Stay Off the River

I hadn't been to Crosby Farm for several weeks to check on the beaver lodge, but today (a cold and cloudy, rainy day) I ventured down the hill to Crosby Farm and went to have a look. Not much is going on there. The beavers seem to be resting securely in their lodge - no tracks to be seen. There has been human activity in the area, however. Crosby Farm is a pretty good place within the city to do some cross country skiing and there are tracks all over the place to indicate the presence of skiers. They ski on Upper Lake and also along the edge of the mighty Mississippi in spite of the signs. The "thin ice" sign below is next to the river. (The ice on the lake is thick enough to ski on, maybe thick enough to drive a truck on, too.) The sign by the river is relevant. A real danger exists because the river is moving water and the ice unpredictable. I ventured as far out on the ice as the ski tracks, but only briefly. The skiers stay close to the banks.



This is the Mississippi River in winter by Crosby Farm. This photo attempts to show how the river is used by the cross country skiers, There are no tracks going across the river. And there is no evidence of anyone going through the ice, although somewhere in this great state there is usually one or two instances of people falling through the ice sometime in January because they have underestimated the predictability of river ice.



There was tennis tonight again at Wooddale with Jerry and the hardcore girls. We managed three sets and had some good points. Becky was playing well as my partner and we had quite a few long competitive points, sometimes decided by net cord shots.

The Aussie Open has begun in Australia. Justine Henin is playing again. She came out of retirement this year after seeing the success enjoyed by her countrywoman, Kim Clijsters, last year at the US Open. It's nice to see the Belgians back in the draw of the major tournaments. I hope they stay around and play at Roland Garros in May.

One last item. I have a vague memory of a kid's song whose lyrics have been mangled in my mind for some time. I wonder if any one knows where these lyrics came from, or did I dream them up myself. Have these lyrics been copyrighted?

"Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone
Oh where, oh where can he be
Away down south with his tail in his mouth
And his hind legs up in a tree."