Ice At Last

The good news? We have ice! Last night, the temps were predicted to drop below zero, but the wind was roaring outside of our window. Earlier in the evening, I had been out hanging some Christmas lights, and listening to the clatter. Little chunks of broken ice were rattling against each other, and bumping up on the shore. No way did it sound like the lake would calm enough to freeze.

But sometime in the wee hours, the wind did die down, so that when we got up, there it was....A nice covering of ice. It squeaked in just under the wire of my "first two weeks in December" time frame, given that today is the 14th. I opened the window to listen to the complete silence that I so enjoy when we first freeze. It's good.

The temp was about nine below, warmer than the predicted lows of minus twenties. It will likely be colder in the mornings now. I have noticed a bit of a lake effect for us here on the south shore, when we still have open water. It does seem to keep us a few degrees warmer. That will even out now.

I made sure to refill the bird feeder last evening, as I knew the chickadees and nuthatches would be fast and furious for food in the early morning cold. I also knew that I would not want to be as fast as they are, in getting out there to fill it up. It's much too cozy by the fire in the early light, to even consider going outside at nine below!

All Steamed Up

One of the hardest things to predict in recent years is when the lake might freeze. In the late 80's and much of the 90's, it would usually go by about the middle of December. When asked, we would tell folks either the first or second week of the month was a good bet. This year, it looked like we were on track for that, with snow on the ground, and some decent cold blasts that took us below zero. But as I mentioned the other day, the wind is the last variable to make a difference. It's still making waves, so we are still waiting for ice. And that's what's got us all steamed up....Not that we are mad about this, but rather that the moving waters keep on kicking up clouds of steam, as the lake releases its warmth. On our way to church last Sunday, the skies were clear and the trees full of crystals as we passed by Loon Lake. But looking over the ridge (the north side of the South Rim) we could see huge clouds of steam rising. Last night, the wind was blowing so hard, it sounded more like a fall storm out there than the usual ultra-quiet of winter. We'll keep on waiting....

A bit of fresh snow is falling, and most of the trees still have snow on their branches, so we are frosted up for the upcoming holidays. The ski trails have been packed--including the South Rim! It's early for that to have happened. Once we get a decent amount of fresh snow, it will be time to track the trails. Yahoo for early snow.

Greg is working beyond sundown these days (which of course is easy to do, given that the sunset is about 4:10 in the afternoon) as he puts the bathroom at Spruce cabin back together. The shower is tiled, and soon the floor will be. The boards are painted and ready to go back up on the walls, and the fixtures are ready to be set into place. We found a neat little sink when we were in Bozeman last spring, so we ordered it up for the cabin. I'm sure that store will become a regular stop on our western treks, as Greg searches out new ideas for future remodeling projects. He wishes that there were more hours in the day, as the ideas and opportunities abound when you maintain so many buildings.

Holiday preparations continue here at the lodge. Addie and I did get some cookies made. Most of those have been packed up and are Alaska-bound. Robert appreciates it when we send goodies his way. Once again, he will spend Christmas in the town of Eagle. He must fly in from Fairbanks, and that is weather-dependent. He has several days off from school, so a delay isn't as crucial. He is fortunate to have many good friends there who will make the holiday just as wonderful as if he were back home.

Lately, with Greg so busy, the rest of us have been taking turns going up to feed the donkeys, Moses and Jethro. Those boys have grown some nice wooly coats for the winter. Is that an indication of how the weather is to be? Over the weekend, they displayed their resourcefulness: When Greg went up there one morning, they were not at the gate, nor in the barn. He looked around, and they were standing at the far edge of the pasture, in the spot where the first rays of sunshine would hit when the sun came up. Of course, when they saw Greg open the hay shed gate, they came running over for breakfast. Greg put hay in their usual places, and they started to eat. Then he put some where the sun was spotting the ground. When Moses noticed that, he ran right over, before Jethro could steal the hot spot. Such antics we get to observe in these guys--and their intelligence, too.

The snow is falling a bit harder now. How wonderful it would be to sit here and knit all day, watching those flakes fall from the sky! I did get that chance, last March when I was laid-up with my achilles injury. It's good to be able-bodied again. I'll just keep an eye on those snowflakes as I go about my tasks today, and that will be good, too.

Postcards on the Trail

In the early mornings at this time of year, we are treated to beautiful colors in the sky. Today it reflected in the water as well. For a brief time, the sky was this shade of pink, and then a bit of orange. It's a good thing that Greg noticed it and told me to look out the window--just a few minutes later, it was gone.

