the rug, and take a picture of that! Sometimes we all need a bit of crazy color in our lives.