Winter 2007

It has been an unusual open fall and early winter at Lake Laberge. The weather has stayed warm right into December. Even though this was predicted it is a trend that we aren’t used to. The north winds have not yet taken hold and the warmer temperatures are still around.  Even the winds are confused.

I recollect a piece of native weather wisdom recited by an old friend some years ago. We were comfortably sitting legs over the edge on the riverbank at the confluence of the Pelly and Yukon Rivers at spring break-up time.  It was a beautiful, long, sunny evening and he was expounding some of the weather wisdom learned as a youngster.

“Gus”, he said, all the time waving his arms back and forth as if demonstrating the hula. “There is only one wind. It is the same wind year after year. In spring it comes from the south and brings summer and in the fall it comes back from the north and brings the winter with it.”

At this point he paused as if gathering more memories.

“The swans, the geese and the other birds listen for the wind because they ride the wind and the wind lets them know when it is time to come and go.”

This insight into weather forecasting was somewhat unusual but who was I to question the ancient wisdom. The fact remains that every spring and fall, the story comes back to me and I make a point of watching the prevailing wind changes from season to season.

It is still warm enough for most wild creatures to be out and about. There is an abundance of gray chickadees darting in and out of the feeder.  They carefully carry one sunflower seed at a time to a nearby aspen branch and spend a large part of their energy pecking away at the seedpod to get at the goodies inside.

Two red headed woodpeckers have taken to counting our firewood; at least it looks like that is what they are doing.  Our lean-to woodshed is about eight feet high and twenty-four feet long and the birds run along the face of the stacked billets, beating them like a drum from one end of the pile to the other and back again. They seem to be going much to fast to reap any kind of edible reward from their efforts but maybe they’re just having fun and working up an appetite.

In the early morning of November 15th a bald eagle nonchalantly cruised by our lakeshore window. This late in the season they should be bound for the more moderate coastal climate but this one showed no signs of wanting to go anywhere but home.

Rodents are still playing around and we haven’t seen the frantic gathering of winter grub that normally happens at this time of the year. The squirrels are showing no concern about the approach of winter. It keeps the dogs happy chasing them from tree to tree but it does make one wonder if winter is actually on the way.

For now, we will just enjoy the outdoors and take it as it comes, whenever that may be.