Mather

Gardener and author Ed Burt publishes ‘My Journey in the Garden’

Is winter over? Maybe. Maybe not. As I write to you on this mid-March morning, it would appear the winter of 2016 is history. Even though I love winter, I am OK with that.

If you only knew how beautiful winter is, you would not hate it anymore. Sure, you may think I’m retired and live at the edge of a lake. If it snows a foot, I don’t have to drive through it.

I love winter. When winter really comes to stay, it’s easy to get out on the lake and into the forest. Cold is the key, cold enough to freeze the swamps in the forest and the ice on the lake.

For as long as I have lived at the shore of the lake, waiting for ice has been an intriguing time. It’s late this year, but that’s okay. Each morning the view from my window captivates me. I watch the dawn slowly illuminate the sky.

I love walking in the woods. The silence of the forest, the majesty of the old pines, the very air has a calming presence. Away from this computer, away from the phone, away from the humming of the fridge, the noises of our modern world.

In retrospect, I was walking way too fast down that steep hill at the end of August. If you happened to read my last column , you may recall that I was tootling back to Camp Manitou after a wonderful day of hiking, paddling and swimming.

At the end of August, I was cooking for 50 people at Camp Manitou , the last family camp for 2015. Cooking for this very appreciative collection of people in the gorgeous setting of the North Channel is very rewarding.

A very large tent appeared on a very small island. I could watch them from my living room window. My thoughts were, that’s great! Some folks have found some time to get out of the city, and can enjoy this beautiful lake. One of them woke quite early.

Midsummer morning. First light comes at five. I wake just enough to see the clock. I notice there is no wind, no sound. With eyes closed, I see the lake. It will be calm, mirror-like. Then I hear the soft call of loons and go back to sleep.