THE NOTE ON ROXY'S COLLAR

BUDDY AND FRIEND ROXY

WHAT'S THIS?  A NOTE ATTACHED TO ROXY'S  COLLAR

Thursday, 8:30 AM.  34 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind N, light with much stronger gusts.  The sky is overcast and it is quite foggy.  The humidity is 97%, and the barometer steady at 29.58".  We are in for a cold weekend, with snow predicted for Sunday.
   Sometime in the middle of the night I heard Buddy growling, and I heard bumping noises on the front porch.  By the time I could investigate whatever was out there had left.  This morning I saw that the critter, racoon or bear, had been rummaging in one of the porch foot lockers, where there are some peanut butter and bird seed blocks.  Guess I'll have to put some things in the shed, and think about taking the bird feeder down.

   Buddy and I met our neighbor dog Roxy on our morning walk.  She is usually found roaming at large on nearby streets or sitting in front of her house on Old Military Road just up the street from ours.

   This morning she seemed rather quiet, even disconsolate, as we all greeted each other.  She had a note, inside a plastic envelope, firmly attached to her collar.  Thinking it might indicate that she was ill or something, I read it with some concern.  Roxy cowered as I did so.

   Yes, it was dire news indeed, which read; "Please, dear neighbor, do not feed Roxy any treats.  She gets plenty to eat at home.  She has gained a lot of weight and she is on a diet.  If she looks at you with soulful eyes, do not give in.  We want her around for a long time.  Please do not feed her!"

   Roxy is a very friendly dog, but is a black lab, and they are notorious for eating everything they can get their paws on and becoming fat as a piggy as they age.  It doesn't help that Roxy is very friendly and roams the neighborhood unimpeded (she evidently has bribed the chief of plice).

   All this meant nothing to Buddy, since he doesn't like treats, remains skinny as a rail (you can see his ribs) and is naturally athletic.

   Unfortunately, it meant a lot to myself, who also roams the neighborhood at will, loves treats, and tends towards pudgy.  I can see Joan putting a note around my neck, which might say something such as, "Please don't feed this man any treats, especially apple pie, which he dearly loves. He gets plenty to eat at home. He has a tendency to gain wait and for one reason or another I want to keep him around for a few more years.  If he looks at you and your apple pie with soulful eyes, do not give in. Please do not feed him."

   Move over, Roxy, we will share our sorrow, if not  our treats.  Buddy, you can keep us company.

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

NORTH AND SOUTH FACING ROADSIDES...OBVIOUS COMMON EXAMPLES OF MICROCLIMATES

   Wednesday, 8:30 AM.  40 degrees F at the ferry dock and also on the back porch.  The sky has a low overcast, the roads are wet and it is quite foggy.  The humidity is 95%, and the barometer is still dropping, now at 29.78".  We are in for a few days at least of unsettled weather.
   Late yesterday afternoon while driving home from downtown I suddenly realized that I had not chosen a topic for this morning's post.  As I turned the corner on 9th and Wilson, I looked east, and it  dawned on me that I was looking at a perfect example of microclimate; a south and a north facing roadside.
   The south facing (north side of the road) gets the majority of the sunshine all year long at northern latitudes, and is therefore the warmer microclimate, and the north facing (south side of the road ) receives the most shade, and is therefore the coolest microclimate.
   Thus the south side of the road will be best for northern species like blueberries and rhododendrons, and the north side of the road best for southern species, such as prairie plants.
   Maybe that's why the chicken crossed the road.

  

PILEATED WOODPECKERS AT WORK

A BAYFIELD PILEATED WOODPECKER

...HAS BEEN VERY BUSY...

,..WORKING...

...ALL OVER TOWN

Tuesday, 8:45 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind W, calm at present.   The sky is clear, the humidity 85%.  The barometer is falling precipitously, now at 30.64", predicting unsettled weather tomorrow.
   Being wakeful last night about 1:00 AM, I was sitting looking out the window towards  the eastern horizon when the three-quarter waning moon rose over Madeline Island.  It was a gorgeous light peachy color.  It must have been reflecting the oblique rays and coloration of Tuesday's sun, still further east by at least five hours from the Bayfield sunrise.

