Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Friday, January 3, 2025

The Lost Winter

While the eastern half of the nation prepares to be slapped sideways by a massive blast of frigid Arctic air, I have been gazing down at Hauser Lake in wonder.

Why wonder?

I am shocked to see patches of unfrozen water on the lake. I have never seen open water in the first week of January. Usually, the lake is locked under a sheet of ice long before I am lingering under the Christmas mistletoe, hoping Desiree will grant me a kiss. So far this winter, we have only occasionally seen temperatures cold enough to freeze the lake, and my snow shovel is standing in the corner of my garage, collecting dust.

Sure, you could argue I don’t need the chill of winter or its blanket of snow, but they’re essential to our northern rhythm, to the balance of seasons, and to the moisture we depend on. Simply put, we need snow, and we need the cold.

Open Water on Hauser

—Mitchell Hegman

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