A Sunny Day

The sun came out today and lit up the lake with brilliant color. Too bad my camera can't capture it! Earlier this month, I said that it was my wish that it would snow everyday. That mostly came true before the lake froze. We missed out on the big blizzard that hit southern Minnesota. But nearly every day, we've had at least a bit of snow falling. The truth is that some of it could have been flakes induced by all the steam that was rising off the lake. Still I count it as snow, since it was white, flaky, and landed on all of the other similar stuff on the ground.

But today it was clear and cloudless, so I knew that it wouldn't snow. It was a gorgeous day, nonetheless, with a temp that started at 15 below and never made it above zero. Since a good friend is here right now to help Greg, I was free to do whatever I wanted to. I chose to bank snow around the base of Tamarack cabin. When I look out the window in cold weather and see the furnace exhaust constantly, it motivates me to do whatever I can to try to insulate that cabin. The exposed foundation needed some protection, and there is plenty of snow to work with right now. So I grabbed the shovel and went to work.I scooped snow from the deck and the ground around the cabin, and then tossed it up against the cinderblock foundation. Each shovelful added to the mound growing around the base. I was aiming to get up to at least the first course of logs, and with some steady work, I was able to achieve that. It quickly became apparent that I had overdressed for the job, though. I took my jacket off and found that my thick alpaca sweater was enough to keep me warm while shoveling, even though it was still ten below. I was impressed with that sweater! My mind wandered to the useful nature of snow, and what a good job it does to keep us warm, even if it is naturally a cold thing. Here I was, working up a sweat, and that same snow was going to keep the cabin warmer. Have you ever seen the photos of little cabins in Alaska, practically buried in snow? All that warmth around them! Wow. I'd love a winter that gave us enough snow to bank the cabins up to the windows. That would be the epitomy of the saying snug as a bug in a rug.

While I keep an eye on the sky and weather report for the next snow event, the deer have started to migrate through our property. These little ones were nosing their way by one of the cabins yesterday. They don't mind at all if people are ten feet away, as long as there is wood and glass separating us. Now that the lake is frozen, my eyes constantly drift out there, looking for wolf activity. Tonight is supposed to be well-below zero again, so that should thicken the ice some more. I expect well be seeing wolves again soon. In the meantime, I'll settle for a pink sunset, another nice bonus of this time of the year.

And then......

The ice finally came. We woke to a still, serene scene. The waves now silenced until spring, that delicious quiet enveloped me. I love that moment, when the lake first freezes, and all I can hear is the silence and stillness.

The surface near shore is pebbled and rough. Further out, it's all white, but probably from frost and not snow.

But a surprise awaited us around the point. To the northeast, not quite halfway out, a large open lead still remained. The blue stripe lapped and rippled, still open and free. By tomorrow, we expect to see it undercover as well.

What a magical time, to see the lake go from its churning and waving, and overnight, it has been silenced.

Decorations of White

No one can flock a tree the way Mother Nature can! A view of today's handiwork:

And the Snow Just Keeps Coming

Yesterday was a long day. We worked most of it out at the cabin, trying to get the remodel to come together. We were waiting for a delivery of more materials, and then we heard that the delivery guy couldn't make it all the way up to our place. It had been snowing for several hours, and time was running out for him. So he left our stuff at Bearskin Lodge. That was fine, but it was dark by the time we left to go pick it up. And it continued to snow.

By the time we had loaded it all up and headed back towards home, it was six-thirty. Unloading took another half-hour, and then we gobbled a quick dinner. At that point, the plow guy told me that he needed to go out and take care of one of his contracts. So off we went to plow the Mile O Pine road. I rode along for the fun of it. Greg tells me that plowing is fun, and I wanted to see for myself.

It is really cool to see all of that snow in the headlights, and then to watch it heap up and cascade over the plow. Then he pushed it all into a magnificent pile in a strategic spot on the roadside. I must say, I was impressed. What was even more amazing, though, was that at one point, he started to slow way way down, and then he said, "There is a rock right about here." And of course, at that very moment, the plow hit a rock. That can only come with years of experience. This looks like one of those years that will only add to his experience. When asked in town today how much snow we have, I said that we must be going on at least twenty inches by now. I haven't had time to go tromping into the woods, but I expect that when we go out to find a Christmas tree, we will be sinking in deep. Best snow year in a long time!