Indian Fall in December

I asked for ideas on my Facebook page the other day on what to call the mild weather we are having in Wisconsin this December.  It's been milder than I can ever remember this late in the year.

Earlier in the fall, after a hard frost, when nice weather comes upon us for a brief visit once again, we call it Indian Summer.  It's surely too late for that now, and although fall hasn't officially ended, for the most part it would have been long gone by now here where I live.  This resurgence of mild weather, the kind that makes you feel good in spirits, needs another name as it is also certainly too early for spring fever.  Eric, our friend and neighbor, was the winner when he suggested calling this weather, Indian Fall.  I feel as if we've had a second chance at fall this year for sure.


Our pond is once again completely open, we had thunderstorms last night, and the grass is green;  it's been such odd weather for mid December in Central Wisconsin.  I keep looking for a blooming May Flower in my yard, but I haven't found one quite yet!

Today I thought it would be nice to take a road trip and visit a river somewhere so we headed to Black River Falls.  We stopped at the Bruce Cormican Memorial Canoe Landing on the south edge of town and walked along the Black River for a spell between the rain drops.  The first site my hubby and I encountered when we walked down to the river was a man extending his landing net at the shore to retrieve a walleye, just border line legal at 15".  He released it, but he was smiling.  We asked if he'd ever remembered fishing open water this late in the season and of course he said no, but the weather was just what prompted him to come here and fish today.

I noticed so many green plants along the river bank and kept my eye out for blooming wild flowers but I didn't find any.  Some tree branches had buds that were slightly swelled.


We also ventured over to Perry Creek to a county park that bares its name just south of town.  There is a swinging footbridge there that leads to a waterfall along the beautiful Perry Creek near where it runs into the Black River.   The creek bank is dotted with large white and red pines and river birch.

The rain held off long enough for us to get a short walk in and enjoy the greenery along Perry Creek.  Ferns and moss on the logs and rocky outcroppings along the river were just what I needed to see.  The damp misty cool air reminded me of a trip I took to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State a few years ago in the month of February.  There were not many tourists out and about at that time of the year, but oh was it green and beautiful there!

I don't know if we'll ever see another December like this one in 2015, but it's been grand.  The rain and the cloudy days don't bother me as long as the temps are mild.  Winter will be so much shorter this year, thanks to our Indian Fall!

Me looking for rocks at Perry Creek