The year is going out with a very cold bang and with another night of minus 40 wind chills, many towns cancelled outdoor New Years Eve events. The sunshine was deceiving making it look warmer than it really is and I am not going to take a walk in the moonlight.
Cold End of the Year
The 35 below wind chills made today not fit for man nor beast, but for some reason the little chickadee still sounded happy when it came to the bird feeder although it seemed like they were making additional trips for seeds. I sure hope they can cuddle in a bird house or a cavity in a tree to stay warm.
Chickadee Needs Warm Home
It just doesn’t seem fair that I had to shovel snow when the temperature was below zero, and it snowed again after I had cleared the cement off so had to reshovel. I have thought that winter could last during Christmas break so the kids could play in the snow, but a week of winter feels too long with this cold spell with no warming in sight and spring is too far away.
Snow on Cold Day
Although the temperature finally climbed above zero, with the clouds and wind, it felt a lot colder especially since the wind chill was still below zero. It wasn’t a day that I would spend a lot of time outdoors as I prefer my lake time when the water isn’t stiff.
By the Lake in Summertime
On a very cold day like today, there is no way to sneak up to a critter to take a picture as the snow squeaks very loudly. On the sub-zero days, the snow doesn’t melt when stepped on but instead the ice crystals are crushed making a squeaking, or creaking, sound.
Squeaking Snow
Trips outside were done quickly as possible in the sub-zero temperatures and it can make you wish time would spring forward by six months to feel warm sunshine and see the yard filled with colorful flowers.
Summertime Flowers
With the temperature below zero and wind chills down to -30, baby Jesus would have needed extra blankets in addition to his swaddling clothes while lying in a the manger if he was born here in the north woods on this Christmas day.
A Chilly Christmas
One year I put Christmas lights on this tree, even all the way to the top by standing on the tallest stepladder I had in addition to a 20 foot pole, as I don’t like trees with light only near the bottom. But Mother Nature decided to add more decorations in the way of icicles and the heavy weight of the ice pulled my lights down towards the bottom so it looked like a dorky tree. So the next year, I did a smaller tree that I could put the lights back up easier but the rabbits decided to chew on the extension cord. So now I just let Mother Nature decorate the tree however she wants – although I wished it wasn’t in the form of cold temperatures.
Mother Nature Decorates the Christmas Tree
Sitting near a river and listening to the water falling can be very relaxing but hearing a forecast with temperatures falling to sub-zero weather is not a pleasant feeling. The cold makes you wish for summer time again.
Viewing Big Manitou Falls
The sun managed to peek out late this afternoon but clear days this time of the year can mean some very cold weather like the predicted sub-zero temperatures for the coming week.
Cold Sunshine
