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Thursday, December 31, 2015

THE WILLOW IN WINTER

THE WILLOW IN WINTER

Thursday, the day of New Year's Eve, 9:00 AM. 20 degrees F at the ferry dock, 18 on the back porch. Wind WSW, calm with medium gusts.  The sky is overcast and cloudy, the humidity 84%.  The barometer is at 30.16" and heading downward on a gentle glide.  
   Our friends Andy and Judy left yesterday, so it is back to normal for Joan, myself and Buddy (who tried to be a good host to their dog Nina but didn't do so well).  So it will be a quiet New Year's Eve for us.
   Willows can be a mess if uncared for, or quite decorative if properly pruned and kept up.  The black willow above was pruned (deadwood, crossed branches and suckers removed, balanced, and trunks emphasized for effect) in the spring of 2013.  It still looks nice, particularly when snow lays upon the major trunks and branches, and shouldn't have to be pruned again for several more years.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

RELUCTANT TO FREEZE

NO ICE YET AT LITTE SAND BAY (Eagle Island in distance, center left)

RASPBERRY RIVER (from Hwy. K)

Wednesday,  8:30 AM.  26 degrees F at the ferry dock, 23 on the back porch.  Wind NW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast, with dark snow clouds on the southern horizon. The humidity is 88% and the barometer 30.23" and falling.  Sunshine is still predicted for the weekend.
   Spending time yesterday with friend Andy, we rode around the countryside looking at the face of winter.  We drove out to the Apostle Islands' Little Sand Bay, and as we expected, found the lake still unfrozen, although we could see what looks like ice far out on the lake.
   The Raspberry River drains thousands of acres of forested upland before it descends into swampland and eventually empties into Lake Superior.  Its headlands are still running free as well.  
   The lake is too restless to freeze, and many of the streams have too much running water to freeze, so in spite of the low temperatures, much water remains unfrozen.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

A BITTER GALE

A BITTER, GALE FORCE EAST WIND...

..."HEY, BOSS...I'M A SHORT-HAIRED DOG!"
Tuesday, 11:00 AM.  25 degrees F at the ferry dock, 23 on the back porch.  Wind N, calm with moderate gusts  The sky has a low overcast and the humidity is 83%.  The barometer is 30.13" and rising, predicting better weather for the coming weekend.
   Yesterday the east wind blew gale force, and when we stopped at the beach after shopping at the Washburn IGA neither I nor Buddy could stand it; it almost blew us away!
   On a brighter note, friends and summer campers Andy and Judy "blew in" yesterday evening for a few day's stay with us.  We'll have to play checkers or watch TV if this wind keeps blowing.

Monday, December 28, 2015

HEY BUDDY, THAT'S NOT A BIRD!


THE GATHERING STORM

BUDDY WATCHING KIDS TOBOGGANING ON WILSON AVE.
Monday, 9:00 AM.  24 degrees F at the ferry dock, 20 on the back porch.  Wind ESE, very gusty at times.  The sky is overcast, with gathering storm clouds.  The humidity is rising, now at 77%, and the barometer, now at 30.57", is falling like a stone, predicting snow tomorrow and Wednesday.
   I see the Almanac has  reached a milestone of sorts: over 200,000 page views since it first appeared in January of 2008.  I would be the first to admit that I still don't know why anyone reads it, but for better or worse, it satisfies my literary inclinations.
   Yesterday was a fine winter day, but a toboggan coasting down the hill on Wilson Ave. mystified Buddy, who saw it two blocks away and, true to his instincts, pointed it as it approached. 
   Hey Buddy, that's not a bird! 

Sunday, December 27, 2015

LIFE IN THE "SNOW GLOBE"

WINTER BEAUTY

LIVING IN A "SNOW GLOBE" CAN GET TEDIOUS...

...BUT HAS ITS REWARDS


Sunday, 10:30 AM.  20 degrees F at the ferry dock, 23 on the back porch.  Wind SW, calm with light to moderate guts.  The sky is clear but for a few puffy white clouds.  The humidity is 75% and the barometer rising, now at 39.53".  It is a fantastic winter day.
   Lake effect snow has entered our lives with a vengeance.  Fog rising from the unfrozen water condenses and turns to snow, which drifts over the land and falls, pretty much continually.   After a while it seems like one is living in a snow globe, one of those little glass bulb enclosed landscapes in which the snow can be shaken up and drifts back down again on the miniature scene within.
   It can be beautiful inside the snow globe; but after awhile it becomes a bit tedious.  It does have its rewards, such as winter sports, and the beauty of the day after the storm.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

