Springtime in Minnesota

    Photo this morning, from the side door of our house,

    looking out toward our garage and guest quarters.

This is my Minnesota and the snow falls here this morning, three weeks into Spring, as if it will never cease; and, by God (I really mean it), it’s absolutely beautiful.
by Charlie Leck

Yes, it is April 11 in this year of 2013; however, this is Minnesota, the Land of Infinite Variety – the Northstar State.  It is, indeed, Spring. For calendar purposes, the season began more than three weeks ago. However, as I write this morning, I can look over at the big glass doors that lead out onto the east deck from my library; and I can see the snow piling up on the table and chairs out there and, out further, on the limbs and branches of the trees.

We’ll set some kind of record here in Minnesota for a late snow fall – at least for one of this size. The weather forecasters are talking about 8 inches of snow. More than 150 flights have been canceled at MSP International Airport. Roads have been closed in some parts of the state. Rush hour traffic in the metropolitan Twin Cities is impossible and there are plenty of angry drivers.

My wife’s sheep don’t want to leave the protection of their barns. She wants them to go outside so she can clean the floors and put down fresh bedding. They look at her as if she is insane. Their bleating is telling her (complaining) that it is supposed to be Spring.

Oh, yes, the forecasters are calling for more snow tomorrow.

The public golf course up the road from our house opened this past week. A photograph of the sign up there, announcing that “the golf course is open,” would make quite a sight. I’ll have to try to get up there somehow to take the shot. I took the photograph above this morning, at about 8 o’clock, from the side door of our house, looking out at our garage and guest house.

Today, the Masters Golf Championship opens at the beautiful Augusta Golf Club in Georgia. The azaleas are in full bloom and full color. Here, inside, protected from the snow and the cold outdoors, I’ll sit back to watch the wonderful golf played over this extraordinary golf course. [That is, of course, if my dish can pick up a signal through the thick, heavy, falling snow.]

There is now the feint sound of rolling thunder in the distance.

A radio talking-head has just asked a startling question.

“Why the hell do we live here?” He pauses, dramatically. “I mean it! If we’re capable of getting jobs elsewhere, why do we live here? We must be crazy.”

When I first set foot in Minnesota in 1962, I knew I’d never live anywhere else ever again. I fell in love with everything about this state. Why do I live here? Because of beautiful, breath-taking mornings like this one. Frankly, as I look out, I’m not sure I have ever seen anything more beautiful. This is my Minnesota and I love it.

I’ll post a few more photos for you as the day goes on.

This is the deck on the east side of my tree-top library.
The furniture looks misplaced right now. Normall, at
this time of year I might be getting to sit out there
during the day, reading, sipping on coffee and listening
to the birds in the surrounding trees (which would
actually be budding and getting ready to leaf-out).

This is my Big Green Egg, which I moved last week -- because Spring had arrived -- out to my grilling deck.

Looking down the hill to the west of our house where Pioneer Creek meanders through our property on its way to Ox Yoke Lake. Just yesterday the hillside was bare of snow and showing signs of greening up.

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Red Sky in the Morning

I’ve already posted my day’s blog. It went up while it was still very dark outside. Now the sky is bright and beautiful and I need to write about it.
by Charlie Leck

The sky this morning is lusciously colorful as the sun begins to rise. It’s bright blue with splashes of very pink, wispy clouds. “Red sky in the morning – a sailor’s warning!”

Another storm is out there, lurking, waiting!

We’re still recovering from the snow over the weekend. Thousands of tons of snow will have to be removed from the city streets in Minneapolis. It’s been plowed into mountainous piles on the sides of the streets and especially at street corners. It’s difficult for automobiles to park tight against the curb, so they are almost always protruding into the inside lane of traffic. That slows everything to a crawl at the rush hours.

Snow removal budgets will be used up quickly this year and the cities and bigger suburbs will need to appeal for more money. No one is in the mood to spend more money right now. Politicians are adamant about it. Our little town boasts of decreasing taxes by 9 percent this year. I’ll anxiously watch to see if services drop off by about 9 percent also.

Just as fast as I’ve written these few paragraphs, the pinkness is gone from the sky and so is the brightness. Now it’s a dull, grayish blue; but, we’ve had our warning. Our plows and snowblowers and shovels are at the ready.

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Why not become a follower?
If you read my blog regularly, why not become a follower? All you have to do is click in the upper right hand corner and establish a simple means of communication. Then you'll be informed every time a new blog is posted here. If all that's confusing, here's Google's explanation of how to do it!