Blades on

Another year, another new sport.  Curling stones are ready.  But how to play?

Ice

Ice is 5 inches thick in the bay.  Two to 3 inches of snow on the ground.  Several vehicles plowed through the snow drifts on the causeway.  Minus 24 this morning!

Snow covered lake

Early winter this season.  Two inches of snow on the ground.

Winter is here

Skating

Ice 3 1/2 inches on the causeway bay.  Skating now in play.  Some deep drifts on causeway.

Hunting

Gun hunting season for deer has ended.  In our area, 3 bucks (2 with 8 points, another 5 point), 1 doe and one faun (male) for a total of 5.  More seen but too fast and used the lake as an escape route.
    

Ice time

Lake is starting to form a smooth layer of ice.  Some tree clearing work at the Langford 'nasty' curve road.  This is to make room for a hydro pole to supply a new residence going up on the west side of the road.

Open year round

Clarke Road is a pretty place,
Often very deep in snow,
But when you need an outhouse,
The mills the place to go.

For some reason, the area that turtles lay eggs has once again been opened up by some animal.  Perhaps raccoons, although raccoons seem to have disappeared this summer and fall.

News

The first 5 days of hunting from the mill hill north has resulted in one doe and one calf. 
The municipality has graded the road from mill hill to Tusk Rd.  And, they provided a new grating for one of the municipal culverts.
Local hunters say that the lack of rabbits is mostly due to wolves.  But last night 2 rabbits were seen on the road.  Rare.
Chipmunks are still active.

Neat work

South of the mill hill there are 2 culverts on Clarke Rd.  In between the 2 culverts, on the west side, about 20 feet from the road is a 6 x 6 post that extends about 1 foot above the water.  This is a marker that separates Municipality of Dysart to the north, and Highlands East to the south.  The entire west side is Haliburton County and on the east side is Hastings County.
     So, the southern most culvert was plugged by the beavers.  Not a little bit, but major.  The road crew from Dysart, based in Haliburton, came and cleaned out the culvert-really neat!  They cut down a large birch tree longer than the width of the road and culvert.  A backhoe worked the tree, with no branches, into the end of the culvert and pushed it through with the bucket.  Once the tree extended out the other side the tree was withdrawn and the water flow through this culvert.  But, once they started, it was pointed out that they were really working in the Highlands East culvert.  The northern culvert is Dysart.  Anyways, job done.
    Now, Highlands East maintains the roadway through an agreement with Hasting County.  Remember, Clarke Rd is a division between Haliburton and Hastings.  Highlands East plows only to the top of the mill hill, to the turnabout.  Sometimes they use a grader to Tusk--wish they did more!
   There is a need for grates to protect the culvert from beavers.  If you have grates, like stove grates, drop them off by a culvert next spring, or sooner if around.

Power out

At 6:55 a.m. power was out for 869 customers.  Very windy.  Power back on at 9:30 am.