No Iceboat Setup Today
Too cold and too windy. Some of us around here are actually starting to develop cold-avoidance symptoms and warmer clime infatuations. Interior projects (of limited scope and duration) ruled the day.
Steep Drop
From 53 to 13 in a matter of hours. Light rain most of the day. Should be nice ice tomorrow on Pewaukee, where lots of boats—including 65, 351 and 10—are planning to set up.
Ice Improvement
Foggy, misty, and a little drizzle—nature's Zamboni. With the temp soon to drop, there could be good ice this weekend.
Desultory...
...to some degree. Sue in Oconomowoc for a few days helping out with the twins, leaving me with what would seem plenty of time to get some things done. Alas, no—simply not enough time. I may have to eliminate one dog walk, or the nap.
One incomplete project has been shifted from lacustrine concerns to those of a more aerial variety—in other words, birdhouses. I've been assigned a story about birdhouses.
Here is a rather sad example—poorly designed and poorly built. (You might think college students could do better?) But what I wonder about is all the excavation around the opening. Pooh Bear stuck and trying to claw his way in? Certainly not a woodpecker? Squirrel? Porcupine? College student?
Unzip The Coat...
... pull off the gloves. Actually pleasant to be outside.
On one of our walks today we ambled along Whitewater Creek for a while—until Pax sensed quarry on the far side. He then switched into pursuit mode and took off at Pax-speed across the erratically frozen water. Luckily for him, when he's moving that fast his feet don't really touch anything, so he made it across just fine.
A sharp whistle brought him out of his trance, and a reprimand made him feel contrite, but a problem remained—that of dog getting back across stream. Pax considered this complex situation for a good bit of time while I visualized where, when, and how I'd have to go wading in order to pull him out when he fell in.
Oh, me of little faith. Pax eventually found the perfect spot and scampered across without moistening a tone-nail.
Also of interest.........When I went out to run an errand this afternoon I found quite a flat flat on the right front tire of the truck. Running the compressor for 15 minutes got me enough inflation to make it to the Chevy dealer, and repair. Apparently someone ran over something, sometime.....and I don't think it was me.
Out of the Cold Locker
... and while still below freezing, seemingly rather balmy in spite of a brisk wind. Record heat in the antipodes, so I am resolved to quite complaining about cold.
Tony went sailing at Green Lake, and all was good until a big crack and ice shift made the sailors head closer to shore.
Ellie Rides
Occasionally I put up more than one post a day. Here's a video of Ellie at her riding lesson. Today's main post is down below. Look at Ellie ride! (Video shot by Mimi.)
Happy Birthday Becca
Big four.
Snap Post
Sitting under an Afghan, wearing a down vest, with the furnace running, looking over at Mimi who is pretending to read (beneath the hood).
Ready for a warmup.
Ice Checking
At Fontana-on-Geneva.
Beautiful, black ice, with hoar frost, on the west end of the lake, but Williams Bay and the middle still open water, somehow. (Wind, actually.)
Buddy Melges was there, but no boats and no-one else recognizable at Chuck's. Of course, it was way too cold even to think about sailing.
Bright...
...but bitter.
All we have here is a bit of "polar vortex" while the East coast gets a "bomb cyclone" and the associated blizzard. Anyway, it looks like we might be coming out of the deepfreeze in a day or so.
I had to ride my bike in the basement this afternoon, where the scenery is limited and doesn't vary much.
Bearable...
... but barely.
Pax and I had a long, painless walk—around noon, when winds were light, the sun was shining, and the thermometer broke into double digits. We actually stopped occasionally, to smell the flowers—or something. Wind picking up now, and thermometer dropping—dangerous wind chills again in the forecast. I do feel for the wild things, and for letter carriers.
Morning spent on a conference call with people from about 15 Great Lakes Islands, as part of the Great Lakes Islands Coalition (GLIC) initiative. More time also spent trying to build a Manitoulin team to be part of the coalition, and that is a bit like trying to walk through waist high drifts into a biting headwind. Here's the ad I wrote for the Expositor, published weeks ago. Don't ask about the results.