A MYSTERY WHY FISHERMEN DO WHAT THEY DO

BIG CHANGES AT THE MOUTH OF THE SIOUX RIVER



STILL OUT THERE
Saturday,  10:00 AM.  30 degrees F at the ferry dock, 27 on the back porch.  Wind E, calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast and it is snowing, with about 3" of wet new snow already fallen.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer is rising, currently at 30.5".  We should get a day or two of respite, then more snow the middle of next week.  Roads are slippery but the plows are now out.
   The roads still covered with ice, Buddy and I went to the beach again yesterday for our exercise.  For the first time since I got out of the hospital I walked on the frozen sand south from the Friendly Valley parking area to the mouth of the Sioux River.  It was barely recognizable, as storms and currents have washed tons and tons of sand out into the bay, and the waters one could almost jump across several months ago are now several hundred feet across and obviously quite deep.  Despite all of the hydraulics going on,  the subsidiary channel leading up to the Hwy. 13 bridge and the swamp remains walled up with sand, and the small boat ramp on Hwy. 13 still unusable.  If you don't like the river mouth, wait a while and it will change drastically.
   While surveying the mouth of the river and marveling at the change, I looked out on the water and saw the same fishermen as the day before, trolling along at what would be a good walk.  The only difference was they were heading north yesterday, and south the day before. Were they out there trolling the Bay for twenty-four hours and more?  Nah, nobody would be that persistent.  If a warden inspected their catch, would they be over their keeping limit?  Nah, I never saw a rod bend nor a net dipped.  Were they just out there killing time?  There's easier, and certainly warmer ways to do that than  ride around in a little boat out on the biggest, coldest lake on the planet on Christmas Day.  Maybe their fishing is an ingenious way to escape nagging wives and squalling kids.  But maybe they're bachelors. Maybe they don't have the right cable bundling to get college football.
   Maybe I've pursued the topic far enough; it is pretty much a mystery why fishermen do what they do.

Friday, December 25, 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS



MERRY CHRISTMAS



BRUTAL OUT ON THE LAKE (Madeline Island in the distance)
Christmas morning, 10:00 AM.  21 degrees F at the ferry dock, 19 on the back porch.  Wind SW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast, the humidity 85%.  The barometer is sky-high at 30.33," but snow is predicted for tomorrow.
   Joan and I are celebrating Christmas by ourselves this year.  The roads are bad and we decided not to drive anywhere this year, neither do we encourage family to risk winter travel on icy roads.  We will receive telephone calls aplenty from children and grandchildren as the day progresses.  It was a quiet Christmas Eve and it will be a quiet Christmas Day.
   I was pleasantly surprised to see a real snowman (not one of those inflated plastic things) this morning, evidence of the toddler that is the child of the Cost Guard couple that moved in next door a couple of months ago.  There aren't many children anymore in Bayfield, and there would probably be none if not for the young military couples.  What would Christmas be without children, anyway?
   Yesterday was another cold and slippery day, and to get some exercise Buddy and I again went for a walk/run at the beach.  The sand was frozen crusty enough to be a good walking surface and we both got enough exercise, the wind still being strong enough in the open stretches to take one's breath away.
   As we progressed along the shore, a small boat with two fishermen and all the trolling  bells and whistled motored by.  It must have been brutal in the wind and cold out on the water.  I assume they were trolling for trout and salmon. I watched them for a while until they disappeared from sight but never saw a rod bend or a fish netted.  They must have been awfully bored or hungry to be out there.
   In any case, have a Merry Christmas, and take time to ponder these ancient verities: that mankind is a failed species (just read the headlines), in need of the salvation offered through the gift of the Christ Child on that first Christmas, two-thousand and more years ago.
   

Thursday, December 24, 2015

LOUSY WEATHER



YESTERDAY WASN'T MUCH FUN


Thursday, 9:00 AM. 22 degrees F at the ferry dock, 21 on the back porch.  Wind SW, quite gusty, emphasizing the cold but also blowing low clouds out and making much of the sky blue. The humidity is much lower than yesterday, currently at 82%.  The barometer is entering a long rise after yesterday's bad weather.  The roads are hard packed and icy after having 4"-5" of snow and slush slathered on them.
   Yesterday's weather was the epitome of lousy.  First freezing rain and fog, then heavy, wet snow; all on top of hard-packed snowy roads and walks, with a temperature hovering around freezing all day.  Couple that with short, dark days and there you have it...winter at its almost-worst,
   We ran errands to Ashland in the afternoon, thinking the roads would be plowed, sanded and salted. They weren't.  The wind shield wipers clogged with freezing snow that slid off the roof and turned to ice.  The truck's tires are getting old and no longer bite through slush and snow the way they used to.  On-demand four-wheel drive is a godsend, but the best response to lousy winter weather is still to slow down and be patient.
   Tonight is Christmas Eve, and we have nowhere to go and nothing to do except stay warm and dry and listen to Christmas carols on the radio.  Good enough for us.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

