Ba-dee ya, dancin' in December

The scurs and the Weather Eye were stifled in their efforts to revive our autumn temperatures. Has Old Man Winter decided to let up this week or are we in for more fun and games? Starting Thursday, mostly cloudy with a fair chance of snow. Highs in the mid-teens with lows around zero. Mostly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of forenoon snow. Highs around 10 with lows in the low teens below zero. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of afternoon snow. Highs around zero with lows around 10 below. Sunday, partly sunny with a high in the low teens and lows around zero. Sunny Monday with highs in the low 20’s and lows near 0. Tuesday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the upper teens. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with highs in the low 30’s with lows in the low teens. On the 16th, our sunset becomes later at 4:37 p.m. CST. On the 17th we see our daylight fall to 8 hours and 54 minutes. We’ll only lose another 20 seconds before the winter solstice. The normal high for December 17th is 27 and the normal low is 12. The scurs have located the Festivus pole under the crawlspace. It won’t be long.

 

Let’s be honest, we’ve all been spoiled the past couple winters with warmer than normal temperatures and well below normal snowfall. Oh sure, last winter there was indeed cold, especially in February, but overall, it was a cakewalk compared to most years. Even here in this part of MN we’ve received an ample start to our snowfall season thus far. As we’ve moved into December, we’ve seen more of the nickel and dime snowfall amounts. That’s OK until you notice that the amounts are starting to accumulate. Eventually, when the wind picks up, these light accumulations on top of a heavier, early snow become nuisance snowbanks that need to be dealt with.

 

And speaking of that, I have the opportunity to drive on both Waseca Co. and the People’s Republic of Steele Co. roads almost daily. So how have the roads been? Well, I gotta say in the 40 years we’ve lived out here, I’ve never seen the Steele Co. roads more poorly maintained. It appears we’re breaking in a new snowplow operator. Why? Have they been hitting mailboxes? No, because they don’t come within 40’ of them! The shoulders aren’t bladed off while the fog lines on the road often remain covered and snow packed. Oddly enough, that all changes once one gets within a few miles of Owatonna. So how’s Waseca Co. doing? I think the Steele Co. operator needs to ride along with whoever plows the St. Olaf Lake Road to see how it’s done. It’s a relief every morning once I reach the Waseca Co. line.   

So, does an earlier start to winter such as we’ve had translate to an earlier spring?

 

Unfortunately, that’s probably not the case. Looking at past history, there’s probably not much to go on. There is one factor, however, that might tilt the balance in the other direction and that’s the snowpack in IA and northern MO. We’ve already had a little example of what may be the case if it persists. The recent southerly winds blowing off that snowpack were anything but warm! Right now there are areas of IA that normally receive 32” – 38” of snow annually. So far, some of those same areas have measured 20+”. If this trend continues and we get into mid-to-late March with that snowpack still there, don’t expect an early spring. This happened many times when I was growing up and we’re about due.

 

I did venture forth and harvested some dogwood Saturday afternoon. It was a winter’s day, although the temps and wind had moderated. I decided to take the Gator as walking limits the amount one can carry and the amount of energy you can exert. I also took the shovel just in case I got stuck, which I didn’t. It was eerie down near the wetland, the lighting and snow flurrying almost like the scene where Jeremiah Johnson was going through the Indian burial grounds. Play some creepy music and I was there. I found the dogwood I was looking for and the colors were as beautiful as I’d remembered. The bright red bushes I’d selected and made an extra effort to prune for more long, straight stems rewarded me handsomely. My only regret was I didn’t have more time to explore. There were pheasants and lots of deer signs. Also more bushes to prune. Maybe another day.

 

That same day I’d shoveled a path, so Poppy could harass her little buddies, namely the squirrels and bunnies that inhabit the backyard. As others have pointed out, the bunny numbers this winter are frightful. The sheer number of tracks only reinforces that. The damage they’ve already done to some of the low hanging branches on the apple trees in such a short amount of time is maddening. The bunnies do provide Poppy with some much-needed exercise, although if I have my way, the bunnies’ usefulness in that department may be limited. In the meantime, Poppy is content to hang inside, especially on column writing night. It usually entails a frozen pizza. That means a Corgi going nuts in anticipation as pieces of mozzarella hit the floor once the wrapper is opened. Poppy is easily entertained.

See you next week…real good then.