A North Country girl kind of day

Last night brought several inches more of snow, followed by winds howling out of the Northwest, piling snowflakes into snowdrifts. We much prefer " 'S no drift!" This is the kind of Winter that confirms, at least for us, that Robert Zimmerman did indeed grow up in North Country places like Duluth and Hibbing and environs. Our place near the southern fringes of the North Country is where, even if the borderline is Wisconsin rather than Canada, rivers freeze and can stay that way late into Spring. Some years northern North Country folks wonder if the ice will be out in time for walleye opener in mid-May. The weather this month, especially last night and this morning, brought home the truth of a song.

St. Croix River frozen still late in March

Photo by J. Harrington

Girl From The North Country

Written by: Bob Dylan

Well, if you’re travelin’ in the north country fair

Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine



Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm

When the rivers freeze and summer ends

Please see if she’s wearing a coat so warm

To keep her from the howlin’ winds...

When we first moved to Minnesota's North Country, we arrived knowing enough to not spit into the wind. Something new we've learn'd during our time here is that a similar rule applies to snowblowing. We'll fired up the Toro later today, if and when the winds no longer "hit heavy on the borderline." Even though we thought we knew better, the past couple of snowfalls have caught us blowing snow when shifting "breezes" left us with our faux fur parka hood ruff coated in a "snowflakes storm" from the blower's discharge chute.

rivers aren't all that freeze

Photo by J. Harrington

Tree branches that, as recently as yesterday, had lost their snow cover to wind and a brief burst of seasonable warmth are once again blanketed in white. Red squirrels have created a maze of tunnels leading to the bird feeder in front of the house. One or two cottontails are tantalizing the dogs with the scent trails they leave as they wander looking for dropped sunflower seeds or anything else that may be edible. If Spring melt doesn't come soon (not in the forecast), there's going to be a number of critters that may not make it through the this Winter. So far it's been an inconvenience for us. For the birds and bees and their cousins Spring's arrival is a matter of life and death. For others it is the start of a season to sell Winter's harvest. Once "summer ends," for many it can take too long a time to return, even in countries that are warming faster than many.

Ice Men

By James Longenbach

One cuts blocks

From the abundant river,

Hauls them house to house.

One falls, unseen,

The heart

Inoculated cold

Against a sky still moving.

Moving even now

Above the river,

The canal.

Willows shimmering

Across the water,

Muskrats diving out of reach.

The river whispers

Till it freezes—

A body

Twirling sluggishly

Beneath the surface as again

One stack, then

Spreads the straw.

Another falters,

Slips, or

Puts a sliver on your tongue

To feel it melting there—

The ice-lit

Underworld

Of someone else.

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