We’ve Been Angel-ed...
...right in the front yard, near the driveway and sidewalk. I think this is good—better than being TP-ed, or having our tires slashed. But who could have done it? We don't know. Is our faith is being tested?
Pax and I made it all the way around our usual smaller loop today, although we were suffering a bit on the home stretch. Above zero, but breezy. I occasionally had to pull a mitten and hold a paw to thaw.
Boats Off The Ice...
...not that there’s a shortage of ice. Pewaukee crusted over with snow, but with ice aplenty. Lots of trucks driving out, pulling ice-sheds.
You have to work fast in extreme cold when setting boats up and tearing boats down, except you can't. However, if you don't, you never will—you'll be frozen beyond functionality. It looks like the coming weekend may have moderating temperatures, and possibly some good sailing.
Meanwhile....
The boys are gaining weight and doing well.
Looking Forward
I always like it when the year turns—I like looking forward better than looking back So, full steam ahead to daffodils and tulips, rhubarb and lilacs, seed starting and.........sailboats?
Actually, I'm looking forward to some excellent iceboating well before all that—once we get through the current thermographic brutality. Possibly a week from now. Hang in there Pax, we will be walking again soon.
Deep Cold
Pax and I disapprove of it.
Ice is being made at the rate of about an inch an hour on every body of water north of the Mason-Dixon Line, but it is way too cold to use any of it... I put Musher's Secret on Pax's paws and we made it around the big block, but we were both hurting by the time we got home....Mimi took advantage of cabin fever to cook up a nice dinner for us, and for the NieSeven (not that the younger members really like chicken yet)....And we have a real starling problem....see below.
Come On Baby, Light My Fire.
This is the Canadian Hemlock planted four years ago and given up for dead. It's thriving, and actually likes this kind of weather.
Starlings have made bird feeding unpleasant. They are big, aggressive, and voracious. To counteract them, we are switching down to smaller, and less fancy food, and putting pinwheels around the feeder. If that doesn't work I'm going to Walmart and getting a shotgun—I've heard they are free with any purchase of $20/or more.
The Other Kids...
...are in Fox Point hanging out with Abby, Katy, and Will. Today Mimi and I joined the gang for a movie (Ferdinand), lunch, and other shenanigans. A two-night sleepover! Holy cow! And all is going well thanks to inherent goodness, and Ab's management skills.
Speaking of cows, however, Ferdinand seemed to benefit from the ministrations, occasionally, of a calming goat—a concept new to most of us. But, I am pleased to announce that the kids have assigned similar responsibilities to me. I don't think it's because I'm an old goat—rather because the moment I show up, things calm down. I have always valued my role as a calming influence, and it's nice to be recognized.
Who Is Who, Exactly?
Is it Benjamin or James?
Or James or Benjamin?
The aunts are wrong full half the time,
Grandparents have no clue.
And, some suspect the parents—
would fail a lineup, too.
If they are not identical, they are similar. Apparently, the only way to know whether fraternal or identical is through genetic testing, which is not a service the hospital provides.
But anyway, they are doing well, and mom and dad are too.
We Have Twins!
Welcome Benjamin Brainard (BBN) and James Brainard (JBN). (Brainard Wheeler {BWN} is rather proud.)
Benjamin Brainard Nies born 8:06, 6lbs 11 ounces, 20.5 inches
James Brainard Nies, born 8:07, 6 pounds 7 ounces, 19.5 inches
Miraculous, and mind-boggling. What an amazing Renee.
And, the patronym continues to march down the ages.
Too Cold...
...for...ice boating...dog walking...and pretty much everything else. Too cold for comfort. Even with Musher's Secret on his paws, Pax lifts his feet and seems unwilling to wander far from the doors leading in.
Bird feeder thronged, but being hassled by a gang of ruffian starlings. I do wish the jays would step in.
Completely nuts.