WHAT A LOVELY AND INTERESTING WORLD WE LIVE IN

 
BUDDY AT THE BEACH

IT'S WINTER: NO ICE, BUT THE WIND WILL MAKE YOU A BELIEVER


FOLIOSE LICHENS ON A DEAD ASH TREE BRANCH

Wednesday, 10:00 AM.  34 degrees F at the ferry dock, 33 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  The sky is overcast and foggy and a freezing rain is falling.  The humidity is 92% and the barometer is still falling, predicting snow on Saturday after better weather on Friday.  The roads were treacherous this morning and Buddy and I cut our walk short.  He doesn't have far to fall if he slips, I do.
   Yesterday was the first day of winter, according to the calendar.  The beach has but little snow, the sand is hardly frozen and what ice there was on the lake is gone. It really doesn't look like winter, but the east wind will convince one very quickly that it is indeed the season.
  Buddy needed to stretch his legs and so did I, and it was good to exit the truck, zip up and head into the gale.  It was even better to turn around and have the biting wind at my back.  Buddy just doubled down and ran harder.
   Proceeding over a little rise, and with the wind out of my eyes, I could see more of the smaller details of beach life, specifically these gorgeous foliose (having leaf-like structures) lichens growing on a dead white ash tree branch.  There they were, living bravely in their own little world, their crusty bodies seemingly oblivious to their challenging environment.
   What a lovely and interesting world we live in.
   
   

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

WATERPOWER AND PORRIDGE

HUGE TREE TRUNK WASHED UP ON BEACH
Tuesday, 9:30 AM.  29 degrees F at the ferry dock, 25 on the back porch.  The wind is calm.  The sky is overcast and the humidity is 89%.  The barometer is falling, now at 29.81", before tomorrow's predicted snow.  The city roads are hard packed and getting slippery.  It is a very quiet first day of winter.
   Coming back from Ashland yesterday about 4:30 PM we stopped at the beach to take a little walk and let Buddy get a run.  It was almost dark, and the northeast wind had really picked up, rendering  it bitter cold.  There on the sand lay a huge log, probably red oak, over twenty feet long and at least two feet in circumference.  It had not been there before.  It must have weighed thousands of pounds. The lake had tossed it up on the shore as if it were a match stick.  Which brings me to the following discussion.
   At present, Congress is dithering over what to do with western dams that a congressional compromise has determined should be destroyed so that the "rivers can run free," and provide more water for certain species of fish which, ironically, have gotten along fairly well anyway since the dams were built. Removing dams to "free" the water sounds rather dramatic and poetic, but I would ask whether the water shall  know that it has equal rights.  Or  the fish be ever grateful and pay taxes.
   High dams are built of concrete, at great expense in dollars, labor and human life.  They provide cheap, clean hydroelectricity to millions of people.  They provide stored water to irrigate vast fields of crops; Idaho potatoes, Washington and Oregon wheat fields and fruit orchards, California berries, nuts and myriad vegetables and other crops.  Many thousands of Americans and Mexicans gain their livelihood from growing and harvesting these gifts of the earth, and millions of Americans are fed in the process.
   Modern America is constantly and radically changing due to technological, economic and social pressures.  Does it make any sense to laboriously build, and long-term invest in, infrastructure that would last for hundreds of years and give a good economic and ecological return on the investment, and then immediately turn around and tear it down or blow it up at further great expense before its economic life is over?
   What society, including our own, can continually build and then tear down, all on the changing whims of small segments of society?  Do the environmentalists and the Indian tribes and the politicians not have to eat? Would their hunger be satisfied if they were thrown an occasional fish?  How much should a potato or a walnut or a strawberry cost?  Is it our purpose and fate as Americans to be forced backward to the days of hunting and gathering, clothed in the skins of wild animals, and freezing in the dark?
   We are like Esau, selling our birthright for a bowl of porridge.  And likewise we shall regret it.
   

