A GOOD MOVIE, SNOWPLOWING AND SWELLING RED MAPLE BUDS

WE COULD HEAR THE WIND SLED LOUD AND CLEAR THIS MORNING

ASHLAND DOES SNOW REMOVAL DIFFERENTLY

RED MAPLE BUDS ARE SWELLING...

...LARGE ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE FROM A DISTANCE

Monday, 8:30 AM.  30 degrees F, wind ENE, light.  The sky is mostly clear with some scattered clouds and haze.  It is a quiet, pleasant morning.  The humidity is high, at 93% and the barometer is trending up, now at 29.87". The snow is melting rapidly now, but so far the runoff has not been problematical.  The roar of the wind sled was very evident as it took off from Bayfield for Madeline Island at 7:30 this morning.
   We went to Ashland to see the movie "The Monuments Men" yesterday evening and were pleasantly surprised with the story of the American effort to save and repatriate art work stolen by the Nazis during WWII.  The acting, photography and obviously detailed historical research were all gratifying, proving that Hollywood can still actually produce something culturally relevant, uplifting and enjoyable for older-than-teenage audiences.
    On the way home we stopped for a Guinness, soup and sandwich at The Snug bar in Washburn.  I wished Joan a Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday and Happy Valentines Day, as we had done little or nothing to celebrate any of those events.  I can be a real dud.
   Ashland has a different approach to snow plowing and removal that works well, at least for them.  They plow all the snow to the middle of the street (and off the sidewalks in the downtown area) and then load up the windrowed snow with big snowblowers and dump trucks during the evening hours.  Works great.
   The red maple buds are swelling now, so greatly that one can actually identify the trees at a distance, but it will be quite a while before they burst into bloom.