12/10/09 SURVIVORS

LUCKY CHECKING OUT THE ORNAMENTS

Thursday, 8:30 AM. 3 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is obscured by falling snow and fog. We got another 2” of snow last night and some is still falling, but the barometer predicts sunny skies (which means frigid temperatures).
We got at least 20” of snow in the driveway by my reconing, which is not a record but is a lot. We can get out but the roads are not good. The old Dodge 4-wheel drive truck is a great winter vehicle and almost unstoppable with its new tires.
I still have walks and decks to shovel, but we all survived the blizzard, and not an ornament was lost from the blue spruce tree.

12/09/09 SNOW ,DUST, AND A LUCKY DOG

ABOUT 16" OF SNOW BY NOON AND STILL FALLING
WHITE OUT
''TWILL SUFFICE"
HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET?

Wednesday, 7:15 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, very strong, just now changing to NE. It is snowing, with almost white-out conditions. There is perhaps only 6” accumulation but considerable drifting, and according to the barometer it will probably continue for the rest of the day. If the counterclockwise low proceeds across the lakes we will get considerable snow on a nor’easter. It is a real howler out there and it makes no sense to be out in it yet. To utilize a quote from Shakespeare, "'tis not as wide as a church door nor as deep as a well, but 'twill suffice."Lucky was out for five minutes, came back covered with snow and is now ensconced in his easy chair in the library, in front of the fire (what a lucky dog).
We went to Duluth yesterday to do some Christmas shopping, spending most of our time at Barnes and Noble, where we bought a graphic adaptation (comic book?) by David Keller of Darwin’s Origin of Species. I hope twelve year old grandson Nick will be as pleased with it as I, as I am quite captivated by its ability to present a complex subject in an very interesting and understandable way.
I confess I don’t understand most religious objections to the theory of evolution, as there is more than enough room for God in Darwin’s or any other scientific exploration of life and the universe (the converse is probably true as well). Particularly, since there was little objection by religion to the somewhat earlier concept of “spontaneous generation” of life from pond scum and other such sources.
Which brings up the joke I remember from Sunday School about the little boy who, when introduced to the concept of “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” replied, “Well, Reverend, I think there’s someone either comin’ or goin’ under my bed.”

12/08/09 "IF IT LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE...."

A COLD AND RATHER SULLEN MORNING
A MATURE BALSAM FIR TREE

Tuesday, 8:15 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky darkly overcast and the barometer predicts snow. I have three outside thermometers, on different corners of the house. They never agree and may differ by as much as three degrees. For consistency I always record temperatures from the same thermometer, but it points up the difficult of obtaining consistent data, even in an area as small as 1,000 square feet. The discrepancies may result from different manufactures of equipment, or from sun, wind or other microclimatic factors, but they are real and very difficult if not impossible to rectify. Multiply this one instance by hundreds or perhaps thousands (do we even know that?) of locations over 150 years and one can see that extrapolating accurate temperature data backward in time is a daunting task, to say the least.
There are a number of tall native evergreen species that exist in the wild in the Northland, and with some familiarity one is able to identify them from afar. One species easy to spot (pictured) is the balsam fir, Abies balsamea. It is very narrowly pyramidal, and the top of the tree looks like the perfect Christmas tree for your family room, and the most expensive trees on the lot are often exactly that, the tops of tall balsam firs. Balsam firs on the Christmas tree lot are usually characterized as "double needle" or "single needle" firs. The "double needle" is indeed that, and the double ranked needles are a factor of the amount of sunlight the branches receive. That is why the tops of large trees, which receive the greatest amount of sunlight, are so desirable. Of course open field grown trees may receive enough light to become "double needle" trees as well, and one would prefer I think to harvest the later rather than the former.

12/07/09 PARTY ON, MARY!!

HISTORIC KNIGHT HOUSE


A WELCOMING ENTRANCE



Monday, 9:00 AM. 20 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is calm, the sky overcast. We got 2” of new snow last night, and the barometer predicts more.
Bayfield is a party town at Christmas, and much of the gaiety is thanks to everybody’s neighbor, Mary Rice. Philanthropist, entrepreneur, and artist, Mary is responsible for many if not most of the good things that have been done in the community over the years. The party was held in Mary’s home, the historic Knight House, pictured above.
Her “trim a tree” party is much anticipated by friends and neighbors, and last night’s event was great fun. Mary provided the venue, the tree and ornaments and the libations, and everyone brought a dish to share. After the tree was trimmed and everyone well fed and watered, we all gathered as close to the piano as possible and sang Christmas carols. The evening ended with deserts and a really exceptional eggnog. Not to be outdone, even by herself, next Sunday will be her annual OOF (to be explained later) party for the community’s senior citizens. Party on, Mary!!

12/06/09 "NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING..."

THE RISING SUN BURNS OFF THE "LAKE SMOKE"
ENTERING THE WOODS WALK
THE QUIET WOODS

Sunday, 8:30 AM. 19 degrees, up from 16 degrees earlier. Wind W, calm. The channel is dimpled, and earlier was obscured by “lake smoke.” The sky is partly cloudy, alternating snow clouds with patches of blue, blue sky. About 1” of fluffy snow fell earlier, which has started again, but the barometer predicts sunshine.
It is a quiet, quiet morning, Lucky and I meeting not a soul, human or animal on our walk, which took us through the woods this morning. There was not a fresh track, and in the spirit of the upcoming yuletide season,“nothing was stirring, not even a mouse.”

12/05/09 FLAGS AND FLOWERS

AN EARLY WINTER MORNING
FLAGS OF OUR HISTORY
IDENTIFYING ASH TREES IN WINTER
PERSISTENT, DEFORMED MALE ASH FLOWERS

Saturday, 8:30 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is crawling slightly, the sky is mostly overcast but clearing, and the barometer predicts mostly sunny skies.
The city Christmas tree is up, surrounded by the flags of many of the nations most important to its history and culture (the US flag is out of the view):Great Britain, Red Cliff-Ojibwe, Canada, France, Norway and Finland. I think I have got them all right.
We have discussed ash trees and the emerald ash borer at some length previously, and another way ash trees can be identified at a considerable distance in the wild in the winter is by the persistent deformed male flowers of many trees (ash trees are dioecious, bearing male and female flowers on separate trees. The term is from the Greek, meaning “two houses”). The deformity is caused by the ash flower gall mite, and apparently does little damage to the tree itself, but of course decreases the pollination of nearby female ash trees, so there are probably fewer of the also characteristic winter seed clusters on nearby female trees.

12/04/09 OLD MAN WINTER PAYS A VISIT

LAKE SMOKE AND SNOW
THE CITY CREW HAS BEEN OUT
WAY TO GO, NEIGHBOR!
MOTHER NATURE'S CHRISTMAS DECORATION

Thursday, 8:30 AM. 16 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is obscured by lake smoke, and it is snowing lightly. The barometer predicts precipitation and we have 2” of snow on the ground.
The city plows and sanders are out for the first time this season, and I have scraped the drive and decks and filled the bird feeders. Old Man Winter has arrived about on schedule, and unannounced. He will lurk about and pounce on us from time to time until he settles in for good by Christmas, and then won’t be leaving for many months.