Monday, December 21, 2015

THE HOLY EARTH, BY L.H.BAILEY, 100TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

THE JOHNSON'S WOODS, DEER SEASON, 2013
Monday, 10:00 AM,  26 degrees F at the ferry dock, 22 on the back porch.  Wind NE, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is filled with low clouds and a low overcast.  The humidity is 88% and the barometer is currently steady, at 29.95".  Snow is predicted for tomorrow, but today is quiet and dark.
   Two of the great joys of a long life are collecting books, and collecting friends.  And, when the two converge the joy is great indeed.
   On Saturday I received, totally unexpected, a book, The Holy Earth, by Liberty Hyde Bailey, the hundredth anniversary edition.  I have other works by the great Cornel University horticulturist, including a 1902 and a 1944 edition of his multi-volume Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, and a 1929 Manual of Gardening.  These are great works, so well researched and written that they remain relevant to this day.
   The Holy Earth, of which I was not aware, is a seminal work, a precursor to Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac and other more modern environmental tomes, including Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It introduces the premise, just now being more fully explored, that science and religion are not fundamentally opposed, but are complimentary.
   It is basically a book relating to farmers and "scientific" farming, but goes far beyond that audience and subject, and in essence attempting to reconcile Darwin and the Bible.  It was written when the University Extension movement first got well underway, and Bailey's prose is written very much in the style and even much of the language of Shakespeare and the King James version of the Bible, so it is an elegant read; I suspect the author purposely used the style to complement both the premise and the title of the book (might seem a bit hokey in that respect, but he pulls it off rather nicely).  Bailey lived into his nineties and wrote 200 books.  It is amazing how productive people were when work and family were the focus of their lives, and there were far fewer extraneous distractions.
   The author contends, quite effectively, that the earth must indeed be holy, since it came into existence long before man, and man had therefore nothing to do with its creation, and as man is at the top of the earth's evolutionary ladder he is the keeper of a holy place, and must use it with reverence.  I find it interesting that this is a teaching of the Bible and Native American religions as well.  The Holy Earth is an easy and quick read, being only a hundred pages or so in length and organized into very short chapters that build, one upon the other.
  The 100th anniversary edition is edited by John Linstrom, the  grandson of my good friend Curt  Johnson, who sent me the book.  Curt is a retired Lutheran minister and a consummate horticulturist himself.   
   It is good to see things come full circle, and the ancient verities recalled.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

VIGNETTES OF TIMES LONG PAST

CHRIST CHURCH...19TH CENTURY CARPENTER GOTHIC


VISITING CLERGY 

ORNATE CARPENTER GOTHIC SANCTUARY

SINGING OF "SILENT NIGHT" BY CANDLELIGHT
Sunday, 9:00 AM.  29 degrees F at the ferry dock, 26 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, mostly calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky has a high overcast and the sun is nowhere to be seen.  The humidity is 84% and the barometer is at 29.88"and rising gently.  Rain is predicted by Wednesday, but today is very calm, quiet and gray.
   Our historic little Christ Episcopal Church is open only in the summer months, and for special occasions, so it was a real treat to have it filled with the small congregation and many visitors for Lessons and Carols last night.   In troubling times we draw together to find our roots.  It is a sorry thing that we loose them first.
   Officiating clergy came from Ashland and the organ and piano were played by noted organist Arthur Maud.  A small choir and the congregation sang traditional carols.  As is our tradition, everyone held lighted candles while singing Silent Night,  the finale carol.  
   It was a beautiful service, followed by a light supper in the parish house. It reminded Joan and myself of bone-chillingly cold Christmas services in the similar sized, but  of Greek Revival architecture, St. Mary's In The Woods church near the Mianus River in New York.  That historic Episcopal church opened only for a Christmas service and the occasional wedding.
   What a treasure are such vignettes of times long past!

Saturday, December 19, 2015

THE NORTH WOODS...NO LONGER HOME TO MANY DEER

TWO DEER...A RARE SIGHT IN THE NORTH WOODS THESE DAYS
Saturday, 9:00 AM.  12 degrees F at the ferry dock, 10 on the back porch.  Wind SW, gusty.  It is overcast, the humidity is 84% and the barometer is holding steady at 30.24".  It looks like we are in a wintry holding pattern.
   It was cold and gray yesterday, but I took Buddy to the beach for a run anyway, before it got really dark ( by 5:00 PM now) and on the way back saw two deer just south of Bayfield.  They were trying to cross the highway; one did, the other thought better of it and turned back into the woods.  They were probably both does, but the bucks are or will soon be shedding their antlers.  They are the first deer I have seen in at least a month.  Wolves, coyotes, bear and too many different hunting seasons have taken their toll.
   I am afraid the North Woods is no longer home to many deer.

