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Zombie Deep Winter!

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February 3rd through 9th, 2020

Deep Winter died two weeks ago. The roads were clearing. There were sounds of running water. Deep Winter's icy rule over the northwoods was over. Thaw, the third sub-season of Winter, was crowned and placed on the now slushy throne. At the start of last week, all was good...until it wasn't. Deep Winter's corpse raised up and began shuffling around the lake shore. Everything it touched turned into a hard, frozen, frictionless surface. We put on hats and began over-writing an un-epitaph. North of the lake, the hills of Brule had a good base and a light coat of fresh snow. You would think it would be an ideal time to ski. You'd be wrong. Looking down from the lift, the snow seemed too smooth, too shiny. The snow had been touched by Zombie Deep Winter and was now more a great, tippy sheet of ice than a ski hill. There were a few spots that had loose snow on top, but for the most part, it was like shooting down a steeply pitched corrugated metal roof. The lifts stayed empty deep into the morning. We left early and enjoyed the same bone count we started with. Zombie Deep Winter scared away most of the clouds so many of the days last week were filled with warmthless sunshine. The nights of last week were also cloudless and filled with cold moonshine. The Sunny-cold grew icicles into ice swords For snow warriors, it's the weapon of choice to fend off Zombie Deep Winter or capture ice forts. These snow warriors had better watch their step around those forts. The Thaw followed by Zombie Deep Winter created hard, frictionless moats around the ramparts. Hard and frictionless also best describes Knott Lane. Especially the North end. Hey Knott Lane, Norway called. They want their glacier back! One of the final tasks last week was to aug a hole in Lake Lucerne to check on the thickness of the ice. There's currently just over 14 inches of ice under about 2 inches of crusty snow. The Thaw exposed part of the auxiliary sap cooker. The rest of the cooker was not cleared out. There is no sap to cook. It's cold outside. This is what happens when you have a Zombie Deep Winter doddering around your lawn and lake. The frequent sub-zero (°F) mornings are unfun, but it's in the daily highs that there is hope. Most days have soared over 20°F. The icy undead fingers of Deep Winter seem to be losing their grip on the season. Huzzah! Thaw can't come fast enough for me.<br><br><br>-Nemo fears the undead.

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