Magic Ice Revisited

 I wrote this blog post a number of years ago ( November of 2008).  I am reminded of Magic Ice when ever we have a November that is clear and cold enough to make good ice before it snows. 

Magic Ice does not happen every year...only a few special years. This photo was taken on November 24, 2023 on Fishhook River one of the first mornings it was frozen over.

Far Side

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Magic Ice

If the weather holds cold with no snow the lakes will soon be perfect. Maybe the magic ice will arrive. Ice that only comes every ten years or so here in Minnesota, perfect ice for skaters on the lake.

The teenage girls, would check the ice everyday after school. "Mom do you think it is safe yet?" NO, not yet, be patient girls." Then one day I say they can skate but only along the shore, and only in front of our place, and only when I am there, watching... ready to haul them out should the ice crack and they were to take an icy dip. Magic Ice, sometimes this ice would then be defiled by icy rains and heavy snows, disappointment..patience was not rewarded its full due.

Once in a great while, for a few days it is the true magic ice. The magic ice you wait years for. After school the teenage girls run down the drive arriving breathless with excitement. "It didn't snow! Lets go MOM!" I have checked the ice, it is safe, they can skate out further in the lake today, maybe today will be the day that they can skate across the entire lake. The lure of being able to skate across this magic ice has a pull on them like Norwegians to a Lutefisk dinner.

The ice is clear, stretching out across the lake, clear and spooky. You can lay on your belly and shield out the light with your mittened hands and stare into the murky depths. You can see the weed beds, the submerged logs, ancient trees, and the black drop offs. The dogs would lick my face and rouse me from my under ice explorations ..as if to say "Pay attention to the girls." The ice would be like a huge frozen mirror, with a series of cracks and fissures that must be there every year, but only visible in magic ice years.
The girls would skate, sometimes chasing each other in a game of tag, sometimes hand in hand. Giggling, cheeks bright red, eyes sparkling. "Mom the ice is great! Can we skip school tomorrow? Ice as great as this shouldn't be wasted." "NO, you have to go to school, what kind of Mother lets their kids skip school to go ice skating anyway."

Only a few years was the ice perfect..to make it safely across the lake, I would watch them on the opposite shore, specks skating along. Specks growing larger as they skated toward me and the safety of home..on Magic Ice:)

Spirit Lake

 While waiting for my turn at the Dentist the other day I went by the Lions Park, a homeless guy had taken up residence and there were only a few Daylilies blooming.  My guess is that the Garden Clubs best workers have become too old to maintain the gardens like in years past.

So I went over to the lake. 

Spirit Lake in Menahga Minnesota.

I filled the car with gas, and stopped by a gift shop and the bakery...small towns need support too.

Far Side

Thursday Things

 Grocery pickup was uneventful.  Everything was available...it was a miracle!  I have noticed that everything is still going up in price a bit every week. 

Ranger Blue is back from its service call...oil change and a loose cable.   It was only gone 24 hours this time...that is most likely a miracle too. 

I worked on Christmas Cards...it takes me a couple of hours to watercolor five cards.  That will keep me out of trouble for many evenings or rainy afternoons.

It spit rain on Thursday so I was not able to paint the garage door, but I have the correct roller now!  

Elbow Lake in Smoky Hills.  There are many lakes named Elbow Lake in Minnesota.  I looked it up there are 7 lakes that boast the Elbow Lake name.   The lake name that wins a prize is Long Lake as there are 27 lakes named Long Lake in Minnesota. Not sure how people keep them straight!

Far Side

Bears and wolves oh my

 We went for a trail ride.  Packed a lunch and spent the afternoon out on the trails.  Saw a bear crossing the road in front of us. 

It was in an area like this...he/she was running pretty fast.  No photo of the bear.  Yes the bear was faster than me and the camera.

Then we took off toward Coleman Lake.  The DNR has snares set in the area for wolf research.  There is a sign warning pet owners. 

We finally made it to Coleman Lake

Two adult swans and two juveniles

No additional bears or wolves were spotted. 

Far Side

Stuff

 I took some photos over at Spirit Lake.  

They added some resting benches along the lake so I sat a spell until the Deer Flies found me.  Oh those buggers can bite.

We had a quiet day on Saturday Far Guy putzed in his garage and woodcarved...he managed to cut a finger but didn't need stitches or bleed to death....how he managed to cut through a steel glove and a layer of vet wrap is beyond me.   He really needs to see a hand surgeon to see if anything can be done for the finger that had the severed tendon years ago in another knife accident....it was surgically repaired but was never really "normal" and is now causing him pain.  I just splinted it and he says it feels better. 

I am working on a baby blanket, hope to finish it up soon.  I finished watching Ozark on Netflix.  I enjoyed that series very much...I give it a 9 ...a little less emphasis on the F word would have gotten it a 10...and many of the night scenes were really dark and it was hard to tell who was who and what was happening.   Not sure what I will watch next...I think Virgin River has some new episodes.  