P.S. I will undoubtedly be misunderstood, and probably castigated for the following comments, but I am really upset by what I am constantly seeing on TV during this Christmas season in ads from the ASPCA.
   I love animals as much as anyone, as can be deduced from my comments about Buddy, our dog.  But Christmas is about human beings and their relation to God, not about dogs and cats and other animals, and I resent "Silent Night, Holy Night" being played as background music for a plea for "Just $18 a month" for animal welfare.
   If only more of us truly cared about their fellow human beings, particularly children, the way some of us care about stray dogs and cats, we might have a somewhat better world for humans and animals alike.
   

Friday, December 18, 2015

PINE SISKINS:LITTLE MOBSTERS

THE MOB


"THE MOB" AT THE FEEDER...

...PINE SISKINS ARE VERY SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE TO WINTER-PLUMAGE GOLDFINCHES
Friday,  10:00 AM.  16 degrees F at the ferry dock, 15 on the back porch.  Wind W with moderate gusts.  The sky has a high overcast, and the humidity is 69%.  The barometer is rising, now at 29.88", presaging a partly cloudy day tomorrow.  We got three or four inches of icy snow last night, that made walking a little treacherous.
   The mob visited us yesterday.  They didn't smoke cigars, wear diamond rings and threaten to break our kneecaps; only to empty our feeder of sunflower seeds.  Since mobs of pine siskins only occasionally muscle in on our action, we don't overly react.  They will soon be gone, and they do provide some entertainment, like a 1930's Class B mob movie.
   Pine siskins are diminutive finches, perhaps a bit smaller than a goldfinch (4.5"-5.5" in length), and appearing very similar in winter garb.  Birds of the far north, as their name implies, their main sustenance is pine seeds, and they live very much in association with pine forests.  They of course consume other seeds, and insects as well, but they are probably attracted to our feeders because of their close proximity to large pine trees.  
   Pine siskins travel in flocks, particularly in winter, and they can empty my feeder in short order on a really cold day.  They are very fickle in their habits, arriving unexpectedly and infrequently; some winters we see them not at all, as their winter range is large and uncertain.  They are quite entertaining as they jostle each other for a prime spot at the feeder.  Other birds seem to leave in disgust at their behavior, and return only when the siskins have left. 
   Looking, as they do, so much like their close relatives the goldfinches, we have learned to identify them mainly by their mobster behavior.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

REHABILITATION

TREADMILL?  I'VE BEEN ON ONE MOST OF MY LIFE!

THE NEWSTEP MACHINE...AT LEAST I'M NOT OUT OF STEP

REHAB NURSES CINDY AND DANIELLE...KEPT ME HOPPIN'
Thursday, 930 AM.  23 degrees F at the ferry dock, 23 on the back porch.  Wind N, calm with light gusts. The sky has a high overcast and a few desultory snow flakes are falling.  The humidity is 80% and the barometer beginning to rise, currently at 29.70".  It is indeed winter.
   I reached a milestone of sorts yesterday, as it was the last day of my official cardiac rehabilitation.  For the last ten weeks I have been traveling to Ashland Memorial Hospital three days a week for monitored exercise, after heart bypass surgery.  It has been a good experience, physically and otherwise, and has been crucial to regaining my health.  
   In the program, which is covered by Medicare Part B Insurance ( which, by the way, I pay a hefty premium for), cardio exercise is gradually increased over time to rehabilitate heart and lungs.  The progress has been quite amazing, and the nurses well trained, knowledgeable and pleasant.
   Throughout my operations and convalescence I have been amazed at the dedication and attitude of doctors, nurses and support staff at all the facilities I have been at.  There is much wrong with American health care as a business, but the medical and support staff are, in my experience, highly trained, knowledgeable and compassionate professionals.
   Now it's up to me to carry on a long term, self-directed rehabilitation program.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

LISTENING TO THE BAYFIELD WIND SYMPHONY

SAILBOATS STORED ASHORE AT THE MUNICIPAL MARINA...

