Mild, then Not

January 14th through 20th

Last week started off mild with a strong hint of snow in the sky. We ended up with less than an inch for the entire week. It also grew more nippy as the weekend approached.

There's enough snow on the ground to cover lawns, coat rafts, and enable snowmobiles, but it's a close thing. We need more.

As the clouds thinned and the temperatures plummeted, sunsets grew more interesting.

What could go wrong? The bumps, bruises, and contusions should be all healed up by next weekend.

Late in the week, a hole was struggled into the lake ice.

We currently have over half a yard of the hard stuff covering Lake Lucerne. Plenty to ensure a strong base for the construction of next week's bottle rocket war forts.

After dark on Sunday, there was a somewhat rare total lunar eclipse of a "supermoon". In the wee hours of Monday, Earth's shadow slipped off the right side and again there was enough light to ski by. There was also not a small amount of cold to go with the event (-15°F, brrr).

For the first 2 weeks of the year, there was talk that the second of the four horsemen of the snowpocalypse, January, might not arrive this year. That talk was premature. January is feared not for its snow, but for its cold. As of late last week, the sub-zero mornings and single digit highs are now a pervasive part of life in the northwoods. The cold is here, and if history is any guide, snow will soon follow. The timing couldn't be better. Cold and snow are some of the main components of the Annual Lake Lucerne Bottle Rocket War. Survey work and fort construction for the 28th annual starts this week and finishes by 6:59 PM on Saturday (January 26th) with the fireworks scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. It should end in about an hour with all combatants and neutral parties invited to the bar afterwards. See you there?<br><br>-Nemo got shot in the nose last year, plans vengeance on Saturday.