The yard is again covered with snow. A wet snow has been falling into air just above freezing for a day or so now. This is wild weather for November. The temperatures certainly are nice, but the precipitation type just is confusing. The squirrels are still getting to the cleaned off feeders. The food taken seems low now.
The snow is slowly coming down the roof, but has been slowed by forecast failure again. We were promise some sun and a few more degrees. Nope! Cloudy and misty all day. Some dripage has begun, but with only two hours of light left, not much off the roof today.
With rain and snow in the forecast for next week, the snow blower has been repaired and awaits them finding time to deliver it home. A rock got behind the impeler and looking and looking one just did not see the clear cut path to getting in there and getting it out. For lucky, there were more expensive alternative in the way of things to be wrong.
The 13 inches of snow is cleaning up fine. It was very water logged and is taking more time than most normal snowfalls. The piles from the road are about gone. The sun is heating the blacktop surface and evaporating the remnants. The squirrel food and bird seed area will emerge this afternoon. Business has slow there. One squirrel yesterday tried a lot, but seemed to get stuck under the snow.
Trees 32 and 33 are out of the way in piles, but will await the Spring for clearance. Everything is winterized and put away for dealing with them. I am not sure the road to the wood pile at the transfer station is very winter passable, either.
The winter storm hitting NW Minnesota took down a dead tree and that tree took out a smaller one on the way down. Snow fall is at 9 inches right now. An early morning car accident just out on the road brought excitement, but luckily no one was injured. The snow is to pile through the afternoon.
Meanwhile the squirrels are still out looking for sunflower seeds.
Winter is how officially threatening to arrive. While today was another nice day with temperatures touching 50, Thursday and Friday have alerts already for possible snow. The storm is off some, so specifics are light, but here is one of the potential spots for some snow. One forecast has 1-3 inches after 2/3rds of an inch of rain. That changeover is the risky part. Winds are on the forecaster’s minds, too.
The squirrels are packing the sunflower seeds in like mad. I suspect some set of trees in the woods is just solid sunflowers inside. No red around, so no pine cone piles this year.
The geese are still on the lake, but in small numbers. The main groups seem gone as I thought. Two swans are still hanging around, but the river is the wintering place if they stay. Mud Lake freezes tight while the river has open water in a few spots.
Snow is in the offing later in the week. One forecast looks for 1-3 inches, but then temperatures will drop for highs only in the low 30s. We have all enjoyed the late season warmth. It will be tough to take.
Some Geese remain on the lake. I thought I saw two swans yesterday, but they may have been distant geese showing their butts.
The weather is holding just fine for almost everyone, I suspect. Temperatures edged into the 50s with a really bright Sun holding court nearly all the day. The wind held court, too, but did not seem to ruin the warmth of the day, of course that is given what a day in November in Northern Minnesota is normally like.
The leaf fall is done. The only thing leaves are doing is that last blowing around for those not yet secured in their winter places, and an odd branch that never understood the signals of the summer storms to fall down, is now finding its way down. Not really many of them to enjoy the fall to the ground.
Watch out in southern Minnesota and below! The geese seem to be heading out. Honking was not a big thing today. That means they are coming your way. And can they poop! Many hope they stay away, or on someone else’s area as they can decorate with aplomb. They are a wonder to watch and fascinating to listen to, but have the washer ready for the dock.
On the other hand this means winter is upon us. We have had super nice days all week and outside is the place to be. But the temperatures were in the 60s, then 50s, and now less is coming. No snow near here at all, but rumors suggest something is coming just beyond the 10-Day Forecast.
Winterization is totally complete except for one more check of the garage door insulation. Even the workhorse of the summer—the chainsaw—sawed its last stump piece off and has been carefully cleaned. It shall winter in the garage at a nice 46 degrees.
