I was out the other night and snapped this photo of the crescent moon low on the western horizon. The colors were amazing, as you can see. The weather here is warming up today, so there won’t be many more nights I can walk out on the ice without going for an unplanned swim. As holes in the ice open and the open water is churned into waves by the wind, the oxygen level in the lake water begins to increase. This is crucial for the fish, especially in shallow lakes that don’t store a lot of oxygen in their depths.

The thaw, or the break up (referring to the ice in the lakes and rivers), is a fascinating time of year as change happens so fast. It’s also known as mud season, especially for those of us who live on dirt roads.