   Bayfield has a significant population of pileated woodpeckers, the largest of the North American woodpecker clan.  Buddy and I often hear them on our walks, drilling holes in decaying trees to extract grubs, or drumming on trees and other objects to define their territory.  Their depredations look terrible, but insect grubs, which the birds are after, have already done the major damage to the trees, and in nature the excavations of the woodpeckers provide nesting holes for many different animals and birds.  Folks often blame the woodpeckers for damaging the trees, but in reality the damage has already been done by injury, decay and insects.

  The pileated woodpecker is quite a large bird, roughly the size of a crow, and is very obvious in flight, with an undulating flight pattern and a distinct, laugh-like call.  They are not difficult to observe (at least hereabouts) and photograph, if they are present, and if one has even a modicum of patience.

   The natural habitat of pileated woodpeckers are the deciduous and coniferous forests of eastern North America and around the Great Lakes.  The larger ivory-billed woodpecker of the southern forests of North America is quite probably extinct.

BACK IN THE GRIP OF OLD MAN WINTER

SAME OLD SAME OLD

SNOWY WOODS ON OLD MILITARY ROAD

Monday, 8:15 AM.  32 degrees F at the ferry dock, 31 on the back porch.  Wind NE, calm with occasional light gusts. The night sky was clear but it is clouding up again this morning.  The humidity is 94% and the barometer is more or less steady, at 30.12".  A wintry mix is predicted for Wednesday through Friday

   We are definitely back in the grip of Old Man Winter, but at least it isn't really cold.
   I doubt the maple sap will run much this week, which would give Andy and Judy some slack time to tap a few trees and get set up for sugaring.

   We have a monthly Tree Board meeting at 9:00 AM so have to rush.  I don't think we will have a quorum but will do our best without one.

TRADITION

SNOW COVERED NATIVE PAGODA DOGWOOD

CHRIST CHURCH, EPISCOPAL

Easter Sunday. 9:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 31 on the back porch.  Wind NNE, calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is overcast, there is heavy fog over the channel and the Islands, and it is snowing hard.  The humidity is 96% and the barometer is steady, at 30.05".  We have another 3" of wet snow on the ground.  It is sticky, slushy stuff.  We will likely get lake effect snow until it warms up, as there is no ice left on the nearby waters to block evaporation.  I'm going to let the snow melt.  Nature put it there, Nature can get rid of it.

   Rather than going to Ashland for Easter morning services, we attended The Great Vigil of Easter at our little Christ Church here in Bayfield.  It was a beautiful, very traditional service, with the vigil fire burning on the church steps, and candles lit from it for the candlelight service.  

   The service included the tale of the Israelite's escape from bondage in Egypt on the first Passover, and the destruction of the Egyptian army and all its chariots in the waters of the Red Sea;  a powerful and apocryphal telling of the first Passover, which is of course the precedent of the Christian Easter and the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, and the Christian hope for freedom, forgiveness and victory over death.

   For far too many nominal or used-to-be Christians, the powerful, iconic traditions of the church have been replaced with Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny.  Is it any wonder that the Church is in decline?

   Traditions are necessary to our faith and our lives, and convenient trivialities cannot replace them.  

A case in point: within my own lifetime, the Catholic church abandoned the obligation of a meatless Friday, which even non-Catholics routinely observed.  The end result is that millions of people still go out for Friday night fish fry, but have abandoned church on Sunday.  There are many other such consequences of the abandonment of Christian church traditions. The religious abandonment of traditions has its secular counterpart in America in the abandonment of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.  How can kids know what they should be loyal to growing up, without it?
    Thankfully for Joan and I, the Episcopal church still retains most of the ancient Christian traditions.

   Have a Happy Easter.  Say hello to the Easter Bunny as he hops down the bunny trail, and collect some colored eggs with the kids.

   But, remember the awesome traditions that preceded the childish.

  

SO FAR, SO GOOD

SIOUX RIVER ABOVE THE BIG ROCK. NO FLOODING AT THIS TIME

Saturday, 9:00 AM.  32 degrees F at the ferry dock, 31 on the back porch.  Wind NNE, calm with light to moderate gusts.  The humidity is 95%, the barometer steady at 30.01".  It is snowing steadily, with about 2" already on the ground.  It will melt pretty quickly but for now it is a wet, sticky, but very pretty business.  Monday and Tuesday should clear up somewhat.
   We talked with friends And and Judy yesterday and they will indeed come up from Milwaukee on Monday and tap some trees at their place on Old Hwy. K.  I am looking forward to helping them with sugaring, and we will see how it goes with us old folks, if we are sensible about what we do and where.

