The Lake Moves - and Talks

I'm back :) Thanks to Calhoun's good work, we finally have internet! Let the blogging resume!

Minnesota is The Land of 10,000 Lakes. It is the state's nickname, and according to the Minnesota DNR, there are over 11,842 lakes that are more than ten acres - that number doesn't even include all of the small lakes!

And now, for the first time ever, Calhoun and I are living on one of them. While we're both Minnesotans born and bred, neither of us have lived on a lake before or spent the winter next to one while it freezes over.

It is amazing.

The lake moves - and it talks.

While it sometimes seems like winter swoops in swiftly and suddenly, unleashing winds and freezing temperatures, the story of the freezing lake is a little different. While we surrendered to our down coats and hats quickly, the lake fought mightily against being trapped in a frozen state. For the past few weeks every day on the lake has looked different. Various patches freeze, thaw, move, and re-freeze  - creating an ever changing landscape. Some mornings the ice would look smooth like glass, and other mornings looked like it had been stopped mid-wave by the frigid temperatures.

Some time last week it appeared as though the winter temperatures had finally won out over the stubborn waves of the lake as the water near shore was stopped in place. And, although the phrase "locked in ice" is frequently used to refer to frozen lakes, I can assure you that is simply not accurate. Even though the lake is frozen, it is not locked, and when you have pounds of ice moving around on the lake, shifting back and forth, it's loud!

At first, I though the noises were some creature of the night that I had only read about in those books I shouldn't be reading when I'm by myself...but they were from the lake. The low, almost growl like noise, is coming from the lake. The crazy thing is that you don't even have to listen to hear it. You just hear it. The noise even comes through the windows of the house and reminds us, ever so kindly, that we're not in Minneapolis anymore.

The Lake and Wiser's Scotch