| January 1st | The Roman God Janus was the ruler of new beginnings, gates and doors, the first hour of the day, the first day of the month, and the first month of the year. Although it is in dispute, many believe that the month of January was named for him. He was pictured as two-headed (usually with both heads bearded) and situated so that one head looks forward into the new year while the other looks backward into the year that just passed. Click HERE. On this, the first day of the new year, let us drink a toast in his honor.......clink! | |||
| January 2nd | Again on New Year's Eve Deb and I put together a 3-D Puzzle (which has certainly become a tradition). This one is the Taj Mahal. To see pictures of the results from this and the last four years, click HERE. | |||
| January 3rd | One of my neighbors put an ice fishing house out on the lake, so now there are two. There were five by this time last year. | |||
| January 4th | It's 33 degrees below zero this morning. I know I've said this before, but there comes a time when 20 or 30 degrees below zero ceases to be a novelty, and I think we've reached that point. To put it bluntly, and unlike 10 years ago, I'm tired of this stuff. | |||
| January 5th | Darned heating systems.......why do they have to fail when it's 25 degrees below zero. Not to worry though.......it's fixed and the duplex is fine. | |||
| The Epiphany | Today is January 6th.......it's the Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings, the twelfth day of Christmas, and what should be the last day of the Holiday season. But is it? No way! My family and I have not had our Christmas get-together yet. As I've said before, Christmas comes but once a year, and just as soon as it gets here, it seems to go on forever. | |||
| January 7th |
We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave. -- Irving Berlin (1933) Wow!!! The temperature is above zero this morning.......10 degrees above zero in fact. We haven't awoke to an above zero temperature in what seems like a long, long time. | |||
| January 8th |
If Elvis hadn't died in 1977, he would have been 83 years old today. Can you imagine an 83 year old Elvis?!?! PS: It's just short of 18 degrees above zero this morning. PPS: There are now three ice fishing houses on the lake, but that's still less than normal for early January. | |||
| January 9th | People have been snowshoeing and skiing on the lake for the last week or so, but I haven't been one of them. Sigh....... | |||
| January 10th | Three guys from Illinois have arrived to do some ice fishing over the weekend. They left Illinois last evening and showed up at LBLR shortly after 8:00 this morning. They quickly unloaded their vehicle and were out on the ice in less than an hour. Nick, the ring leader of the group, is the grandson of Denny T. who brings a group of Bass fishermen up here three times every year. You've read about him and his family and his fishing buddies in these Chronicles many times over the years. This is the first time any of them have been here in the winter. | |||
| January 11th | As usual at this time of year, my son-in-law Jim and three of his ice fishing buddies (Bob, Kevin, and Matt) have moved into my house for the weekend, and of course, booted me out. Good luck with the fishing you guys, and the guys in cabin 5 as well. | |||
| January 12th |
Both groups of fishermen caught fish yesterday, but I only have a picture of the fish caught by the group from Illinois. I don't know which lake they were caught on. Click HERE to see it. Back in the deep freeze again.......30 below zero this morning. | |||
| January 13th | Click HERE to see a picture of some of the fish from my son-in-law's group. They were all caught on LBL. | |||
| January 14th | First time this year and two days earlier than the first time last year: Click HERE. | |||
| January 15th |
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| January 16th | Are some of you familiar with a restaurant/bar named The Hill in Squaw Lake (about 40 miles northwest of LBLR)? It was a nice place but unfortunately it burned down late last week. What a loss. | |||
| January 17th | WOW! Sarge, in Texas, woke up to 9 degrees this morning.......and to see what North Carolina Laurie is going through today click HERE. The country is topsy-turvy at the moment. | |||
| January 18th | There are five ice fishing houses on the lake now, which is about typical. | |||
| January 19th | I have nothing to say. | |||
| January 20th | One year ago today Donald Trump became our 45th president. How do you think he's doing? (By the way, that's a rhetorical question because I never discuss politics except in a very superficial and negative manner.) | |||
| January 21st | The Vikings will not be going to the Super Bowl this year [heh] and I, for one, am very surprised. | |||
| January 22nd |
Seven to twelve inches of snow are predicted to fall in Inver Grove Heights by tomorrow morning. You down-staters get all the nice winter weather.......and here we sit, with not even a dusting of snow in the forecast. Sigh....... Hey North Carolina Laurie, is your snow gone yet? Are your grandkids back in school? | |||
| January 23rd | Again, I have nothing to say. | |||
| January 24th | As usual on this day: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear little sister Beth who lives in the U.P. | |||
| January 25th | And speaking of birthdays.......Happy 259th Birthday to Rabbie Burns, my favorite poet! Tonight is his night (Burns Nicht) but unfortunately I'm not celebrating it in any formal manner. However, when my family gets here a week from tomorrow, we will toast his memory with a glass of scotch and enjoy a supper of Bangers and Mash with a side of Haggis in his honor. | |||
| January 26th thru January 30th |
Sigh.......it's been an uneventful month. | |||
| January 31st | This is the end of what used to be my favorite month. I still like it, but I'm not nearly as fervid about it as I used to be. |