   As of yesterday, the snow had mostly melted, and since we have not had significant precipitation of late,  we haven't been experiencing any flooding.  Most of the rivers in the Bayfield area are steep runoff streams, and right now are not running very high at all.  That could change with additional snow melt or heavy rain, but so far it looks like we will not experience much if any flooding.
  The previous several winters there was a lot of snow melt and the water was high everywhere.

   So far, so good.

SUGAR MAPLE SAP IS RUNNING

TAPPED MAPLE TREE WITH FULL SAP COLLECTION BAG

SOME LARGE TREES WILL SUPPORT TWO TAPS

Friday, 8:00 AM.  31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 28 on the back porch.  Wind ENE, variable and calm.  The sky is clear, the humidity 88%.  The barometer is falling, currently at 29.96" and predicting snow for the weekend.

   The sap is flowing in the sugar maples, as evidenced by the full collection bags on the trees at the old courthouse (now the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore headquarters).  A Bayfield School class began tapping trees there as an educational project several years ago and it has evidently been quite successful. Ideal conditions for the sap to run are night temperatures below freezing, followed by a warm sunny day.  Clouds and low temperatures will shut the flow off as surely as if by a faucet turn.  Sap can run as early as February and as late as early April, depending upon the conditions, and is really not predictable, nor is the whole process fully understood.

   Using bags rather than buckets to collect sap is a great improvement, as they are easier to handle and aren't contaminated by bugs and dirt.  Approximately two dozen trees have been tapped at the old courthouse, which should yield enough sap that when boiled down ought to amount to at least several gallons of maple syrup.  

   I haven't heard from friends Andy and Judy Larsen if they will be up from Milwaukee for maple sugarin'.  We are all getting older and the task doesn't get any easier.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH....

GRANDDAUGHTER ALLISON AND A NEW BABY GOAT...

AND TEXAS BLUEBONNETS AS WELL

AT A COUPLE OF DAYS OLD...

LAMANCHA GOAT KIDS ARE CURIOUS AND PLAYFUL

Thursday,  9:00 AM.  31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 28 on the back porch.  Wind NE, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is cloudy, the sun obscurred.  Humidity is 70% and the barometer is heading down, now at 30.15", predicting snow for Saturday.  Frankly, it feels like snow right now. 

   As they used to say in the cowboy movies when I was a kid, when the action changed suddenly from one scene to another: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."

   While Bayfield is struggling into spring, lambing is occurring at Two Trees Dairy Goat Farm in Weatherford, Texas.  The photos of new spring Lamancha lambs were sent from Daughter-In-Law Leslie's I phone.
   And the iconic Texas bluebonnets are blooming.

   Texas weather has been pretty nice so far, despite some cool weather, some rain and some hail.  The weather has gotten  into the 70's and higher of late, and it looks like the dairy goat herd is expanding.  

    Time to get the garden started in the Loan Star State. 

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT

FIRST ROBIN OF SPRING: A DAY LATE

Wednesday, 9:00 AM.  31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind ENE, very strong and steady.  The sky is clear, the humidity down to 63%.  The barometer has begun to rise, currently at 30.17".  Snow had been predicted for today, but that prediction but has been put off until Saturday.  Buddy and I had a windy walk this morning.
   Joan and I had been planning to leave for Madison this morning for an Urban Forestry Council meeting but I received a phone call late yesterday afternoon cancelling it because of predicted bad weather across the southern half of the state.  Storms often go south of Lake Superior, and weather can be greatly different from north to south in Wisconsin.
   I saw my first robin of the season yesterday afternoon, eating crabapples in the tree on the south side of the house.  I'm sure he would prefer worms but they are still too deep to extract from the ground.
   He was a day late.  I wonder if he was also a dollar short,

PERHAPS A DAY OR TWO EARLY

CROCUS IN BLOOM ON SUNNY HILLSIDE

Tuesday, 8:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 on the back porch.  Wind NE, gusty.  The sky is overcast with scattered low clouds.  It is foggy and as predicted, there are snow flurries.  The humidity is 93% and the barometer has started to rise, now at 29.81".  The skies should clear tomorrow.

   Crocus are blooming on a south facing hillside on Wilson Ave., between 5th and 6th St., announcing the arrival of spring.

   Right on time. Or, perhaps be a day or two early.

QUICK...BUT NOT THAT QUICK!

