WINTER WONDERLAND

[swillologist]

It didn't slow down any between you and me NW. We have all of that right now. They are closing schools early here because of it.

 

[grapeman]

Hey NW did you get a chance lately to go spear fishing with the warmer weather you HAD? Tell us about it!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Well....we moved the house the other day and speared that PM....brought home some supper....


Since then we did two days of 'Morning Shift'....All set up by 9 AM and saw 26 Northerns, 1 Walleye, 2 huge Suckers and many Sunfish...[We can only spear Northern Pike]......The first day and brought home 3....between 3.6# and 5.11#....those are in the freezer.


Yesterday took the decoy for another swim...didn't see that much activity...

Butbrought home a meal...

You can see by the size of the ice blocks removed from the hole that the ice is very thick and very heavy to pull out of the hole...So we mostly likely will only move once before.


Toady we didn't venture out in the storm...we are now on the far side of the lake and have been there before during white-out conditions...then you become one of the 'WE'R-DE-FIG-AW-WE' tribe....

 

[grapeman]

I'm glad you have had some luck and have enjoyed some time out on the ice. It helps make winter pass a bit quicker. Good size fish for the freezer and to eat. What type of spear do you use - the traditional 'WE'R-DE-FIG-AW-WE' spear or a store bought one?

 

[NorthernWinos]

We use a traditional store bought spear.


Only are members of that tribe when we are lost in a storm like this...

 

[uavwmn]

NW, I love your winter pictures because I retired in AZ. Born and raised in MD we had a few good blizzards while I was growing up.


I am using your Flag with the bird in the tree in the foreground as a desktop picture on my laptop.


Be safe and keep warm.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Glad all you Southern folk are enjoying the photos...


We would like to see some photos of your 'Winter Wonderland'....some green grass and flowers if you have a chance to share....

 

[NorthernWinos]

Today is colder but calmer....

Forecast...WIND CHILL WARNING
LIFE THREATENING WIND CHILLS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN
NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS MORNING.
THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES FROM 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO AND WINDS
10 TO 15 MPH...WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE WIND CHILLS FROM 40 TO 60
BELOW ZERO THIS MORNING. LOOK FOR THE WIND TO DIMINISH TO LESS
THAN 10 MPH BY NOON...ELIMINATING THE WIND CHILL THREAT.
HOWEVER...COLD TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN THROUGHOUT THE DAY...WITH
HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM 5 TO 15 BELOW ZERO.

 

[grapeman]

That's just brutal! Good luck with the pipes, etc! Wine making or reading day ahead.


The front is just getting here- currently 40 deg -10 mph winds. Will cool to 15 soon with up to 60 mph winds. I hate these days while I'm trying to work at the computer- the power shuts on and off as the wind increases.


Stay warm - drink a few

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hope you don't get this cold with that wind....tho I think you are in a more temperate zone.
We haven't had any freeze-ups to date in this house...fingers crossed.


But I fear for the row of Frontenac Grapes....maybe planting a row of them wasn't such a good idea....Last year the old plant grew well but didn't produce many grapes...I planted a row of 9 small vines...they are below the snow line so will be safe....The old vine is hanging on the wires..If it doesn't produce well I might pull those youngplants before I get attached to them and plant a more hardy variety....Time will tell.


Reading and tax preparation on todays agenda...yesterday it was house cleaning, laundry and made a big pot of soup....Jim wants to go fishing...?

 

[hannabarn]

We had 18 below and windy this morning. I think that front warmed a little after it left you NW!!

 

[moto-girl]

The front arrived in Wi yesterday around noon. The day started out beautiful, around 42 at 6am. I left my job early to get ahead of the regular commuters. I hit every type of weather in a one hour period. The temp fell 20 degrees. The wind was howling and bringing rain; which turned to freezing rain, hail, snow hail, and eventually snow. I did even hear a little bit of thunder. Boy, o boy was it good to pull into the driveway safely. We cheered safe return with a bottle of Barolo.

 

[rgecaprock]

You guys always have the weather to talk about besides all of the other interesting things you do. I can't tell you how mundane and boring the weather is here. I grew up in W.Va. and the seasons were always something to look forward too. I would love to be back to where it snows.
Enjoy every minute of it!!! Ramona

 

[grapeman]

But I fear for the row of Frontenac Grapes....maybe planting a row of them wasn't such a good idea....Last year the old plant grew well but didn't produce many grapes...I planted a row of 9 small vines...they are below the snow line so will be safe....The old vine is hanging on the wires..If it doesn't produce well I might pull those youngplants before I get attached to them and plant a more hardy variety....Time will tell.

I wouldn't rush to judgement on the Frontenac yet. I still feel that the lack of grapes last year was more of a pruning and foliage management issue than the result of cold injury. Frontenac will bear full crops after -32* F winters and survive even colder weather. I bet that they will come through this cold weather relatively unscathed- although dang it's definitely cold there!




Check out the U of M site. They have updated all the info on their grapes and give more detail of a lot of varieties. Here's one page of Frontenac


http://www.grapes.umn.edu/frontenac/viticulture.html

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Frontenac has proven to be a very disease resistant, productive, and cold hardy red wine variety. The fruit are high in acidity but have been used successfully for a variety of wine styles including dry or semi-dry table wines, ros鬠and fortified, port-style wine.