NORTHEAST WIND SO STRONG IT HAS SHREDDED THIS FLAG
Wednesday, 9:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 on the back porch.  The sky has a low overcast, it is foggy, and has been snowing heavily off and on.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer taking a nosedive, now at 29.51".  It is a mess out there, but very pretty.  I have my last physical rehab  session in Ashland this morning and a lot of errands to do as well, so we must trudge on through.
   The Nor'easter continued almost unabated yesterday, as the wind turned from a roar into a strange kind of music that could at times be heard, even through closed doors and windows, up on our hill as it whistled, moaned and groaned through the rigging of the sailboats stored at the municipal marina.
   We were privileged to be listening to the Bayfield Wind Symphony.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

IT WASN'T EVEN LOVELY WEATHER FOR DUCKS

THE NOR'EASTER BLOWING HARD IN ASHLAND...

...DUCKS TRYING TO RIDE IT OUT...

...FORGEDABOUDIT!
Tuesday, 10;30 AM.  31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 27 on the back porch.  Wind still ENE, gusty.  The sky is overcast and cloudy and it is still snowing lightly, after depositing about four inches of frozen slush on everything yesterday.  The humidity is 94% and the barometer is beginning to fall, now at 30.03".  Snow is predicted again for tomorrow, but at the moment the sun has struggled through the glop.
   Yesterday's Nor'easter gales left flotsam on the beach in Ashland and inches of dangerous, slippery slush on the roads, making a drive back to Bayfield a little adventurous.  A pair of mallards seemed to be riding it all out just fine until they were washed over by a wave, and struggled to fly off to a more sheltered location somewhere.
   It wasn't even lovely weather for ducks!

Monday, December 14, 2015

WINTER PROTECTION FOR TENDER SHRUBS

SHRUBS COVERED WITH BURLAP FOR WINTER PROTECTION,,,

...IN BLACKHAWK MARINA PARK
Monday,  8:45 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind ENE, gale force.  The sky has a low overcast with scattered lower clouds.  There is heavy fog over the channel and it is snowing hard but intermittently.  The humidity is 93% and the barometer is rising, now at 29.48".  It is an awesomely nasty day.
   Black Hawk Marina Garden, on Wilson Ave. and Third St., next to the Municipal Boat Ramp, is built around a dry-docked flotilla of old fishing boats.  As I have written previously, it has a nice, if somewhat eclectic, collection of plants, and is quite artistically designed.
   Some of the plants are semi-hardy and are receiving winter protection.  Burlap protects a number of Korean boxwood shrubs.  There may be different shrubs under the burlap as well; I didn't want to disturb anything to look underneath.   I think the Korean boxwood would be O.K. without protection right next to the lake, but it is a windy spot so obviously the gardener knows best (I can hear the wind singing in the guy wires of the masts of stored sailboats even as I write).
   I personally don't bother with winter protection for trees and shrubs, preferring either to use hardy plants or let them tough it out, but I applaud those who are that ambitious if it suits their garden plans.   As I have said before, this is a very nice little garden and public space.  It is not a City of Bayfield garden, but created and maintained by the owner of the  Black Hawk Marina.
   This garden gives a lot of pleasure to residents and tourists alike.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

PENDULOUS NORWAY SPRUCE

PENDULOUS NORWAY SPRUCE IN BLACKHAWK MARINA PARK
ANOTHER RAINY, FOGGY DAY

Sunday, 10:30 AM.  40 degrees F at the ferry dock, 35 on the back porch. Wind E, with strong gusts.  It is foggy and overcast, with a pelting rain.  The humidity is 94% and .15" of rain fell over night. The barometer is steady at 29.83". Snow is predicted as temperatures drop next week.
   In our prior posts about conifers, we have already discussed the Eurasian, or Norway, spruce, Picea abies. There are some interesting cultivars of Picea abies, mostly dwarf, or contorted varieties.  The one pictured is P. abies 'pendula,' which is a rather catchall name which includes a number of patented forms, all slightly different.  Some of these 'pendula' varieties are truly prostrate, and some need staking to keep them somewhat upright.  All of them are interesting, but very difficult to use in most landscapes.
   At their best, they mimic the conifer vegetation at the maximum altitude of tree growth in the mountains, or on the edge of the Tundra.  The accepted term for such stunted woody vegetation is the German word Krumholtz, or "crooked wood," in translation.
   In the little maritime-themed park on the waterfront, which is located on Third St. and Wilson Ave., the landscaping is eclectic enough that almost any shape or color plant will find a place.
   It takes a great deal of skill and discretion to use unusual or contorted plants in the landscape, but here they find an interesting and welcoming home.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

NO ONE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

LIGHTS ON HOME ON WASHINGTON AVE....

...DITTO...

