A Brighter Shade of Cool

It got cold last week. Not the cold of January with its snow and sub-zero highs, but the transitional cold associated with November. The high temperatures mid-week were in the 40s°F. The lows were at or below freezing. Aside from the heavy morning frosts and occasional flurries, it was dry for the entire 7 day run. Despite the rainlessness, the lake level is holding.

Some plants handle the cold well. Ramp season has been strong all spring.

The trillium started the week ready to pop. Many exploded near the weekend.

The frost immune trout lillies have been coloring up forests and lawns for weeks now.

The cold, dry air has produced a bumper crop of geese on the north end of Lucerne. We've counted 15 so far.

In a bold, open refusal to bend to the will of the cold, the hills around the lake are greening up fast.

Last week was full of cold air, some wind, and a few clouds, but there was also plenty of sun. The brightness lifted the men's sprits.

The brightness did not lift the lake temperature. The 46°F Sunday evening reading will push back that first ski run a day or two.

With no taps in the maples and trillium exploding on the ground, it was decreed that the feet come off and the wheels go back on.

Removing the feet went much better than putting them on and only took about an hour.

With the pontoon crane guy tooling around other lakes, the men decided to use the old timey way to put in a lift. What using only waders, muscle, and bone lacks in aerobicness more than makes up for with anaerobic induced ibuprofen usage. If the waders are leaky, there's also a hypothermic element.

It still needs a little leveling, but Huzzah!

The forecast is for one more day of November-ness. Then a more seasonal warm up will fill the northwoods. Currently, it's best to do all those tasks that can be completed sans warmth. Planting lifts, kicking feet off ATVs, and stocking up on Bactine and Benadryl are just a few of the un-warm chores that can be done before the lake shivers off its not summery coil. Time spent now will pay dividends in a few months with more time for another ski run, a deeper tan, or another Rafto! inning (preventing the need for players to fake their deaths to end a game).

-Nemo's dreaming of more heat, less geese.

A Brighter Shade of Cool

May 4th through 10th, 2026