Here's a quick link to John's Forecast for the Winter of 2022/23 https://johndee.com/seasonalfcst/2022-23/seasonalforecast.html
Think Snow!!
Think Snow!!
John Dee's Seasonal Forecast
- Thread starter gary_in_neenah
- Start date
jakester23
Member
Praying for a snow filled season for all snow lovers.
ICT Sledder
Active member
I'm moving from maybe 50 miles north of the "go north - no forecast" cut off, to well into the sea blue section of the MN northwoods, so I'm a very happy man.
pclark
Well-known member
Big changes for you as you settle into the way of life in the Northwoods. Happy for you, we moved up 14 months ago and have never looked back.
What adjustments pro and con did you settle into??
pclark
Well-known member
Not so much for me but for my wife, she misses the shopping, I just order things on Amazon Prime. She has also had her ear bent by my 31 year old daughter that we now live 6 hours away from the in Naperville, IL and with them planning a family putting a little guilt trip on us to be closer. My wife also has to work because she is 5 years younger than me for Health insurance benefits, she found a great job right in MW 4 days a week, Monday-Thursday, 3 day weekends off so that makes it easy for us to travel on weekends. Fo me it's really about setting up your Doctor network as that can be challenging in Minocqua. Have found all Dr's and a good dentist. Just was informed my Cardilogist is no longer coming to Minocqua so they are re-assigning me (in process). We are now in process of planning a re-model of our place, finding good contractors and getting them scheduled is a learning experience but it is what it is. Waiting for materials to come back down from the moon, not in hurry except to get my garage done next Spring, 4 car with a shop, heated. Spring is not really a season up here as you know, I think you lived near Phelps or something like that? so March through early May is pretty boring.
Yes 16 years on Spectacle Lake and you are going thru the exact adjustments we went thru too. My wife hated the shopping got better when Kohl’s came to Rhinelander all big box for us was Rhinelander. I gave up on Vilas medical just bit the bullet and traveled to Wausau. The grandkids and kids all 5 hours away was an issue and finally the reason we moved back to southern WI. Yes Spring is horrible suggest you be somewhere else like FL. April blizzards were a complete drag just delays transition to warmer temps. Enjoy yourself while you can up north seems like most of us leave for 1 reason or another in our 70s. My best riding bud just left moved back to IL again for family. You will find your go to craftsman just need to sort thru them some are good as gold better than south. Best wishes!
pclark
Well-known member
Thank you sir for your advice, I value your opinions on this site. I agree with your thoughts on how I feel vs my wife and what in the end is better for us. It seems as if we have been led down similiar paths, we then we have to make the decision what is best for the both of us. For now all is well but who knows where that will lead us. We have been married 33 years and mostly stick together on decisons as to what direction we go in life. Our area seems to be fairly active in the winter as it seems more and more people are staying longer into the winter and there is a little more to do during the week. One thing for sure, don't sit on your ass and watch TV or you will become a frozen turd up here. Staying active is the key in my opinion. More to come as things progress.
given the opportunity here too, I would pick up and move north and never look back either.
ICT Sledder
Active member
Yeah, there will be a number of massive adjustments.
Wife has a better job than she has here, but I will need to re-start my business. (One man show in a very specialized, hard to enter field- should just take a few months... hopefully.)
I'll actually have to deal with and move snow that comes in deep, and won't be melting anytime soon. I take a lot of sled trips, but never have to actually deal with the snow as a guest. Get a little snow where we live now, but have maybe one snow per year that is worth shoveling, and it all melts within a week or two afterwords, generally.
Heating costs.. oh boy! Going from natural gas at maybe $100-$120/mo in the winter, to heating oil that will probably be $500-$750/mo. That was a 100% unforeseen expense on our end. Higher heating costs for the roughly 20 degree difference on average from where we are coming from? Sure, duh. Many multiples more expensive? Was not prepared for that.
Gonna miss all the dining options and easy access to such. That's one thing I'm going to legitimately miss. Also going to miss 4 hours to the Ozarks, and 8 hours to the Rockies for vacations, but then again we're moving to an area that people flock to for their own vacations, and we get to live there full time.
Looking forward to the amazing summers, the fun in the snow, the forests, the lakes, and the nature generally. And getting away from the traffic, crime, and rat race that living in an urban area entails. Not gonna miss that at all.
I'm also a "nice yard" weirdo so I'm looking forward to having a pretty green bluegrass carpet lawn that requires little input outside of mowing, from an area now where I spend June-Aug trying to keep fescue alive and green, and ugly bermuda out.
bearrassler
Well-known member
What area of northern MN are you moving to?
ICT Sledder
Active member
Itasca County
Good for you. We moved up here to the Duluth area 16+ yrs ago and like it. All the things you need from a city and 10 minutes to be completely in the wilderness. And phenomenal sledding up the shore. But now our kids have moved away, one in NYC and one in Montana, and we are getting close to the end of our working days so we are starting to wonder where that next stop is. Whether we move further up the shore to the cabin full time or the other option is move out west, northern MT or Idaho. Where ever it is it'll be a fun journey!