DITTO
Saturday, 8:00 AM.  38 degrees F at the ferry dock, 34 on the back porch.  Wind E, gusty and cold.  The sky is overcast, the humidity 87%.  The barometer is still rising, now at 30.06".  Rain is predicted for Sunday and snow on Monday.
   Yesterday being Friday, Joan and I went out in the evening for the traditional fish fry.  We went to the Steak Pit in Washburn, one of our favorite spots, that we had not been to in months. Afterwards, on the way home, I decided to drive through the Orchard Country to look at  Christmas lights.  
   Maybe they are late being put up, but there were literally none to be seen.  Rather strange, since some of the large orchards traditionally have big displays.
   Then we decided to drive through town to see what was up there;  a few houses decorated on Washington Ave. but not a great deal else.  Maybe by next week, we thought.  But then it dawned on me; six of ten homes in Bayfield are seasonal residences.  
   Probably no one home for Christmas.

Friday, December 11, 2015

GUNS:WHEN DOES A "RIGHT" BECOME AN "OBLIGATION?"

S&W 32 SPECIAL...

...STORED IN A DASH COMPARTMENT
Friday, 10:00 AM.  36 degrees F at the ferry dock, 34 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, with very light gusts.  The sky has a high overcast, and the humidity is 88% after .5" of rain falling yesterday and last night.  The barometer is 29.77" and rising.  Rain is predicted for Sunday.
   Every fall for the last thirteen years or so I have gone out in the north woods grouse hunting with one of my dogs; first Lucky, a springer spaniel who ultimately become old and died, and now Buddy, my English pointer.  Both were good bird dogs, much better at finding birds than I at shooting them.  To put things into perspective, I have never been a threat to the grouse population.   And now, with a pacemaker unfortunately located near my right shoulder, I may have to learn to shoot a shotgun left handed.  Lots of luck with that.
   Readers that have followed the Almanac over the years will remember that Wisconsin has had a resurgence of its wolf population.  You may be on one side or another of this subject, but you will recall that numerous bird dogs have been killed by wolves since their resurgence, and I worried a lot about my dogs, who have always been part of the family, being attacked and probably killed.  I grouse hunt with a double barreled 20 ga. shotgun, which  is not great armament against a wolf or wolves, and probably not much better against a pack of coyotes; and, when in the woods without the shotgun, we had no weapon at all.
   So, when I inherited a small pistol, a railroad detectives' single action revolver, from my old friend Tommy I started carrying it in my pocket while out in the woods hunting or running my dog.  Now, if one wears a jacket and the weapon is thereby concealed, whether in a pocket or in a holster, one is breaking the law,  Big Time.  I worried about encountering an unsympathetic game warden .
   All this background information is preparatory to my talking about the title subject.  Because, to be sure I was legally carrying a concealed weapon in the woods I decided to apply for a concealed carry permit.  This can be a daunting process for some, as one of the requirements, besides an application fee and a background check, is proper small arms training, which can be time consuming and expensive.  If I had to take the training classes, I probably would not have gone through with the process, but since I had small arms training in the army I could submit those records in lieu of taking a course.  It took about three months to obtain the records from the National Personnel Archives but they finally arrived, I submitted my application, and not long after received my Concealed Cary Permit, which I have had for two years.
   At first I was content carrying Tommy's little pistol in the woods, but since Joan and I are two old persons who do a lot of traveling all over the country and are often on lonely, out of the way roads, I decided it would not be a bad idea to have the pistol handy in the truck, and there is a just-right-sized little compartment in the dash to hold it.
   The Wisconsin permit is good in most of the states where we travel, but one has to be careful not to take a handgun into some states, such as New York and New Jersey, that are very restrictive and quite prone to throwing people in prison for exercising their constitutional rights.  But, long story short as they say, we usually travel armed these days.
   At first I was a little embarrassed about traveling with a gun in the truck, and seldom mentioned it, until the domestic terror incidents started up, along with all the trouble from illegal alien and domestic robberies, assaults and in particular, car jackings.  Now I am no longer embarrassed.
   In the past year we have, as a society, gone from politically correct condescension and outright aversion towards gun ownership and concealed carrying, to many elected sheriffs around the country, including the sheriff of Milwaukee County, encouraging the citizens to buy a gun and get a concealed carry permit...and indeed asking them to carry their weapon to protect  themselves, their families, and their fellow citizens.  When one reads or hears about horrific massacres such as have happened in Connecticut, Colorado, California and elsewhere, one wonders what even one armed citizen could have done to stop those attacks.
   Which brings me to the original question.  I firmly believe that the Second Amendment, the right of the citizenry to keep and bear arms, guarantees all the rest of our rights.  When President Obama talks reassuringly about  our "gun rights," he cites the right to hunt, to target practice, to collect guns.  He is totally out of touch with the fundamental reason people own guns, and the basis of their constitutional right to do so.
   Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention hunting or any other recreational aspect of gun ownership.  The Second Amendment specifically cites "the security of a free state" as the basis for gun rights. Our Founding Fathers feared a repressive central government more than any other threat to their liberties, and that was the basis for the Second Amendment.  That, and personal protection from thieves, murderers, hostiles and anarchy, from which their own firearms were their only realistic protection.
   The minute man did not go to an armory to withdraw his gun.  It resided, loaded, above his mantle.   He was ready "in a minute," to defend his family, his property, and his rights.
   All of which brings us full circle to the original question: when does a "right" become an "obligation?" When is a person with a concealed carry permit obligated to answer the sheriff's call to holster his weapon and carry it? That is a very hard question to answer, since it ultimately hinges on personal feelings, situations, and individual abilities.  I have not answered the question for myself as yet.  But each mass murder brings many of us closer to answering the call.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

