THE ANGELS SING PUCCINI ARIAS

THE  FERRY STRUGGLING THROUGH THE ICE

Sunday, 8:00 AM.  0 degrees F at the ferry dock, -2 on the back porch.  Wind WSW, calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is partly cloudy and the humidity has dropped to 66%.  The barometer is also dropping, now at 30.29".  It did not get as cold as predicted last night, which was good for the participants in the Book Across The Bay event (ski and snowshoe from Ashland to Washburn).
   It was, however, plenty cold enough last night to freeze the ferry path through the ice fairly solid, as its progress this morning was accompanied by loud scrapping and crunching noises that could be heard a mile away up on the bluff.
   I also heard the unmistakable sound of a big wind sled yesterday, and saw one (very distant) zipping across the ice near Madeline Island, but it is not making the trip to Bayfield as yet.  As soon as the ferry stops running and the ice is solid at the Bayfield shore it should begin service.  
   We were shocked, as was everyone else in the country, by the untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, an iconic defender of the constitution in these days of near anarchy.  His passing had a major impact on the Republican debate last evening, which in my estimation dishonored his memory with its crude infighting and ad hominem attacks.
   There will now be a prolonged and bitter fight over his replacement on the court.  Conservatives must win this battle, or the nation will risk spinning out of control down the black hole of a far left wing or far right wing regime.
   Justice Scalia proved throughout his monumental career that one can be tough and principled, even overpowering, without rancor and even with a good deal of geniality.
   Rest In Peace, Justice Scalia.  I have heard that the angels sing Puccini arias.