A little something for the gods......

Following the longest night of the year, the dawn weakly rose to the coldest temp so far this year. -7F.
Two fires are ignited as an annual homage to the ancient ancestors
One for the new daylight and one to hasten the second longest night toward the summer solstaice

The second fire is said to be accompanied by vodka
and drumming
and dancing
and toasts to deeds and dramas now past
and to the ghosts
of those we have loved
and those that are yet come

It is time to kindle and toast
 Na zdrowie !!

It's beginning to look a lot like Solstaice

Finally a little snow has fallen
Decoration for the holiday season
Rain preceded the snow

Ridiculous that it should rain near the winter Solstaice in Minnesota 
Oh well, another log on the fire
Another glacier gone

Tough bite

Clear. 22F.  SW wind @ 5mph
The lake is less rumbly this evening.
The fish are here but not real eager to bite.
First bluegills under early ice.

 

Filled with chironomid goodness.

                                    
                                    No wonder the light bite.

On the ice.

It is safe to be out now.
Six solid inches of ice are uniformly distributed atop the pond.

 

With temperatures in the teens, and only 2 inches of snow on the ice, the freezing process is in high gear. The boys and I head out and drill a few holes just before the daylight fails. The lake is noisy and alive - full of expansion music.
Slsssssss - aaaaaah aaah - slssssss- crick crick crick - aaaah - Boom ! Creeeeeekk - bBoom!
Water rises and falls in the holes with each new crack and quake.  The dogs look nervously at each other, at me, toward shore. The whole sheet of ice is on vibrate.  But then a crappie comes up the hole and the youngster is transformed into a dog possessed.
I unhook and drop the 9 incher back down the hole. I have made the dog insane ! A couple more bangs - bBaaaang - aaaaaah - errrrrrrr - clank ! Sounds like beating on a steel drum with a bat ! The spaniel bugs out for the shore.

Craaaaack - reeee reeeee reeeee- slllllsssss- errrrrr - bbBoom! 
No more bites.
The music too loud and sweet.

Oops !

It is perhaps a bit soon................

I don't see a pickup connected to this rig, but then that would be the less buoyant bit, wouldn't it.

Leave no trace

Of course there are different ways of walking across the land. Mr. Big's pursuer, I can assume, takes a different path than mine. He provides numerous clues about his life and character.  Clues which I would not leave behind for anyone or any thing to ponder.

Mr. Big's pursuer set up his tree stand in a 60 year old red pine that grows in the corner of property that he does not own and is not public ground.  It is within 50 yards of Mr. Big's prominent calling card. He smoked at least eight cigarettes while waiting for a deer to come within range of his 30-06. He used scent and wicks to attract a buck. He fired his rifle twice.

I collected his trash and took it home. He is a pig.

I find no evidence that Mr. Big was killed here.

Who Killed Mr. Big ?

I don't know if anyone killed the big boy who's responsible for this, but if they did I would like to see the candelabra atop his head.  The youngster and I got out and about for the last hour of daylight, and found this place of Rut-O-Rama in the corner of the woodlot.  We also found a grouse to miss.  A great outing.  That's a little 28 gauge Uggie for perspective.