| All Saints' Day | The Loons are still here! This is the first time I've seen them on the lake in November.......the previous latest date was October 29th which was in 2005 and 2007. Of course, they may have been around longer than this in past years and I just didn't notice them. October has been fairly warm this year and the temps have not been below freezing very often, but maybe that has nothing to do with it. Who knows? |
| All Souls' Day | The Loons are still here. |
| November 3rd |
Early morning in Autumn is a time of magic. It's the gray time -- the time after the light has come, but before the sun has risen. The lake seems to hang suspended out of time in a silvery light. The air is cool and fresh. It is the Hour of the Pearl -- the interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself. -- John Steinbeck (from Cannery Row, 1945) Click HERE. |
| November 4th | Today, for the 20th consecutive year, Ron E. and his group arrived to use LBLR as their Deer Camp.......and well do we both remember our first meeting; it's an indelible incident. Hey Dave, how many years have you been part of that group? |
| November 5th | It's the deer hunting opener. Click HERE. |
| November 6th |
Here are a few past entries about the weather this time of the year. Nothing even close to that has happened yet in 2011; the Autumn weather this year has been very wimpy indeed:
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| November 7th |
The Loons are gone!!!! (And before you say anything, I'm not referring the LBLR guests. Well, not many of them anyway. I'm referring to the waterfowl.) They were last seen on November 4th but apparently they have since set out for warmer climes. Have a good winter Loons, and we'll see you in April. Note added on November 8th: See tomorrow's entry concerning Loons. |
| November 8th |
The 2012 Old Farmer's Almanac weather predictions began last week. Let's see now, how did they do? The prediction for the first seven days of November in this neck of the woods was, and I quote: "Snow, then sunny, cold". What was it really? No snow and unseasonably warm, that's what it was. Good start you guys......same as always!!!! Oh geez.......ignore the entry from yesterday. There was a Loon out on the lake this morning, so they are NOT gone yet. There were four Swans out there as well, which is a rarity. |
| November 9th | Look at the last entry for September of 2006.......after more than 5 years someone noticed a glaring error. Good catch Sarge! It's HERE. |
| November 10th | To a True Northlander, "He who dies with the most firewood, wins". (PS: There's a little snow on the ground this morning.) |
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Veterans' Day..... Our country was founded on the principles of freedom, justice, and liberty for all. Our nation's soldiers serve every day to protect our country and these principles. All of our soldiers, whether active or retired, are people who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including their life". Remember them! |
| November 12th | If life was a car ride from Saint Paul to Grand Rapids, I'd have just passed through Warba. |
| November 13th | This time for sure: The Loons are gone! They haven't been seen for five days now.......since November 8th. |
| November 14th | After a long life of 16 years, Copper (Coppie), my middle daughter's family dog, died today. She was a great little dog and she was mentioned in the last paragraph of the very first story that appeared in LBLR "Stories, Poems, & Anecdotes From the Northland", which was written over 12 years ago. Her picture is HERE, and the story is HERE. R.I.P. Coppie. |
| November 15th | I have been told that, on one of these past cold mornings, there was a little bit of ice on the north end of the lake for just a little while, but I'm not sure I believe it. Right now the temp is in the high 20s, the sun just rose, and it's totally calm.....but there's not a bit of ice. |
| November 16th | Finally!!!! Click HERE. |
| November 17th | Ha! There's finally some ice on the lake. There was a little there yesterday, but with only 18 degrees this morning it increased a bit overnight. |
| November 18th |
On this day in 1874, the land that LBLR now occupies was purchased from the U.S. Government by Mr. T. B. Walker. The wind is from the east this morning so the ice that was on this side of Little Bass yesterday is now *GONE! However, there is a little ice stuck to the weeds out there yet (these pictures are from 2008 but click HERE to see what it looks like). Incidentally, Brian and Ann said that Moonshine froze over last night. |
| November 19th | Although all holidays are nice, most have at least a small "downside" to them......but it's awfully difficult to find anything negative to say about Thanksgiving. |
| November 20th | The temp was in single digits last night for the first time this year. There's still very little ice up at this end of the lake but Peterson Bay is now ice covered. TGD (four days hence) is supposed to be warm so it's anybody's guess as to how long it will last. |
| November 21st |
Look at this.......ski tracks. YES!!!! Click HERE. (PS: Those tracks were made by Randy and he also took the picture. Thanks Rand.) |
| November 22nd | The temperature is rising and the snow is melting. The small amount of ice that's on the lake is rapidly disappearing. The little taste of winter that we have been graced with so far will be gone by Thanksgiving. The weatherman is a jerk!!!!! Sigh........... |
| November 23rd | The day after tomorrow the Christmas Season begins, so snatch a bit of peace and quiet while you still can. |
| Thanksgiving Day |
Here is a little known LBLR fact which is not germane to anything (ie, "it's neither here nor there", as the saying goes): One summer afternoon in 2001, there were three Moms sitting in my living room breast feeding their respective babies all at the same time. |
| November 25th | Here is a bad picture of eight Swans (Tundra Swans, one would presume) on the other side of the lake. Click HERE. |
| November 26th |
A sign that Christmas is nearly upon us: My Dear Granddaughter Molly asked me to mention that she will be appearing in her first play today, A Christmas Carol.......and she said that she's nervous. "Break a leg" Mol! |
| November 27th to November 29th | I have nothing to say. |
| November 30th | LBL is officially frozen. Click HERE. |