MALE CARDINAL STILL ATTACKING HIS OWN IMAGE

Monday, 7:00 AM.   31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 27 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the humidity 82%.  The barometr stands at 30.15" but has begun to fall, predicting snow showers tomorrow.  It is a quiet morning.

   The male cardinal is still attacking his own reflection in the patio door.  Try as I may, I and the camera are not quick enough to catch a photo of his wings flailing against the glass.  The amount of time it takes for him to leap the three feet or so from the porch floor to his attack point on the door and flutter back again is so short that neither my reaction time nor the shutter time is sufficient to catch the action.   I've tried over and over again, but there is absolutely no lead time.  Far more difficult than trying to shoot a grouse that thunders off unexpectedly from underfoot.

   I'm quick, but not that quick.

ZIIGWAN: SPRING

SNOWY WEIDNER ROAD

NATIVE PUSSY WILLOW, HARBINGER OF SPRING

PACK ICE AT THE BEACH

Sunday, 8:00 AM.  29 degrees F at the ferry dock, 22 on the back porch.  Wind N, calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 83%.  The barometer is beginning to fall, now at 30.32", predicting snow showers for Tuesday

   This is the first day of spring, Ziigwan in the language of our Ojibwe neighbors.   There are obvious opposites at work in Bayfield: the latest snowfall has stuck to trees and roads, wrapping the countryside in a decidedly wintry mantel, but the native pussy willows at the beach are looking more and more like spring.

   There had been open water between Madeline Island and the mainland two days ago, but the easterly wind has filled the miles of open water with floating pack ice from further out in the lake.

   Maybe the second day of spring will be more springlike, but then there's Tuesday.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

 ....AND  HOPES OF SPRING SEEM ETERNAL

Saturday,  9:00 AM.  30 degrees F at the ferry dock, 26 on the back porch.  Wind SSE, calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear,  the barometer stands steady at 30.37", predicting a seasonally cool but sunny week ahead.

   Someone cited the old saw yesterday; "Hope springs eternal." when talking about the arrival of spring.  Then some one else said, "Yes, and hopes of spring seem eternal."

   So when I looked out my library window this morning onto the snow covered herb garden, I saw hopes of spring...daffodil leaf buds springing up through the snow.

PRETTY, THOUGH.

IT AIN'T...

...OVER...

...TILL IT'S OVER

Friday, 9;30 AM.  28 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  Wind NE, gusty and biting.  The sky is overcast, the sun obscured.  The humidity is 87%, the barometer still rising at 30.23".  It has begun to snow again.  It is not a pleasant day.

   The weather was warm, the snow and ice melted...and then we got dumped on, and it all returned to a seasonal norm.

   As the Baseball Bard has said, "It ain't over 'til its over!"

   Pretty, though.

MANUAL OF GARDENING, L.H. BAILEY, 1910 EDITION

WINTER AGAIN

ANOTHER BAILEY CLASSIC

CLASSIC LANDSCAPE GARDEN DESIGN FROM BAILEY'S BOOK

Thursday, 10:00 AM.  29 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  Sky overcast and foggy, with intermittent snow, of which about 4" has fallen.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer is rising, now at 29.76".  The snow has been wet and sticky and is very beautiful as it clings to trees and shrubs.  There is a winter storm advisory until 4:00 PM today.

   In my December 21, 2015 post, entitled The Holy Earth, I reviewed the reprint of L.H. Bailey's classic by that name, published 100 years after the original. I have since discovered another Bailey tome on my bookshelf, his Manual of Gardening, first published in 1910.  It is not as classic and important a work as the former but is certainly worth reading if one can obtain a copy. I don't think it has been republished.

   I found mine at an estate sale in Mt. Kisco, NY, when we lived in the area thirty years ago.  It is in almost perfect condition even though neatly annotated by its original owner.  It has a lot of what was at the time good technical information that has little modern relevance save curiosity, but basic information on plant species etc. is still useful.  But what intrigued me most was his treatise on landscape design, which is basic to classical design for rural properties and small holdings in the eastern and upper Midwest (and borrowed mainly from English landscape design), which is  essentially the area comprising the Eastern Deciduous and Mixed Forest Biomes. His design concept is essentially to treat the landscape like a painting, with the land the canvass and the plants and turf the palette, the structures as the focal point.  

   Of course, modern landscape design has expanded far beyond the classical English and American landscape design concepts to embrace prairie, dessert,  tropical, and other native plant associations and ecosystems (as well as Oriental design).  But it is always good to be reintroduced to the original source of grand concepts, and the Manual of Gardening is indeed that.

