This Midwest winter......
 

...... absolutely terrible since around mid-late December.

Had Groundhog Day been delayed a week, they may not have found Phil to grade the remaining winter.:(

I have a new powder I want to test. I have four new bullets to test.
Itching to go shoot and stuck in my darn house today. Even work told me to stay home today, during a phone call last night.

My son lives up your way in Berkley MI. I don't know how you guys put up with that stuff.

Other than the cold, the east side at the 45th parallel, we've had way less than 1/2 of our normal snowfall (knock on wood). I don't think we've had any more than 6-8" on the ground at any time. Maybe 5" now.
However on the west side, they have it up around your belt.

A REAL GOOD THING on this side, as I might get on the club range early.

Next week might see a return of the 30s for highs.
That's going to feel good, but not good enough for range-work. Not even sure if the nearby state-operated DNR gun ranges are even open now. I have two - both about an hour away.

Apparently with all the snow you are getting down below, might want to shoot before the frost goes and they won't let you on the ranges.

Its like a plague up here in the spring. Its beautiful weather to shoot, but all the range roads are closed until they dry up.

Years ago i came so close to moving upto White Bear Lake/St Paul....Im so glad i didnt get that job.

St Paul?..... lots of white stuff in that region.

Heading east from that St Paul parallel is near-where Cayugad lived in Wisconsin. I recall him saying there were snow depths sometimes, that nearly reached the home-roof.

That entire stretch of the upper North USA, that lines-up to the east, even into Buffalo, which gets hammered bad almost every year (150-200"), says this latest round of about 10" on the ground (including the other day), ain't so bad after-all.

Sunny here today after a few days of on and off rain. Just checked the thermometer on my back deck - 79.9⁰ (in the shade).

Boo Hiss:( Don't think it got into double digits today.

Reminds me when my wife and I and another couple when to the Sugar Bowl 45 years ago. We stopped to visit some of their friends in southern Arkansas and I was surprise to see him having his central air system serviced on December 27th. It seems he was hosting the new year's party and we want to make sure his guests would be comfortable. Air conditioning in December was something an old Nebraska guy had trouble grasping.

Newly acquired suntan in January (Miami Beach) is something this current, old Michigander-guy has trouble grasping.

I also have a hard time grasping what it's like to have the ability to shoot guns during deep snow having private land that allows shots-fired from inside your vehicle. I also never realized it was a sin to whine about others not having the land access (with vehicle attached/included) to target shoot in the same manner.

But then again, after talking with Conservation Officers (Dept Of Natural Resources) here in Michigan, those that are not physically handicapped and pull the trigger to any firearm inside their vehicles, has something wrong inside their head.

Here in Michigan, you better have that rare permit to shoot guns inside your vehicle, in private and/or public land.