You would be suffering from weather whiplash if you lived here. It will be approximately 40° colder tomorrow than today. By the end of the week, it will go back the other way. The real problem we have weatherwise is not the temperature changes but the fact that we are in a drought. We had very little snow compared to a normal. Things have not had a chance to turn green yet. The prediction is for humidity today to be around 30%. It’s also predicted it will be windy with gusts up to 50 mph. The drought, the low humidity, and the high wind make for dangerous fire conditions. One of the dangers is the power lines swaying in the wind and coming in contact, causing arcs and the potential for starting a fire.
I love living here in the Northwoods. You have to be practical and make a fire break around your home. There are other things you do automatically. You make sure there’s no garbage where a bear can get to them. You also put your grill away after the barbecue because the smell of what you cooked will attract bears. Some of you in the city are also sharing our problem with deer. They seem to be attracted to every plant you put in your landscape or your garden. You can do things like use deer repellent products or use a fence that’s at least 7 feet tall. Something that’s become a way to convince deer that your yard and garden are not a smorgasbord put on for their pleasure is to use a paintball gun. The deer quickly learn your yard and garden are an unpleasant place to dine. I have seen deer with blotches of bright colors on their rumps. My guess is they were slow learners. The treatment for slow learners is to freeze the paintballs. It makes a more smarting impression without permanently hurting the deer. One woman I know said all she has to do is open her door and stick the paintball gun out to scare the deer. It’s just the backwoods – crazy weather and even crazier critters.