In case you hadn't noticed, this is my new favorite way to take a photo: I hold my camera out the window of our room upstairs, to take a shot that overlooks the lake. From that vantage point, I can get a good overview of the landscape. Being a shorter person, I just can't do it justice from the ground!

Yesterday when I drove towards the trail, I realized that Hollywood films have nothing on us when it comes to flocking trees and creating a wintery scene. The conifer trees were mostly laden with the fresh snow, while the deciduous trees had little coats of frost, thanks to the moisture that is still being released from our (mostly) open lake. It is difficult to take a picture that adequately reflects all of this. Suffice it to say that it was as pretty as a postcard.

The lake is starting to freeze up around the bays and edges. I don't see as much steam rising from it, so it must be nearing the point of cooldown necessary to freeze over. The other important factor that must fall in to place is the wind. Tomorrow night, the lows in our area are predicted to be 21 to 26 degrees below zero. But the wind is supposed to be out of the west at ten to fifteen miles per hour. It's not likely that the lake will freeze if both of those conditions happen. Last year, it seemed to be taking a long time for the lake to freeze. We were all anxious, and it happened that one evening we were having friends over for dinner, and I suggested that afterwards, we go down and see how the lake was doing. It was quite cold, and it seemed that the wind had died down. We bundled up, and headed out into the stillness. When we got to the landing, we could actually hear the ice forming. First there was a trickling sound of water, and then suddenly it stopped. It was almost like a switch had been flipped off. And there in front of us was ice where moments before it was water. We started to pitch small snow chunks on to the new ice, and watched them trail until they reached the edge a little further out, where they fell into the lake. It was such a rare moment. When we headed in, we were happy that finally the lake had frozen over. But in the morning, it was not to be, as the wind had come up, and pushed around all the new ice, broken it up, and re-opened the lake. It was several more days before it really settled down enough to freeze completely and firmly.

With all of the white surrounding us, we've been able to spot critters more easily. Several neighbors have reported seeing moose on the trail again. We got our chance last Saturday, as we headed to Grand Marais early in the morning. Along a straightaway, two bull moose were conversing up ahead. It had been a while since I've seen bulls with racks, and these two looked great. They scrambled to take there meeting off-road, and one nearly slipped as he headed in to the woods. I was happy that he didn't actually fall, because I have seen that, and it looks painful. I've been watching tracks, hoping to see some wolf, but so far it has been just the fox. Those little fellows and gals are a frequent sight on the trail.

More snow is falling today, and it is great to know that so much of the state has been blessed with early December snow. That means we all can dust off the skis and snowshoes sooner to get out there and find our "ski legs" again. The muscles will be sore for a bit, but then we'll be gliding along.

Now This is More Like It

Remember a few days ago, when I posted a picture of the sauna and the canoes by it? I was looking for things colored red. Now, just a smidgen of red is still visible. (I’m trying to post a picture, but the program won’t let me right now. I’ll try again later.) Between the snow we got last Wednesday, and the new storm over the weekend, we have better than sixteen inches on the ground. That's the way it should be this time of year. We were remembering how just a few years ago, we still had bare ground in early December, and mild temperatures on top of it. Greg and Robert got a notion to take a boat out for a ride, which they did. I strongly discouraged that, given the temperature of the water. But sometimes I don't get my way. At any rate, I would much rather have the conditions today, as it really feels and looks like winter.

The mist is rising again on the lake, so perhaps we will have ice soon. I noticed as I drove to town on Saturday that most of the other lakes had frozen. Loon was mostly covered, and it often goes right around the same time as Gunflint. I heard that Seagull also froze sometime in the last few days. All signs so far are falling into place for a real winter.

We used the snow wisely yesterday by going out to bank it around the foundations of the cabins and lodge. It is a lot of work to shovel it all around like that, but it goes a long way towards insulating the crawl spaces. Greg spent most of the day plowing out roads and driveways with his new plow truck. It's working well, and he figures that he is the only plow operator that listened to an opera while he was working. Nice to have a modern convenience like a CD player. His old truck is a 1979 Ford---they hadn't even invented the CD technology when that truck was built.

In the Really Good News department, the ski trails are getting packed this week, and we are hopeful that they can be groomed and tracked by the weekend. This, too, is early compared to recent years. Addie and I are anxious to get out there. I totally missed last year, with my heel injury, so I am especially looking forward to hitting the trails again.

Also on the docket this week: printing up the Christmas cards. I'll take over the kitchen with my makeshift "printing press", and then will be busy printing, signing, and posting them. Maybe I can convince Addie to bake some cookies while I am working....Yum!