This is the time of year when I get in a little bit of a rut. The cabin is closed up and we have already had a little taste of winter. I have to say that the first measurable snowfall always gives me kind of a good feeling. It’s not that I like to embrace the snow as a long lost friend, but more like an introduction to the next season.
I can always go north again if there is not any snow on the ground, but, in all actuality, that just isn’t in the cards until spring. When I was at the cabin a couple of weeks ago and it started snowing, I knew that it would be more than a few scattered flurries. Once I had accepted the fact that we were in for a few inches of snow, I began enjoying the beauty of it all. To me, there is something magical about sitting cozily in the cabin with the wood burning stove providing the warmth, while the snow falls and the wind blows outside of our little cabin. That is what I consider a serene moment. While there almost seems to be something magical about the first snowfall of the year, I may not take that same point of view in about the first week in January, but at least it will not be 2020.
When I think back to my years as a youth and remember all of the small neighborhood grocery stores that were scattered throughout Albert Lea. I find it sad that, today, we only have one “actual” grocery store left in this town. This store does a good job of stocking the shelves, but even so, I can go to the store with a list (old guys do lists) and usually come up one or two items that are out of stock. This happens and I can understand that, but I miss having options.
I was talking to a friend the other day and he said that the last time that he was grocery shopping he counted seven people in the store who were not wearing masks. I don’t work for the mask police, but I still believe in doing the right thing and I don’t look for some hidden meaning behind a mask mandate. Just wear the mask people! I don’t wear the mask, because I am scared that I’ll get Covid; I wear the mask out of respect for others. I wear glasses, so I have to take them off when entering the store because they steam up. It’s what I would call a small inconvenience and it is surely not a big deal. The up side of the mask is that I get a lot of extra exercise walking from the store back to my vehicle to retrieve my mask (old guy stuff).
Time to move on to a little outdoors stuff.
The deer opener for firearms is almost here. The firearms season for our area runs from Nov. 7th-Nov. 15th and the muzzleloader season is from Nov. 28 - Dec. 13, while the archery season is already underway and will run thru Dec. 31st.
I have heard of some “slab” crappies being caught in Albert Lea Lake and I wouldn’t be surprised if the fishing were pretty good on all of our lakes right up until freeze-over. We had a thin layer of ice on Albert Lea Lake last week, but the small warmup, along with the welcome sunshine, managed to take care of that. Some ice fishermen get pretty antsy when the lakes begin to freeze over and sometimes they are on the ice before it is what is considered safe. Know how thick the ice is before venturing out. The DNR guideline is 4-inches of thickness for new ice.
Until next time: Have a safe hunt! If you don’t hunt, but like being outdoors, dress warm and get out and enjoy taking a walk on a trail. There is still an opportunity to wet a line on an area lake while they are still ice-free.
Please show your support for the troops serving our country, so that we may enjoy the many freedoms we have.