Partially done...it is further along now.  This is mosaic crochet and a variety of patterns from Winter Wonderland ( still in progress) and Geometrics...I wanted to use variegated yarn...not sure yet if it was a good idea or not but I am using it up! 

Far Guy cooked...Steak Enchiladas...of course the meat was left over from the last batch so I threw it in the crockpot for him.  I should have saved the easy prep for  a night I was cooking!

Far Side

 

Bass Lake

 We took the trails over to Bass Lake one evening.

We saw a partridge getting gravel from the road ( no photo), a turtle looking to lay some eggs in the road and a few deer when we got closer to home. 

Can you find the turtle?  She was about a half a mile from a lake. 

I believe we saw six deer that evening.

Yesterday Far Guy wood carved and I sprayed Poison Ivy and Thistle.  Freezer food was supper...Far Guy had Seafood Gumbo with Wild Rice and I had Chili.  Nice to have individual servings frozen to warm up when we have a night off of cooking!  The Butcher Shop in town has really good pork chops we had those one night with sweet potatoes and green beans.  I seem to have lost my cooking mojo....I hope Far Guy doesn't lose his:)

Far Side

Cranberry Lake

 You can only see this lake in late Fall after all the brush has lost its leaves.   Not sure why it is call Cranberry Lake....maybe there are some Highbush Cranberries nearby.  Come Spring I will have to watch for the blooms.

We had a really nice ride in the hills the other day. 

As you can see we still have snow.  Imagine that!

We finally emptied the deep freeze...the last thing in there was ice cream so we just had to finish it off....must be the reward!  Now to completely defrost it! 

Far Side

Fruity Lake

 We visited a  old high school friend over on Strawberry Lake.  Lakes in his area are "fruity"  Raspberry Lake is nearby as is Cranberry Lake.   Dave said that Strawberry Lake is shaped like a strawberry. 

It is a pretty lake with clear water and no weeds as far as I could tell.

We usually see Dave and Deb over the summer...someplace...not so much with pandemic.  This was their last weekend at their lake place so we were glad to see them.  Dave is going through some health challenges and is headed to Mayo Clinic soon. 

Seems like everyone has some struggles. 

Far Guy is feeling much better, his cough is finally gone.  I am still feeling the after effects of my flu shot...but no one has ever died from swelling in your butt that is as large as a grapefruit...and that is the reason I spare my arm from the trauma.  I am sore and tired.   I am not looking forward to the third Covid shot but that will not happen until November or December.

Far Side

Lakes, Deer and Bear

 When the power went out the other night we both needed to charge up our phones just in case it was an extended power outage. So we went for a ride. It ended up being about two hours.  

Shell Lake

 Bass Lake

There is a bean field catty corner from us.  Makes for fine gazing for deer.  Our deer that usually comes for a drink out of the bird bath is missing...we noticed a dead deer on the corner one day last week....most likely her.  We are not giving up on her yet...we are keeping her bird bath full.

 

Now for the bear report;  My other baby brother and she who sees Robins first saw a bear run out of our driveway about 11 PM on July 4.   The next morning a piece of decorative driftwood had been carried out into the old parking lot...there was an ant hill under it that was pawed around.  Apparently ants are tasty snacks for bear.

We did not get the bear on our trail camera....so he must have been traveling in the woods.  We bring the bird feeders in every night so there is nothing to eat.  I asked a few "Lake people" if they have seen him or if they had damage to bird feeders and no they have no problems. 

Yesterday I mowed the lawn and we are supposed to get rain! 

Far Side

Pussy Willows and Spring Cleaning

The Pussy Willows are at the pollen stage.

They are done being cute individually.

However they still look good en masse.

The lake on Monday.

It was supposed to rain yesterday, it was cloudy but it didn't rain.

I worked on spring cleaning in the living room and I am a third done!  It will be slow going for a day or two...we have lots of woodcarvings on display that need to be cleaned.

 I broke a mirror so seven years of bad luck will follow me around unless I throw salt over my left shoulder. 

Far Side

Shell Lake and River

When we went for a drive on Monday we found ourselves over on Shell Lake always a favorite spot of mine.   Luckily there are no huge changes happening to the lake or the river.

Shell Lake where the melt has started. This is looking west..  The Shell River leaves Shell Lake at this point and travels under the road...and heads for the Smoky Hills.

Shell River looking East.

You can see the Smoky Hills in the distance. And yes they were truly smoky that day.

We haven't been out since Monday.  We should be crossing off "stuff" on our lists left and right...but I crochet and watch TV and Far Guy woodcarves and plays computer games.  I knit on my socks for a short time yesterday just to change things up then I had a nap.

