Last week started off in a typically thawy fashion. Highs crept above freezing and lows did not fall below the 0°F Deep Winter threshold. During the evening, Orion was setting in the West. During the waking hours there was talk of maple tapping among the men. That changed later in the week.
Before the change, squirrels taunted bar owners by constantly raiding bird feeders. To be more accurate, they continued to raid feeders after the change, but before they seemed more happy about it.
Before the change, short parades of wild turkeys marched a well worn path in front of the bar.
Before the change the sunsets were photographic and, more importantly, not so wet, icy, and cold.
Where sand and salt was put on the roads, the traction is not too bad. Untreated roads are smothered in ice. Going anywhere is best done slowly and carefully if at all. After the freezing rain, the temperature drop banished tree tapping talk into late March. Those that continued to babble about holing maples and collecting sap were responded to with eye rolls and, if they persisted, were dismissed as insane. The colder weather will shorten the time to gather maple sap, but should extend the snowmobile season. The conditions made getting a lake ice check too difficult this week. We'll get one next week. Until then, let's just assume it's really thick.
-Nemo promises less turkey, more lake ice checks next week.
