Yes, a February thaw, with the temperature near 40. And, just north of Whitewater (and probably many other places as well), a skunk that had come out of its winter quarters to survey the scene and possibly find a bite to eat. We can only hope that he did not come out only to meet his demise, though the aroma as we drove by suggested otherwise.

Meanwhile, in Oconomowoc, a great, chaotic jumble of kids, dogs, sledding, igloo building, garden planning and seed ordering, and an attempt to set up and check out Wombat, the new iceboat. The only real problem was with Wombat, where it looks like we might have been sold a pig in a poke. Caveat emptor, of course, but there is no doubt that accomplished businessmen like Brian and Tony will find successful resolution.