For most of my life, January in Wisconsin has been all about snow and cold. After Christmas, there’d always be a ‘cold spell’ where it wouldn’t get above zero (Fahrenheit) for several days. Then it would never get above freezing until sometime in March, except for a handful of days where the thermometer would flirt with 40F, days that we knew as The January Thaw.

But now, in the Dead of Winter, there is no snow on the ground. We got a dusting in November, but that’s been it. It’s been close to 50F for several days, and we just lived through what can best be described as a warm spring rain.

Ten years ago, people were ice fishing on the Mississippi River at this time of year. Now it’s hard to find ice. RoZ used to say that climate change was bringing Kansas weather to Wisconsin, but I don’t think even Kansas normally enjoys this kind of weather in January.

And the old geezers who should be ice fishing are putting their boats in the water instead, shaking their heads and muttering, “it just ain’t right.”