1/14/09 IT"S WARMER NEAR THE LAKE

Wednesday, 8:15 AM. -4 degrees, wind NW, calm. The sky is clear except for clouds on the eastern horizon. The barometer predicts mostly sunny skies.
The morning walk was a little slick, everything coated with a fine white hoar frost, the result of a foggy, misty “lake effect.” I can’t call it “lake effect snow.” The clouds on the eastern horizon are “lake smoke.” The open water beyond the islands evidently is now freezing. We did not get the extreme cold that was predicted, but I assume areas inland and in Minnesota are in the minus double digits. Summer’s “cooler near the lake” becomes winter’s “warmer near the lake.”
The large clump of grass pictured is fountain grass, a non-native that is very attractive but can be pretty invasive . Tall native grasses like Indian Grass or Big Bluestem would be my preference and are also very effective in the landscape.