THE IDES OF MARCH HAVE COME AND GONE. IN A SNOWSTORM..

SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWY SLUSH

A FARMER'S AMERICAN FLAGS ATOP PILES OF AGRICULTURAL LIME

Wednesday, 9:30 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 degrees on the back porch.  Wind ENE, with strong gusts.  The sky has a low overcast, it is foggy and snowing.  The barometer is at 29.37".  We have about 2" of snowy slush on the ground, and it looks like we will get more of the nasty stuff.

   The race for the White House has become much clearer since yesterday, with Trump and Cruz clearly contesting for the Republican nomination, and Clinton as the Democratic choice. Gov. Kasich is staying in the Republican race, counting on being the candidate selected at a contested convention.

   Rubio gave an  uplifting  and very patriotic speech in defeat, and Cruz an inspirational appeal to unity.  If they could be running mates I believe they could defeat first Trump and then Hillary in the general election.  Ain't gonna happen, I'm afraid.
   The Ides of March have come...and gone.  In a snowstorm.

  

"THE IDES OF MARCH HAVE COME "

THE IDES OF MARCH: OVERCAST AND FOGGY

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  41 degrees F at the ferry dock, 40 on the back porch.  Wind NNE, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is overcast with a few white clouds on the SE horizon.  The humidity is high, at 95%, and the barometer is falling, currently at 29.73", predicting rain and then snow for Wednesday and Thursday.  The record Bayfield high for today is 64 and the low 25.

   Today is an important day at the polls, which will probably determine the political fate of several Republican candidates and greatly influence the Democratic race as well.

   This is the Ides of March, famous in history as the day of Julius Caesar's assassination (et tu, Brute?) and a day still considered portentous.  

   Will blood be spilled on the Senate floor?  Will Mitt Romney continue his backstabbing attack  on  Donald Trump?  What other dire political predictions will come true?  My goodness, it seems we are all participants in a Shakespearean tragedy.

   In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, the soothsayer warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March," of which Caesar said on that fateful morning, "The Ides of March have come."  

   And the soothsayer replied, "  '''Aye, but not yet gone."

PRUNING CHERRY TREES

BAYFIELD SWEET CHERRY ORCHARD IN FULL BLOOM

A PROPERLY PRUNED CHERRY TREE...NOTE THE WHITEWASHED TRUNKS

Monday, 9:00 AM CDST.  40 degrees F  both at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  The sky is overcast and there is heavy fog.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer is falling, now at 29.69".  Rain is predicted for the middle of this week.  There are still stubborn snow and ice piles on roads and roofs, and snow in the woods.  I haven't heard of any bears taking down bird feeders as yet, but they are bound to be out and about.
   There are many different methods of pruning cherry trees, depending upon cultivars, size of the orchard and economic realities of commercial fruit growing, and also local climate and traditions.  For the homeowner or the person with a small orchard, the rules can be simplified, and are much like the pruning of other northern hemisphere  fruit trees, such as the apples, pears and plums.
   Most if not all cherry cultivars are basically the progeny of wild cherry trees, which are shade tolerant climax forest species and will become tall trees if not heavily pruned and/or grown on dwarfing root stocks. 
   The homeowner with a few trees can rely on some of the pruning basics already discussed: prune out dead, broken, and diseased branches; select either a central leader branching system, or a multi-trunked system, but be consistent.  Build a strong branching structure with evenly spaced branches.  Prune to select horizontal branches that will spread out  and catch the sunlight.  Prune to allow sunlight to reach ripening fruit.  The strongest branches have wide crotches,  as wide as 90 degrees at the point of attachment to the trunk or a larger branch.  When pruning, step back and observe that the structure of the tree looks balanced.
   The best and easiest to pick fruit clusters will grow from fruiting spurs, short branches on mature wood two to four years old.  Cherries are fast growers and need to have new growth pruned back heavily each year to produce well.  Additionally, if fruit is to be hand picked without ladders the tree should be kept topped to be within reach.  Pruning is as much an art as a science, and skill will improve with practice.
   Cherry trees have thin bark, susceptible to damage. The above photo shows sweet cherry trees with white-washed trunks.  This is a good way to prevent sun damage in late winter, when  strengthening sunlight reflects off the snow and can damage the bark. 
   Bayfield is a far northern location, but the cold is modified by Lake Superior, so sweet cherries can be grown here.  Lapin and Cavalier cultivars grow well and are as good in flavor and appearance as any. 
   For specific information and good videos on various pruning methods, Google Greg Long, Cherries.  He is a University of Michigan cherry expert.

