Is it just me, or is the lack of snow on the landscape unsettling?
I just returned from a trip to the Twin Cities for Christmas, and everywhere I looked, brown dominated the horizon. In my half-century on this planet, I can’t remember a completely brown Christmas.
Or, perhaps, I’ve blocked it out of my mind.
Much as I hate driving in snow or on icy roads, I’m a snow guy. My two snowmobiles continue to collect dust on the trailer, where they’ve patiently rested since I parked them for the season last March.
Another sign of what a weird winter this has been so far surfaced Tuesday, when the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued a news release warning people to be careful when burning because the fire danger is so high. There’s even a requirement that anyone planning to burn vegetation or other debris first obtain a burning permit.
If we had some snow, that wouldn’t be an issue.
Ice conditions also are dicey, at best, and authorities continue to warn people to stay off the west side of Lake of the Woods, where a large crack that extends from Springsteel to Swift Ditch, Rocky Point and Long Point will remain dangerous until we get enough cold weather to freeze the open water.
Also Tuesday, a video surfaced on YouTube showing the danger on Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg, where a vehicle went through the ice near the access at Balsam Harbor on the east side of the lake. You can watch for yourself here:
