Temperatures over the coming week are expected to remain mild, with Saturday likely to rise above freezing. Much of the week will be above seasonal normal. Sunday is expected to bring several inches of fresh snow. Night temperatures should remain above zero until next Wednesday. Winds will be light, and it should not be long before Lake Superior begins to freeze in earnest.

With the approaching freeze in mind, Mr. Karl Johnson has pulled his nets for the season. Miss Fjell and I joined the town at last weekend’s masquerade. While our costumes, a recently convicted woman bandit and her accomplice, were well received, the prize for the prettiest costume went to Miss Ruth Anderson, who appeared as a Southern belle. Peter LeSage, dressed as a lady, won honors for the most comical. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Thomas, who are spending twenty-two miles up the Gunflint Trail, walked in for the ball and report that they are enjoying winter.

When I accepted the position of town weatherman, I did not expect the mildness of January and early February to linger as it has. Even so, while the weather remains gentle, the community feels warmer still. Reflecting on last weekend’s gathering, I am reminded of Emerson, who wrote, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” I could turn sentimental and quote Longfellow, but perhaps that is best reserved for another time.

Looking ahead, I have planned a weekend walk, and I am told the Grand Marais Fire Department is preparing another masquerade for the 16th.