RED PINE

YOUNG RED PINE GROWING AMONG SUGAR MAPLES AND ASPEN

...NEEDLES TWO IN A BUNDLE, 5"-6" LONG

MATURE RED PINE, STATELY, WITH ROUNDED CROWN

CONES ABOUT 2" LONG, SINGLE OR IN PAIRS
Thursday,  9:30 AM.  42 degrees F at the ferry dock, 38 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  The sky has a high overcast and it is drizzling rain, of which we had a trace last night.  The humidity is 93%, and the barometer is 29.31" and falling.  It will be a rainy day.
   Red pine is one of the native pines of the far north, growing in nature from Labrador in the northeast of North America into New England and south into the eastern mountains, and west around the Great Lakes.  It grows naturally on sandy ridges and droughty soils, whereas white pine occupies mostly moister sites, although the two species often grow together in sites both can tolerate.
   Red pine is a major timber tree, and can be a good landscape subject in northern climates, and where there is room for it to grow.  At maturity the red pine is quite formal in overall appearance, whereas the white pine can become very irregular and picturesque.
   The white pine has needles in bundles of five, the red pine needles in bundles of two.  The cones of the two species are quite dissimilar, the white pine long and slender, the red pine short and ovoid.
   The red pine is not a tree to be used without a great deal of thought, and probably not much outside its northern habitat, but in conjunction with other native conifers and deciduous trees it can be the backbone of the larger northern landscape.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

A EURASIAN MUTE SWAN, AND MEMORIES OF "SAMMY"

EURASIAN MUTE SWAN OFF ASHLAND PARK (note the yellow bill)

...FEEDING ON ROOTED AQUATIC VEGETATION

Wednesday, 9:30 AM.  36 degrees F on the ferry dock, 40 on the back porch.  Wind WSW, calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear and sunny except for some puffy white clouds on the southern horizon.  The humidity is 89%, after some light rain last night.  The barometer is steady at 29.63", and rain showers are still predicted for tomorrow.
   Over the years we have lived in the Bayfield area, we have occasionally seen one or two Eurasian mute swans,  non-native birds as large or sometimes even larger than the native tundra swan.  Yesterday this single bird was seen swimming and feeding off the Ashland lakefront park on the west end of the city.  It looked like a full grown male, and  he must have lost his mate at some point or never found one.  The easiest way to determine if a swan is native or not is the bill, which is black in the tundra swan, and orange in the mute.
   Mute swans are now considered an invasive species, since they are potential or actual competitors with native swans and other waterfowl.  That said, they are magnificent birds, and I don't know how I feel about them being harassed and their eggs destroyed, as is now the case.  Isn't it interesting how we are judgmental about every species but our own, and expect nature to never change, when nature is nothing if not change personified.  
   Mute swans, particularly the cobs (males) are very territorial and aggressive in defense of their nests and young.  They can weigh over thirty pounds, and can deliver punishing blows with their wing elbows and bills; enough to be threatening even to a grown man, and definitely dangerous to smaller women and to children.  
   At one point in my career in New York I became acquainted with a male swan we called "Sammy," after the serial killer known as "Son of Sam," infamous back in the '70's in New York City.  Among other depredations, Sammy attacked an elderly woman and broke her arm, and once attacked me...from behind, and almost took me down.  All this led to his being relocated to a very large New York City reservoirs. 
   He finally met his demise challenging a speeding automobile on one of the parkways.