Even though indicators of the end of winter were observed this weekend along the path around the Falls, long-time amateur weather prognosticator Leonard Burns noted on Saturday there will be four more snows this season.
It’s not certain if his prowess for the art of counting snowfalls comes from many years serving as Oconto Falls High School guidance counselor, but it might have. It had to be rewarding to work with young people as they made decisions about their future and then have the opportunity and luxury to sit back and watch these individuals mature into adulthood as they moved into their own careers and raised families.
No doubt there were many times he thought to himself, “I knew from the start this young man was going to be a success,” or “I knew life was going to be a challenge for this individual. I am glad he or she was able to overcome the challenges.”
That long-time perspective on the changes in the lives of people might be the reason he has been so rock solid counting the number of snows in a season. Even though he predicts four more dustings heavy enough for a cat to make tracks, the weekend sure felt like we could close the chapter on this winter.
There were a couple of sure signs. It felt good enough on Friday afternoon to break out the garden hose and give the F-150 a good bath. Being able to wash a vehicle on the cement pad next to the garage without worrying about the hoses freezing up is a plus.
The first Canada geese were spotted along the East Side Beach on Sunday morning, and a number have been flying north. Many more will follow and gather on this popular landing spot. For now, there are no swimmers having to watch where they walk because of the geese.
Observers will note a slightly greener tinge to the lawns in the area. Squinting through anticipation-powered glasses can help to see the greener colors. Some might have been seen on Monday morning when high school physical education classes took to one of the new softball fields for the first outdoor gym classes of the year.
With the change to warmer weather, there is a slight change in the variety of wildlife spotted and smelled along the rural blacktop. Skunks and raccoons are back from their winter slumber.
The final transition signs include the return of the sandhill cranes and the sounds of the peeper frogs that will escape the warming soils in the wetlands.
We have to wait until Friday for the first official day of spring, but the break in the weather has been the impetus for work on the outdoor projects approved by the August referendum. Work for the footings and foundation of the building overlooking the new stadium got into full swing Monday. The frost was out of the ground at the surface level, but a dozen feet deeper, Old Man Winter still had a hold.
Another project that has been about five years in the making also moved forward Monday when the bell from the church on the Abrams Elementary property was gently lowered to the ground. A number of people have had an interest in the bell, ever since the district acquired the property with the eventual goal of expanding and improving the safety for vehicles in that area.
Even though a number of sealed bids were received, none were opened until the bell could be brought down and prepared for a new life in some other location. The bell will be advertised for sale by sealed bid one more time, and once the bids are in, the School Board will decide the eventual destination for that bell.
It could be sold to the highest bidder, a request for a donation to the town of Abrams will be considered, or the bell might be incorporated into some aspect of the further development of the Abrams School site or the athletic fields at the high school.
Now that the bell is safely down and available for viewing, the next steps can be mapped out. Mapping out next steps are on people’s minds at this time of transition between the seasons and the approach of the end of the school year.
There might be four more snows to come, but many are looking forward to the freshness that comes at this time of year.
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