Anyone else out there feel like they are stuck in limbo...waiting for the axe to fall?
We are supposed to get warmer weather soon....perhaps that will help

Far Side

Melting

We had some significant melting yesterday. 

After we recycled we went by the Millpond.

It still looks wintery there.

The snowstick made some real progress yesterday.  I think it is at about 3 inches.

We will most likely have a winner in a few days if the melt keeps up.  It felt good to sit outside, but the breeze off the snow is still a bit chilly.

We cleaned up some bird seed and some doggie do…Far Guy got out the patio table which needs a good cleaning and the birds are looking for water in the birdbath…both are on my list of things to do today.

Pontoon Ride for 12

I went for a pontoon ride with my other baby brother, his wife, daughter Katie, and eight of their grands.  Two kids per adult!  (They have thirteen grands total but only eight went for the ride.)

I miss the chatter of children and the little girls kept talking and talking mostly about their chickens and what their names were( Poopy, Lena, Claire, Ena and many more I cannot remember! How the original Poopy died under the water dish one day so they just named another one Poopy) and how they were going to sell eggs….and the water and fishing…and snapping turtles.

Wind in their hair.

We saw seven loons total, that is a good amount for the lake….but NO babies.  Those darn Eagles feasted on all the babies.

Back on the dock I attemped a photo…

Seven

Note : The little girl with the pink pants, her flip flops don’t match.  When I pointed that out to her she said “ It’s all right, I couldn’t find the match.”

Eight

It was a fun time out on the lake.  I enjoy all the children.  They are all growing up so fast!  The oldest boys are thirteen years old  now.  Soon they will all be teenagers!

Lazy Summer Days

I am looking forward to a few lazy days…probably not yet this week.

My list of summer projects is so long it is only in my head instead of on paper.  Sometimes just getting the normal…cleaning, dusting, laundy and cooking is enough for a day with nothing extra done.

I did carve a bit yesterday.  My goal of one ornament carved and ready to paint a day must have ben a pipe dream.   We do have 39 ready to paint and 3 have been completely painted. (Andy and Jen carved their own ornaments and Jen painted them.) 42 total or just about 1/2 done.

I can paint when it is too hot to carve outside.  We both enjoy time carving outside…cleanup is a breeze Far Guy uses the leaf blower to blow the chips off the patio.

We took the time to inventory the deep freeze and the refrigerator freezer…seems we are stocked  up just like it is winter and we could be stormed in for days.

Canada Geese family

No doubt the statue of the little girl that is on the dock scares Canada Geese away and keeps them from making a mess on the dock. Canada Geese are poop machines.

Kayak Launch and In Sync

My baby brother has a kayak launch at the end of his dock.

What never seen one? 

They are way cool. There it is off to the right side of the photo.  It is an easy way to launch a kayak.  No one needs to hold the kayak while another person gets in…

Jen and Andy took the large kayak out on the water.  Before they left I asked if I should hold anyones glasses??  Jen is nortorious for losing glasses in the lake.

Not so much in sync with each other.  Someone used their outside voice to communicate.

They got much better.  The launch was a really nice place to get out of the kayak too.

It was a nice evening out on the water, most of the 4th of July celebrants have gone back to work, either that or they ran out of fireworks, last night was reasonably calm.

At the lake

It is still early spring at the lake.

Lilly Pads are waiting under the surface of the water.

 

The Trillium has not bloomed yet.

Ferns and Ribbon Grass have awakened.

The lake was reasonably calm as we headed back up the hill away from the lake there was some commotion.

The Loons were calling a distress call, a Bald Eagle circled a few times…there were terrible noises and the crows were dive bombing the Eagle as he took off with something in his talons.

Spring Sky

There are many Trumpeter Swans gathering for a rest after their long flight North.

We were visiting at Shell Lake one night.

 

This is a hill from my childhood, possibly before I was afraid of heights or maybe the reason why I am afraid of heights.   The road used to be narrow and gravel.   The sand on the hill soft and slidey… you could slide down on your butt and then run along the road and duck back in at the edge of the woods and go back up to the house again and slide back down until you were tired or an adult hollered that you better stay away from the road.  Your socks and shoes would be all full of sand, if the sand was damp, your butt would be all wet and dirty.

No more sliding down hills for me.

It was a great spot to watch the Trumpeter Swans fly over the lake. 

The sunset was calm and soothing after a fairly busy day.

I recall seeing many sunsets from this place on the lake.  It brought back many memories.

Fresh baked flat bread with butter and jelly, card games played at the kitchen table, knitting projects to oh and aww over as my Aunt was a marvelous knitter.  The marble topped coffee and end tables that were in the living room, the old tire swing that hung from a large limb in the yard.  Walking the ridges with my Uncle, hunting and learning how to mark your trail in the woods so you would never get lost.