Having just returned from the Brule Lake trek with the Minnesota Game and Fish Department, I hurried to consult the tools of my trade to provide a forecast for the coming week. Conditions will turn milder, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees by next Thursday. Light snow flurries are likely Monday and Wednesday, leaving just enough fresh cover to hide the debris scattered by last week’s winds. Blowing and drifting snow will continue at times, particularly along the road from town toward Port Arthur.

During the Brule Lake trek, inland temperatures fell as low as 22 degrees below zero and at times whiteout conditions prevailed. Spirits remained high despite the cold, aided by generally clear and pleasant weather, though a few members of the party reported frostbitten ears.

Returning to town brought news less pleasant. A bomb was thrown into the Wonderland Theater in Minneapolis, but quick action by Edward Oliver, who tossed the lit device into a nearby snowbank, prevented greater harm. The explosion shattered windows for nearly half a block.

Closer to home, the town council has taken steps toward what some call the modern age by approving the installation of streetlights. While the night sky in town may lose a measure of its darkness, the streets themselves will be better seen after sunset. At the same time, snowplows are working their way to the lumber camps and the sawmills are beginning to buzz again after the winter’s pause.

After a week that held both cold and danger, I was reminded of a thought by Thoreau: “It is not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”