Origin. Frontenac originated from a cross between the French hybrid cultivar Landot 4511 and the University of Minnesota Vitis riparia selection #89, found growing wild near Jordan, Minnesota. The cross was made in 1978 and the vine was selected in 1983. It was tested as MN 1047 and introduced in 1996.


Plant traits. Frontenac vines are "grower-friendly" due to their winter hardiness, disease resistance, strong vigor, desirable growth habit, and high yield potential. Frontenac has proven itself to be cold hardy enough for consistent production in central Minnesota where temperatures frequently reach minus 35oC. Outdoor and laboratory freezing tests have shown it to be more cold hardy than Marechal Foch, previously the most commonly grown grape in Minnesota. Even under conditions of high disease pressure, Frontenac has been extremely resistant to downy mildew and moderately resistant to powdery mildew and black rot. Frontenac has also been quite tolerant of the adverse effects of phenoxy herbicide drift under Midwestern conditions. It is, however, very susceptible to foliar phylloxera infestation. Berry splitting and botrytis have not been observed even under wet conditions. Frontenac vines have moderately high vigor with a slightly upright growth habit with arching canes. Growers have used several training systems for Frontenac including high bilateral cordon, low cordon with vertical shoot positioning, as well as Geneva Double Curtain. Budbreak and bloom are moderately early but slightly later than Marechal Foch. Shoots typically produce 2-3 clusters and may require cluster thinning, particularly on young vines. Frontenac ripens in the midseason (average harvest date Sept. 25 in east central Minnesota), about 7 to10 days after Marechal Foch. Frontenac has produced high yields averaging 6.1 Kg/ vine (4.4 tons/acre).


Fruit traits. The clusters of Frontenac are loose and medium in size, averaging 152 g/cluster and 18 cm (7 in) in length, and conical in shape with a small shoulder. Berries are small to medium averaging 1.1 g/ berry and 12 mm (0.5 in) in diameter. Sugar levels have been high, averaging 24.8° brix but reaching levels as high as 28° brix. Acid levels have also been higher than most cultivars at 1.51%. Due these high levels of both sugar and acidity, Frontenac wines often require malolactic fermentation in order to produce a well balanced wine in northern climates. Frontenac has light red juice and, thus, is a mild 'teinturier'. When given a moderate amount of skin contact (4?6 days), 'Frontenac' wine has developed an attractive deep garnet red color. The most common aroma component identified by tasters has been cherry, with lesser amounts of berry, black currant, and plum. Occasionally, wines have developed a distinct chocolate aroma after bottle aging.


Adaptation. Frontenac has quickly become the most widely planted red wine grape in Minnesota. It is also commonly planted in other Midwestern states and has become quite popular in Quebec. It should be a useful variety in other cold climate viticulture areas (USDA plant hardiness zones 4 and 5) of the eastern US and Canada.
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Edited by: appleman

 

[swillologist]

Hopefully we don't get another one of those cold spells during April like wehad last spring. It was hard on my grapes. I think you had it about the same time. Things were just budding out when it hit. I had hardly any grapes on my vines and very littlefruit on my trees. I'm hoping for a better crop this year. I hoping that your'swill dobetter also.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here we go again...


Blizzard Watch


A BLIZZARD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM TONIGHT TO 6 PM SATURDAY


TODAY WILL BE DECEPTIVELY MILD WITH VERY LITTLE WIND.


ONLY AN INCH OR TWO OF LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED ALONG AN ARCTIC
COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER...THIS
NEW SNOW...WHEN COMBINED WITH THE SNOW THAT FELL EARLIER THIS
WEEK...WILL MAKE PORTIONS OF THE AREA VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO GROUND
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AS WIND SPEEDS INCREASE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO
SATURDAY. WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE...WHICH COULD
CAUSE NEAR ZERO VISIBILITIES AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN
COUNTRY. BITTERLY COLD AIR WILL ALSO SURGE INTO THE REGION...
RESULTING IN WIND CHILL READINGS FROM 35 BELOW TO 50 BELOW ZERO
BY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO THE DAY SATURDAY.


Hazardous Weather Outlook


BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY
WITH STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE
SATURDAY NIGHT AND VISIBILITIES SHOULD IMPROVE. HOWEVER WITH ARCTIC
AIR IN PLACE...WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY BE IN THE 30
TO 50 BELOW RANGE. SO WIND CHILL ADVISORIES OR WARNINGS WILL
PROBABLY BE NEEDED SATURDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY.


Goodbye for the day...Going Fishing.

 

[hannabarn]

It's Winter in Wisconsin
And the gentle breezes blow,
70 miles per hour at 52 below!
Oh, How I love Wisconsin
When the snow's up to your butt.
You take a breath of winter air
And your nose is frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful,
I guess I'll hang around.
I could never leave Wisconsin.
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground.
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[rgecaprock]

That is Great, Barney!!!!! lol

 

[zember311]

Thats what I miss about the snow.


1) the silent sound as sound is absurbed by the snow.
2) that crisp smell in the air as if the world was fresh and new
3) Seeing my breath as I exhaled.
4) the roads are bare as if the town was sleeping all at the same time
5)The excuse to stay in, turn up the heat and just be lazy as the snow fell.




Wasn't too much for the snow ball fights, building snow men or skiing though. I'm crayz but not insane. Just way to cold for that type of entertainment.

 

[jobe05]

The following is what I miss about winters: