The Last Winter on the Lake

Kantaa, pitää (jäästä)

The ice would hold

Kantaa, kestää painon

The ice would bear a child's weight

Tunkeutua vähitellen, hivuttautua

Warm spells began to nose their way into January

1. What is the main idea of the text? — A personal account of how a warming climate has ended a childhood winter tradition
2. How did the narrator's father decide whether it was safe to skate? — He tested the ice with his boot and listened for a deep groan
3. Why was the narrator slow to admit that the winters were changing? — The change came gradually rather than all at once