A LIFE OF PRIVILEGE

GROWING UP PRIVILEGED (Google photo)

PRIVILEGE BEGINS AT HOME

Sunday, 11:00 AM CDT.  37 degrees F at the ferry dock, 42 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky mostly cloudy and overcast.  The humidity is 83% and the barometer is dropping, now at 29.91", forecasting a damp week ahead.
   I was listening to the truck radio yesterday and heard on the news that Army enlistees are being told in indoctrination classes that being a white male automatically made them members of a privileged class.  This announced to young men, most of whom had probably joined the service out of patriotism and economic necessity (and I suspect the latter factor predominates).  At first, I was incensed to think that not only were they being disrespected and scape-goated, but so was I, being in that racial and gender category as well.
   After some reflection my anger abated, and I fully accept, in fact am eternally grateful that I am in that privileged class.  Not because I am white, or male.  Those are not the privileges I am thankful for. Rather, I am thankful for the fact that I was raised by loving parents, who taught me The Ten Commandments and good manners to boot, all of which I aspire to apply with some degrees of success.
    I am thankful they made me go to church and Sunday School. I am thankful that my mother loved books, and that my father taught me to respect the flag and all it stood for.  I am thankful that I was introduced to hard work at an early age, and that after my father died when I was sixteen there were suitable male authority figures who took an interest in me, a headstrong, often rebellious kid.
   The owners of the gas station where I worked when my father passed away gave me adult responsibilities and plenty of work hours, along with a stern reprimand when I needed it.  There were  good, kind high school teachers who spent many extra hours patiently imparting understanding and knowledge when I badly needed it.
   In college I was indeed privileged to have summer construction jobs that paid enough that I could save for my tuition; hired by businessmen and  mentored by tradesmen who had a sense of responsibility for a younger generation, and more respect for higher education than it or I probably deserved.
   I was fortunate in my early years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the institution had not yet been hijacked by elitists, and that tuition was still affordable (I was embarrassed and incensed by their offer of a $25 scholarship).  And, I was certainly privileged to be in class with veterans returning from the Korean War who were not intimidated by the left-wing instructors we all encountered who did their best to subvert both our loyalty and our freedoms.
   During my career I was privileged to have  several wonderful mentors who helped me struggle towards my full professional potential.
   But my greatest privilege was to marry a beautiful young woman who loved me and had faith in me, who made me a father and ultimately a grandfather, a woman who has been my partner  through years of graduate education and a long and sometimes difficult career.
   So, I don't mind being labeled as part of a privileged class, for as you can see, I surely have lived a life of privilege. 
  

IN FOR A ROUGH TIME

THE FLAG STANDS FOR FREEDOM, OR IT STANDS FOR NOTHING

 Saturday, 8:00 AM.  40 degrees f at the ferry dock, 42 on the back porch.  Wind variable, calm with light gusts.  The humidity is 88%, the barometer 30.67" and fairly steady.  There is a chance of rain showers by Monday, but today is beautiful and a great melting day.
   Whose speech is free, and whose speech is curtailed, or suppressed?  The protesters (I wonder how many were paid to be there) at last night's Trump rally in Chicago had free speech, Mr. Trump and his potential audience did not.  We either have freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to listen, or we do not.  If it is selective it is denied to all.
   Our First Amendment rights have been curtailed in many ways by the present administration; through intimidation, ridicule, and selective use of the legal system, the IRS and other branches of government.  Is it any wonder, then, that supporters of the administration and their street thugs should perceive themselves to have the right to deny others their right to speak, and be listened to?
   We are harvesting the bitter fruits of an administration that has sewn hatred, bigotry, ridicule, and the suppression of the constitutional rights of its opposition for years.  People are fed up.
   We are in for a rough time.

SO SUE ME!

