Ahead of Schedule

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Here in the Northwoods, we are used to waiting until well past the calendar date for spring to begin.  Snow, sleet, rain and ice are all a part of March and April.  When many folks are planting their gardens, we are still tending seeds in the house. Window washing waits until May. We don't bring out the patio furniture until nearly Memorial weekend.  So when the weather decides to change in the way that it did this week, it really can catch me off guard.

Last week, someone said that it felt like spring outside.  I disagreed, noting that it didn't yet smell that way.  But when the temperatures headed up to the sixties, and now today all the way to seventy, there was no denying it.  It smells, looks, and feels like spring.  I can't recall seeing the snow melt so fast.  We still have the big piles that the plow created, but all the rest just looks like those late-winter dirty patches.  Mud is everywhere.  The birds are singing their new season songs.  A butterfly hatched itself on the porch today.  We even have flies in the air.  I feel like perhaps we've skipped a month, and it really is April 16. 

Our weekly activity of soup and bread in the tent was enjoyed today in tee shirts.  Paul even had shorts on.  We are soaking up the sunshine like it is a long lost friend satisfying our thirst for news.   The pressure ridge on the lake is once again defined, since the snow on top of the ice has melted away.  Could that really have only been two months ago that it first popped up? 

Like the true Minnesotan that I am, however, I refuse to believe that it will all be warm breezes and  blooming crocuses from here on out.  I remember many years ago, heading to town in my best spring outfit, as the days had been behaving just like this.  The next day, we had a huge blizzard, and out came the winter clothes again.  The hardest part is how my body so quickly adapts to the warmth, but does not respond as readily to the downturn.  That can sometimes feel painful.

So I'll enjoy today for what it is, and as the thermometer trends downward next week (as it is predicted to do), I'll keep the sweaters and turtlenecks close by.  The scent of spring can linger as long as it likes.  That is one sweet perfume I wouldn't mind all year long.

 

In the Pink

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The weekend was well-spent, participating a bit in the festivities of Mush for a Cure, the breast cancer research fund-raiser.  The weather was fantastic, and the despite warm temps, the snow held out. 

On Friday, Greg, Paul and I volunteered our crack kitchen services down at Windigo Lodge for the pasta dinner.  A sizable crowd filled the dining room, and everywhere we looked, it was pink.  Greg and Paul did there part, donning colorful neckties.  There was some debate regarding the true nature of the color pink, but surprisingly, no discussion as to what constitutes a tie.  Later in the evening, Paul sat in for a set on the bass, with his old 'mates in the Trails End band.  Many folks danced the night away.

Meanwhile, Addie was on her way home with neighbors, since it is spring break time.  How lucky are we that she chooses to come home, rather than head to some other exotic locale?  She was able to jump into the fun on Saturday, and her classic pink tutu was well-received in the large crowd gathered for the start of the dogsled race.  Nearly every one was decked out, and she even had an offer of a trade:  a pink wig for her skirt.  She turned it down, as she has so much fun whenever she wears the skirt.  I like to say that every girl deserves a pink tutu! Besides, the offer came from someone who immediately sped by on the back of a dog sled.

Today is an unbelievable day, filled with loads of sunshine and a warm south breeze.  It's the kind of day to sit out on the back porch and sip coffee, while feeling the power of the sun warming our faces.  The fishermen who left earlier were sporting sunburns from their time on the ice.  But since they were taking trout home with them, they didn't mind at all.

 

Winter Activity

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     The best way to get inspiration for writing is to look at the pictures on my camera. Lately, the camera has been empty, save for all the images that get downloaded but never deleted.  Then a day will come when suddenly there are many things to photograph and talk about.  At this point in winter, it isn't so much the changes in the landscape.  That will be coming one day soon.  Right now, it's in the level of activity that we see.  With the lengthening of the days, we are also seeing more action around us.  It's like we are all waking up from that proverbial long winter's nap, and we need to squeeze in as much cold weather fun as possible.  Soon it will be over.

     Last weekend, our friends John and Ted headed out with skis and pulks, ready to spend a few days in the wilderness.  Fortunately, a warm abode awaited them.  They had the sleds loaded, but the skiing was a little slow that day.  We've had warm-ups and cool-downs, and the conditions vary at times throughout the day. We heard that they had to make some load adjustments as they ventured along, but finally they made it. The favorable temperatures certainly help in times like these.  Had it been twenty below and windy, it would have been much harder.

     Paul and I were on our way to town yesterday, and on the roadside, I saw a small dark figure, waiting to cross.  I wondered if it was a groundhog, making an early appearance. We are not quite through the full "six more weeks of winter" that his relative predicted on February 2.  As we approached, I spotted the telltale appendage---his paddle shaped tail. It was a beaver. We pulled over while he contemplated his next move.  He really looked exasperated, as he started into the road, then reluctantly turned around and headed back through the swamp from where he had come.  We had enough time to snap a photo of his frustrated little self. I could faintly hear him grumbling, "Work to be done, work to be done...."  We noticed that the path he took was really a little highway, trodden and packed with evidence of many crossings. Now that we know the location of this secret trail, I'll be sure to keep a sharper eye towards beaver activity.  I hope we didn't disrupt his day too much. I think I sometimes know what it feels like to be as busy as a beaver.


     Judging by all of the tracks in the snow outside the lodge this morning, lots of other bodies are busy, too.  With a fresh dusting to showcase them, I saw tracks from deer, pine marten, squirrel, birds, and even a mouse. Noticeably missing were the wolves.  It seems this winter that we are spotting their tracks on a near-daily basis.  I guess they went to some other restaurant last night, and gave our deer a reprieve.