"The definition of lake ice in can vary from lake to lake. For the citizen observers reporting data, ice in occurs when the entire lake is frozen over for the first time and the ice cover remains through winter. Observers do not report ice thickness."
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| Bone Lake, mid-December 2016
Photo by J. Harrington
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No doubt that's accurate. We also find it extremely unhelpful, largely because of the condition that "ice cover remains through the winter" combined with the lack of information on ice thickness. It's often hard to know when ice cover will remain. For example, today we noticed that Bone Lake in Washington County is about 90% ice covered but who can foretell if a warm spell around Thanksgiving or Christmas may open the waters again? Moody Lake in Chisago County looked like it's reached 100% ice in. On the Lower St. Croix River, Lake St. Croix looks ice covered (ice in) downstream of Stillwater, but we sure wouldn't try ice skating or hauling even a portable ice fishing shack on any ice for quite awhile, depending on temperatures and precipitation. Many of the lakes in the areas we drove through today have a median ice in date that occurs in late November or early December. This year we're on the early end of that scale.
In recognition of Winter's early arrival, we conceded and purchased a balaclava to replace one we got several years ago that seems to have miraculously grown legs and walked off. We wore our new balaclava today while walking the dogs. We know, the temperature got above freezing, but the wind was stiff when it blew. Having our face covered while avoiding steaming our glasses made the dog-walking experience much less unpleasant. (No, we're not going to admit we enjoyed it. Please be reasonable.) There may actually be something to this idea of dealing with the world as it is instead of as we would have it be. It's a variation on the old joke about "Doc, it hurts when I do this!" Doc: "Don't do it."
Thin Ice
Reedy striations don’t occlude the beneath—
earthy mash of leaves, flat pepper flakes, layered,
tips protruding, tender-desolate above a mirror
surface, gently pressing on horse-mane, nest material,
tickle-brush, fringe. Buff block-shapes further down,
ghost-bits of green-green, a lone leaf burned white.
My thrown stone skitters on ice. The next, larger,
plunks through and for a moment I am a violator
but then I see it opened a bubble cell, a city,
a lesion, a map—the way in cold and luminous.
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Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.
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