CALVING GLACIER (Google photo)

CHANGING BAYFIELD WEATHER ON FRIDAY

Friday, 8:30 AM.  31 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, calm with occasional light gusts.  The sky is hazy but clearing.  The humidity is 92% and the barometer is more or less steady, at 30.06".  It should be a nice day.
   There is a lot of early spring animal and bird activity now; the pilleated woodpeckers are drumming loudly on trees, the mourning doves are cooing, squirrels are everywhere, and a pair of ruffed grouse have been visiting the back porch, eating seeds fallen from the bird feeder.  I have been watching for bear sign, as they are certainly awakening with the mild weather, but we may not see any around unless neighbors are foolish enough to leave their garbage out (or pies to cool on the windowsill). 
   Breaking News: Climate Change deniers beware!  If you do not agree with the view of the Obama Administration that human activity is responsible for drastic climate change, the Attorney General may bring civil suit against you under the RICO (organized crime) laws.  How's that for an outright assault on the First Amendment?
   Sure, the climate is changing.  If it hadn't changed dramatically in recent geological history, I would be sitting under a mile of ice right now.  Climate changes; that's what it does.  And it wasn't human activity that produced the dramatic climate change of the post glacial period  (and, the "experts" were preaching as recently as twenty-five years ago that the glaciers were returning ).
   I believe the current global warming trend, if it is indeed anything more than a routine upward curve in a long  climatic cycle, is caused primarily by increased solar activity, along with volcanic activity and changes in ocean currents.  And, that the "scientific consensus" for global warming is nothing more than an outrageous left wing attempt to justify an enormous and crippling transfer of wealth from the West, primarily the United States, to poorer countries and other political systems.
   There!  I cite no scientific authority, I have used my own observations and knowledge to reach my conclusions, so sue me!  Sue me for having my own beliefs! Sue me for not being politically correct!  Sue me, you neo-fascists, sue me!

"LET THEM EAT CAKE"

MAYBE BY AUGUST

1789 (2016) BE CAREFUL, MITT!

Thursday, 8:30 AM.  32 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 on the back porch.  Wind SW, calm to very light.  The sky is overcast and hazy, and there are patches of fog here and there.  The humidity is 96%, the barometer rising somewhat, now at 30.17".  We were surprised by about 1" of un-predicted snow that fell during the night, creating some slippery conditions yet again.

   The "No Lifeguard On Duty" sign at the beach in Ashland is evidently left in place as an ironic statement.  Maybe by August.

   I see that the Republican "Establishment," or "Party Bosses," whatever or whomever they are, have assembled to determine how to stop Donald Trump and his "movement."  As they discuss the impertinent demands of the people for their just ration of daily bread, I wonder who (perhaps Mitt Romney) will be stupid enough to utter, "Let them eat cake!"

RED OSIER DOGWOOD: A DRAMATIC PRECURSOR TO SPRING

RED OSIER DOGWOOD

Wednesday, 9:30 AM.  35 degrees F at the ferry dock, 34 on the back porch.  Wind NE, gusty and bitter.  The sky is overcast and foggy, the sun nowhere to be seen.  The humidity is 95%, the barometer 29.91" and rising, with no precipitation predicted until Sunday or Monday.

   Late winter, with snow still as a background, is the best time to appreciate the red twigs of the red osier dogwood, Cornus stolonifera (synonym C. serecia) in the Dogwood Family.  It also has significant panicles of white, compound flowers, and very decorative white to bluish berries.  As its species name implies, it is a spreading shrub, and might be hard to contain in the small landscape, but there are cultivars available that do not spread by stolons.  It is native throughout Wisconsin, its habitat being soggy locations such as the borders of wetlands and swamps and roadside ditches, although it will grow in drier situations.

   I may be wrong, but I think the twig colors are enhanced by the awakening processes of early spring.  In any case, red twigs against white snow are a dramatic precursor to spring.

TROUBLE IS, THEY MIGHT WIN

ICE AND OPEN WATER AT THE BEACH

NATIVE PUSSY WILLOW FLOWERS JUST BEGINNING TO EMERGE FROM THE BUDS

TAG ALDER CATKINS ARE STILL TIGHT; NOTE THE TINY ARACHNID

IT WAS COLD AND BLOWING A GALE

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  36 degrees F at the ferry dock, ditto on the back porch.  Wind variable, calm.  The sky has scattered high clouds and overcast, and some haze.  The barometer is rising, now at 29.86".  It looks like it will be a good ice melting day.
   Buddy hadn't had a run in days so we went to the beach late yesterday afternoon.  The thermometer said it was pretty warm, but it lied.  The wind blew so hard I could hardly stand up, although Buddy, with four legs and a much lower center of gravity, didn't have any trouble.
   I took the opportunity to check the native pussy willows (Salix dixcolor)  and found the flowers just emerging from the buds, so it will take a succession of warm sunny days before they really open.  The tag alder (Alnus incana AKA rugosa) male catkins are still small and stiff, but a tiny spider was active on one of the flower stalks, and as I examined it, the wind blew it away as it spun its silken strand.  35 degrees and a 40 mile an hour wind...not yet a balmy spring day at the beach.
   We watched the Democrat Town Hall hosted by Fox News yesterday and will make the suggestion that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump team up as Third Party candidates.  Bernie's sincere if whimsical personality would soften Donald's bombastic crudeness, and since neither one of them says anything very sensible,  they are quite compatible.  Trouble is, they might win.

