| The Calends of March |
Then you should say what you mean, the March Hare went on. I do, Alice hastily replied; at least - at least I mean what I say - that's the same thing, you know. -- Lewis Carroll (1865) Yes, I know.......I know.......the March Hare has little to do with the coming of March, but I have nothing else to say. By the way, the term "Mad as a March Hare" was around at least 300 years before Lewis wrote Alice in Wonderland. PS: On the main page (HERE) there is a poem by Susan Reiner. Does anyone know anything about her? I can find nothing. (PPS: The poem will only be on the main page for the rest of this month.) | |||
| March 2nd | Ice fishing may be winding down on Little Bass Lake, but on the big Bass Lake it's still going strong. Click HERE. By the way, there are no ice fishing houses on LBL at the moment.......they're all gone! | |||
| March 3rd |
Let's not confuse the unlikely with the impossible. It's unlikely, but possible, that before this month is out.......the landscape around here will appear spring-like. It has happened, ya know. To see a picture from late March three years ago, click HERE. On the other hand, to see a picture from late April the very next year, click HERE. Which will it be this year, do you suppose? | |||
| March 4th | All of these sled tracks were made by Daniel and David with their snowmobiles. They're two little neighborhood boys and they've obviously had lots and lots of fun. Click HERE. | |||
| Cinco de Marzo | A Road to Nowhere! One of my neighbors has kept this multi-lane highway open all winter. It starts at his shoreline and runs about 1200 feet toward the center of the lake. It goes nowhere and I've never seen anyone use it. Click HERE. | |||
| March 6th | Oh my goodness.......apparently Bigfoot is alive and well and living somewhere near LBLR (click HERE). Maybe this wasn't so far-fetched after all (click HERE). | |||
| March 7th | Hey Tom and Gwen! That was a very nice "Sausage Making Saturday" again this year. Thanks again for the invitation. | |||
| March 8th | Happy Time Change Day!!! | |||
| March 9th | Last year at this time our low temps were mostly in the single digits with lots of nights below zero, so the countryside still looked like hardcore winter. However, we have our usual muddy, slushy, spring mess way early this year (click HERE). But remember, this is the Northland and it's still only March so it could all change rather suddenly. | |||
| March 10th |
So what do you think? In general.......are people good, bad, or just crazy? That's a philosophical question from a comics page character, but a person can still wonder about the answer. | |||
| March 11th | As of this moment I'm changing my principles! I'm a reformed character. I really am. Go ahead you guys, laugh it up (and don't try to deny it because I know you are). But that's okay.......just go ahead and enjoy yourselves now, because when you get up here this summer you'll see that it's really true. | |||
| March 12th | Is anyone interested in guessing (wait, I mean predicting) the date that the LBL ice will be gone this year? If so, let me know your date. The history is HERE. | |||
| March 13th |
North Carolina Laurie asks: Isn't it about time that we started watching for the return of our Peregrine Falcon? Yes it is! He showed up on March 22nd last year and on March 30th the year before that, but he has arrived as early as March 6th (back in 2007). Four eggs were laid last year but none of them ever hatched.......but most years have been more successful. You can see the history and look at the nest by clicking HERE; ours is the Boswell Cam. | |||
| March 14th | I'm sorry about that bad link to the Falcon Cam yesterday, but it's fixed now (hopefully) and thanks for pointing it out. Is there not much interest in the Ice-out contest this spring or is everyone still analyzing the data? | |||
| The Ides of March |
On January 8, 1815, barely two hundred years ago, the Battle of New Orleans was fought.
The war had been over for two weeks.......but who knew???? Be sure to enjoy a Bloody Caesar today, as is traditional. |
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| March 16th | The locals attribute the widespread use of the nickname The Big Easy to Betty Guillaud, a gossip columnist from the Times-Picayune. They say that Guillaud used the term first in the early 1970s to compare life in New York City -- the Big Apple -- with its rich musical tradition, to life in New Orleans -- The Big Easy -- as a haven for Jazz and Blues musicians. | |||
| St. Patty's Day |
Before this day is done, my three Daughters and I will be back from our second annual Dad/Daughters wintertime trip; we went to New Orleans as we did last year. It was a fun time and pictures will be forthcoming. There's one thing I noticed about traveling with three daughters: Whenever we had to make a decision about something, were of differing opinions, and then worked out a compromise.......I always lost. And as usual on this day: Happy Birthday Ter.......and Éire go Brách!!!!! |
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| March 18th | Yesterday was the day, in our neck of the woods, where the day and night are equal......not on the Equinox as many seem to believe. By the time we get to the Equinox on March 20th, the day will be 11 minutes longer than the night. | |||
| March 19th |
No obvious melting yet, click HERE.
As per North Carolina Laurie the male Falcon was seen a few days ago. |
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| The Vernal Equinox |
It's finally Spring!!!! But remember the words of Marche Blumenberg (whoever he is): Winter dies in the spring, to be born again in the autumn, so it would be wise to savor the sunny days while we can because the darker times will return. Is that too negative? Nah, it's just realistic. And besides, Anne Bradstreet (circa 1650) said: If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant, which is true also. There doesn't seem to be much interest in the Ice-out contest this spring. Get your predictions in if you're interested. As usual the prize will be a lunch at Florio's. |
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| March 21st | If anyone is interested, the ice is 22 inches thick at the moment. | |||
| March 22nd |
Ah yes, the thrill of ice fishing!!!! Never a dull moment. Click HERE. Here's the annual picture indicating that the docks are finally off the ice. Thanks for the help Jim. Click HERE. |
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| March 23rd | The ice on the lake this year has a texture to it that I've never seen before. It reminds me of the NASA pictures of the surface of Mars, both from the Orbiters and from the Rovers. Click HERE and let me know what you think. | |||
| March 24th | As of yesterday cabin # 1 was up and running, and now cabin # 2 is up and running as well. All they need now is "spring" cleaning. Tara: At your convenience please! | |||
| March 25th | As mentioned yesterday, cabins 1 and 2 are up and running for the 24th time in the LBLR modern era. It's always an upbeat feeling to open up those first cabins.......as long no disasters occurred during the winter. The work is all ahead but the long period of winter inactivity is over and the promise of old friends returning is here. On the other hand, it also feels like a plunge into the abyss of reality. | |||
| March 26th | There seems to be a lot of Swans around again this year; there were 16 or 18 of them on the river yesterday. There have always been Swans passing through in the early Spring but I don't recall seeing as many as I have the last few years. | |||
| March 27th | There are no measurements to back this up and with the lake still ice covered it's difficult to tell, but I think that right now the water level in the lake could be as low as I've ever seen it. We'll know for sure in a month or so. | |||
| March 28th | Click HERE. | |||
| March 29th | To Christine and Jeff Keeler: Thanks for the hospitality you showed Deb and I yesterday. Also thanks for the lunch and for the tour of your beautiful house. We really enjoyed it. By the way, cabin # 2 is ready for you if you decide to come up to LBLR again this spring. | |||
| March 30th | The MPR weatherman said that April will come in like a lamb (a "gentle" lamb in fact). But the details say that's only true for April 1st, after which it will become quite normal (maybe he considers normal to be "gentle"). That means mid 40s for highs and high 20s for lows. Oh well, we've had much worse at this time of the year. | |||
| March 31st |
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