Reflecting on the unusual winter, snow

Genie and I took a day of rest Sunday, December 28, 2025 after the usual end of the year activities. 

 

On Wednesday, the 24th of December Christmas service at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church, a family Christmas dinner in Owatonna on Christmas Day, friends at Main Street Restaurant in Albert Lea on the 26th of December. A family Christmas party the 27th of December in St. Peter.

 

On our way home to Albert Lea on the 27th, we heard the blizzard forecast for Sunday, the 28th of December. We decided to wait til the next morning and decide on going to central Freeborn Sunday service or not.

 

We got up Sunday morning and the weather made our decision: no church. We decided to hustle on down to Hardee's for take-out and enjoy breakfast while attending TV church service from First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. 

 

Watching the service on TV and eating take-out from Hardee's while watching the blowing snow fall were different than a usual Sunday morning church service in person. 

 

We thank 1st Lutheran Church for providing the TV service on Sunday morning from channel 6. 

 

This winter has been very unusual temperature-wise. Many times the temperature has warmed up during the night. Many times the temperature has varied 20 degrees in 24 hours. 

 

At one time this winter, people were fishing through the ice on Fountain Lake. (I counted 19 fish houses one day and now there are none on Monday, December 29, 2025 on Fountain Lake in Albert Lea.) 

 

The next full moon is January 18, 2026. Maybe the weather will get back to normal at that time!!

 

As of now the usual winter prediction of when all the snow will be gone from the parking lot at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church is on hold.

 

An interesting winter of snowfall so far is more snow of 9.5 inches in one storm this winter than all the last winter, and now 9.5 inches were all gone prior to Christmas 2025. 

 

Speaking of winter: What did the battery say to his blind date? I have a lot of energy and I am a pretty positive guy, but I do have a negative side!!

 

A thought as you're driving a vehicle on a lake: It's bad enough to drop your vehicle in the lake through the ice, let alone 30 days to get the vehicle out of the lake (by Minnesota law).

 

The male mountain lion seen by Duluth, Minnesota has been seen in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Per the department of natural resources, the only difference is it now is a female with two youngsters!!

 

A fish house with all the amenities can be rented on Lake of the Woods Zippel Bay for $125.00 per person per night with access to the Ice Igloo Restaurant on the Lake of the Woods. (The shrimp dinner is excellent.) You can fish and eat at the same time.

 

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.