THINKING SPRING

SPRING IN TEXAS

Monday, 9:00 AM.  40 degrees F at the ferry dock, 39 on the back porch.  Wind NE, gusty.  The sky is clear of clouds but hazy.  The humidity is 86% and the barometer mostly steady at 29.81".  Rain showers are predicted for tomorrow, which would be welcome to get rid of the remaining ice and mud on the roads.  It isn't spring yet, but today should get us thinking about it.

   We spent several quick days driving down to Milwaukee (where we encountered a brief snowstorm) and back for a niece's wedding shower.  It was a good family gathering for Joan but left me with nothing to do for most of Saturday.  Luckily, I was able to connect with old high school classmate and Almanac reader Ron Gillard, and we had a great time discussing old friends, events and teachers from over sixty years ago; who is gone and who is left and other topics important to us, if not to anyone else.  

    We met for lunch at an "Irish pub" in what used to be the tiny village of Hales Corners, just southwest of Milwaukee.  The entire area has changed so much that I had a hard time realizing it was the same place; and of course, it isn't.  You truly never can go home again, except in memory.  Anyway the afternoon passed quickly over corned beef sandwiches and beer, and amid the memories of long ago.  

   Ron brought his "younger brother" along, who is 75, which kind of puts a new meaning on the phrase.  We all felt fortunate to have survived the vicissitudes of life to this point, for as the Good Book says, "The days of our lives shall be seventy years, or if through strength, eighty." We'll shoot for a few more, anyway.

   Which brings up the passing of Nancy Reagan, a great president's great first lady, who said a few years back (I am paraphrasing slightly), "Since we only have one chance at life, we must do the most good with it that we can." And, she did.

   I looked mostly in vain for signs of spring on the long trip from far north to far south in the State of Wisconsin.  There is some yellowing of willow twigs and the paper birch branchlets are becoming a hazy purple, but little else.  Oh, yes!  The Wisconsin River was open water as it meandered back and forth multiple times on the I39/US51 route.

   But it is spring in Texas, as evidenced by the above photo of our granddaughter Allison and the blooming peach and plum trees.

PRUNING APPLE TREES. ON SNOWSHOES!

THE FERRY IS RUNNING IN OPEN WATER THESE DAYS

THE CARDINAL PAIR IS SHOWING UP AT THE FEEDER  REGULARLY

APPLE ORCHARDS ARE BEING PRUNED...

...NOTE THE SNOWSHOES

Friday, 8:00 AM.  22 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  The wind is variable and calm, the humidity 78%.  The sky is virtually clear.  The barometer is high, at 30.14" but is beginning to fall.  Snow showers are still predicted for later in the day but it does't look like it at present.  We have had a week of mostly calm, innocuous weather, stuck somewhere between winter and early spring.
   First, I must apologize for the several days absence.   I lost access to my blog.  I don't know why I am having so much trouble of late, since I have had very few problems over what is now going on the ninth year of the Almanac; I think it may relate to tougher and tougher security and more and more difficult passwords.  In any case, many thanks to Jim from our Tree Board who fixed things for me more quickly than I could follow. The hand is indeed quicker than the eye.
   Second, last night's Republican debate in Detroit was not as bad a food fight as before, and it gave time at least for Gov. Kasich of Ohio to take the stage and in my estimation he is the adult in the room.  I will comment on Trump at another time, as I think I have some insight into his behavior.
   Third, back to Bayfield: the apple orchards are being pruned in earnest.  In sixteen years in Bayfield I have never before actually seen orchardists out pruning.  I have seen trees neatly pruned, with branches laying in neat piles beneath them, but never a human being.  I was on the verge of thinking that the work must be done by trolls and elves in the winter moonlight.  But the photos belie that theory; real people with lopping shears and hand shears were out the other day.  On snowshoes.