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Sunday, February 17, 2019

Better days are comin'!


It has been at least 45 days since we have had an above freezing temperature. Not even one ‘teaser’ day!  At least we haven’t had much additional snow since last week, but some nasty winds blowing at over 50 mph. That can get annoying, but I think of the early white settlers in North Dakota and remember reading reports of them occasionally going insane in the relentless winds. Then I feel much less self pity. 

Now I just watch as the ice sheets move back and forth toward and away from the shoreline. That is where I appreciate the wind when it blows the sheets toward the U.P. of Michigan. I hope they appreciate our little gift. This morning there is some open water again, but it comes and goes and changes hourly. Watching it is a relaxing affair, just a tad more interesting than watching paint dry and more contemplative, too.


This frozen phenomenon occurs more now as the lake has warmed up noticeably in the last century. To illustrate this I give you a blurb from our local fish wrapper from 90 years ago, February 21, 1929.
“Fritz Oberg drove from Grand Portage to Reservation Bay by way of the lake ice in 15 minutes. It takes about an hour via the road.” While I am not sure of the exact bay that refers to (no longer on the maps) I would imagine that distance would not be more than 15 miles as top speed on a Model A Ford at that time was 65mph and I believe that is wishful thinking for the most part. A better assumption would be about 10 miles which also tells of road “conditions” such as they were back then. Roads and driving were a relatively new thing in this part of the country. I know the girls living on this farm at that time walked the ten miles to town and back every Saturday to do their shopping. And I thought I was being somewhat active taking a two mile walk yesterday along with the regular farm chores. Times have changed!
You can see that the modern road was opened in 1966.

Pardon my digression. Meanwhile, the snow isn’t melting any time soon. Here is a shot of the garage and my well loved tractor to give you an idea. I think I'll go skiing later.


Long ago I worked on a golf course with an interesting, but illiterate old guy we affectionately called Hillbilly because, well, that’s what he was. He always had a bright outlook and often said, “Better days are comin’!”

31 comments:

  1. And that's the secret, isn't it? To know when things are tough, it'll all get better. Wisdom in that ole Hillbilly heart.

    Stay warm...looking forward to your spring pics but I am thinking I'll have a little bit of a wait.

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    1. It'll be a while yet, I'm afraid, just a few more weeks and it should be changing.

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  2. LITTLE MORE THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE SPRING EQUINOX! and baseball season began this week!

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    Replies
    1. Spring training in Florida sounds very nice!

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  3. Spring can't come soon enough for me! The polar vortex is FINALLY releasing its grip on us. This morning it is only -18C which is close to 0F, I believe!

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    1. _18C feels okay now. I guess we get used to it.

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  4. The top picture looks great, at least.

    Even if the temps had been the same back then, we're better equipped for it now, with our roads and cars and fancy heaters.

    I wouldn't have lasted half an hour back then.

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    1. I have lived with wood heat and no running water and while it is a good thing to do for a while I prefer modern conveniences.

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  5. Reminds me of Percy Bysshe Shelley: "Oh, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

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    1. Unfortunately, it can be very far behind. I guess time is relative, though.

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  6. Love the photos but do understand your pain. I think.
    Better days are indeed a coming. Soon I hope.

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    1. It changes slowly, but it does change. Nature teaches patience.

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  7. "Local fish wrapper"--love it! Also love the pics. Hang in there. :)

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    1. Considering how little news there is up here it is referred to by it's more universal application!

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  8. That hillbilly had a great outlook. In a couple of years, perhaps we'll have better days when it comes to our president...

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    1. I wonder how the rest of his life went? Only 700 days left in his term!

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  9. I love the hillbilly's attitude!

    It was 84º here today. Can I send you some of those degrees?

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    1. It would be awesome if you could spare 10 or 20. That would be a good start.

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  10. Your pictures are beautiful. I can remember when we typically had that much snow, although those temperatures seem a bit more prolonged than we were used to, even thirty years ago. I can remember three week stretches each winter when it wouldn't go above -20C. But we haven't had one of those in quite awhile. Which is good, because I'm minding the cold more and more.

    No, wait. It's not good. Not in the big scheme of things.

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  11. You have the moderation of the ocean working in your favor. Yes, tolerance of the cold decreases as we age. I think that is fairly universal. The Big Changes are really quite noticeable over the last 35 years or so. Spooky, isn't it?

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  12. I like your hillbilly's attitude! Better days are comin' here, too... maybe. We're supposed to get another couple of inches of snow today, but after that the forecast looks warmer. (Or maybe they're just lying to us to make us feel better.) ;-)

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    1. Yeah, that stuff will all melt soon. We have most of it for at least another month before it starts melting in earnest.

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  13. I hope those better days that are comin' hurry up and come coz I'm fed up with wearing the same old red coat (my warmest) and pulling boots on and off every time I go outside and looking for my hat and gloves. I'm desperate to see green grass and I understand how those hardy pioneers would love their marbles in winter.

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    Replies
    1. Winter starts to wear on everyone about now. Some relief on the horizon, but the horizon is a ways off, yet.

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  14. They said cheer up, things could get worse. So I cheered up and sure enough things got worse. AKA Murphy was an optimist.
    But I do like your Hillbilly. Someone said the best bible verse was "And it came, to pass."

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    1. Patience in all things. Patience is growing thin, however. At least the bugs aren't bad!

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  15. I miss the snow but enjoy the 15C and nesting birds.

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  16. I am not needing more snow, but we are supposed to get another 25cm this weekend. 15C sounds delightful, but it will be a few months before it happens here. :(

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