By Bob Spiwak
Here in West Boesel it is a foggy Monday morning. A mile to the west, just over Weeman Bridge, all the way to the high mountains the sun is out and despite ambient temperatures, it is a very hot sun. However short it may be, the melt is on. This can have its down side, no pun intended. Last Saturday morning the road was so icy that, downside-up, there was a car in the ditch, partially buried. Apparently there were no major injuries and when I stopped, Brian Sweet, who had helped at the scene, came to my car and said he was taking the occupant(s?) to his place up the road. Way to go, Brian.
It has been about 10,000 years since the last ice age, give or take an eon or two, and according to some academic pundits, the warming of the globe is a precursor to the beginning of another ice age. We seem to have both phenomena here in the valley, in that the snow (albeit less than average) in the upper valley is notable while it diminishes further south.
We tried the snow rake on a couple of our outbuildings and it was a losing battle with two layers of thick ice sandwiching the snow.
But things, despite the fog and gray days, were looking good for the Nordic Festival last weekend. According to Danica Ready of the Methow Trails organization, the number of participants was up from years past. The Methow, she observed, has become iconic for its winters and in prior years not as many people came here from places afar, including Alaska, Montana and points east.
At Harts Pass yesterday, the snow depth was down 6 inches over the week to 74 inches. The snow/water equivalent likewise was slightly diminished to 117 percent of average.
Farmers in the Midwest are now considering the limits of being “green.” According to a piece on “The Farm Report” on TV Sunday morning, a farmer who has been fertilizing his fields with manure (source not named) is being sued by a local water district as well as other organizations for polluting wells along with several rivers. He did not use chemical fertilizers, as is the case with many of us here in the Methow. As we who are rural folk have wells for all our water needs, the Iowa tidbit is mentioned here because there is apparently a nationwide groundswell of actions being taken against pollution of water through natural product fertilization.
The good news for golfers here and abroad is that the Bear Creek course will be open as usual when spring comes and the snow is gone. This from the new operators Terry and Debbie Evans, who will be leasing the course for the coming season, and according to Ash Court the lease will be renewable.
The venerable links has been built, owned and managed by the Court family for 50 years, except for a brief hiatus a few years ago. The only change the Evanses have announced is that the $500 season pass will have the state sales tax added, rather than included in the fee. Also, it is good to know that on the course, only the greens are fertilized, and lightly. The rest of the lovely greenery is all in the hands of Ma Nature.
