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February 17th through 23rd

Last week's weather was like a ski jump. Daytime highs sank to just above single digits and morning lows bottomed out at -19°F. Then it turned up, launching the metaphorical skier into temperatures well over 40°F all weekend. Roofs dripped, roads cleared, forts crumbled, and the sugarmen began to stir. At the start of the week, snow forts were architecturally engrossing and structurally sound. The South fort still had all its walls and an active airbnb listing. The northern fort was more of a fixer-upper. Lacking a breakfast nook and rumored to be haunted (by a head-bonked bottle rocketeer!), the wing walled rampart never had a listing, but at the start of last week, its ice wall remained tall and strong. The arctic cold which kept the forts frozen came with strong, gusty winds that took snow off the flats and dumped it on the roads and hollows. It also dumped 18 inches on parts of the bar's driveway. The wind ended up building impressive drifts around anything sticking up above the lake ice. The ice under those drifts was checked after the coldest night. If 16.5 inches is the maximum lake ice this year, it's going to be an early ice-out. The cold, cloudless nights made for good star viewing. There were many clear nights to see Betelgeuse before it explodes. By the end of the week, reports of the star's imminent nova started to be downplayed. Its dimming was attributed to a cycle and its shape change was linked to a smudge on the scope's lens or something. Now it's been stated that you have 100,000 years to see it before it gets all 'splodey. On the weekend, it got warmer. Snow piles shrunk, roads cleared, and the forts got all drippy. Streams and creeks may have begun to flow. There was so much snow cover, it was hard to tell. The spring like temperatures drew us to the tapping fields to see if the maples were in need of spiles. The trees were still locked tight with several feet of snow. No tapping this week. Some pileated wise guy decided to hole some trees anyway. It wasn't the first basswood to ever be tapped. It probably won't be the last. Just before sunset on Sunday, the South fort was delisted from all rental sites. The roads (with the exception of Knott Lane) are clear. The sound of dripping, running water fills the northwoods. The bottle rocket forts have fallen. It sure feels like Spring. A casual glance at the calendar makes it clear that this feeling will not last. Fake Spring should not be held on to, only enjoyed while it's here. To take some sting out of Winter's return, we'll get this year's ice-out contest up sometime this week. <br><br>-Nemo enjoys a good fake Spring.

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